04 01 2020 by Street Sense Media

VOL. 17 ISSUE 11

APRIL 1 - 14, 2020

Real Stories

Real People

suggested donation to your vendor via our app

Real Change

We’re temporarily going digital!

We’ve suspended person-to-person newpaper sales until the public health crisis subsides

And we’re working harder than ever to bring you stories that matter STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

@ STREETSENSEDC

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BUSINESS MODEL

info@streetsensemedia.org VENDORS

How It Works

Street Sense Media publishes the newspaper

Each vendor functions as an independent contractor for Street Sense Media, managing their own business to earn an income and increase stability in their life.

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AVA I L A B L E

VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT

As self-employed contractors, our vendors follow a code of conduct. 1. Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $2.00. I agree not to ask for more than $2.00 or solicit donations for Street Sense Media by any other means. 2. I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense Media staff and volunteers and will not sell papers to other vendors. 3. I agree to treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and other vendors, respectfully at all times. I will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making a donation, or in engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices. 4. I agree not to distribute copies of Street Sense on metro trains and buses or on private property. 5. I agree to abide by the Street Sense Media vendor territorial policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes I have with other vendors in a professional manner.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mary Coller Albert, Blake Androff, Jeremy Bratt, Cameron Curtis, Jennifer Park, Michael Phillips, Dan Schwartz, John Senn, Aaron Stetter, Daniel Webber, Shari Wilson, Corrine Yu

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Brian Carome

7. I agree to sell no additional goods or products when distributing Street Sense.

Eric Falquero

8. I will not distribute Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Nikki D’Angelo

9. I understand that my badge and (if applicable) vest are property of Street Sense Media, and will not deface them. I will present my badge when purchasing Street Sense. I will always display my badge when distributing Street Sense. 10. I agree to support Street Sense Media’s mission statement. In doing so I will work to support the Street Sense community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity.

The Cover

The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper

Street Sense Media is still publishing. Seen here, Vendor/Artist Reginald Black is a member of our digital marketing job training program.

Originally founded as a street newspaper in 2003, Street Sense Media has evolved into a multimedia center using a range of creative platforms to spotlight solutions to homelessness and empower people in need. The men and women who work with us do much more than sell this paper: They use film, photography, theatre, illustration, and more to share their stories with our community. Our media channels elevate voices, our newspaper vendor and digital marketing programs provide economic independence. And our in-house case-management services move people forward along the path toward permanent supportive housing. At Street Sense Media, we define ourselves through our work, talents, and character, not through our housing situation.

PHOTO BY NANDO ALVAREZ

Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Gerald Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Katrina Arninge, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Aaron Bernier-Garland, Tonya Bibbs, Reginald Black, Mathew Bowens, Rashawn Bowser, Debora Brantley, Laticia Brock, Lawrence Brown, Brianna Butler, Anthony Carney, Conrad Cheek, Anthony Crawford, Louise Davenport, James Davis, David Denny, Reginald Denny, Ricardo Dickerson, Patricia Donaldson, Nathaniel Donaldson, Ron Dudley, Joshua Faison, Queenie Featherstone, Jemel Fleming, Samuel Fullwood, James Gartrell, Anthony Gary, Kidest Girma, Chon Gotti, Marcus Green, Levester Green, Barron Hall, Dwight Harris, Lorrie Hayes, Patricia Henry, Derian Hickman, Vennie Hill, Ibn Hipps, Dan Hooks, James Hughes, Joseph Jackson, Chad Jackson, David James, Frederic John, Henry Johnson, Mark Jones, Morgan Jones, Mathew Jones, Juliene Kengnie, Jewel Lewis, David Lindsey, John Littlejohn, Scott Lovell, Michael Lyons, William Mayer, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jeffery McNeil, Ricardo Meriedy, Billy Meyer, Kenneth Middleton, Mark Monrowe, L. Morrow, Collins Mukasa, Evelyn Nnam, Earl Parker, Terrell Pearson, Aida Peery, Hubert Pegues, Marcellus Phillips, Jacquelyn Portee, Abel Putu, Ash-Shaheed Rabil, Robert Reed, Corey Sanders, Arthur Scott, Mary Sellman, Patty Smith, Ronald Smoot, David Snyder, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, James Stewart, Steffen Stone, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Jeff Taylor, Archie Thomas, Eric Thompson-Bey, Sarah Turley-Colin, Martin Walker, Michael Warner, Vincent Watts II, Sheila White, Angie Whitehurst, Wendell Williams, Christine Wong, Charles Woods, Latishia Wynn

6. I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense Media, but an independent contractor.

INTERESTED IN BEING A VENDOR? New vendor training: every Tuesday and Thursday // 2 p.m. // 1317 G St., NW

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EDITORIAL DIRECTOR INTERIM VENDOR MANAGER DIRECTOR OF CASE MANAGEMENT

Lissa Ramsepaul

CASE MANAGER

Nikki D’Angelo

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Maddie Cunnigham

WRITERS GROUP ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

Willie Schatz

OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER)

Rachel Brody, Arthur Delaney, Britt Peterson

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Avi Bajpai, Ben Cooper, Julia Pinney, Sahda Polonko, Katherine Randolph

DESIGN INTERN

Camille Rood

ADVISORY BOARD

John McGlasson

EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS

Ryan Bacic, Kelsey Falquero, Roberta Haber, Thomas Ratliff, Andrew Siddons, Sarah Tascone, Jenny-lin Smith

OFFICE SALES VOLUNTEERS

Bill Butz, Jane Cave, Roberta Haber, Ann Herzog, Lynn Mandujano, Leonie Peterkin, Eugene Versluysen

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REMOTE EVENTS MONDAY, APRIL 6

Tenant Talk Live Webinar: Responding to Coronavirus 6 p.m. EDT Register here

Vendor Melody Byrd. PHOTO BY ROLANDO APARICIO VELASCO

Dear supporters, readers, community members, and friends, Throughout the current public health pandemic, Street Sense Media has worked to support our vendors with continued services and the opportunity to earn income. We know that crises fall the hardest on the most vulnerable members of our community, and we are compelled to continue serving our vendors when they need us most. Our top priority is, and must always be, the health and safety of all. In light of the rapidly-changing situation with the spread of COVID-19, new restrictions on D.C. businesses and organizations, and concerns for the safety of all Street Sense Media vendors and Street Sense customers, we have made the decision to immediately suspend the print publication and distribution of our newspaper. For the duration of the immediate health pandemic, Street Sense will only be published online. We know that this decision is the right one, but it is not easy. It’s one of the most difficult choices I’ve made during my time at Street Sense Media. This is the first time in nearly 17 years that we will not print an edition of the newspaper as scheduled. We take pride in the journalism we produce in partnership with our vendors who write for the paper. For many of our vendors, selling Street Sense is their only source of income. It helps them satisfy their most basic human needs. For others, selling Street Sense allows them to make rent payments on apartments secured after years of homelessness, to supplement income from minimum wage jobs, or to help support family members. To help maintain some of our vendors’ income, we need your immediate help. We’re asking our readers and supporters to continue making direct payments to vendors through our mobile app, while you continue to read the newspaper online. These payments reach our vendors directly. Each day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., they can claim their payments, in cash, at our offices (following appropriate precautionary measures for social distancing, etc.). With the implementation of strict safety protocol, our offices will remain open. Vendors will be able to come to Street Sense Media to rest inside, use our restrooms, wash their hands, use computers— including to work on news or feature stories they hope to publish in the newspaper—and meet with case management staff. Our case management staff will be on call to help people access the services they need, including emergency healthcare. To help fill immediate needs amid the widespread closure of business and service provider, we are also asking for donations of gift cards to local grocery stores and pharmacies. Gift cards can be mailed to Street Sense Media’s offices at 1317 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005. They will be distributed to those in dire need of food or medicine. In summary, we hope that you read a digital copy of our new issue April 1, make a payment to your regular vendor, consider donating a gift card, or make a donation directly to Street Sense Media during this difficult time. Any of these actions will make an enormous difference for people in need. We also hope that you and your families continue to stay safe and healthy, and that you find some light and hope in the compassion of others during this crisis. We’re grateful for you.

Sincerely,

Brian Carome Chief Executive Officer Street Sense Media

Join resident leaders and National Low Income Housing Coalition staff to discuss the impacts of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic and how you can advocate for needed resources and other protections for people experiencing homelessness and low-income renters in your community. NLIHC staff will provide updates on what is being done at the federal level to address the pandemic, discuss issues and efforts from around the country, share ways you can take action, and answer questions. Tenant Talk Live is a bimonthly call/webinar with resident leaders from across the country. CONTACT: karbuckle@nlihc.org MONDAY, APRIL 13

Ward 2 Candidate Forum for Animal Issues 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. EDT Register here Organized by D.C. Voters for Animals. Eight candidates are running for the Ward 2 DC Council seat. You get to evaluate them for their positions and values on animal protection. Join this webinar to hear how D.C. can protect and improve the lives of dogs, cats, and other companion animals, animals used in farms and labs, and wildlife in D.C. and beyond. Housing and shelter policies as they relate to pets may also be discussed. CONTACT: maxebroad@gmail.com THURSDAY, APRIL 16

“Freecano:” An Emancipation Day philosophy & art virtual exhibition 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. EDT Register here The cultural bond that has united African diaspora people since the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade has been a collective yearning for freedom, and Freecano speaks to this cultural bond. Depending on where in the Americas Freecano people lived, these manifestations of freedom took on different shapes. In Washington, D.C., one of our many liberating celebrations is Emancipation Day, so at SCL we believe that this is a perfect time to celebrate the liberating philosophy, language, and art of Freecano with local DC artists who will present and speak about their work incorporating Ethnocide, Eǔtopia, and/ or Freecano! Due to COVID-19 , this event will solely be a virtual exhibition. CONTACT: kay@scl.community

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NEWS A text-alert service for DC’s homeless community is tracking which services are still open during the COVID-19 outbreak

APPLY FOR DISCOUNTS ON YOUR UTILITY BILLS APPLY FOR DISCOUNTED RATES ON :

Natural Gas

Residential Essential Service (RES) Program

RES eligible customers will receive an approximate 25% discount on total bill.

COURTESY OF HOPE ONE SOURCE

BY AVI BAJPAI avi.bajpai@streetsensemedia.org

A comprehensive list of which D.C. service providers are remaining open during the COVID-19 outbreak was published on Sunday by the Arlington-based nonprofit behind the District’s text-message alert system for the homeless community, Hope One Source. The guide details the operating status of 53 different service providers, including everything from soup kitchens and meal programs to shelters and housing assistance. Among the information available for most of the providers is each organization’s contact information, their hours of operation on each day of the week and any changes to the regular services they provide. As cases of COVID-19 in the District continue to increase and local schools, churches, libraries, and all non-essential businesses have been ordered shut, several organizations that provide essential services to homeless people have stayed open. As of March 23, there were 137 positive cases of the coronavirus in D.C. Nick Hanson, volunteer director of communications at Hope One Source, said the all-volunteer group saw there was a need for up-to-date information on the availability of services and reached out last week to the more than 500 D.C. service providers that are registered with the textmessage-based notification service. The service started as a pilot program with the D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness and is a project of the nonprofit Hope With Love. “We learned of this gap by talking to some of our participating service providers and local residents experiencing homelessness,” Hanson said. “Gaps in information are precisely what inspired Hope One Source to begin operating in D.C. back in 2015, after our founders learned of the difficulties D.C. residents experiencing homelessness had discovering and accessing available local services.” As Hope One Source continues to receive information from the providers it reached out to, its volunteers will update the spreadsheet. Service providers can also submit their details for inclusion in the guide at the Hope One Source website. Updates on hours of operation and adjustments in services will also be relayed to the group’s nearly 2,700 D.C.-based subscribers who identified as “at risk of or experiencing homelessness” through text message alerts. Since last week, more than 50 service providers have used the notification system to send alerts about service changes, Hanson said. Nearly 80% of Hope One Source subscribers signed up for the service through a local service provider, which means that the updates would be useful for the vast majority of subscribers who are already clients of D.C. organizations. “The text alerts sent out through Hope One Source from local service providers often provide hope to those in D.C. who need it most and have helped prevent and end homelessness for many of our most vulnerable D.C. neighbors who have signed up,” Hanson said. Anyone can sign up to receive the text messages at the Hope One Source website.

Water

Customer Assistance Program (CAP)

Potential discount could be over $500.00 annually.

Electric

Residential Aid Discount (RAD) Program

Potential savings of $300-475 annually.

Telephone

Lifeline Program (Economy II)

Annual discount on one land line service per household.

for more info call 311 or visit doee.dc.gov/udp To apply for the telephone Lifeline Service (Economy II), call 1-800-837-4966 These discounts are for DC residents and are subject to income eligibility requirements.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

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Five shelter residents have tested positive for COVID-19, DHS says BY AVI BAJPAI AND REGINALD BLACK Editorial Intern, Artist/Vendor

he D.C. Department of Human Services confirmed on March 31 that five individuals from three separate homeless shelters have tested positive for COVID-19. Each of the five infected individuals have been quarantined or hospitalized and are receiving medical care, according to DHS Director Laura Zeilinger. “The situation is evolving rapidly,” Zelinger said, noting that there were zero confirmed cases among shelter residents just four days prior. She said DHS’s top priority is making sure people are in a place that is safe and where their exposure to the novel coronavirus is limited. Staff and residents at each of the shelters, Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter, Patricia Handy Place for Women and the Community for Creative Non-Violence, were notified by DHS on March 29. Authorities have also traced the COVID19-positive individuals’ recent interactions and made quarantine available to the people who may have come into close contact with them. DHS has also partnered with Unity Health Care to screen for residents who seem to be symptomatic, and to identify people that may benefit from a medical exam and potential testing, according to Zeilinger. “People who do not have symptoms are not being tested by virtue of housing status alone,“ she said. Zeilinger also told Street Sense Media that DHS has secured rooms in three local hotels to house individuals who have either tested positive and don’t require hospitalization, are symptomatic and are awaiting test results, or may have been exposed to an infected individual. The announcement makes D.C. the latest city to begin temporarily housing homeless residents in hotels, which have seen drastically low levels of occupancy in recent weeks. While Mayor Muriel Bowser’s order to close nonessential businesses allows hotels to continue operating, occupancy rates in D.C. hotels dropped to less than 50% over the last month. Industry leaders expect them to fall below 20%. Ed Lazere, the former executive director of the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute who recently stepped down to run for an at-large D.C. Council seat, endorsed using hotels and large public facilities to house homeless residents and steer money to the hospitality industry in a statement last week. In an email, Lazere commended DHS for “moving forward quickly on this” and said he “hope[s] they are able to house everyone who needs it.” In San Francisco, more than 30 hotels have offered nearly 8,500 empty rooms to local authorities who are scrambling to house the city’s unhoused population of more than 5,000 people. Similar options are being pursued in Oakland, where two hotels have offered up at least 393 rooms, and Seattle, where King County officials purchased a motel in early March for unhoused people who needed to be isolated or quarantined. Another 31-room facility for helping homeless residents isolate themselves opened on March 24. In the meantime, Seattle-area shelters have been moving dozens of clients into local hotels. One of the three D.C. hotels that is cooperating with DHS has been set aside just for vulnerable members of the homeless community, such as those with an underlying health condition or people over the age of 65, in order to protect them from contracting the coronavirus, Zeilinger said. She also indicated that people experiencing homelessness who have pending test results are being offered a hotel room where they can isolate so that they don’t risk transmitting the virus before they know their status. Two weeks prior, WJLA reported

Both DHS day centers for homeless adults are closed. PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO

that a man who had been told to return to a shelter to await his test results chose to sleep outside of the shelter that night instead. DHS connected him to a quarantine facility soon thereafter. Zeilinger said DHS is following a “very specific protocol” which, in addition to quarantine, includes a deep cleaning of affected shelters and providing information to residents about potential exposure and what symptoms to look out for. With cases of COVID-19 in the District continuing to rise rapidly — up to 495 as of March 31 — Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a formal stay-at-home order on previous day. The order exempts individuals experiencing homelessness and urges shelters “to use COVID-19 risk-mitigation practices in their operations.” In densely populated places like shelters, however, social distancing is often easier said than done. “We’re more subject to it than anybody, said a woman living at the Patricia Handy Place for Women shelter. “We’re in a common area. You're in a dorm sharing with 10 other people. You might be sleeping right next to somebody that’s got it .... Once you leave the building and go somewhere, you can bring it back to the building.” At Patricia Handy, many residents were already worried about the potential of the virus spreading in the shelter in the days leading up to the detection of the first five cases. “I think everybody in this building is stressed out,” said the woman, whose name has been withheld to avoid any potential negative impacts as a result of speaking about the shelter where she lives. She said there are sanitizer dispensers on the walls, residents no longer have to leave their dorms in the morning, there are informational signs posted, and a handout that shows what to do to protect yourself and others was passed out to each resident. “I think they’re doing everything they can, it’s just not enough,” she said. On March 27, Patricia Handy staff began measuring each resident’s blood pressure and body temperature and asked if residents had experienced symptoms like a cough, fever or shortness of breath, the woman said. The resident said one woman was taken away from the shelter after medical personnel visited that day, and three others had been removed in the previous week. Nothing had been announced and she did not want to speculate. But the silence about the situation worried her even more. Residents were not informed about the

detection of COVID-19 cases in the shelters until they received a letter signed by DHS Director Laura Zeilinger on March 29. “They don’t want to have a panic, but everyone is panicked,” she said. “If they’re not, I know I am.” “A lot of people in here don’t like going to the hospital even if they’re sick,” the resident said. “One lady has been coughing for two months. Some people don’t wash their hands … I’ve washed mine so much I think they’re falling off.” Another shelter resident at 801 East Men’s Shelter said that maintaining a distance of at least six feet from others was virtually impossible due to space constraints and the desire to house as many homeless people as possible. “People would rather be in than out, trust me,” said the man, whose name has also been withheld to avoid negative repercussions for speaking about the shelter. “It’s definitely been full. I don’t know if they’re turning people away or not, but it’s definitely been full every day since I’ve been here.” He said sanitizer was not readily available, but could be requested, and there was always soap in all three bathrooms. He noted that being confined to a facility like 801 East with several hundred people is a lot different from being isolated at home with a handful of people. DHS’s low-barrier shelters, like Patricia Handy, which N Street Village is contracted to run, and 801 East, which Catholic Charities is contracted to run, were converted from overnight programs to 24-hour programs. Zeilinger said full meals are being provided at all of the agency’s shelter sites so that people can have their needs met without having to travel and congregate outdoors and risk contracting or spreading the virus. Many establishments people experiencing homelessness often depend on have also closed, including D.C. Public Library and both DHS daytime service centers for homeless adults. “I think that’s a plus, trying to keep it contained,” said the woman at Patricia Handy. “‘Cause a lot of the people in here, I see they’re not going nowhere.” As the city grapples with protecting homeless residents from the outbreak, new housing placements have also been put on hold due to the complex meetings and interactions involved. “The housing resources we have aren’t going away,” Zeilinger said. “But if we can’t keep people safe today it’s going to be catastrophic for our population.” Eric Falquero contributed reporting.

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NEWS

Despite COVID-19 closures, restaurants and other nontraditional sources are feeding people in need BY AVI BAJPAI AND BEN COOPER avi.bajpai@streetsensemedia.org // ben.cooper@streetsensemedia.org

estaurants across the country have shifted to takeout or delivery only, limited their operating hours, and cut workers’ pay — among other things — to slow the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. But at the same time, many are stepping up for people who need their services the most. In Washington, D.C., more than 20 restaurants and organizations — as well as D.C. Public Schools — are providing free meals to children, medical workers, elderly people, and the homeless community. As of March 31, there were 3,404 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease across D.C. and the neighboring states of Maryland and Virginia, according to Johns Hopkins University. The District government has reported 495 positive cases and nine deaths caused by the virus. In the wake of the pandemic, Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered all restaurants and bars to close to customers starting the evening of March 16. Takeout and delivery are still permitted. That has led a number of restaurants to offer meals and other hard-to-find resources to those in need, from Sticky Rice on H Street NE providing a roll of toilet paper with every sushi order to Medium Rare on Connecticut Avenue NW delivering free meals to people over 70. Kids normally ate free on Tuesdays at Sticky Rice, but assistant general manager Chris Bulbulia said they decided to make the promotion seven days a week amid the coronavirus outbreak. As of March 30, Bulbulia said the restaurant had given out roughly 60 free kids meals and 260 rolls of toilet paper. At Punjab Grill, in Penn Quarter, kitchen staff have been taking fresh meals to Franklin Park every day during lunch time to serve up to 30 people who are experiencing homelessness. Since its opening a year ago, the restaurant has served meals in Franklin Park on a weekly basis, but shifted to daily service after Bowser’s March 16 order, Executive Chef Jassi Bindra said. The meals are emblematic of the Sikh tradition of langars, which are community kitchens found in gurdwaras, or Sikh places of worship, Bindra said. There, people of all ethnicities, faiths and socioeconomic backgrounds are welcome, he added. “When we are not operating at full capacity of the kitchen, and when we have our resources, why not give back to the society with the resources we have,” Bindra said. “And if people are getting [fed], it’s a blessing for everyone.” In light of the outbreak of COVID-19 in the District, Punjab Grill staff have been wearing masks and using hand sanitizer when they visit Franklin Park each day, in addition to asking people to stand at a distance from each other to prevent the spread of the infectious disease. On a few occasions when it was raining and the staff didn’t find anyone in the park, they checked nearby bus stops and the McPherson Square Metro station to distribute food to people taking shelter there. The restaurant’s efforts to cook and distribute daily meals have thus far been funded by the owner, Karan Singh. However, in recent weeks, Punjab Grill has started a program under which 15% of all digital gift card sales will be donated to fund meals for the homeless community. DCPS has also remained committed to providing meals to students amid the COVID-19 pandemic, using an “all-handson-deck effort” over the past few weeks to develop a meal locations program, said DCPS Chief Operating Officer Patrick Davis. The National School Lunch Program normally provides

Punjab Grill Executive Chef Jassi Bindra handing a packaged meal to a man in Franklin Park on March 23. PHOTO COURTESY OF JASSI BINDRA

low-cost or no-cost meals each school day to the nearly 75% of DCPS students who qualify for it. “There’s a lot of good work out there to show the value of getting good nutritious meals and the benefit that has on students,” Davis said. “So it’s something we take very seriously on an everyday basis. So obviously, when closures happen, we want to make sure we’re able to provide that service as well.” The District started with 16 meal locations on March 16, but that has since expanded to 29 as of March 25. To determine those locations, DCPS looked at free and reduced meal rates at each school as well as data that shows food insecurity at the neighborhood level from the Capital Area Food Bank. At each of the 29 schools, students are able to get breakfast and lunch on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The locations are staffed by contracted employees from DCPS vendors D.C. Central Kitchen and SodexoMagic. Davis said people have reached out to volunteer but DCPS currently has enough staffers to ”operate this efficiently and get students in and out in a very clean and safe way.” In the program’s first week, meals were served to more than 17,000 students, Davis said. He added that each of the 29 locations is equipped to scale up to 1,000 meals per day, but that limit has yet to be reached. The meal locations are open to all students across the District; Davis said staffers aren’t asking to see student ID cards from anyone. Quickly developing such a wide-ranging program, with locations in all eight wards, was no simple task. “One of the biggest [challenges] is creating a menu that makes sense for our kids,” Davis said. “In order to meet pretty strict and important nutritional requirements, it does take us a lot of planning to make sure we have the ability to meet [those] in a grab-and-go type model.”

While the program continues to run — currently until at least April 24, the last weekday before DCPS students are scheduled to return to classrooms — another challenge is ensuring that social distancing practices are being followed. Davis said that students are encouraged to grab a meal and leave as quickly as possible to avoid large gatherings. DCPS is also utilizing security workers to help ensure compliance. “[The response] has been overwhelming,” he said. “Overall, it’s been very, very positive. We’re getting to more people each day, which is really important to us that our families know this is out there ... in these sort of unprecedented times as a nation and a city.” Calls to the Capital Area Food Bank’s “hunger lifeline” (202644-9807) for information about where to get food tripled as the pandemic quickly shut down the region. Despite losing about two-thirds of its more than 450 distribution partners due to closures to prevent the spread of the virus, the food bank was still able to distribute the same amount of food into the community this March as it did last year. President and CEO Radha Muthiah said about 20 of their partners are serving as “hubs” and have agreed to take more food than normal to distribute. To encourage social distancing, volunteering has been scaled back and clients are no longer able to select their food, which is being boxed before it goes out into the community. As other nontraditional sources of aid are helping meet the increased need caused by the near economic standstill, Muthiah said the food bank is doing what it can to ensure the food supply chain isn’t interrupted. “At this point, we are acting in alignment with the different government authorities, we’ve been given the essential critical organization status,” she said. “We are expected to be here and to serve the community through thick and thin.”

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KEEPING UP WITH THE COMMUNITY Street Sense Media has compiled a resource guide of restaurants and organizations that are providing free meals to the homeless community and others. Information collected by Avi Bajpai and Ben Cooper. &pizza Free pizzas to hospital workers. Go to AndPizza.com/HeroPies to donate pizzas or text #feedthem to 200-03. Find a location here Brookland Print Free kid’s menu meal with every adult entree purchase. 716 Monroe St. NE Tuesday-Sunday // 5 pm - 10 pm DC Central Kitchen Operating to-go meal sites for D.C. youth at five schools as well as 10 “mobile feeding” locations that serve breakfast. Locations and hours of operation found here DC Public Schools Offering grab-and-go breakfast and lunch at various locations across DC. Locations and hours of operation found here Good Stuff Eatery Kids eat free. 3291 M St. NW: Monday-Sunday // 11 am - 8 pm 303 Pennsylvania Ave. SE: Monday-Saturday // 11:30 am - 10 pm Sunday // 11:30 am - 9 pm Hook Hall Free packaged meals and care kits with canned and paper goods for hospitality industry workers. 3400 Georgia Ave. NW Meal pick-up and care kits for hospitality industry workers daily from 6 pm - 8 pm Meal pick-up for E.L. Haynes students and families twice a day from 8 am - 10 am and from 3 pm - 5 pm Joes Andres Restaurants Some restaurants repurposed as community kitchens, serving takeout at flexible prices from 12 pm - 5 pm daily. America Eats Tavern: 3139 M St.NW Jaleo: 480 7th St. NW Oyamel: 401 7th St. NW Zaytinya: 701 9th St. NW” Leon DC Free meals for kids, 50% off for all hospital and medical care workers, and free coffee for retail and hospitality workers. 1724 L St. NW Takeout + delivery // 7 am - 6 pm Delivery only // 6 pm - 9 pm 1350 Eye St. location is CLOSED Medium Rare Delivering free hot dinners to seniors 70 years or older. Contact to arrange meal delivery via Mail@ MediumRareRestaurant.com 3500 Connecticut Ave. NW MGM Roast Beef Free meals for hospital workers and free sandwiches/salads. for kids 12 and under 905 Brentwood Rd. NE Monday-Saturday // 7 am - 3 pm

Milk and Honey Free breakfast for kids on weekdays and water. 1245 H St. NE Monday-Friday // 8:30 am - 10 am N Street Village Providing bagged breakfast and lunch daily. 1333 N St. NW Bagged breakfast // 7 am - 8:30 am Bagged lunch // 12 pm - 12:30 pm Po Boy Jim Kids eat free off the kids menu. 1934 9th St. NW: Monday-Wednesday // 3 pm - 10:30 pm Thursday and Sunday // 11 am - 10:30 pm Friday-Saturday // 11 am - 3 am 709 H St. NE: Sunday-Thursday // 11 am - 10 pm Friday-Saturday // 11 am - 12 am Punjab Grill Serving free packaged meals to people in Franklin Park daily. Franklin Park // 12 pm - 12:30 pm Purple Patch DC Providing daily complimentary breakfast and lunch for kids. 3155 Mt Pleasant St. NW Complimentary kids meals // 9 am - 12 pm Rasa Free take-out meals to school children under 18 and to hospital workers with ID. 1247 First St. SE Tuesday-Thursday // 10:45 am - 9:00 pm Friday-Saturday // 10:45 am - 9:30 pm Sunday // 10:45 am - 9:00 pm Santa Rosa Taqueria Kids eat free. 315 Pennsylvania Ave. SE Monday-Saturday // 11 am - 10 pm Sticky Rice Kids eat free. Sushi orders come w/ a free roll of toilet paper. 1224 H St NE Sunday-Wednesday // 11:30 am - 10:30 pm Thursday-Saturday // 11:30 am - 11:00 pm Succotash Offering free, to-go dinners to restaurant workers who have been laid off or had a reduction in hours/pay. 915 F St. NW // 5 pm - 8:30 pm Sweetgreen Free meals to hospital workers and medical personnel. Submit your hospital here Find a DC location here We, The Pizza Kids eat free. 303 Pennsylvania Ave. SE Monday - Sunday // 11 am - 9:30 pm

BIRTHDAYS Marcus Green April 7 ARTIST/VENDOR

Making the Most of a Digital Edition • Every page is color page! • Links, email addresses and other interactive resources can be used right from this publication! • As long as we remain digital-only, the current edition will be downloadable as a PDF you can read offline on any device. These bells and whistles cannot begin to make up for the community that our readers and vendors built together on the street corners of the Washington metropolitan area. In the weeks to come, please join us in sustaining those relationships and building new avenues for supporting each other. • Most importantly, if you can, please continue to support our vendors through the Street Sense Media mobile app. While we’ll continue to gather news, art , and opinions throughout this public health crisis, more than 130 men and women are now without the primary source of income that came from our newspaper sales. • Sign up for our newsletter, or edit your preferences if you already subscribe, and choose to receive “our newsgathering.” We’ll send each new edition straight to your inbox. • Join the “#DCHomelessCrisis Solutions” Facebook group and post your questions, your needs, efforts to aid your community, etc, Let’s pivot to each other, while social distancing, in these uncertain times. • Let us know how else we serve the community: editor@streetsensemedia.org.

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DC low-income health clinics adjust operations to face the COVID-19 pandemic BY JULIA PINNEY julia.pinney@streetsensemedia.org

ay-to-day operations look different now in many of the District’s health care providers that serve low-income and homeless residents. WhitmanWalker Health, Community of Hope, Unity Health Care, and La Clínica del Pueblo are re-orienting care to virtual platforms and instituting protocols for personal protective equipment to keep both patients and providers safe. Providers encourage patients to call phone numbers listed on their websites instead of coming directly into a clinic to allow staff to address as many’ needs as possible over the phone, COVID-19-related and otherwise. Many patients are being scheduled for telemedicine visits. This mode of care utilizes either video or phone communication to provide medical attention without a patient needing to leave their home, limiting the risk of contracting COVID-19 or transmitting it to others. Community of Hope’s clinics are continuing “sick visits” for both people with symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, or shortness of breath) and those with other symptoms. All non-urgent visits have been canceled and will be rescheduled. Dental visits will only be provided in cases of emergencies. All counseling appointments are being conducted via Zoom, Facetime, or telephone. Community of Hope is accepting new patients who are sick and without a primary care provider, as well as new clients for emotional wellness services. Through May 29, Whitman-Walker’s NW Health Center and Max Robinson Center will not be accepting walk-in visits and are scheduling in-person visits only for patients experiencing respiratory symptoms, according to Chief Medical Officer, Sarah Henn. “We have a nurse triage line that’s open 24/7. Any patients with respiratory symptoms who we think are appropriate would be scheduled in the respiratory clinic. Other patients with acute symptoms or problems that need to be addressed are being scheduled for telehealth visits and being managed via telehealth at this time,” Henn said. La Clínica del Pueblo has been limiting services on-site by canceling check-ups, and doing as much symptom assessment and management as possible over the phone. Patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and acute issues continue to be seen for in-person visits. The clinic’s goal above all is to continue to be there for the Latino community it primarily serves, even as their default mode of connection has changed,

according to Rachel Ugarte, La Clínica’s chief development officer. “We’ve shifted a good deal of our programs to be operating remotely and virtually so the majority of our staff are now working from home and using Zoom and telephone to connect with patients.” Unity Health Care is encouraging patients to continue to seek out their services and is still accepting walk-in visits except at their Southwest and Stanton Road Health Centers. However, the organization recommends calling first to determine the best course of action. Dr. Ryan Buchholz, medical director for quality improvement at Unity, said they are reaching out to patients with chronic health conditions like diabetes or heart disease and offering telemedicine services. It’s a big change, he said. “A few weeks ago we only had a few providers providing telemedicine services and now it’s closer to 80 providers getting up and running with telemedicine services, trying to be able to keep patients safe and home or at their place of residence where possible.” He explained that Unity has a call-in nurse triage service. “We have nurses at our scheduling center who are ... responding to calls so they can assess the patient’s symptoms. Oftentimes we are encouraging patients with very mild symptoms, because actually a majority of patients who have COVID-19 have mild symptoms, actually to stay home where they are,” Buchholz said. If the triage nurses determine someone has more severe symptoms, that person is referred to the emergency department. Those experiencing moderate symptoms would be directed to come into one of Unity’s clinics for an in-person evaluation. Upper Cardozo Health Center, Minnesota Avenue Health Center, or Parkside Health Center have been designated as COVID evaluation sites and the patients exhibiting moderate symptoms are being primarily directed to these locations. Shifting so much of the diagnosis-work to phone or video conversations is just one of the many changes to clinic operations that Unity and other providers have implemented in response to the pandemic. At Unity, only one person is allowed to accompany a patient at their appointment and everyone is asked a series of screening questions upon entering a clinic location. “We’re screening everyone who comes in, patients as well as visitors, for symptoms like fever, cough, difficulty breathing, as well as if they have a known contact with someone with COVID-19 or if they’ve traveled to a place where there’s a lot of patients with COVID-

PHOTO BY PIERRE EDWARDS COURTESY OF WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH

19, whether in another country or elsewhere within the U.S.,” Buchholz said. Anyone screening positive for one of these criteria is given a mask. These same questions were included in guidance the D.C. Department of Human Services distributed to its partner providers, like Unity, on March 13. At Whitman-Walker, patients are ushered into a private room where medical history is obtained over the phone with the patient sitting by themselves. Only then will a staff member wearing full personal protective equipment enter the room in order to do an evaluation or obtain a nasal or oral swab for testing. “It’s a much safer process, I think, for our patients and for the providers,” Henn said. Part of the rationale for seeing patients in this manner is preserving personal protective equipment. With a majority of staff getting medical histories and managing medications over the phone, a limited number of staff walking with patients to exam rooms wearing a surgical mask and gloves, and only one provider each day suiting up in full protective equipment to take respiratory samples from patients, the clinics are able to manage their supplies. “I think no one can order as much protective equipment as they would like to order at this time,” Henn said. “But that being said, we have taken inventory of our protective

equipment and, by really being thoughtful about how patients are seen, we have enough to safely see and evaluate patients right now.” Whitman-Walker and Unity Health Care are among 12 D.C. sites seeking donations on #GetUsPPE, a website that aims to serve as a national, centralized platform to supply personal protective equipment to healthcare providers on the frontlines of the pandemic. Ugarte said La Clínica is similarly experiencing a shortage of personal protective equipment. So is Community of Hope, according to Leah Garrett, the organization’s vice president of development and communications. “We are pursuing every lead possible to bring hand sanitizer refills, gowns, gloves, and surgical or N95 masks into the organization. We are carefully monitoring our inventory, which is locked for security purposes, and we are prioritizing equipment for our sick patients and our healthcare professionals,” she wrote in an email. A nurse practitioner working at Unity’s Upper Cardozo clinic posted on Nextdoor, a social media platform for neighborhoods, seeking personal protective equipment and cleaning products. “We have come to the point where we are crowdsourcing for supplies,” she wrote. “Upper Cardozo is certainly one of our bigger clinics but we’re also funneling

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PHOTO COURTESY OF UNITY HEALTH CARE

more of our supplies there,” Buchholz said. Thankfully, we haven’t run out of PPE. But at the same time, it’s a constant effort for us on multiple fronts to get the supplies [and] to distribute it effectively.” Unity is dedicating their efforts to protecting their staff as best as possible, especially for providers that have prolonged contact with patients with respiratory symptoms, Buchholz said. “Keeping the supplies coming is a big focus. Keeping staff safe.” On March 24, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a $100 million award to health centers across the country as part of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act. Unity Health Care, Whitman-Walker, La Clínica del Pueblo, and Community of Hope all received funding. Personal protective equipment is a big part of what Unity plans to spend those funds on, according to Buchholz, as is point of care testing that could yield a test result in minutes rather than days. COVID-19 tests are currently available at Unity, Whitman-Walker, and Community of Hope. La Clínica del Pueblo does not yet have testing kits and at this point is referring patients to the Department of Health, according to Ugarte. Carla Henke, Community of Hope’s chief medical officer, said it’s important to understand the nuance of the United States’ limited testing capacity. “What is all over the news about limited testing capability is once these samples get to the lab, they need the specific reagents (tests) to get results. This is an important distinction,” she wrote in an email. Due to the limitations, not everyone will be tested, Buchholz explained. “At all of our other sites, not everybody who walks in our door and says ‘Hey I want a test,’ is able to be tested. Depends if they meet the criteria, if there’s a clinical suspicion that they may have COVID-19.” But while Unity, Whitman-Walker, and Community of Hope may have the ability to test patients, the turn-around time is still a barrier. “The testing kits are not a limiting factor for us right now. The testing turnaround for us is difficult. We’re using LabCorp and we’re at a 7-day turnaround time,” Henn from Whitman-Walker said. Buchholz said Unity also uses LabCorp to process their tests and also reported a 7-day wait time, which is inadequate in the case of the patients experiencing homelessness that Unity serves. “That’s just too long, especially

when someone is in a congregate setting. We specialists are asking unhoused people living need to know sooner.” in encampments and elsewhere if they’re Dr. Catherine Crosland, director for experiencing any of these symptoms during homeless outreach development at Unity, street outreach, according to Crosland. raised the importance of screening people The Office of the Deputy Mayor for experiencing homelessness, referencing Health and Human Services released the difference between Unity’s housed and a statement saying they are regularly unhoused patients. “People who are homeless providing hand sanitizer and trash bags to and living in a congregate shelter setting or residents to maintain cleanliness, as well on the street are a different story because if as limiting encampment cleanups to trash they’re feeling sick, they don’t have their own pick-up only. “Right now, the primary goal place to go to self-quarantine.” is ensuring that residents don’t get sick and According to Crosland, the Department of are informed of best practices,” according Human Services has secured locations where to the deputy mayor’s office. people living in shelters and encampments can Additionally DMHHS said that the District go to receive testing and safely self-quarantine has installed four portable toilets with hand if it is indicated they should. Tests done at these sanitizer and is in the process of installing 17 locations are processed at the D.C. Public handwashing stations across the city. Health Lab, providing a result in a day or During this time, Unity and other clinics two, Crosland said. She lauded DHS staff for have been faced with balancing COVIDthe long hours and sleepless nights they have related care and more general wellness been putting in serving people concerns. In addition to helping experiencing homelessness. “I shelter staff screen residents, have been incredibly impressed Unity continues to have a at how hard working and medical provider available in aggressive they have been in each of their shelter clinics to terms of really trying to think monitor residents’ on-going about how to best care for this issues such as diabetes, high population in this incredibly blood pressure, and other challenging time.” non-COVID medical issues. C r o s l a n d a rg u e s t h a t At their larger clinic locations, as testing becomes more Unity is continuing to prioritize available, both in the District “well visits” for children who a n d n a t i o n w i d e, p eo p l e are due for immunizations and experiencing homelessness is looking into designating and living in congregate specific clinics for well settings should be prioritized patients, Buchholz said. for universal testing. “The idea Community of Hope’s Dr. Ryan Buchholz being that if people are tested clinics will continue to see universally, you can identify newborns and pregnant patients and isolate as quickly as possible people who in isolated areas. Whitman-Walker’s walk-in are asymptomatic who might be spreading sexual health clinic, one of two free testing sites the disease — and not waiting until people in the District along with the Department of become symptomatic to test them.” Health, is currently closed. The organization Just as it’s not business-as-usual in Unity’s hopes to re-open it in a location separate from larger clinical sites, operations have also their two existing clinics in the coming weeks, changed at the clinics the organization runs in according to Henn. “We are actively working many of the local shelters. Instead of waiting at restructuring those services in a safe way for people experiencing homelessness to come because we realize that we may get through this into the clinic, Unity providers have been coronavirus epidemic and have a worsening of proactively helping shelter staff screen as our STI and HIV epidemic as a result and we many people as possible for COVID-19-related don’t want that to happen,” Henn said. symptoms, Crosland said. If someone screens La Clínica has taken another approach to positive for two of the three primary symptoms this issue, setting up a program in which their (fever, cough, or shortness of breath), they are clients can email an anonymous request to the given the option of being transported to one clinic and get a box of condoms delivered to of the locations secured by DHS for testing their home. “It’s [with] those kinds of creative and quarantine. Similarly, homeless outreach measures that we’re ... able to determine

“We’re hopeful that additional help may be on the way with a larger stimulus package for community health centers.”

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PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

who’s at risk for different kinds of things and making sure that they still have access to what they need,” Ugarte said. La Clínica has also been reaching out to clients to direct them to food pantries, navigate job insecurity, and get prescriptions filled. Ugarte said it’s La Clínica’s way of trying to uphold their values in a new operating environment. “The core of our model has been human connection and bringing people out of their homes and together into groups,” she said. “And that’s been so significant to better health outcomes. Home isolation, it’s not good for health! We know that. But it is in this moment. We’re trying to be able to keep that human connection through calling our patients, finding out what their needs are.” On March 13, D.C. Department of Health Care Finance extended Medicaid reimbursement requirements for telemedicine sessions, allowing providers to receive payment for telemedicine sessions where the patient was in their home. Prior to the extension, patients had to be at a health center for the provider to be reimbursed. But for some clinics that’s not enough. More than 47% of La Clínica’s patient base is uninsured, according to Ugarte, making their telehealth visits ineligible for reimbursement. Combined with the necessary suspension of well visits, La Clínica is anticipating a revenue hit. Henn and Buchholz communicated similar expectations. The $61,382 Whitman-Walker received in COVID-19 response funding is only a start, Henn said. “We’re happy to get any funding we can but that’s a drop in the bucket, given our total operations. And we’ve had to completely switch our care model based on this, so the number of visits are down. We have 330 staff members. $61,000 with benefits wouldn’t even begin to cover one nurse,” she said. Buchholz said Unity maintains a commitment to their patients and a sense of optimism. “We’re hopeful that additional help may be on the way with a larger stimulus package for community health centers and healthcare for the homeless organizations,” Buchholz said. “We’re doing everything we can to keep the lights on and do what we know how to do which is provide compassionate, excellent healthcare to everyone who walks through our doors regardless of their ability to pay. I think it just remains to be seen what the long term effects will be but we’re certainly keeping fingers crossed that all will be well. And that we can flatten the curve.”

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Poor and homeless residents are included in the CARES Act stimulus, but they’ll probably have to “raise their hand” to get it BY ERIC FALQUERO AND SASHA POLONKO ericf@streetsensemedia.org, sasha.polonko@streetsensemedia.org

ongress passed a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill on March 27 that President Trump signed into law the same day. This third legislative action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the largest aid package in history and includes nearly $300 billion for direct payments to lowand moderate-income Americans. The infectious disease has killed 2,860 U.S. residents as of March 31 and brought the economy to a grinding halt. However, many people who were already struggling before the outbreak are at risk of not receiving the stimulus payment, according to the director of the D.C.-based nonprofit Capital Area Asset Builders. “Anyone with a Social Security number who is not a dependent of anyone else should be eligible for a check under the income caps,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said on the Senate floor on March 25. Grassley chairs the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. Adults who earn $75,000 or less per year should receive $1,200, while that amount will reduce on a sliding scale for people who earn up to $99,000. Anyone with a higher income will not qualify. There is no minimum qualification. This amount applies to each member of a married couple and families will receive an additional $500 for every dependent child under 17. The payments are classified as advance tax rebates and will not be taxed. The legislation amends the tax code and tasks the Internal Revenue Service with distributing them using information from tax returns filed this year. For anyone that has not filed yet, last year’s returns will be used. A similar approach was taken for direct payments included in the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. What about people who are not required to file taxes, such as individuals who earn less than $12,200 and couples who earn less than $24,400? Federal earning thresholds for singles and couples who are considered to be in poverty are near or below those IRS benchmarks: $13,064 and $16,815, respectively. The most recent Census Bureau data available show that 11.8% of Americans were impoverished in 2018 — 38.1 million people. In 2019, 32% of homeless single adults and 46% of homeless adults in families in the D.C. metropolitan area reported employment as their primary source of income. The bill states that if a 2018 or 2019 tax return is not available, information should be used for anyone who received a Social Security Benefits Statement this year, a tax form typically mailed in January that notes how much income someone received from the Social Security Administration the previous year through benefits such as disability or retirement. “Let’s just look at a low-income or no-income individual who did not file taxes and did not receive social security,” said Leitmann-Santa Cruz, the Capital Area Asset Builders director. “It is prudent to assume that person is not likely to get any money. And that is primarily because imagine the amount of research that would have to be done to identify that person.” Those who are homeless, undocumented, or underemployed are virtually non-existent, according to Leitmann-Santa Cruz. An inspector general’s evaluation of the 2008 stimulus payments found that of the roughly 20 million non-filers the IRS

COURTESY OF TAXFOUNDATION.ORG

identified by working with the Social Security Administration and Veterans Affairs, 3.4 million who were eligible did not receive the stimulus. “Imagine if a person only claimed [unemployment insurance] in D.C. a couple of years ago. That’s 100% D.C. money,” Leitmann-Santa Cruz said. “It’s not like a bureaucrat from the federal government would be doing so much research to identify such an individual.” Economist Claudia Sahm, who worked for the Federal Reserve Board for 12 years that included the Great Recession, agreed that the least well-off people will have to wait longer to get this money and are more likely to fall through the cracks. But she is adamant that the Treasury Department will build a system that allows individuals who do not file taxes and do not receive federal benefits to identify themselves. She cautioned against fear over this uncertainty until the IRS issues its guidance in the coming weeks on how they interpret the legislation. “They have to follow what Congress told them to do, but what I learned from hours of staring at legislative text is, it’s not trivial to figure out exactly ‘what did they say they want done’ and then ‘OK, that’s what they want, how can we actually make that happen?’” Sahm said. Once they interpret the bill, the agency will have to determine how they want to make it operational, such as by creating a web interface where people can provide their Social Security Number and direct deposit information or current address, before publishing guidance on how to participate. Sahm noted that no-income or low-income people who have not filed tax returns or received SSA benefits are entitled to the payment but they will probably have to go to some effort to show they qualify. She pointed out that any time federal

money is being distributed there is potential for fraud. “So ... [people who don’t file taxes or receive SSA benefits] are going to get the money, they’re supposed to get the money, [but] there will be an expectation that those individuals will have to raise their hand and say, ‘Hey, I want my money’...if that person doesn’t come forward and say ‘I want my money,’” she said, “the government’s not going to find them and send them their money. So people are going to have to choose to sign up, and we don’t even know how they’re going to choose to sign up yet. So then that means, with almost certainty, it will take more time.” In the same way the government will have to work to prevent fraudulent claims, Sahm stressed that consumers should await information from official sources, like the IRS guidance. Scams posing as emails and calls to confirm personal emails and banking information have already been reported in Olympia, Washington. In the meantime, disclaimers have been placed on both the IRS and Social Security Administration websites stating that no information is available yet. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a March 25 press briefing that payments to anyone who provided direct deposit information on their tax return should begin showing up in taxpayers’ bank accounts within three weeks. Four days later, during an interview with CBS, Mnuchin said the IRS will also develop an online system to allow anyone who did not submit direct deposit information on their return to supply that information if they do not want to wait for a check in the mail. In addition to interpreting the legislation, the time delay exists because the IRS has to create a database of the millions of Americans who are eligible and all of their payment information. Once that dataset exists, it will be given to another Treasury agency that regularly processes payments. When that step is

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complete, direct deposit payments, which the majority of tax filers use, could be “pushed out” in as little as two days, according to Sahm. Checks will take longer because there are constraints on how many paper checks the federal government can issue in one week: hundreds of millions as opposed to billions. She estimates it will take four to six weeks for all of the payments to be received, if the IRS and SSA staff “hustle,” noting the staff worked around the clock to get out the 2008 stimulus checks. “I think the three weeks that Mnuchin is talking about is, um, heroic. I mean, I hope he’s right … But four weeks is fast,” Sahm said. “For anybody who has a Social Security number but isn’t in these other groups, it will take longer. If the others are four-to-six weeks, we’re talking like early July or something. But again, those are exactly the people that needed the money like three weeks ago.” Sahm referenced “three weeks” frequently because that’s how long it took Congress to craft its relief legislation. She describes the House and Senate as moving fast and implementing the right policies, but says the virus moved faster. Last year, Sahm proposed making direct payments to Americans an automatic response to crises and recessions, rather than something that would need to be planned and deliberated during an emergency. She made these recommendations in a chapter she contributed to “Recession Ready,” a paper produced by the nonprofit where she now works, The Washington Center for Equitable Growth, in partnership with a project of The Brookings Institution. She said it was well-received by some legislators before anyone knew what COVID-19 was and is optimistic about policies COURTESY OF THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU “INCOME AND POVERTY IN THE UNITED STATES: 2018” REPORT that might be put in place for the recovery of this crisis and especially to prepare for others down the road. who use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number paid $9 will be forgiven as long as recipients keep their employees Leitmann-Santa Cruz still believes that the parameters that billion in federal taxes. The ITIN is an identification number that through the duration of the loan. It also includes financial grants have been assigned to this legislation mean a good number of was created in 1996 for workers who don’t qualify for a Social for homeless services and housing and allocates $5 billion no-income individuals will be overlooked. Security number. It was created for unauthorized immigrants, to HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Program, Even if people who don’t file taxes or receive federal benefits lawfully present individuals, and U.S. resident aliens/nonresident which can use the money to expedite homeless people into were automatically identified to receive their stimulus check, they aliens, but is used predominantly by undocumented immigrants. individual shelters as opposed to congregate settings, receive would face obstacles. “A lot of people experiencing homelessness “The people in this country need greater liquidity of rent stabilization, and offer eviction prevention assistance. and low-income households don’t necessarily have banking funds immediately,” Leitmann-Santa Cruz said,“but this The bill also funnels $150 billion to a national Coronavirus accounts and so, if it’s a check being sent out, how then will it discriminatory methodology in this bill will systematically Relief Fund; however D.C. was only allocated up to $500 be cashed?” said Kim Johnson, a policy analyst at the National discriminate against the people hurting the most.” million from this fund, while each state is allowed up to $1.25 Low Income Housing Coalition. Johnson noted that “cashWith the city’s unemployment rate nearly 30 times higher billion. The difference is due to the District’s classification as checking places take such a large than it was two weeks ago amid a territory in the legislation. percentage of the check, taking rapidly changing public health Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland disputed the logic from the actual money they will guidelines, the full effect of and fairness of this classification. “There are more residents in ultimately give someone.” this global pandemic remains the District of Columbia, the Nation’s Capital, than the State Just over 6,500 people uncertain. of Wyoming and the State of Vermont. They were left out of were counted as homeless People who are already that category they are usually put in, and instead they were put in the District last year, with dealing with unemployment, into a formula with Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American 83% of them identifying as chronic homelessness, or living Samoa, and some of the territories. The net effect of that — Black or African American. paycheck-to-paycheck, cannot the net effect of putting the people in the Nation’s Capital in In the District of Columbia afford to be out of work for that formula versus the formula with the States — will cost approximately 5% of the extended periods of time, let the District of Columbia about $700 million,” Van Hollen said population is undocumented. alone survive an indefinite on the Senate floor on March 25. “I asked about this. … The This is about 35,000 people, pandemic, with no financial answer I got back was no. No, no, this was not a mistake. who, according to Leitmannrelief, according to Sonya This was not an oversight. Republican negotiators insisted on Santa Cruz, are mostly Latinx. Acosta, another policy analyst shortchanging the people of the District of Columbia.” Capital Area Asset Builders at National Low Income The provisions on what the relief fund money may be used estimates that another 20,000 Housing Coalition. for are broad and policy analysts like Johnson say states could low-income families in D.C. “You really want to keep use this money to assist their homeless and undocumented Sonya Acosta do not claim the Earned Income people employed. This $1,200 residents. The bill also includes a grant of $4 billion in spending National Low Income Housing Coalition Tax Credit, primarily because check is not going to help for the Emergency Solutions Grants Program, which would they do not file federal taxes. someone enough who loses be used for emergency measures to prevent an outbreak of Between those demographics alone, more than 60,000 families in their job. Or [who] didn’t have a job to start with,” Sahm said. COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness and very D.C., the majority comprising low-income residents and people I still think these checks are giving everybody a little bit low-income households who are at risk of homelessness. The of color, are at risk of not receiving any money from this bill. of a cushion. But that’s not enough. We’ve got to try lots of program also provides additional cautionary measures, such Undocumented residents will be out of work, and possibly different things, we’ve got to do them all at once, and we’ve as emergency shelter and eviction prevention, according to a their homes, with no way to feed their families or sustain their got to move very fast.” press release from National Low-Income Housing Coalition. lives, according to Leitmann-Santa Cruz. He wishes Congress The relief bill includes an expansion of unemployment “I remain cautiously optimistic for those who are eligible to would make a greater effort to streamline cash or some form of insurance to be paid by the federal government and covers receive money from the federal government,” said Leitmannmonetary relief for D.C.’s most vulnerable residents, regardless of contractors, freelancers, and gig economy workers who would Santa Cruz. “However, undocumented, homeless, and their citizenship status. In 2014, the IRS estimated that tax filers not normally be eligible for it and small business loans that previously incarcerated people will take a significant hit.”

People who are already dealing with unemployment, chronic homelessness, or living paycheck-to-paycheck, cannot afford to be out of work for extended periods of time, let alone survive an indefinite pandemic, with no financial relief.

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ART

Who is Faithful? BY REV. JOHN LITTLEJOHN Artist/Vendor

Still I Rise BY IBN HIPPS Artist/Vendor

In an unstable state of mind I no longer stay, while staying focused in a world made for play. Homeless, I stay, when negativity, always has a place to stay. Well, I don't mind, 'Cause I am no longer locked, in a bad frame. Still I rise. Leaving sadness behind, my life is in construction, building happier times. People say time is endless, But mine is limited. I've signed many job applications, but Satan wants me to sign my soul away, on that dotted line. Fewer people smile, so many stare, with that doodoo face. It might be they want to see my spirit, out of place from a positive state. But I look them straight in their eyes and think, “Have a blessed day, “because Still I Rise.” Tough-skinned, I've been struggling for many years. I'm still here. See, in my mind Malcolm's speech about "By any means necessary" means I must keep climbing. I can't fail. Why? ‘Cause I'm rising Crabs in a bucket, some people can be. So everybody take a grip, 'cause I'm taking us to the mountaintop where Martin went. Maya said, “Still I rise is the force.” So, I push ahead.

What is “faithful?” Well, one definition is “to be loyal, constant, and steadfast.” The Bible talks about faithful in the Book of 1 John 1:9, where it says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Bible talks about faithful once again in the book of 1 Timothy 1:15, where it says, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” Service to the Lord is absolute faithfulness, wherever life places you! And all evil around us is no match for the God that is within us! To combat homelessness on a national and international level, we must use hospitality to destroy hostility. Amen! Did you know that there is no pain or sorrow or suffering or sickness or school dropouts or unemployment or homelessness on Earth that Heaven cannot heal? “What is Heaven?” you might ask. Heaven is love, peace, loveliness and happiness. It is a paradise of your wildest dream, it is where Jesus is at the righthand side of God the Father in Heaven. But the truly amazing thing about this is that Jesus is right here, right now — descending and ascending from Heaven to Earth, to free us of these homeless problems, struggles, and sin. Amen! It is truly a blessing when we can give cheerfully to those in need. As it is to receive a gift from those who may have more than they need. Amen! Faithfulness is like a rare and precious gem. It is

difficult to find a real such gem, though these are many who will offer their virtues as a substitute. The Bible talks about faith and it says in the book of 2 Corinthians 5:7, which says “For we walk by faith and not by sight.” In the Bible, the book of Hebrews II:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” One more time, the Bible talks about faith in the book of Hebrews 11:6, and it says “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” God is not impressed with those who boast of themselves and their qualification or those who belittle others. Actions speak louder than words and it is better t o let one’s words speak for themselves. This is most clear in the book James 2:18, which says “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” When we help each other, that is our work. That is what God will see. The rare quality of faithfulness — firm and reliable commitment to one’s conviction and responsibilities in accordance with God’s word — is proved in practice rather than proclamation. It is quality not quantity of service that God measures. Faithfulness is not fruitfulness. On a national and international level, no matter the color of our skin or our religious beliefs, let us be faithful to one another. And bring homelessness to an end for good. AMEN!

Some of My History BY JOSHUA FAISON Artist/Vendor

Greetings, readers! How are you today? I hope all is well with you as it is with me. I am truly blessed and I am grateful to be a Street Sense vendor. We actively help and aid the homeless by helping them earn some income, write resumes, and pursue employment opportunities. The heavenly father, God, whose Hebrew name is Yahweh, said”Blessed are those who help the poor and blessed are those who consider the poor.” My nationality is Hebrew Israelite. My religion is Nazarene, which is a true follower of Jesus Christ. We identify him by his Hebrew name, Yahshua the

Messiah. Yahweh told Abraham the Hebrew in the Book of Genesis, that Abraham's seed would dwell in a strange land and they would be mistreated in that land for 400 years. After the 400 years are up, he would bring his people back with a mighty heart and an outstretched hand. The first 20 Hebrew slaves were brought to Virginia in 1619. Last year marked the official date of the heavenly father coming back for his people. There is more to come with this prophecy, so stay prayed up and keep your faith in Christ. God bless.

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COVID XVIIII and I

I Care, You Care, We Care BY QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE Artist/Vendor

BY FREDERIC JOHN Artist/Vendor

Are we our brothers' and sisters' keepers? Let's think about this question a little deeper.

First, a dedication to Franklin Sterling: “Dear Friend, we must resume Our ‘Poetic Tasks,’ Well enough to dispel Dark World of Masks!

Helping, sharing, caring we must do; But it's really hard when someone has the flu. However, in a room that's filled with gloom, You must continue the help So no one is doomed.

I don’t drink Corona; Nor any like intoxicator. Simply, do I not imbibe! Neither breathe I, the spores of c-o-v-nineteen. How mean, how diabolic is it, When tiny festooned Tumble-weeds slide in for a visit. ‘Neath door sill or wainscot, What e’er you’ve got Ah, ‘this too shall pass,’ As the Holiest would say. So true, so unkind; That our brain outpaceth The higher mind: (“Must I shrink from Copper, Air, or Steel?”) T’were home to microbes, you feel) Then above th’eternal soul doth, Chuckling softly above this Earthly fray like a soft Ghost swathed in fine-spun cloth, Assure us all We await a fresh New Day!!

Spoon one block to the up and up, With the mindset of having to do good. To many people, it's really showing we care. So, let's keep doing plenty. And, just try to stop me, if you dare!

Well folks, bad news BY BILLY MEYER Artist/Vendor

Starbucks, Peet's Coffee and most all churches are closed due to this evil virus. March Madness, NHL, and NBA playoffs have been canceled. And I do not yet have any word about baseball. Booooo! Stay tuned, my wonderful and loyal readers. I promise to keep you posted. Your loving vendor, Billy.

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When greed wins, workers lose BY ANTHONY CARNEY // Artist/Vendor

Why is housing out of reach for millions of American workers? One word: Greed. Corporate America wants to make all the money but not pay its workers living wages. CEOs continue making obscene salaries and bonuses but refuse to share any of that largess with their workers. Why can a CEO make tens of millions a year yet pay his workers $8 per hour? A one-bedroom apartment in the District can cost as much as $3,000 a month. No minimum-wage worker can afford that. And why not? Greed. Pure, unadulterated greed. Now, what happens in our system of greed with the country shut down?

We’ll Get Through This BY SYBIL TAYLOR Artist/Vendor

What was the past is the future. What was old is new. What was bad is good. What was upsetting is gladness. What was down is now up. What was sunset is now sunrise. What was sadness turned into joy. What was downfalls outweighed. Our bad faults to good results. What was loser to winners. What were closed doors are now open. Believe and achieve your goals From tears to happiness. From a frown to a smile From being poor to comfortable From bad health to good health From an old job to a new one For good wealth and prosperity Take a deep breath. It will be okay. Things will improve in 2020. Collages by Sybil Taylor

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FUN & GAMES 4

Intermediate Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 20, Book 1

6 Sudoku #7 8

9 2

3 2 9 5

4 1 8 9 9 6 2 7 1 5 4 3 7 4 5 2 5 3 6 8 3 9 7 1 6 8 9 4 2 7 1 5 8 2 3 6

Sudoku #2 1 4 9 3 7 5 8 6 2 Intermediate Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 20, Book 1 3 5 2 1 8 6 9 4 7 8 6 7 9 2 4 3 1 5 5 2 4 6 3 9 1 7 8 9 8 6 5 1 7 2 3 4 7 3 1 8 4 2 6 5 9 4 7 8 2 6 3 5 9 1 2 9 3 7 5 1 4 8 6 6 1 5 4 9 8 7 2 3

8 5 7 1 4 8 1 3 7 8 Sudoku 3 1#4 8 3 2 1 9 4 5 6 7 2 8 3 7 1 6 4 5 9 3 2 8 9 4 5 6 7 1

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4 6 8 2 1 3 9 4 9 7 3 5 8 2 6 1 9 7 4 6 1 3 8 2 5 7

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Reassurance of business by a President has an unfavorable effect on confidence. -- Mark Epernay

4 2 7 6 8 9 8 5 3 7 9 5 3 1 2 9 4 6 5 7 1 2 6 4 1 3 8

ÂŠ 2019 KrazyDad.com

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LAST EDITIONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PUZZLE SOLUTION >>

5 9 7 2

5 8 9 2 3 4 3 4 2 6 7 8 9 1 4 3 1 2 5 7 8 6 1 6 8 3 4 9 5 2 8 5 7 9 6 1 4 3 7

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8 2 9 3 9 3 7 6 4 7 6 1 5 8 2 9 3 4 1 6 5 9 8 7 4 7 6 2 5 8 2 4 7 9 5 1 8 3 6 3 4 5 1 2 1

This is a scene I observed in the Virginia courtroom in 1999. A young man, probably in his early 20s, was just there to pay a fine. But he came in with his pants sagging and the judge gave him 30 days in jail before ever hearing his case.

BY PIERRE JOHNSON Artist/Vendor

Author Gene Weingarten is a college dropout and a nationally syndicated humor columnist for The Washington Post. Author Dan Weingarten is a former college dropout and a current college student majoring in information technology. Many thanks to Gene Weingarten and The Washington Post Writers Group for allowing Street Sense to run Barney & Clyde.

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COMMUNITY SERVICES

SHELTER HOTLINE Línea directa de alojamiento

(202) 399-7093

YOUTH HOTLINE Línea de juventud

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE Línea directa de violencia doméstica

(202) 547-7777

1-800-799-7233

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

Education Educación

Health Care Seguro

Clothing Ropa

Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal

Case Management Coordinación de Servicios

Food Comida

Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo

Transportation Transportación

Showers Duchas

All s e rv i c e s l i s t e d a r e r e f e r r a l- f r e e Academy of Hope Public Charter School 202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Place NE aohdc.org

Bread for the City - 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 - 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org

Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Good Hope Rd., SE calvaryservices.org

Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

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 ID (Friday 9am–12pm only) foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities

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BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-888-793-4357

Laundry Lavandería

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

JOB BOARD Crew Member

Trader Joe’s // Capitol Hill and other locations Temporary job, $15-17/hour Work in teams, stock shelves, operate cash register, create signage, assist customers. Apply here

Chief of Staff Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org

Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org

So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org

St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-333-4949 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org

Martha’s Table // Washington Full-time Responsible for effective and efficient management of the office of the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO); implements initiatives to increase strategic and operational efficiency. REQUIRED: minimum of 8 years of relevant experience Apply here

Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org

Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9128 425 2nd St., NW jobshavepriority.org

Charlie’s Place // 202-232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org

Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org

Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd., NW christhouse.org

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org

Church of the Pilgrims // 202-387-6612 2201 P St., NW food (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 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 Eye St., NW fathermckennacenter.org

2375 Elvans Road 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 // 202-939-2060 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

Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org

Retail Custodial Associate Petsmart // Washington

Unity Health Care 3020 14th St., NW // unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699 1500 Galen Street SE, 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, 555 L Street SE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place, NE, 810 5th Street NW

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org

Full-time Cleaning by sweeping, mopping, running the auto scrubber, and vacuuming; trash removal; requisitioning supplies. Apply here

Early Morning Stocker Petsmart // Washington

Full-time; position requires working during non-operating store hours which may include weekends and holidays. Ensure shelves and storage areas are stocked; unpack and break down merchandise cartons and pallets; display advertising and pricing signs. Apply here

Retail Sales Associate Petsmart // Washington The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

Full-time Customer service, pet care, merchandising & inventory. Apply here

Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org

Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide

Undefined End BY LATICIA BROCK a.k.a. “PWEZZY VILLAGE” Artist/Vendor

If I could define my life I wouldn't need this pen Then my life wouldn't feel Like an undefined end If the solution would Have been housing Then the end would Not be a result of this pen WATCH: Street Sense Media Vendor/Artist Angie Whitehurst (right) interviews National Low Income Housing Coalition Housing Advocacy Organizer Kyle Arbuckle in this special segment produced by the Street Sense Media Homeless Filmmakers Cooperative. They dig into the complexities and vulnerabilities involved in providing safe and affordable housing to seniors while piloting this idea for a “Solutions Sit Downs” series. After you watch, hope over to the #DCHomelessCrisis Solutions Facebook group and tell us what you thought.

Now that's where I get Street Sense to come in That is how I raise my voice to scream, “FREE TENT CITY!”

Character BY RON DUDLEY, A.K.A. “POOKANU” // Artist/Vendor

No, I am not a perfect man, Character. But I try to do the best I can, Character. I just wanna be wise like King Solomon, Character. And save the life of any one who's suffering, Character. I got arrested but I didn't get bitter, Character. She said I bit her, then I hit her, Character. God knows that I never touched her, Character. God knows that I never struck her, Character. Even if I wanted to, Character. That's just something I won't do, Character. Hit a woman? No way. I got two daughters: Characters. I would rather give you food or some water, Character. The way people treat me is the way I treat people, Character. I still forgive you even though I know you’re evil, Character. She tried to lock me up, get me killed Character.

If I, Pwezzy Village Could only get the Right government official To listen

Thank you for reading Street Sense! She want me to tell a lie and admit to guilt, Character. See, angel is the devil, Character. I can see it in her eyes, Eharacter. She looks just like an angel, Character. But the devil in disguise, Character. Please, God, protect me from this beast, Character. Please God, stop and make her leave, Character. I treated you better than I treated myself, Character. And respect you enough to let you be by yourself, Character. You were never there, Character. I was always there, Character. I let you sleep in my bed, gave you money, gave you food so your kids could get fed. Now you wanna assassinate my character. Character.

From your vendor APRIL 1 - 14, 2020 | VOLUME 17 ISSUE 11

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This is new territory for us, and we appreciate any feedback on how to improve. editor@streetsensemedia.org. Lastly, please help us spread the word about how to support our vendors and read these digital editions.

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