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FRANZISKA WILD Editorial Intern
D.C. is expanding the reasons the city closes homeless encampments, making every encampment in the city vulnerable to closure. This could impact the nearly 200 people who live at encampments across D.C., according to city data.
D.C. officials first announced the change in how the city enforces its no camping policy after President Donald Trump’s initial remarks about encampments in D.C. in early February, and a few weeks before the city closed an encampment, seemingly at the president’s request.
Wayne Turnage, D.C.’s deputy mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS), testified in a Feb. 20 oversight hearing for his agency that DMHHS would no longer close encampments solely for health and safety reasons, as had been the city’s practice for the last several years.
“Up until this year, there were no site closures that did not involve health and safety,” Turnage said. “We are now entering territory where we may close encampments for reasons that don’t include health and safety, and they are more consistent with the mayor’s goal that people don’t sleep outside.”
The city did not provide specific responses when asked if the decision was connected to Trump’s comments on encampments. In a statement to Street Sense, Turnage wrote “our primary focus is always working to move people experiencing homelessness into safer shelters or housing.”
While this is technically not a shift in policy — Mayor Muriel Bowser has the authority to ban camping on all city land in D.C. — it represents a dramatic shift in how DMHHS makes decisions about when to close encampments. Since 2022, when DMHHS began labeling some encampment engagements as closures, the city has always cited health and safety as the motivation behind its decisions, according to a Street Sense analysis of five years of public data.
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In the past, DMHHS officials have told Street Sense they do not make the decision to close an encampment “lightly.” High fire risks, biohazards such as human waste, and intrusion on highways are among the factors the agency uses to justify closures. The encampments website commonly says closures are an “enforcement that this public space must remain clear at all times due to safety concerns,” though it does not provide specific information on what those concerns are.
The number of encampment closures has ticked up over the last year even as the total number of encampments in the city has decreased. In November 2023, D.C. reported 105 encampments, compared to 81 as of December 2024. In 2024, DMHHS closed 32 encampments, compared with 12 in 2023. So far in 2025, DMHHS has already conducted three encampment closures and scheduled 11 others.
A few weeks after Turnage’s testimony, Trump called on Boswer to “clean up all of the unsightly homeless encampments in the City, specifically including the ones outside the State Department, and near the White House” via a Truth Social post on March 5. The next day, DMHHS added an encampment closure for March 7 at the E St. Expressway NW in Foggy Bottom, which corresponds to the area Trump described. By scheduling the closure so quickly, DMHHS disregarded its typical policy of providing residents with two weeks of notice before closing an encampment except in case of emergencies — a practice Turnage boasted about in the oversight hearing.
Advocates and outreach providers argue camping bans do more harm than good. Andy Wassenich, the policy director at Miriam’s Kitchen, said camping bans are typically ineffective at ending homelessness and mostly serve to shuffle people around the city, causing trauma in the process.
“There’s more and more evidence that involuntary removal from encampments, or however you want to put it, or evictions has negative health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness,” Wassenich said.
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With affordable senior living becoming a rarity in D.C, Friendship Terrace in Tenleytown is finding ways to help low-income seniors live in retirement communities.
In February, Friendship Terrace, a medium-sized apartment complex in Ward 3, announced it would be opening up 125 “deeply affordable” housing units for independent seniors, making the retirement community open to low-income D.C. residents. In addition, Seabury Resources for Aging, which owns and manages the apartments, announced it would establish a $2 million food trust to support residents in need, as one in two seniors in the D.C. area experiences food insecurity daily, according to the Capital Area Food Bank.
Many communities for older residents are expensive, which means it can be hard for lowincome seniors to live on their own in accessible apartments, but complexes like Friendship Terrace hope to provide the solution. One Friendship Terrace resident, Sharin Majarowitz, who has been living there for over a year, said she is “well satisfied” at Friendship Terrace, and glad she can live independently in her apartment.
“Seniors deserve to have their needs met. Everybody benefits when their needs are met,” Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin said at the open house for the new units on Feb. 13. Frumin has advocated for the importance of creating accessible housing for D.C.’s aging population. D.C. has a lack of deeply affordable housing, which is housing available to those who make 30% or below of an area’s median income (AMI). In D.C., that’s around $32,000 for an individual, or $37,000 for a couple, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The AMI is used by agencies such as the D.C. Housing Authority to determine who qualifies for a housing voucher or public housing.
At Friendship Terrace, rent for tenants in the deeply affordable units is subsidized by vouchers through a partnership between the D.C. Housing Authority and Seabury. Tenants receive Section 8 vouchers specific to the apartment complex, and pay rent proportional to their savings and no more than 30% of their income.
“It was phenomenal. Residents could not believe the savings they were able to keep in their bank accounts,” Semira Ligon, the executive director of Friendship Terrace for over 10 years, said. Ligon said the partnership between Seabury and the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) was over four years in the making. She encouraged other property owners to partner with DCHA to provide affordable housing to their residents. In 2023, the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home, for instance, broke ground on a new affordable housing complex for seniors in Friendship Heights, using both vouchers and money from the city’s Housing Production Trust Fund to ensure units are affordable.
Sheila Foxworth, a 78-year-old resident who has been at Friendship Terrace since 2023, said her experience at the complex has been “up and down.”
“It took a while for me to adjust, but I’m doing good now,” she said. Foxworth was a former property manager, she said, so it took time to acclimate to the way Seabury managed the apartments.
The property has features tailored to senior residents. The complex is equipped with cameras, so staff can alert paramedics if a tenant has a medical emergency. It also has a pantry where residents with severe food insecurity can go to receive essentials for free, according to Mary Toussaint, a services coordinator at Friendship Terrace who gave Street Sense a tour of the property. On the fifth floor, there is a greenhouse with plants donated from tenants or nearby community members. Residents like Miss Iris take time to tend to the garden.
Friendship Terrace accepts seniors as young as 62 and as old as 103, with some exceptions for younger individuals who have disabilities. Those interested can complete an online application and paperwork, which can be emailed, faxed, or delivered in-person to the property.
Moving forward, Ligon hopes other property managers, both for seniors and for the general public, will take something away from Friendship Terrace’s approach to interacting with tenants.
“Advocate for your residents. Healthy and happy residents equal a healthy and happy property,” Ligon said.
Editor’s Note: This article was co-published with The Eagle, which the author is also a writer for.
Less visible, but still
Workers who can’t afford a place
DAN IMMERGLUCK Shelterforce
What is homelessness? Ask someone walking down the street in a U.S. city, and they are likely to talk about people sleeping on park benches, or in tents pitched in a park, or perhaps folks asking for change on the corner. That’s what most people likely think of when asked what “homeless” means and, in fact, is pretty consistent with the way that most scholars who study the topic conceive of the phenomenon as well. They may distinguish between “sheltered” and “unsheltered” homelessness, with the former being those staying in temporary shelters, and the latter being those “sleeping rough” on cardboard, in tents, or against a building, perhaps scrounging a bit of an overhang for just a little bit of protection from the elements.
In his new book, “There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America,” Brian Goldstone shows us another variety of homelessness, contesting our stereotypes and narrow definitions. Goldstone tells a story that’s very different from the typical media picture of street homelessness. He effectively redefines homelessness as being without a home, when home means something, somewhere that feels like a home, someplace stable enough to be called home. This sort of homelessness is one of a severe and violent housing instability that is less visible than street encampments.
The popular narrative of homelessness often sees it as a coastal problem, one that is particularly severe in California. This stereotype is also one in which mostly single people, sometimes with substance-abuse problems or severe mental illness, are unable to find work and, without the means to find housing, they sleep on the streets or in tent encampments. If they are able to find some sort of housing, it is often in shelters. This portrait is one of a highly visible problem, with encampments near downtowns or in heavily trafficked areas getting the most attention, both in the press and on social media. This is an “in your face” problem, one that irritates businessmen and city leaders who worry about a city’s image when recruiting the next convention or wooing the next job applicant. It’s such a big problem for them precisely because it is so visible. What if the homelessness problem was actually much larger, and more varied, than the stereotype of hyper-visible street homelessness? What if there were other types of homelessness, including people holding down one or more jobs and still not able to afford a decent, stable place for their family? What if they didn’t mostly sleep on the street? What if many did not have substance abuse problems? And what if the face of this other homelessness was often one
of families with children, moving from place to place, school to school, and never feeling “at home?”
This other homelessness — working homelessness — is less visible, but it is unclear that it is any less harmful, especially because it involves so many families with children. And in some ways, it may be a tougher policy nut to crack, due in large part to its lesser visibility. In the stories Goldstone tells, families are doubled up with family or friends or living in unsustainable conditions in extended stay hotels. Tech bros are not going to have to sidestep their way around them on their way to their offices in San Francisco or Los Angeles. They are neatly tucked away in pockets — usually less-desirable pockets — of lower-income urban or, often, suburban parts of metros like Atlanta, Georgia. Often located on commercial arterials or just off highways, dilapidated old apartment buildings and extended stay hotels are something many people rarely see, or they drive by without understanding that families are stuck in such places, stuck until they are forced to find the next squalid, unsafe, or unstable residence.
Goldstone combines the narrative skill of a journalist with the depth and analysis of a doctoral anthropologist, which he is, to tell the story of five families in metropolitan Atlanta who bounce from place to place, never finding any sort of stability, doubling up with relatives, friends, or acquaintances for short periods of time, often with families living in just one bedroom. Other times, families are forced to live in squalid, unhealthy, and unsafe conditions until they can find something better, if they can find something better. And even in such conditions, stability — any sense of true home — is absent, with one event after another keeping them in this sort of homelessness, into having to find yet another place — even if just for a week or two — to live, to survive.
“There is No Place for Us” is moving and well-researched, and a terribly important book. It is a book that calls on all of us, from concerned citizen to housing scholar, to rethink what we mean by “homeless” and to push policymakers to recognize that the scale of this problem is much larger and broader than the one suggested by the narrow and severely flawed metrics routinely compiled by the federal government.
More importantly, however, it pushes us to demand that affordable, decent, and stable housing be recognized in the U.S. as a fundamental human right so that we, as a nation, are required to ensure that every family, every individual, be provided with such housing: with home.
CARA HALFORD Editorial Intern
With rent in D.C. hitting record high rates, some tenants are holding property managers accountable for hidden fees and convoluted lease agreements.
Tenants at five apartment buildings owned and managed by Brookfield Properties are raising the alarm about hidden common area and utility fees and demanding more transparency in rental agreements. In June of 2024, residents formed Brookfield DC Tenants, a group that advocates for fair practices and affordable rent for all residents.
Hidden fees, which are frequent in D.C. apartment buildings, can be especially burdensome for low-income residents who may rely on subsidies or vouchers to afford housing. In 2023, one in 10 D.C. residents were housing insecure, according to a study done by the Urban Institute. Brookfield DC Tenants, which is made up of over 130 members, unites concerned residents across all of Brookfield’s apartment complexes in the District, including The Guild, Vela, Twelve12, Foundry Lofts, and Estate, to take “collective action” against reduced services, price hikes, breaches of contract and excessive utility and common area charges.
Norman Probst, a tenant of the Guild apartments in Navy Yard, paid a $250 holding fee for his apartment, which he said never received a refund for. In addition, he said he’s been charged for utilities used in the common area, which were not originally listed in his leasing contract.
“I’m low income,” Probst said. “I have a voucher. I feel like I’m paying for something outside of my apartment. I don’t know what I’m paying for.”
Probst and other tenants say the hidden fees have not only had a monetary toll but a mental one.
“I started having anxiety attacks about my bills,” Probst said.
To advocate for tenants, the group holds monthly meetings, runs campaigns based on specified concerns such as common area fees, and holds negotiations with Brookfield Properties managers as a way to pressure the company to respond to collective tenant concerns.
In February, Brookfield DC Tenants announced Probst filed a class action complaint against Brookfield Properties. The suit, which is currently going through the D.C. Superior Court, alleges property managers charged tenants illegal application fees, common area fees, and a slew of other undisclosed fees that are “unlawful, unfair, and/or deceptive under the D.C. Consumer Protections Procedure Act.”
The D.C. Consumer Protection Procedure Act protects consumers from business misconduct, both in commercial and real estate transactions. According to the complaint, in Probst’s case, more than $100 in utility fees were added to his monthly bill, which was already upward of $2,500, although his voucher covered most of the rent.
Other tenants say Probst’s experience wasn’t unique. Cruz Ramon, who moved to the Guild Apartments three months ago from Spain, said common area fees were never listed in his initial contract, but showed up on his monthly bills.
“It was kind of surprising to see common area fees,” Ramon said, although he noted he appreciates the amount of spaces available for Guild residents’ use.
Despite multiple attempts to contact the Brookfield management office, Probst said he has received no response to his complaints. Brookfield did not respond to Street Sense’s request for comment.
Another tenant, who requested to remain anonymous due to legal concerns, works as a leasing attorney and has used their background to advocate for themselves and their neighbors. The tenant said they were threatened with eviction when their rent payment was delayed by a few months, due to waiting on a paycheck to come in.
“Brookfield is a private equity company, and so, all the people in our leasing office are really, like, powerless… They’re not people that are capable of making critical
decisions,” the tenant said. “So we have no one with authority that we are able to contact or reach out to or talk to.”
This is not the first time Brookfield has faced legal repercussions and complaints from tenants. In 2023, Forbes reported Brookfield defaulted on its second portfolio of mortgages, worth $161.4 million. Brookfield was forced to default as its monthly mortgage rates on properties went up and occupancy rates went down more than 70% from 2018.
Brookfield is far from the only property management company to charge hidden fees. A 2024 investigation by Washington City Paper found more than 20 buildings in the city, including some managed by Brookfield, charged hidden or misleading fees. In the fall of 2024, the hidden utility fees at multiple buildings across the District caught city lawmakers’ attention, and Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen introduced legislation to prohibit charging tenants separately for common areas. Although the legislation did not pass, Allen reintroduced it last month, once again calling for transparent price listings on leasing agreements.
“District residents in large residential buildings are getting bilked by large, national corporations looking to squeeze profits without providing any extra value,” a press release from Feb. 13 stated.
For residents who are dissatisfied with Brookfield services, moving is not always an option. According to the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, 77% of those who need affordable housing in D.C. are extremely low-income, with only 39% of apartments available to those who fall into this category.
Xavier Taylor, who has resided at the Guild apartments for four years, said that although hidden price hikes are present, he stays because the Brookfield properties “would probably be one of the more affordable areas to live on limited income.”
Affordable or not, as long as the hidden fees continue to persist, the Brookfield Tenants group has vowed to keep fighting.
“I love my apartment,” Probst said. “I love my neighbors. I just want a change in illegal fees. It’s not right, it’s not fair.”
DOMINIQUE ANTHONY Artist/Vendor
Street Sense Vendor Dominique Anthony talks to Shakita Chapman, the social services manager at HIPS, as part of her series on harm reduction. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Editor’s note: Dominique Anthony has both worked at and received services from HIPS.
Dominique Anthony: Can you give an introduction?
Shakita Chapman: Sure. I’m Shakita Chapman. I am the social services manager at HIPS, and I am definitely a harm reductionist from birth. I have been with HIPS since 2013. I started as a testing specialist, I did HIV and Hepatitis C testing, and I also did some community health work.
How do you like what you do now, being the drop-in manager?
I love it, because I love people, as you know! Just bringing so many different people together in one space, I love that, I love the diversity of the drop-in, I love meeting new people, and helping to kind of debunk myths others might have.
The drop-in center is a place where all services connect. You can come in and get referred or linked to whatever service HIPS provides or whatever service we can link you to. We have many partners in the city. So social services happen there, you can get harm reduction supplies, you can have groups, just a one-stop shop for all that is HIPS. Some people reach us through the van, and some people walk in, so we just are the main point for triage.
Being the drop-in manager, you see all different walks of life. How do you set aside your personal feelings towards a client?
One of the things that’s unique about me is I grew up with a big family, with a big extended family, just in a space where everyone was allowed to be themselves. So working at HIPS was just organic. I can definitely set aside my biases, because humans are humans, not their problems at that moment. People go through stuff. I am able to set aside my bias to look out for the people.
HIPS will go to great lengths to get you the help you need. If it wasn’t for HIPS, me and my kids wouldn’t be alive, even though you spoiled them. Like when I was pregnant, I had to take my insulin, and they would do my insulin. HIPS really saved my life. I believe in this shit.
having a bad day, and wanted to eat a few, and now I am eating them every day because they are so good. Would I be punished for that? Definitely not. It was out here for me to consume, so I just wanted to try it a little bit and it took over.
Doing drugs is something nobody wants to get hooked on. I have not seen a drug addict who just said, “You know what, I want to be a drug addict.” I have seen people who have said, you know what, I might have been feeling some type of way and got a little high. I might have just been with my friends and wanted to experience something different and now, boom, it’s taken over me. So I definitely don’t feel like it should be criminalized. I feel like we should find different ways to help combat drug abuse.
As far as sex work, do you think sex work should be criminalized?
Of course I don’t think sex work should be criminalized. I know there are a lot of traffickers and it really is scary. There are definitely people who prey on that environment. But for the sex workers, it shouldn’t be criminalized, because some people just like to engage in sex work. Those people should be free to do what they want when they want, it’s their bodies. I can see where some predators get in the mix. They should find better mechanisms to combat traffickers, but why would you criminalize the person who’s engaging in sex work when they want to?
I feel the same way. I believe in harm reduction, because you know, you can’t even get a child to do what you want them to do, so how are you going to get an adult to do what you want them to? So let’s give you the tools to help you perfect what you’re trying to do and live a better life, but as far as telling you “Leave that alone,” that’s not conducive for growth, period. In order to grow, you need to take those steps yourself, so giving people the tools to grow is what HIPS is all about. That’s what I love about harm reduction, it’s non-judgmental.
Do you believe in the decriminalization of poverty, where you feel like you can’t get well in a cell? I feel like treatment should be offered.
I do not feel that all drug addicts should be locked up. So, what I’m used to, I’m an 80s baby, so I grew up with DARE, and the egg frying saying “this is your brain on drugs.” The resources aren’t as prevalent as they were in the past. Just like sex education, drug user education should start in school, at the elementary level, and that’s because these are things that are happening. So we would fare better by getting ahead of it instead of letting it just happen.
My father was a drug addict, and my sister and I grew up in the room, so I see drugs as… It’s a problem, but it should not be criminalized because… Let’s just say, you know I’m a plussized cutie. Are you going to criminalize me because you made donuts for me to enjoy? And because I just wanted to taste a little bit? And I might have gotten addicted, I might have been
Do you feel like sex is work?
I mean if you’re doing it right, it’s work! You want to keep the people coming back, whether they are paying for it or you’re just enjoying it for yourself, right? (Laughter) That’s what I love about HIPS, it’s just a bunch of us coming together with like minds. Because you know, we are HIPSters, we love sex, girl.
It’s HIPS! Do you feel like the departments of HIPS should come together more?
I think we do come together. We’re just like worker bees. We are from the same hive, and we just go out into different places to spread the common goal of harm reduction. I love the 7th and T Street project, I love the new hotspot in Southwest, I love that we’re able to be in the streets.
I feel that you should get more money and grants to do a lot in the community.
If you’re asking me if I feel like we need more money, do you really need an answer to that? Yes, we need all the money. We would expand our services and our reach. One of the things we’re working towards now is expanding our harm reduction center to possibly some type of 24/7 service center. More funding would help us offer more lunch, help with more harm reduction supplies, help with more staffing, because we do of course prioritize hiring from the community. These are things we can use more funding for to continue what we’re doing on a grander scale.
Should HIPS reach out more to Maryland and Virginia?
We do. We have connections all around the world, in fact, that want to know what HIPS does, that want to adapt some of our programs. HIPS is a big deal in the underground scene, and we’re emerging more because harm reduction is growing more. It’s not just seen as a bunch of whores and crackheads, you see that harm reduction works. “Honoring individual power and strength,” our acronym, it gives people confidence.
It started as “Helping individual prostitutes survive,” but we have evolved. That’s the blessing with HIPS. It started as just prostitutes and then, like, prostitution is an onion, right, so once you start peeling that onion you see, okay, drug users. Prostitution, a lot of times, becomes drug use. Okay, well drug use a lot of times encompasses all of the demographics. It might be the drug user who lives under the bridge, or it might be the drug user who uses in their lavish apartment. That’s the great thing about HIPS, we’re so diverse with the people that we see. A lot of affluent people, the highest of the high, and the lowest of the low, the lesser of these as the Bible would say. It’s been an awesome journey and I’m just blessed to be here and trusted.
MADI KOESLER AND KATHERINE WILKISON Editorial Interns
Content Warning: This article contains strong language.
Following a social media post by President Donald Trump, D.C. closed a large encampment next to the E Street Expressway with only a day’s notice. The city also closed two other encampments in late February and early March, and has scheduled nearly a dozen more closures for the coming weeks.
The encampment targeted by Trump had been located across from the State Department for many years, and the city has previously conducted encampment engagements at the site without deeming it necessary for closure. But in early March, the city closed it one day after Trump’s post, with only 24 hours of notice, instead of the two weeks usually given. At least nine people who had been living in the encampment were displaced by this closure, according to a street outreach worker from Miriam’s Kitchen, which serves the area.
Trump’s social media posts have increased tensions between the federal government and the District. On March 5, Trump publicly called on D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to close the District’s encampments, seemingly targeting the E Street Expressway site. “She must clean up all of the unsightly homeless encampments in the City, specifically the ones outside of the State Department, and near the White House. If she is not capable of doing so, we will be forced to do it for her!” he posted on his official Truth Social account, signing the post, “DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”
By the next morning, D.C.’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS) had scheduled the closure at E Street Expressway encampment for the next day, and increased the number of scheduled encampment closures for March, rescheduling some closures that had been postponed due to the weather.
While speaking to the press on the morning of March 6, Bowser denied the Trump administration was ordering the mayor’s office to “do anything.” The mayor’s office instead took the social media post as a “notice,” Bowser said, and she reiterated “Listen, we always clear homeless encampments, we always do.”
Bowser explained she had discussed the encampments in question with the president’s staff. “I said ‘Thanks for the notice — we’ll take care of it.’”
D.C. officials have offered contradictory explanations for why the closure was scheduled so quickly. In an initial statement, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage said the closure had been previously scheduled, but cancelled due to the weather. Street Sense was not able to find any engagements scheduled at the site for 2025 on the city’s encampment website.
According to videos sent to Street Sense, by the afternoon of March 6, only one sticker sign had been posted in the E Street Expressway encampment notifying residents of an imminent clean-up that would oust them from the place they called home. Over a dozen other tents in the area had no stickers, though the Washington Post reported outreach workers informed some residents about the closure that day. The sticker sign and post on the city’s encampment website called the engagement a “Scheduled Full Cleanup” and “Encampment Site Closure,” not an “Immediate Disposition,” the language D.C. typically uses for encampment closures that are scheduled without two weeks’ notice.
Then, on March 10, after the closure, a DMHHS spokesperson referred to the clean-up as an “immediate disposition” during a conversation with a Street Sense reporter, contradicting the signage posted by DMHHS at the encampment.
The DMHHS Encampment Protocol states the agency must give 14 days notice before closing an encampment except for “immediate dispositions” which the city can only do if there is an urgent risk. In a recent performance oversight hearing, DMHHS testified it has
“consistently” met the standard two-week notice and often averages as much as four weeks for large encampments, making this closure a notable exception.
According to a DMHHS spokesperson, DMHHS and other outreach teams conducted “intense outreach” with residents who were present on March 6, the day before the closure, to make residents aware of the shelter and storage options available to them. During this outreach, “all residents appeared to be understanding of the scheduled actions and voiced their desires to be compliant,” the spokesperson wrote in their statement.
Yet, residents were still left scrambling to gather belongings they had accumulated over months or years before city workers removed everything remaining with heavy machinery.
On the morning of the closure, Street Sense and other media outlets were not allowed to enter the encampment and were kept behind police tape, limiting access to residents and staff. In a message to Street Sense, a DMHHS representative said only necessary individuals were allowed into the site for safety and liability reasons. The area was blocked off by several police cars at each end.
When DMHHS workers and police arrived around 9 a.m. on March 7, at least 15 tents dotted the side of the expressway, some of which had already been abandoned. Outreach workers from organizations like Miriam’s Kitchen helped residents pack up their belongings and offered transportation to the Aston, a newly opened non-congregate shelter and bridge housing facility in Foggy Bottom.
While encampment residents were offered rooms at the Aston, advocates and outreach workers expressed concerns about the arrangement because bridge housing is not meant to be long-term, and is typically reserved for people moving into permanent housing soon, which is not the case for all residents of the E Street Expressway encampment. They worry residents will be housed for only a few nights before being kicked out on the streets again.
The Aston did not respond to requests for comment by time of publication.
“The safest place for people is in a shelter or permanent housing,” Turnage wrote in a statement to Street Sense. “D.C.’s case management teams continue to engage individuals and families experiencing homelessness and work to match them to housing resources and wrap-around services such as behavioral health services and case management.”
As of March 11, D.C.’s low-barrier shelter system also has open beds, but hypothermia season is set to end on March 31, cutting the number of shelter beds from 1,560 to 1,087. At various points last spring, shelters in the city were nearly full and people were turned away hundreds of times.
While some residents chose to move to the Aston, others chose to relocate to encampments elsewhere in the city, according to outreach workers. Many E Street residents had moved to the expressway after being displaced from other encampments nearby.
During the closure, police detained one female encampment resident under an FD-12, a form that seeks to involuntarily commit someone to a hospital due to mental health concerns.
The resident, who Street Sense was not able to speak to, was put in handcuffs and moved to a police vehicle after yelling at workers while packing her belongings. A video taken from outside the encampment around 10:50 a.m. shows the woman surrounded by at least five police officers, an outreach worker, and one other unidentified person while shouting and being handcuffed.
According to the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), FD-12s are issued when there is reason to believe that a person is mentally ill and likely to injure themselves or others unless they are immediately detained. People deemed at-risk can be taken into custody and transported to a hospital for treatment without a warrant. In the past, Street Sense has witnessed city officials threaten encampment residents with involuntary commitment when they have resisted moving during closures.
“MPD officers assisted DBH with an individual in crisis. The individual was referred for emergency hospitalization by DBH through the FD-12 process. MPD assisted DBH with transporting the individual to a mental health facility,” the Metropolitan Police Department Office of Communications told Street Sense via a written statement.
About an hour later, shortly before noon, city workers piloted a CAT 299D3 Compact Track Loader to begin removing residents’ remaining belongings, including tents. The CAT quickly became stuck in the mud and it took officials several minutes to steer it out. The sight drew some laughs from the growing audience, which included many State Department workers identified by their badges.
As the closure continued, at least seven passersby approached Street Sense reporters, curious. All of them asked “Where will the residents go now?” One federal worker called the actions “heartless” and “inhumane.”
“They’ve been here for years,” said a neighborhood resident on his morning walk.
Another woman on her way to the Stand Up for Science rally, a protest scheduled to occur that afternoon outside the Lincoln Memorial, sarcastically noted the encampment closure was a “heartfelt” way to celebrate the first week of Lent, a Catholic season of prayer and fasting that precedes the Easter holiday.
There were at least 25 police officers on site, including three “white shirts,” or officers who have achieved the rank of lieutenant or higher, which is unusual for an encampment closure, according to Yannik Omictin, a former ANC commissioner for the area who observed the closure.
“It’s the most cops per person, I’ll tell you that. The most white shirts per person, the most commanders, high-ranking officers that I’ve seen at a clearing,” he said. “It’s really the first time I’ve seen them do graffiti at the same time, which tells me everything I need to know about what the goal of this is: to appease Trump and to appease the DOGE workers and all the cronies that drive up the E Street Expressway every day. They don’t want to see poverty.”
Omictin’s interview was interrupted when city workers began spraying graffiti in the area with Bare Brick Stone and Masonry Graffiti Remover. Outreach workers and people in the area were not given advanced warning, even though the spray can irritate the eyes and cause headaches and nausea when inhaled.
Trump’s influence weighed heavily on the closure. “He can go fuck himself. Mayor Bowser can also go fuck herself,” Omictin said.
D.C. closed two other encampments throughout late February and early March. Multiple other scheduled closures and clean-ups were canceled or rescheduled due to weather.
Two clean-ups occurred back to back on the morning of Feb. 28. The first, at 20 & E Streets NW, consisted of bulk trash removal. The resident left behind things they no longer wanted and left the area before the clean-up took place.
A few blocks down, D.C. officials closed an encampment on the side of the road overlooking the E Street Expressway at 23rd and E Streets NW.
Jinah was the only person living at this encampment and is a longtime resident of the neighborhood. He told Street Sense he had become familiar with consistently moving throughout the Foggy Bottom area since moving there in 2020. Street Sense is identifying Jinah by only his first name to protect his privacy while living outside.
Samuel, a neighborhood member who frequently visits Jinah, referred to him lovingly as a “real brother, he’s a resident.” They’ve shared meals together and even exchanged Christmas presents, he said. According to Samuel, many neighbors feel a similar sense of friendship with Jinah and other people experiencing homelessness and don’t understand why Jinah must continuously move if the community supports him.
“It’s like an unnecessary dance,” Samuel said.
The city also closed an encampment on March 4 at 2230 Adams Pl. NE, though Street Sense was unable to attend. Eleven more encampment closures, including at some of the largest in the city, are scheduled for March and April at the time of publication. Updates to this schedule can be found at dmhhs.dc.gov/page/encampments.
Like for real though, poverty is more than violence, provoking deficiency for public benefits, or inciting poverty.
It doesn’t contribute to other areas as far as individuals and families living hood. Congress and people who want to make decisions on funding need to know that, unless they have personal experience with housing instabilities and insecurities. It’s insufficient to have the corporation of the U.S. treat individuals and families this way, especially in the nation’s capital, because it is very damaging and traumatic.
Why is the focus on stopping the funding for grants and resources when they should be adding and contributing more? Myself and others shouldn’t have to be given the minimum to eat, while also being told what to eat and what not to eat like.... What are our rights?
For real, what is going on? I have to speak up cause people’s agendas and preferences overlook that people have a right to eat and live. I can speak from my experience, it is undeniable that more can be done for individuals, and especially families, who have the right to be able to support themselves. Not only do we have to deal with an unstable economy and inflation, but I also have to speak up for the ones who deal with accessibility issues. I can bring up more challenges (disabilities) that are visible, but others deal with invisible disabilities. I can bring up more challenges (disabilities) like mental health capacity, which is also a part of having a disability.
Resources, in my opinion, are provisions the departments of the government are supposed to provide for a class of residents, yes or no? There are organizations fighting to get more to help individuals and families, but it is currently not 100%. All providers or support outlets are supposed to handle things, but they are not providing full provisions, and poverty is rising, and everything is in disarray.
It’s really tough trying to live in this current economy that wants to give everyone a hard time. Whether they receive Social Security Income or not, whether it’s inflation or not, individuals and families are suffering because of the focus on bullying, throwing out paperwork, and putting deadlines on people. The government keeps office hours on the weekdays, not including weekends, but it should be 24/7 for housing and food matters.
Funds have been going to other places instead of back into the economy, and that is insane. Why are billions of dollars going out, but the U.S. doesn’t take care of its individuals and families across the board? Help people get grants and resources that actually support them, increase their funds, and don’t keep giving them red tape and barriers. Also, don’t make the process so messy, cause it is so confusing. We’re focusing on media and whoever is leading in different areas of our government, but everything is all over the place regardless. It’s been like this for way too long. Who is going to fix the nonsense and end the B.S.? What are all these agendas for? There is too much separation and division.
The U.S. is divided instead of united, so does that mean the U.S. is a scam? Is this a going-out-of-business sale? Let me say this to wake the right person up, are we leading the nation or is chaos leading the nation forever?
It was Black History Month, but there was still no respect for my culture and people who have helped contribute, build, and spend trillions. My people, who are individuals and families, should get ten Black cards a person, on top of not paying taxes.
Congress, can we sue the U.S. because they have not made any corrections for my culture and have no resolve? There are so many areas abandoned, so much neglect and rejection, and it’s not right.
Lady Sasha is an artist/vendor with Street Sense Media.
Iwas invited to participate in the budget process in Washington, D.C., which is facing a budget crisis that could have profound implications for people experiencing homelessness. On March 1, D.C.’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, began to roll out her budget plan for the city at a forum, which I and other members of the Fair Budget Coalition disrupted. Some of these plans are concerning to me, and I want to highlight a few.
First, I fear Bowser’s budget won’t do enough to address mental health support for people experiencing homelessness. Homelessness has increased by more than 13% compared with the number from last year. Many people experience homelessness with mental health issues like depression and anxiety; they should not have to manage these problems alone.
I understand this fear of facing my mental health alone, and I also knew that taking my medication could be challenging and could increase the likelihood of my life getting worse. So, funding for mental health care is essential; unfortunately, I don’t think discussion of this funding made into this budget forum.
Second, this budget forum didn’t provide information on funding for first responders’ care for people with lived experience or mental health issues. I know many people who live with significant mental health crises that require hospitalization. I wanted to believe the discussion would also answer some questions regarding behavioral health outreach workers and their roles in crisis prevention, but again, I was not happy. The lack of additional fundamental increases in the budget for behavioral health programs is unsuitable. More cuts will never solve these issues.
Third, those experiencing homelessness with mental health issues need shelters and support centers; these support centers give access to health care, counseling, disability services, and more. People experiencing behavioral health issues should have access to affordable care with programs that promote stability. This budget Bowser seems ready to offer does nothing more than keep those experiencing behavioral health problems unsafe and unsheltered.
The United States of America is the most powerful country on the face of the earth. But its government has turned its back on its people. Already, the new president, Donald Trump, has cut off grant money from people who need it and have a right to affordable housing. Although U.S. District Judge Loren AliKahn blocked the freeze late on Jan. 28 and the Trump administration rescinded it on Jan. 29, cuts are still happening.
Federal workers’ jobs are going to be severely cut, which will make people unable to pay their mortgages, rent, and utility bills. Those hardships will snowball into landlords evicting tenants, and homeowners being kicked out of their houses by foreclosures. Those people will be forced either to go to shelters or live with relatives or friends, which means many Americans will have to rebuild their lives all over again.
JEFFREY MCNEIL Artist/Vendor
Content warning: This story uses strong language.
In the last chapter, Jackson Terry was down to his last chips. His aces had been cracked by a set of queens — his only hope was the king of spades for a royal flush. Here’s what happened next: Jackson reached for his coat and headed for the exit when — BOOM. The poker room erupted.
King of spades. A 647,000-to-1 long shot hit the felt, completing the royal flush. His $100 shove had just turned into nearly half a million dollars.
In an instant, Jackson went from trying to catch sleep in a bus terminal to joining the half-million-dollar club. News spread up the Jersey Shore — Jackson, a local from Lakewood, New Jersey, had defied the odds and became the first Black poker player to hit a royal flush jackpot.
Lakewood exploded in celebration. It felt like Harlem in the 1930s, the way people cheered. Like when Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling. Jackson was hailed as Lakewood’s favorite son.
And then — the civic leaders came calling. The same people who never gave Jackson the time of day now saw him in a different light. They needed him. Lakewood was in dire financial straits — and now, a local prodigy had the power to turn things around.
A documentary was proposed about Jackson’s life, hoping he wouldn’t forget where he came from. But more importantly, hoping he would give back.
As Jackson relaxed in his hotel suite, basking in room service, a stocked bar, cable TV, and cocktail waitresses eager to help him blow his winnings back, his phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Black civic leaders. Pastors. Community organizers. Congratulating him. Calling him a hero. A role model. Jackson was taken aback. Had that final card gone the other way, he’d still be sleeping in a bus terminal. Now? These people were calling him, praising him.
But Jackson wasn’t pro-Black or militant. He didn’t think
racism was why he was homeless. It was his decision — his choice to take the risk of being a poker player. To him, going broke wasn’t failure — it was just the cost of tuition in the school of poker.
Jackson hadn’t grown up in the hood. His mother raised him, his father worked hard to give him a solid upbringing. He was raised more like Patrick Mahomes or Tiger Woods — attending elite schools, speaking polished English, moving in diverse circles.
And soon enough, the barbershop whispers began. “Who the hell does he think he is — Tiger Woods?” one pastor sneered. Another warned, “Be careful. He’s a house n*****, too good for the hood.” And the hate and jealousy seeped into his own family.
In a cramped-up apartment in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Daniel “No Money” Hamilton’s life was a mess. His cable was cut off. He had to use bottled water because the pipes didn’t run. An eviction notice sat on the table, a reminder that he was one step from the streets.
No Money didn’t do drugs. But he thought working a regular job was for suckers. He wanted fast money.
Now, sitting in his rundown apartment, staring at his crusty old TV, No Money watched the breaking news. A smiling face. Holding stacks of crisp hundred-dollar bills. A roach crawled across the floor, but No Money didn’t even notice. His blood boiled.
Jackson. That homeless m*********. The same one he used to clown for being broke. Now? A celebrity. A half-millionaire.
No Money squinted at the screen, his mind shifting from hate to hunger.
“That n***** on TV… that’s my cousin?”
His lips curled into a grin.
“How the hell am I gonna get in on this?”
If No Money wanted a piece of that half-million, he’d have to wait in line.
Back at his hotel suite, Jackson sat on the bed, trying to process what just happened. A week ago, he barely had $500 to
It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday
SYBIL TAYLOR Artist/Vendor
his name. Now? He was a half-million dollars richer.
As Jackson stared at the stacks of cash on the table, his phone rang. He hesitated, then picked up.
“Hello?”
A familiar voice boomed through the speaker.
“Jack! My brother, it’s been a long time.”
Jackson knew that voice immediately. Darrell Ham. The only man who ever had his back.
Darrell had always looked out for Jackson when they were younger. But prison changed him. He went in at 18 for pistolwhipping someone and came out a man of God. Now, he was Pastor Darrell Ham of Prosperity Ministries in Lakewood, New Jersey.
“Listen,” Darrell continued, “why don’t you come back home? Give back a little. Let the young ones see what’s possible.” Jackson exhaled. Prosperity Ministries. Church folk. More people with their hands out. Despite his suspicions, Jackson made the trip.
The first thing he did? Buy a Range Rover. He pulled up to Prosperity Ministries in style, greeted like royalty. Darrell put him front and center in the pulpit. The royal treatment.
She glided across the room like she was floating. Camille Shay. A Creole beauty, with skin like silk, curves that made preachers forget scripture, and a voice as smooth as jazz. Men didn’t just look at her. They melted for her.
Darrell smirked.
“Brother Jackson, let me introduce you to Camille. She’s one of our strongest supporters at Prosperity Ministries.”
Jackson knew a hustle when he saw one. And yet… Camille smiled, her lips a soft shade of trouble. She extended her hand. Jackson hesitated — just for a second — before taking it.
The setup is complete. Jackson has blood, gratitude, and lust pulling him in three directions. The real game? It’s only just begun.
Stay tuned for the next chapter. You can read chapters 1-3 on our website streetsensemedia.org.
I can’t believe time has flown away so fast. It was just like yesterday. My mom passed on March 9, 2024. She expired at 12:20 a.m. When she was not conscious and not breathing, the hospice nurses came out. She was on an oxygen tank. She had her mouth open but couldn’t talk. She just laid in bed. Her last words to me were “I love you, Sybil.” She held my hand. The same day I visited, I got a call from my sister telling me our mom had passed away and was taken to the morgue and funeral home. She did shed a tear, but I did not. She was in so much pain from cancer. All day, she just laid on her back. I felt this pain so deeply. I felt part of me was gone. She couldn’t eat or drink water. She just said I want to be quiet and lay here. The pain was so bad. This is upsetting me. Still she’s not here, but joined my father in heaven. The day of her death, I was told by my sister that our father showed up. He knocked three times on the window and called my mom with Jesus by his side. She saw signs of singing heavenly birds, all darkness, and bells ringing. The call came in to her before she passed. She had been in and out of the hospital, ambulances, and hospice, I miss my mom so much. And my dad. She is not suffering anymore, neither is Dad. She lived to be 82 years old. I heard her cries which broke my heart. March 12 would have been my parents’ Golden Anniversary. No sickness, no pain. Her new home is heaven, with lots of joy and happiness, sweet smelling flowers, and gospel. Peace and great food all day long. RIP.
To remember her I’m listening to Marvin Gaye’s “His Eye Is On The Sparrow,” and versions of “Wholy Holy” by Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin. You are missed, Mom.
WILLIE FUTRELLE Artist/Vendor
Hello, my name is Willie Futrelle and I live in Washington D.C. On Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, I was staffed by a temp agency to “move some crates around” at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
I realized there was a weapons convention going on with almost 300 manufacturing companies. All the big name defense contractors like Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Leidos, Palantir, Raytheon, and Honeywell, and more were there. There were 45 sections, 100 feet long and 1,000 feet wide, of military equipment. There was a full-scale tank, drones, and missiles.
One company had a tank that was remote operated and another smaller armored vehicle that was also remote controlled. There were multiple types of kamikaze drones and 30 different surveillance drones. The symbol on many of them was specifically an Israeli symbol, and one sign said Israel.
There were arctic camo armored snowmobiles and quad snow troop carrier vehicles. I stood next to a Patriot missile and its launching system. And there was another rocket standing beside the missile.
I hope you can shed some light on this to the rest of the world. My voice is not big enough. Both RED and BLUE are going to continue this plan for war because they own stocks in the companies they are granting the contracts to. The only solution that will save Gaza is to show the “American” U.S. citizens they have to charge each politician with accessory to murder and conspiracy to commit murder for EVERY Palestinian our weapons are used on before they agree to send them. It made me sick to know these will be used against innocent people.
PAT DONALDSON Artist/Vendor
A mother is someone who plays a very special role in your life.
A mother is a very special person to her child, and, unlike a father’s, a mother’s love is unconditional. How nice to see her nurse you and bear the pain to get you on earth. Yet she never complains.
A good mom knows she won’t always get it right, but she shows up with love and kisses. She is the best mom in the world. She is a smart person, and I know what a good mother does.
I want to be the mom who loves my kids through it all, accepts them, and is proud of them. I want to be a mom who loves unconditionally and selflessly. I want to be there through all the difficult moments and my bad mom days, I want my children to know that I love them deeper and stronger than I thought was possible.
What does a mother do? As moms, we guide, encourage, build, unify, and protect. Sometimes it’s not pretty, but at times, it looks like the most beautiful thing we’ve ever seen. Whether our children are grown or infants looking to us to fulfill every need, we are always drawn to protect our children.
What makes a good daughter? A good daughter is someone who demonstrates respect, kindness, and love towards her parents, is supportive and understanding, even when disagreeing, strives to make her parents proud, and contributes positively to the family dynamic, actively participating in the family unit with a caring and responsible attitude.
What is the most important thing for a mother? Unconditional love.
WARREN STEVENS Artist/Vendor
It’s strange weather in misty March. The weather is changing. Some days are cold, warm, or hot. It happens every year. Spring will begin on March 20 with flowers blooming.
Black History Month was February. Black history was taught in schools and colleges. Willie Mays was a famous player in the history of baseball. Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, and Joe Frazier were famous championship boxers in the history of sports. Tiger Woods is a famous golfer.
History means everyone, Black, white, Hispanic, and Asian, could vote for their party, like for president, mayor, or senator. We hope in the future the Democratic Party will take back the White House. We need our Democrats to take a stand, so we can stand tall for our county. St. Patrick’s Day is March 17. People will be wearing green outfits, eating green vegetables and fruit, going out to dinner, and dancing at the club. I will be wearing green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with my girlfriend. We will watch the parade on TV. Enjoy wearing green, and love you all!
ROCHELLE WALKER Artist/Vendor
My vision is of Street Sense vendors showing their talents, their gifts, and their poems in a performance or a concert. We all have talents, and it doesn’t cost us nothing to show how much we have inside. So let’s do it!
We need our confidence and our courage. We need our supporters and our donors. We need love, and we need God. It’s important for us to be in the paper, but what’s most important is our inner being.
REV. DONALD DAVIS Artist/Vendor
I appreciate all the support, and I’m looking forward to meeting more readers and getting new readers involved. I want to say a special appreciation to the Quakers for opening their doors to me. I also appreciate Street Sense. I’m looking forward to working with them to end homelessness.
WAYNE HALL Artist/Vendor
I would seriously like to ask Hollywood, in today’s time, why would you produce “Scarface 2” before a “Book of Eli” sequel? If the culture is held together by entertainment, this is a serious question I would like you to ponder... imagine if the original film is the actual story of God?
I saw “Book of Eli” well after its release and several years into my journey as a homeless adult. The peace he went to sleep with before she stepped off with the iPod is the same peace I told myself I would strive to maintain for the rest of my existence. That’s why I took 35,000 steps on Inauguration Day, saying what I said while traveling in the Chinatown or U Street corridors. Aye, man, George Truman wasn’t homeless. If you remove books from schools to hide the history of the mysteries the government has caused, and remove all types of artists and art that depict too much truth about reality, that’s why people don’t want to work. We all accept a version of the truths of life. That alone should be enough to get me a pest-free apartment for free, since I’m being taxed without representation for breathing at this point.
KYM PARKER Artist/Vendor
Content warning: This piece mentions sexual assault.
To know we are loved is to know we are royalty
To know we are God’s children
We are all hers
She made everyone equally with passion, grace, and mercy
Every child is equal, every child has a right
We know love
I know it was part of me when I was little, and it is now
I care, I am passionate, and I know that we live in a world of possibility
There is war and pain
But she gets us up this morning
She protects us
She watches over us to get us through the day
She made us all strong
We as children are awesome
We know things we don’t know
We show honor, pride, and dignity
I am a child of God
I was born to protect and look after my sisters, all of them
We all know we are all in this life
I have club feet
I live on an island of understanding and passion
I mastered martial arts
I’m a dancer, poet, cook, and writer
I’m all these things cause God made me
I work at Street Sense with the best people on this planet
We are all passionate, we are all love, we are all protected
We all know God’s grace, we know God hears us
That is why we are all kings, every last one of us
We live in a world where bullies who disrespect think it’s okay
We know life
I am bipolar and have post-traumatic stress
I was raped at 14
But I’m still me, and I have everything
Because she said so
And I understand I am beauty, I am passion, and I am a small child
Know me to know yourself
TONYA WILLIAMS Artist/Vendor
Let’s all keep it real
Let’s all stick together
Let’s all pray together
Let’s all come together
Let’s all voice our opinion
Let’s all love each other
Let’s all work together
Let’s all have peace together
Let’s all be happy together
Let’s all remember to keep it real
MARC GRIER
Artist/Vendor
My day-to-day routine starts by getting on the bus. On the bus, you are surrounded by multiple characters. We have people drinking on the bus, people playing their music aloud, people talking to themselves, and people who get on the bus with a pungent odor. All this is on the bus. I wonder if it will ever stop. What can you do? Put a policeman on a bus who writes tickets and takes people to jail? The bus wouldn’t move, we’d be in the same spot. Somehow, someway, there’s gotta be a solution to this problem.
Can you help out? Do you know a solution?
LATICIA BROCK
Artist/Vendor
Writer’s note: I’ve been struggling for years and am celebrating two years clean of fentanyl. Please follow the series of Mr. Fentanyl, written by Tent City Ma and dedicated to the many who died in the streets of D.C. due to overdoses or violence without the dignity of housing. It’s dedicated to the families who lost their loved ones to incarceration, the many who suffer from being misused by mental health services due to a lack of good, honest case management, or are misdiagnosed and over medicated. It’s dedicated to those bullied and targeted because a person might not know they have problems, or because they are over doped, and people think it gives them the right to take advantage of their mind and body and misuse their finances.
It doesn’t have to even be a family or friends who can take your finances. A case manager can take advantage of you, so the proof is in the pudding. It can be medicine, not only fentanyl. It’s true, just a small message from the writer.
PTSD kicks up, and the shelter causes bed bugs in my pants.
You can call ‘em what you want, I still rep my old jersey. Y’all can call them the Commanders. Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, it don’t matter who won.
Why y’all throwing tantrums about the president?
The homeless get nothing save a life of empty boxes of Narcan in the street.
MARCUS MCCALL Artist/Vendor
I’m going through life at a very fast pace. Or, maybe someone is trying to control how I live. I’m definitely doing too much for a woman with whom I don’t have a relationship and whose child who is not mine by enabling them to stay in my apartment and financially supporting them. By doing this, I’m losing out on connecting with a job and a better place to live.
I want people to know, when you see Marcus McCall, I am very helpful and can be very useful for dog walking and house cleaning. So, my customers, please don’t just pass by or buy a paper. Let’s have a conversation. Ask me how things are going. My life will slow down when I go into a treatment center. That’s a place where I can vent my anger and express my concerns, which I could never do while having only a brother and a sister and growing up in foster care. If you have time, please email me at marcusmccall16@gmail.com. I’m also looking for an apartment, so please contact me if you know of an available one.
GRETA CHRISTIAN Artist/Vendor
Homeless people have a right to ask for low-income apartments. Our city government should help them get those apartments. Stop sending homeless people to shelters. STOP! House — Apartment Food — Stamp
Hospitals — Sick
Work — Place
Music — Play Art — Pictures
Across
1. “I’ll have what ____ having”
5. The Fosbury ____ (well-known highjumping technique)
9. Agenda entries
14. Dry riverbed
15. Leprechaun’s land
16. French composer Erik
17. Came down
18. Not odd
19. Accustom (var.)
20. Dining event that is so fully booked no additional participants may be seated (3 wds.)
23. Theologian’s subj. (abbr.)
24. “___ alive!”
25. “My man!”
28. “Okay, at this point switch to the key with one sharp”(4 wds.)
34. Word on a wall, in the Bible
36. Raphael’s weapon, in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
37. Mountain nymph
39. “So, how old is this pork sausage unit anyway??” (4 wds.)
43. John, Paul or George...but not Ringo
44. Sea-____ Airport (Northwest hub)
45. Pack away (TOWS anagram)
46. Surfer’s wipeout leaves her bikini top bobbing back and forth in the briny (3 wds,)
50. Switch positions
51. Stage signal
52. It may be boring
54. Run the Seattle WNBA team through new training regimens at the beginning of pre-season (4 wds.)
63. Pigeon’s perch
64. ___ de force
65. This and that
66. First name in mystery
67. Cassini of fashion
68. Lowly laborer
69. Go-getters who sound like a popular brand of Scotch
70. Sad ending?
71. Drunkards
Down
1. The ugly duckling...eventually
2. Angel’s headwear
3. Polish writing?
4. Ravi Shankar’s instrument
5. Not know where you are or where to turn, say (2 wds.) (4,4) (TOLL FEES anagram)
6. Not prerecorded
7. Snack item found in “I want more of those!”
8. Word that follows eyebrow or #2
9. Imposes guidance and corrective measures in a non-harsh manner (3 wds.)
10. Catches some rays
11. Needle case
12. Surrealist painter Joan
13. Children should be ____ and not heard
21. London’s Big ___
22. Windy City rail inits.
25. Upscale German cars (abbr./ initialism)
26. Post-op time, briefly
27. Studio sign (2 wds.)
29. Nursery cry
30. Michelangelo masterpiece
31. Bothers
32. “Cool!”
33. Be unable to swallow
35. 11,000-foot Italian peak
38. Moistens, in a way, as grass blades in the morning
40. Things affixed to car windows and bumpers
41. John, to Elton John
42. Shipping hazards
47. Rapa ___ (Easter Island)
48. Continued (2 wds.) (4,2) (NEWTON anagram)
49. 25--Across’ female sibling, familiarly
53. Alternatives to sunroofs
54. Ran, as colors
55. Change, as the decor (RODE anagram)
56. Halftime lead, e.g.
57. Petri dish filler
58. Lacquered metalware
59. Colors
60. Butter substitute
61. Go wild
62. Starts of workweeks (abbr.)
This crossword puzzle is the original work of Patrick “Mac”McIntyre. It is provided to us courtesy of Real Change News, a street paper based in Seattle, Washington. Learn more about Real Change News and the International Network of Street Papers at realchangenews.org and insp.ngo.
Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento Case Management Coordinación de Servicios
Academy of Hope Public Charter School
202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Pl. NE
202-373-0246 // 421 Alabama Ave. SE aohdc.org
Bread for the City 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 1700 Marion Barry Ave., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org
Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Marion Barry Ave., SE calvaryservices.org
Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp
Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org
Charlie’s Place // 202-929-0100 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org
Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd., NW christhouse.org
Church of the Pilgrims // 202-387-6612 2201 P St., NW (1-1:30 on Sundays only) churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach
Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW cflsdc.org
Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 4 Atlantic St., NW communityofhopedc.org
Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org
D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org
Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 North Capitol St., NW fathermckennacenter.org
Food and Friends // 202-269-2277
(home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc) 219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org
Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th St., NW foundryumc.org/idministry
Identification services
Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org
Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org
Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9096 1526 Pennslyvania Ave., SE jobshavepriority.org
Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org
Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 Elvans Rd, SE
2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE
Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org
My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org
N Street Village // 202-939-2076 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org
New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE
Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW
Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org
Samaritan Ministry 202-722-2280 // 1516 Hamilton St., NW 202-889-7702 // 1345 U St., SE samaritanministry.org
Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org
So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org
St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-363-4900 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org
Unity Health Care unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699
1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 850 Delaware Ave., SW, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 1151 Bladensburg Rd., NE, 4515 Edson Pl., NE
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org
The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable
Whitman-Walker Health 1525 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 1201 Sycamore Dr., SE whitman-walker.org
Woodley House // 202-830-3508 2711 Connecticut Ave., NW
For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide
Retail Sales Associate
PetSmart // 2480 Market St. NE Bldg 11
Full-time
As a PetSmart Sales Associate, you aren’t just selling products, you’re helping pet parents find the very best solutions for their pets. Our stores offer multiple shifts throughout the early morning, day, and evening hours. So, as a PetSmart sales associate, you may be cross-trained in the following areas: Customer Service, Pet Care, and Merchandising & Inventory.
REQUIRED: N/A
APPLY: tinyurl.com/petsmartjobDC
Restaurant Crew Member
Raising Cane’s // Union Station
Full/Part-time
We are hiring immediately for Restaurant Crew to work all shifts: opening shifts, closing shifts and everything in between. Whether you have experience as a customer service associate, retail team member, cashier, restaurant server, kitchen lead, cook, prep cook, drive thru cashier, or any other restaurant or service-oriented role — we have a position for you.
REQUIRED: Able to lift 50 pounds.
APPLY: tinyurl.com/workdccanes
Line Cook
Wiseguy Pizza // Multiple Locations
Part-time
Execute menu items with precision. Work with the kitchen team to ensure smooth and efficient service during busy periods. Maintain cleanliness and organization in your station. Contribute to the development of new menu items.
REQUIRED: Knowledge of food prep techniques.
APPLY: tinyurl.com/WGpizzajob
ANTHONY CARNEY
Artist/Vendor
In our recent poetry salon, I learned about triolets, a form originating in France and dating to the 13th century. It’s an eightline poem with only two end-word rhymes. The first, fourth, and seventh lines are the same. The second and final lines are also identical, which means we use only the first two end words to complete our tight rhyme scheme. Seems easy, right? Wrong! It isn’t.
Writing words in The triolet style:
Hip, hop, and You don’t stop!
Boogie down
To get down:
Writing words in The triolet style!
BRIANNA BUTLER Artist/Vendor
They came and got me. I’m locked up in this little bit of space they gave me. I’m walking around bored, with nowhere to go. There’s nothing to see. A lot of two-legged figures walking, staring, and taking pictures of me. I don’t know why. Is it that I am goodlooking? Am I that interesting to see? I’m just me. A cat trying to live in a space I know nothing about. I would like to get out of this place, but I only see steel wiring. I want to go back home to the sunshine, tall trees, and plenty of meat to eat. You know, I used to stroll through a jungle and swim in nice waters. But I had to watch out for snappers. They will nab you and take you under, and you’ll never be seen again. I was top-notch up there. I had not a worry in my mind while eating in the trees. I liked to sleep in the light of day, hanging off tree trunks and limbs. I stored my food under the tree leaves so no one could sneak and get it without me knowing. The snappers also liked coming up on land to lie and bask in the sun, then coming to snatch my food, eating my catch. Now, it’s feeding time. I see a sliding door, and someone tosses out some parts of unknown meat I’ve never tasted before. But it’s good.
You want each day to be a bed of roses, but you just can’t get stuff straight and you’re alarmed when things keep going, not good, but bad, or even worse. Yes, you should trust your head or just be like the dead, i.e., “be dead.” I can’t tell you to have a good mindset, rebuild, redo, remove sadness. Just know trouble won’t last forever.
PEGGY JACKSON WHITLEY Artist/Vendor
Let’s talk about: the pain. the medications we’re given that truly make us go insane. the homeless people living in the street with no food to eat. not giving up hope; hope will never put us to shame. people who are living in vain. overcoming all these things that put us down. pulling each other up. put up or shut up; it’s what we need.
JENNIFER MCLAUGHLIN
Artist/Vendor
Homeward D.C. is the city’s strategic plan to end homelessness by this year, 2025. It started in 2015 to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring. It was never fully achieved.
ELIZEBETH BOWES Artist/Vendor
DANIEL BALL Artist/Vendor
Monday — today’s word is “mentor.” Tuesday — today’s word is “Webster.” Wednesday — today’s word is “teacher.” Thursday — today’s word is “Thomas.” Friday — today’s word is “Darick.” Saturday — today’s word is “Willie.” Sunday — today’s word is “Christ Jesus.”
Hello, my name is Elizebeth Bowes. I sell newspapers for Street Sense. I came to Washington, D.C., to come to my embassy after I learned my eldest sister passed away in 2022.
I’m her little sister. Everyone calls me “Sissy.” A while ago, my husband and I had a fight, and I traveled to the U.S. to stay with her. She wouldn’t allow me to return and I became stuck here. I have been here since 1987. I was in a coma in 1989 and forgot who I was until 2020, when I was attacked. I hit my head and my memories came back, and I came here to go home.
Before I came here, I met a man named Don Davis and learned he was living out of a tent and needed life-saving medication, so I paid for him to come with me here. He is now not in a tent, but at a shelter with me, and he has the meds he needs. He sells newspapers like I do to help people learn where to go for meals, clothing, and help with their birth certificate and social security. I am usually at G and 12th Streets and he is at Ninth and H Streets. Come see us. We hope to see you out there.
DEACON MELVEON HARP Artist/Vendor
I’m feeling lonely. I’ve had problems with my sense of self since I was 17. I’m 62 now, so you see how long this has been happening. I also have been hurt so many times. Despite that, I still have a good heart, and I’d like to be around positive people more than I have been. And the Lord has helped me care about people.
