04 13 2011 by Street Sense Media

Volume 8: Issue 12 April 13- 26, 2011

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Jim Graham on Life Between â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Devil and The Deep Blue Seaâ&#x20AC;?

Street Sense aims to serve as a vehicle for elevating voices and public debate on issues relating to poverty while also creating economic opportunities for people who are experiencing homelessness in our community.

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Impact of Mayor Gray’s Budget New head of human services committee Jim Graham faces numerous challenges HEARTH Act changes homeless policies

7 HUD rally to keep homes 8-9

Reflecting on the ghost of Franklin Shelter

Read stories online at www.streetsense.org

Fiction: the second installment of Arctic Ice Hockey

Comic Strip Barney & Clyde, Now at Street Sense!

WEB EXCLUSIVE

Congress & GW faculty hoop it up for homelessness

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Column: Writing as art Last Word: An intern says goodbye

A new issue comes out every two weeks, but you can stay connected to Street Sense every day! /streetsense @streetsensedc /streetsensedc Cover art by Kelby Miller

Challenging Times Need a Challenge

By Douglas Knight Executive Director

an you believe all the wrangling over funding, spending, debt and deficits? It’s as if our representatives look at each other and say, “Well, whatever we know or remember about this from history, let’s just forget all that and try to work on this like it’s the first time for us all.” So much in the news, nationally and locally, has become focused upon line items, salary levels, perks, benefits and pet projects. These are really divisive issues these days. Yet amid the battle, what seems to get lost is the spirit of rising to a collective challenge: the sense that together, we can tackle something, as a nation or as a city. I was not alive when President Kennedy issued his challenge to get to the moon in a decade’s time. But it was accomplished. All Americans, no matter the political persuasion or socioeconomic level, rallied to this cause and celebrated together when Neil Armstrong made that first footprint on the moon. So today, what is our rallying call? We have a socially-conscious, volunteerdriven, philanthropic society, and yet we haven’t gotten together and decided to address a challenge that clearly could be addressed if we committed to it. I’m no President Kennedy for sure, but please allow me to offer up a cause that is solvable and needs our attention. No one in America should be homeless, especially here in Washington, our nation’s capital. We have the tools, the resources and the opportunity to end homelessness. All we need is the rallying cry to join voices and say, “Let’s do this.” I believe we can have a real impact by looking at the challenge like we did when we decided to go to the moon. We were methodical. We broke the task down into its component parts and addressed each one, from building and fueling the craft to feeding the astronauts

and supplying them with oxygen. It should be the same with ending homelessness. I see the basics as jobs, connection to community and an informed public. By providing our homeless friends with entrepreneurial jobs selling newspapers, our Street Sense vendors connect to the community we share, while simultaneously providing important, well-researched news and original prose and poetry that help inform the public about homelessness. Great media. Great community connection. Great vendors. Great economic impact. The basics. Step by step. It will take drive. It will take commitment. It will take one dollar at a time. But each dollar impacts an individual’s life and touches the resources of the wider community. We can end homelessness. We have the tools, the resources and the opportunity. Let’s do this.

Email Doug at Doug@streetsense. org or call him at 202-347-2006

ADDRESS 1317 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 PHONE (202) 347 - 2006 FAX (202) 347 - 2166 E-MAIL info@streetsense.org WEB streetsense.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lisa Estrada, Ted Henson, Brad Scriber, Michael Stoops, Manas Mohapatra, Sommer Mathis, Kristal Dekleer, Robin Heller, Jeffery McNeil, Jordan Rummel, John Snellgrove, Dameon Philpotts EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Doug Knight EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mary Otto MANAGING EDITOR/NEW MEDIA DIRECTOR Lisa V. Gillespie VENDOR AND VOLUNTEER MANAGER Robert Fulton INTERNS Kelsey Osterman, Gretchen Grant, Mehreen Rasheed, Kelby Miller, Holly Ceasar VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Rhonda Brown, Margaret Chapman, Tracie Ching, James Clarke, Nikki Conyers, Bobby Corrigan, Irene Costigan, Sara Dimmitt, Joe Duffy, Lilly Dymond, Ashley Edwards, Garrett Epps, Rachel Estabrook, Sarah Ficenec, Robert Fulton, Andrew Gena, Steve Gilberg, Jane Goforth, Jonah Goodman, Roberta Haber, Elia Herman, Adam Kampe, Trisha Knisely, Vicki Ann Lancaster, Elle Leech-Black, Lisa Leona, Sean Lishansky, Elsie Oldaker, Katinka Podmaniczky, Mike Plunkett, Willie Schatz, Jesse Smith, Mandy Toomey, Brett Topping, Melissa Hough, Kate Sheppard VENDORS Michael Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Jake Ashford, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Donna Barber, John Bayne, Kenneth Belkosky, Patricia Benjamin, Tommy Bennett, Jimmy Bigelow, Reginald Black, Emily Bowe, Debora Brantley, Andre Brinson, Floarea Caldaras, Percy Carter, Peggy Cash, Conrad Cheek, Simona Ciurar, Virginia Clegg, Aaron Conner, Theresa Corbino, Avram Cornel, Anthony Crawford, Kwayera Dakari, Louise Davenport, Charles Davis, James Davis, Devon Dawkins, David Denny, Ricardo Dickerson, Muriel Dixon, Alvin Dixon El, Deana Elder, Richard Embden, Joshua Faison, James Featherson, Tanya Franklin, Samuel Fullwood, Larry Garner, David Ger, R. George, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Dwight Harris, John Harrison, Lorrie Hayes, Patricia Henry, Shakaye Henry, Shawn Herring, Derian Hickman, Philliip Howard, James Hughes, Richard Hutson, Margaret Jenkins, Donald Johnson, Alicia Jones, Mark Jones, Evanson Kamau, Clinton Kilpatrick, Hope Lassiter, Mary Lisenko, James Lott, Michael Lyons, Johnnie Malloy, Kina Mathis, John C. Matthews, Charlie Mayfield, Herman Lee Mayse, Robert McCray, Marvin McFadden, Jermale McKnight, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jeffery McNeil, Kenneth Middleton, L. Morrow, Jai Morton, Saleem Muhammad, Tyrone Murray, Darryl Neal, Charles Nelson, James Nelson, Sammy Ngatiri, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Douglas Pangburn, Franklin Payne, Michael Pennycook, Edward Perry, Gregory Phillips, Tracey Powell, Frank Pruden, Ash-Shaheed Rabbil, Michael Reardon, Melania Scott, Chris Shaw, Ronald Simms, J. Simpson, Veda Simpson, Gwynette Smith, Patty Smith, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, James Stewart, Leroy Studevant, Beverly Sutton, Paul Taylor, Sybil Taylor, Steve Thomas, Larissa Thompson, Louise Thundercloud, Deborah Tibbs, Ronald Turner, Christopher Walker, Jeanette Walker, Martin Walker, Robert Warren, Lawless Watson, Paul Watson, Michael J. Welsh, Edna Williams, Sherle Williams, Wendell Williams, Susan Wilshusen, Ivory Wilson, Mark Wolf, Charles Woods, Tina Wright, Patricia Jefferson, Mike Leach, Authertimer Matthews

STREET SENSE April 13 - 26, 2011

NEWS

Gray’s Budget to Save Emergency Shelters While other cuts to poverty programs continue to worry advocates By Mary Otto Editor-in-Chief Advocates for the city’s poor and homeless are continuing to study Mayor Vincent Gray’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year, attempting to assess the potential impact of the spending plan on shelter, welfare and housing programs. In an April 1 press conference called to release his 2012 budget, Gray stressed austerity measures made necessary by an anticipated $322 million deficit for the coming fiscal year. “This is a tough budget,” said Gray. “I’m not going to represent it as anything else.” As proposed, the spending plan would close the gap through a combination of $187 million in expenditure cuts and $135 million in new revenues brought in through increased income, parking and sales taxes, leasing and advertising, Gray said. The city’s homeless and their advo-

cates had been particularly worried about potential emergency shelter closings caused by a looming $25 million gap in the city’s homeless services budget. The shortfall resulted from the loss of non-recurring federal funding for the city’s permanent supportive housing program and the welfare program known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The Gray budget would restore more than $14.2 million for homeless services to help close the gap, administration officials said. “This will allow the district to continue to offer low-barrier shelter services throughout the year,” explained the mayor’s budget director Eric Goulet. “Had those funds not been restored, services would have only been offered during hypothermia season, which was not acceptable to the mayor.” While heartened by such assurances, Andy Silver, a staff attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic, is one of many homeless advocates with remaining concerns.

“It does seem that the tax increases did benefit homeless services,” said Silver. “That said, there is still a big hole left.” While the Gray budget includes a line item of approximately $55 million for homeless services, apparently up from $54 million for the same line item in the current fiscal year, the figures do not tell the whole story, Silver and other homeless advocates contend. The fiscal year 2011 budget for homeless services actually amounted to $69 million after the $54 million was supplemented by $15 million in federal TANF stimulus funds, money that is not coming in this year, according to Silver. “I just

THE STORY OF STREET SENSE Street Sense began in August 2003 after two volunteers, Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions with the idea to start a street paper in Washington, D.C. They saw it as a means of empowering the area’s poor and homeless and desided the paper would cover homelessness and other social issues. After bringing together a core of dedicated volunteers, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003, printing 5,000 copies. About a dozen vendors sold the first issue of the paper. For the next three years, it pub-

YOUR DOLLAR

lished on a monthly basis and as a project of the National Coalition for the Homeless. In October 2004, the organization incorporated and moved into its own office space. In March 2005, Street Sense received 501(c)3 status, becoming a nonprofit organization. In October 2005, Street Sense formed a full board of directors, and in November, the organization hired its first employee, a full-time executive director. A year later, Street Sense hired its first vendor coordinator and began partnering with several service providers. In February 2007, the paper increased the frequency of publication to twice a month.

65%

Each vendor makes a personal investment in Street Sense, by purchasing is- Directly sues at a rate of 35 cents per copy. This aids the money helps cover our production and vendor printing costs for the paper, while still allowing the vendors to sell the paper at a low price and substantial profit.

don’t know what the impact will be,” said Silver. Ed Lazere of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank that focuses upon policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals said he is also unsure. An analysis by Lazere’s group finds “at least an $11 million reduction in homeless services” in the budget proposed by the mayor. “The homeless system is already strained,” Lazere added at an April 8 forum on the proposed budget held at city hall. The city’s shelter for families located at the former D.C. General Hospital stopped accepting new families as of April 1, according to Lazere and other advocates for the homeless. The move could not be confirmed with city officials. “Families with children with no place to go will be told by the city, ‘We can’t Continued on Page 5

Vendor Code of Conduct

In order to support the increased production, Street Sense brought on its first full-time editor-in-chief in April. To d a y, S t r e e t S e n s e h a s f o u r professionals, more than 100 active vendors and nearly 30,000 copies in circulation each month. The newspaper has become a major source of news for Washingtonians, providing content on issues which often go uncovered by the mainstream media. Street Sense is a member of the National Association of Street Newspapers (NASNA).

35% Supports costs

1. I agree not to ask for more than $1 or to solicit donations for Street Sense by other means. 2. I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense staff and will not sell papers to other vendors (outside of the office volunteers). 3. I agree to treat others respectfully. I will not “hard sell,” threaten or pressure customers. 4. I agree to stay off private property when selling Street Sense. 5. I understand that I am not a legal employee of Street Sense but a contracted worker responsible for my own well–being and income. 6. I agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling Street Sense. 7. I will not sell Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 8. I will stay a block away from another vendor. 9. I understand that my badge is the property of Street Sense and will not deface it. I will display my badge and wear my vest when selling papers. 10. I understand that Street Sense strives to be a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the homeless. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word.

The Committee on Human Services oversees issues surrounding welfare, youth affairs (not including juvenile court proceedings), social services, alcohol regulations and disability services.

Dilemma After Dilemma

New human services chair Jim Graham faces tough choices on a tight budget By Ellen Gilmer Editorial Volunteer A few months into his new post at the helm of the Human Services Committee, District Councilmember Jim Graham is still grappling with the magnitude of need among the down-and-out in D.C. What really hits him in the gut: the void of resources to turn the tide. Sure, he’s got some power—Graham (D, Ward 1) has stored up a dozen years’ worth of clout on the council, plus another 15 running the Whitman-Walker Clinic before that. But what he really needs for the committee is money, and that’s not easy to come by in an already cash-strapped city with a projected $322 million budget gap for fiscal year 2012. Graham says he faces dilemma after dilemma, in the truest sense of the word, often choosing between equally undesirable paths. Do we neglect homeless Latinos in Northwest D.C. by narrowing their options for community-based help, or do we cut a popular program that put hundreds of families in homes? Do we add capacity to the already-crowded D.C. General shelter, or do we jump through the many expensive hoops of building a new one? “It’s one or the other,” Graham said in an interview in February. “These are the kinds of really difficult decisions that we’re going to have to face—how to use most effectively these very scarce dollars.”

A refreshing switch Graham took over the Human Services Committee in January when Council Chairman Kwame Brown had him switch places with Tommy Wells (Ward 6), who now heads the Public Works and Transportation Committee that Graham led for four years. The councilmember says he embraced the change. “I just find this very refreshing because I’m back to issues that directly impact people,” he said. “It’s different than driver’s licenses and stop signs.” He approached the Human Services

We have a hard job ahead of us to protect those who are the most vulnerable in this economy Jim Graham, head of the human services committee “If [the budget] is as harmful as I think it’s going to be, we need to find out very fast so we can take appropriate action,” he said at the February meeting, adding, “I don’t know how we can afford any more cuts in services on the backs of those least able to afford them.”

Scarce resources

Jim Graham, who heads the city council’s human services committee says the city will have to make difficult decisions on how to spend scarce human services dollars. OFFICE OF JIM GRAHAM

portfolio head-on, promising site visits within his first two weeks on the job to all the District’s principal shelters, along with informational meetings with representatives of service agencies. Three months into the gig, Graham has visited three Department of Human Services facilities, according to his office. At a Feb. 3 roundtable discussion on the status of D.C.’s social services, Graham said he was unimpressed with one of the sites he visited, a group home for committed youth. “I saw very little hope,” he said at the meeting he hosted. “I had very little reason once I left to believe that any of the behaviors were going to change as

a result of the experience those young offenders were having in that particular facility.” These are the types of system shortcomings Graham says he aims to address while leading the human services committee, equipped with his WhitmanWalker experience. Graham became president of the AIDS clinic in the 1980s and says the clients found government agencies to be “often uncaring, overly burdensome and, on occasion, hostile and very judgmental.” Today, according to Graham, challenges are similar. He wants the District’s services to increase quality of care, even in the face of looming budget cuts.

Following Mayor Vincent Gray’s State of the District address in late March, Graham said he had no confidence the mayor would spare social services funding from the cutting room floor. “We have a hard job ahead of us to protect those who are the most vulnerable in this economy,” Graham said. But with the release of Gray’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2012, homeless advocates said the cuts were not as severe as the worst-case scenarios they feared. A proposed tax increase on the wealthy would help plug the budget hole and ease the pain of cuts on services. At first glance, the new budget numbers seem to crunch in favor of the needy. The Department of Human Services’ Homeless Services Continuum funds will see an increase of $1.1 million, bringing the total allocation to $55.4 million. And despite losing millions in federal funds, permanent supportive housing’s raw allocation will see a dip of only $1.4 million for a total budget of $26.8 million, with the number of individuals Continued on Page 5

STREET SENSE April 13 - 26, 2011

About 13,000 single adults and 2,800 adults and children in about 530 families use emergency shelter in the District every year, according to the Urban Institute.

LOCAL NEWS Mayor’s budget calls for cuts and shifts in poverty programs

Continued from Page 4 receiving housing through the program expected to remain steady at 951. At a hearing last week, Graham thanked the mayor for blunting much of the budget pain. “I’m much happier than I thought I would be,” Graham said in an interview. “But I’m still not satisfied.” Andy Silver, a staff attorney at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, says other hidden cuts and shifts in the budget reveal shortfalls that will strain the District’s homeless services. “We were very happy to see that the mayor included the tax [increase],” he said, “but we’re still very concerned with the level of funding in the proposed budget.” For example, he said, the city will have to do without millions of dollars in federal stimulus money that was granted last year to supplement Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). During fiscal 2011, $15 million from that fund was applied to homeless needs. D.C. will still receive federal TANF funds this year, but without the extra stimulus boost, all the money will likely be applied to more traditional uses—helping families who have homes but low income. That missing slice of federal funding makes what looks like a $1.4 million increase for homeless services a $14 million decrease, some advocates said. Permanent supportive housing, which provides homes and supportive services to the chronically homeJim Graham less, will also take a hit under the proposed budget, Silver said. Budget language states that, despite losing $10 million in federal funds given last year, “resources were realigned” to continue serving those in the program. But Silver suspects those resources were moved over from other crucial rental assistance funds, greatly diminishing the total number of people who can receive aid in the future. The Legal Clinic is also concerned that there is not actually enough funding in the pro-

gram to continue supporting all of the current participants. “We are trying to get more information from the administration on the effects of the budget proposal,” he said.

Continued from Page 3

‘Devil and the deep blue sea’ These budget binds result in the kind of “devil and the deep blue sea” decisions Graham lamented when he started his Human Services leadership this year. “And obviously I don’t want to choose,” he said. “I don’t want to choose.” But choose he must, with the help of dozens of other government and community decision-makers. “I don’t want to approach this with a hard-and-fast ‘this is the way it should be,’” Graham said. “I want to remain flexible in order to accommodate different views on this.” He has met with Beatriz “B.B.” Otero, appointed this year as deputy mayor for health and human services, as well as advocates for the poor and homeless, to “identify priority areas to defend, potential areas of cost savings, [and] potential revenue,” Graham’s spokesman Andrew Hopkins said in an e-mail. It’s a thorny process of sorting through a body of social service programs and deciding which limbs can be cut off. Graham pointed to Ward 1’s La Casa, an overnight shelter in Columbia Heights that closed last October and was torn down in February. Some of the men who stayed in the shelter were transferred to

It’s going to take a lot of work and creativity on all of our parts to preserve that progress and make sure it continues

permanent supportive housing, and a new La Casa was promised for 2012. Now, it’s doubtful there will be funds for both, Graham said. “Do we build a new La Casa and provide housing in the period of several years from now for maybe 80 to 100 individuals ... or do we use those monies for [Permanent Supportive Housing]? Or, do we find other money somewhere, somehow that can make all this up?” The immediate need for family shelter poses another quandary. D.C. General, a behemoth in Southeast D.C. that holds 150 families at a time, could expand onto two empty floors to ease its overflow and add capacity, especially during hypothermia season. Big facilities like this are not ideal, Graham said, but may be necessary to meet growing demand. An advantage would be the efficiencies of a central location. Or, a new family shelter could be built. But that seems like a pipe dream under current budget pressures. “I emphasize,” Graham said, “but I do not know what is the best course.” What he does know is that solutions for these dilemmas won’t come easy. And he’s up for the fight. “We’ve made a lot of progress that I don’t want to lose,” he said to community advocates. ”It’s going to take a lot of work and creativity on all of our part to preserve that progress and make sure that it continues.”

take you,’” said Lazere. “This is not due to a lack of capacity but due to a lack of funding.” Gray’s budget, which still must be considered and approved by the City Council, calls for reductions in other areas of the human services budget as well. Some residents of the city’s permanent supportive housing program would be shifted into federallyfunded apartments, case management costs to formerly homeless individuals who are now in permanent supportive housing would be limited, and funding for emergency rental assistance would be reduced. In addition, in accordance with a

It is not clear how these families will make ends meet DC Fiscal Policy Institute recently passed city law, as of April 1, many families receiving welfare for more than 60 months will have their benefits reduced. Gray’s budget would further cut the payments provided by TANF, according to the DC Fiscal Policy Institute’s analysis. While the group’s report praised Gray’s “balanced approach to revenue,” it singled out measures such as the TANF cut for criticism. “The proposed cut would reduce monthly cash assistance—which for most TANF families is expected to cover housing, transportation, clothing and other basic needs—to just $257 per month for a family of three,” the report concluded. “It is not clear how these families, many of whom face low literacy and other barriers to work, will manage to make ends meet.”

$2.2 billion was authorized for the HEARTH Act during the 2010 fiscal year, compared to $1.67 billion for fiscal year 2009, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Landmark Federal Homeless Law Gets a New Start

AU Conference: We Can End Poverty

By Gretchen Grant Editorial Intern

Poverty can be eradicated and its causes reversed, according to Mark Bergel, founder and executive director of A Wider Circle, a Silver Spring-based nonprofit. “Whenever we’ve taken on something really big in this country—like slavery, like civil rights, like women’s suffrage—we’ve succeeded,” he said. “Poverty needs to be the next major cause.” Eliminating poverty was Bergel’s motivation for starting the National Conference on Ending Poverty. A Wider Circle, which helps mothers and children get out of poverty, hosted the second annual event, on April 2 at American University. After an introduction from the conference team, the day was divided into three breakout sessions. Guests had the choice of listening to one of two different speakers during each session. Five organizations—Manna Food Center, So Others Might Eat, Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless, Generation Hope and the Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place—also set up booths during the conference to provide attendees with more information about volunteering. Bergel sought out conferences to meet like-minded people, but after finding only a couple, he created a conference specifically to bring people together to raise awareness and discuss the solutions to poverty. Bergel realized the need for action as well. “Talk by itself—not enough,” he said. “That’s why the conference is called the conference on ending poverty—because we need to mobilize.” Speaker Nicole Lynn Lewis, founder and executive director of Generation Hope, said investing in people with potential could help propel them to a brighter future. Conference speaker Michael Curtin, CEO of D.C. Central Kitchen, said the fight against poverty is not always tangible, or something that can be seen or felt, but the impact is not lessened because of it. “Giving people a chance today is not only going to change their lives, but it is

Homeless people and their advocates packed the community room of a District women’s shelter on a recent day, anxious to learn about changes to a landmark federal initiative that has helped sustain homeless programs for more than two decades. When President Barack Obama signed the Homeless Emergency and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act in 2009, he reauthorized and also transformed a law that has provided federal money for homeless shelters and other programs since homelessness was first recognized as a national crisis in the 1980s. T h e o l d l a w, t h e M c K i n n e y Ve n t o H o m e l e s s A s s i s t a n c e Act, passed and signed by Ronald Reagan in 1987, endured for years without major changes. But as attendees to the March 30 workshop at N Street Village learned, the HEARTH Act takes a new look at federal policy regarding homelessness, stressing programs that promote pre-

vention and the speedy rehousing of homeless people; consolidating U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant programs and redefining homelessness itself. The Act represents a seachange in federal policy regarding homelessness, and one that will endure, experts believe. “I think we’re going to have this for a long time,” said Norm Suchar, of the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), who began the workshop by outlining some of the ways homeless programs are being renamed and revised. For one example, under the HEARTH Act, the Emergency Shelter Grants Program, which for years has provided homeless persons with basic shelter and essential supportive services, as well as funding for the operational costs Continued on Page 7

By Kelsey Osterman Editorial Intern

going to change the lives of generations to come,” he said.

Above, Michael Curtin, CEO of D.C. Central Kitchen speaks on the fight against poverty. KELSEY OSTERMAN | STREET SENSE

The event focused on poverty, according to Bergel. He said he hoped all 100 conference guests get involved in some form of volunteering, and include their friends and family as well. For conference attendee Maria Morgan, now is the time to pitch in. She took part in the event in order to formulate a volunteering connection between A Wider Circle and her son’s school, Westland Middle School in Bethesda, Md. After attending the event, Morgan said she wants to help out individually as well. “I’ve always wanted to do something for people who have been less fortunate than I have been,” she said. “I’m at the point in my life where I really want to do something to make a difference, and this makes it a little more concrete.” For the next year, Bergel said he hopes to bring in 500 attendees and invite more organizations and speakers. Confronting poverty on a national level, instead of just how it impacts the District, is a goal for subsequent conferences as well. “We have to go to whatever degree is necessary to help people get out of poverty,” Bergel said. “There is just no freedom in poverty. Whether it’s homelessness or abuse or dropout rates—whatever are the repercussions of poverty, it’s our calling to take care of that, as human beings.”

The National Alliance of HUD Tenants was founded in 1991 and has coalitions in almost 30 states nationwide.

HEARTH Act brings positive change to community Continued from Page 6 of homeless shelters, is getting a new name and a new focus. The Emergency Solutions Grants Program will continue to help states, cities and counties pay for shelters but will place a new emphasis upon short-term homelessness prevention assistance for people at imminent risk of losing their housing. In addition, three continuum of care programs, which provide funding for a range of longer-term services to homeless people, including supportive housing and rehabilitative housing, will be consolidated under the HEARTH Act. The HEARTH Act will still include all of the eligible activities from the three programs that make up the continuum of care, but it will also provide more flexibility for mixing and matching eligible activities. Re-housing services will get added attention. Additional emphasis will be placed upon the success of the programs in reducing the length of homeless episodes, reducing recidivism back into homelessness and reducing the number of people who become homeless. The HEARTH Act also expands the number of people eligible for homeless assistance, effectively redefining homelessness in a way that advocates have hoped for over the years. Under the HEARTH Act, Emergency Solutions Grants will be available to people that are at risk of becoming homeless and not just those who are already homeless. All programs that will be serving the homeless will include people who will be losing their housing within 14 days and lack resources or support, as well as people who have been constantly moving and are likely to continue due to a disability or barriers. In addition, up to 10 percent of continuum of care funds can now serve families that are doubled-up or living in hotels.

STREET SENSE April 13- 26, 2011

NEWS

Rallying to Keep Their Homes On March 30, a small group of protestors rallied in front of the Community for Creative Non-Violence shelter on 2nd St. NW. The demonstrators carried signs and yelled chants such as "What do we want? Housing! When do we want it? Now!" to protest federal budget balancing that would cut money from HUD programs and force many disabled tenants out of their homes. Various individuals affected by the budget cuts spoke over a megaphone during the protest.

Top left, Herman Bonner, president of the National Alliance of HUD Tenants holds the megaphone while Charlotte Delgado, vicepresident west of National Alliance of HUD Tenants talks to the crowd. Protestors hold signs and yell slogans to protest cuts to HUD funding. KELSEY OSTERMAN | STREET SENSE

The Vanished Grandeur of Franklin School: A Photo Essay

ollowing street protests and marches staged by homeless men and their supporters, the Franklin School Shelter located at 13th and K streets NW was farther to the once-grand buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s utopian beginnings.

STREET SENSE April 13- 26, 2011

Pics & Poems

The Significance of the School on the Square By Chris Shaw l Vendor

of Adolph Cluss’ name. A century and a half ago, however, this progressive-minded and brilliant émigré was a major contributor to the look and feel of the world capital city that Washington was growing to be.

of Karl Marx’s more utopian social ideals) had such as the Arts and Industries Building (of the Smithsonian) and Franklin School, now gleam But wander over to Franklin and you’ll behold a sorry scene. The school building with its lacy iron crowned Mansard canopy and topping bust of Ben Franklin— Mansions.” Today, though, K and 13th is a curious mishmash of slouching homeless men and PH OTOS BY CH

RIS SH AW, VE

garbed ‘broker’ types rushing by in a furious urge to ignore all aspects of D.C.’s past! ND OR

And, of course, the building named Franklin School languishes: bits of its eagle-encrusted downward, tugged away from their proper places by the horrible gravity of Disuse.

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Fiction

Arctic Ice Hockey: Part 2 By Ivory Wilson Vendor Summary of Part 1: It’s July in the arctic and Riely and the other polar bears are struggling to find food. They realize they have to go inland, where food is plentiful, otherwise they’ll starve. But in the arctic forest, their white fur stands out against the dark trees, and they’re spotted by a group of Kodiak bears.

polar bear, lying next to Martin and Benjamin, the Kodiak bears, asks, “After a big meal like this, do you guys ever play sports?” Benjamin replies, “We sure do.” Martin says, “We

Riely and his friends are filling themselves up on fish, not noticing the Kodiaks coming toward them, closing in. Stanley the polar bear has a big salmon in his claws and is biting its head off. When he sees the Kodiaks coming, he screams like a girl and drops his fish back into the water. Riely and his friends all stand still. They find themselves surrounded. Cody says, “Guys, whatever we do, let’s not run.” Benjamin the Kodiak bear asks, “What brings you boys here, so far from the ice?” Nayla quickly answers, “We haven’t eaten in weeks,” and Paul says, “Yeah, we’re not here for a fight. We don’t want any trouble.” Mark the Kodiak bear smiles and asks, “Do you mean you’re only here for food? In that case, welcome. We have plenty. Eat your bellies full. Rest yourselves. We even have some fresh peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that I just stole from a campsite.” All the bears are laughing and smiling, shaking their paws. Mark leans to Nash, whispering in his ear, “Do you see how tall some of those boys stand? And get a look at the size of their paws and claws. I am sure glad they didn’t come here for a fight; they would have torn us to pieces.” Riely and his friends eat moose, caribou, fish, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They have to stock up on the fat they need to survive the coming winter. The smell of pine is in the air and all the bears are lying on their backs in the tall green grass. Some bears lie with one paw behind their heads, looking at the sunny blue sky, picking their teeth with salmon bones. Stanley the

play hockey.” All the bears sit up, look at each other, and say, “Hockey!” Cody says, “You guys play hockey? How? There’s no ice here.” Mark says, “That’s true. Sometimes we try to play on the grass, but it doesn’t come out right.” Riely says, “You guys need to come back with us and play a game of ice hockey.” Doug the Kodiak bear asks, “Against y’all? That’s a great idea.” The sky is gray; light snow is falling. Winter is here. Mark stands up, puts his paws on his hips and says, “Well boys. What do you think? One friendly game of hockey? It would be good for us. Afterward, we can come back here to our dens and dream until next summer about the fun we had with our newfound friends.” Martin the Kodiak bear asks, “What about food? You said there’s no food.” Cory the polar bear says, “It’s winter now. We can sneak up on the whales and seals. They can’t see us coming in the blowing snow and ice. Besides, they’ll be looking at you guys.” Riely the polar bear says, “I’m curious. How did y’all find out about the game of hockey?” Martin says, “We go out every day in search of food, cakes, candy and snacks at the humans’ campsites. We watch, and when the campers leave their tents for a walk we go in and raid the place. We break windows in cars, trucks or vans and take whatever’s inside. Sometimes we find magazines

about baseball, football and even hockey. We bring them back here and study them and teach ourselves how to play the games. Last winter we came upon an overturned school bus in the snow. We watched while the driver and the kids walked away from the bus, and then we went inside and found new hockey sticks. And pucks, too. We have enough hockey sticks for ourselves and for you guys.” Paul the polar bear says, “Did I hear you right? Y’all have real hockey sticks, and some for us, too? We’ve been playing hockey with sticks made from whale bones and a puck from a dead moose hoof.” Benjamin the Kodiak bear asks, “How did you boys find out about hockey?” Stanley grins and says, “We found some magazines, too. On football, baseball and hockey.” “A hunter’s small plane crashed in the ice. The people were found, and we went to the crash site after they left,“ Nayla says. “They even left a bag of chocolate chip cookies. We studied the game of hockey. We made goals from four large whale bones, two for each goal, and we used a fishing net we found.” Mark the Kodiak says, “It’s time, if

we’re going with you. We don’t have long before we must come back here.” He looks up at the gray darkening sky and says, “Five or six days, tops.” Cody the polar bear says, “Wait a minute, guys. We don’t have anything to number ourselves with.” Nash the Kodiak bear says, “Yes, we do. We have plenty of ketchup bottles and jars of mustard that we found at a campsite.” Cory the polar bear says, “We’ve already painted the ice rink with red and blue lines. We found cans of paint in that plane crash.” So the polar bears paint their numbers on their chests and backs in red with ketchup and the Kodiak bears paint their numbers on with yellow mustard. They all leave the green land together, walking side by side with hockey sticks on their shoulders, sharing stories about some of their greatest hunts. Stepping on the ice, a Kodiak bear says, “It’s wide open spaces. No trees or bushes to hide from hunters out here. We’re sitting ducks.” Riely the polar bear says, “Take it easy, guys. Hunters don’t come out here. Scientists come here. But if you eat one of them, the hunters will surely come. So remember––don’t.” Thirty miles out on the ice, the Kodiak bears look back over their shoulders at their home. It has almost disappeared from sight.

Street Sense offers our vendors the chance to share their stories and poetry every Monday from 10 to 11 a.m.

The Balance By Joaquin M. Turley, Jr.

I’m trying to find the balance between life and death Needs and wants Wow!!!!!!!!!

The Beautiful People

Can life’s webs come undone

By Richard Embden

Like a car traveling a highway whose pavement melts Bubbling under an unforgiving sun We humans tend to spin webs that can never be unspun Holding on now tightly Trying to make what is suddenly become undone As free as a child playing As trapped as an animal caged These webs crowd our lives Unable to move on, unable to see the next page Have I found the balance Even though this life is a challenge I’m still happy to have it A balance No more searching or yearning to feel wanted or loved I’ll find inspiration from above I’m making a decision between life and death Wants and needs Wow!!!!!!! What truly tangled webs we weave

Thank you, To all the Street Sense readers. It’s a beautiful thing to help the poor and homeless Therefore I declare only beautiful people buy Street Sense. The most beautiful get every issue, They pick one up every two weeks when the new one comes out. Some of the most beautiful go the extra mile and give more than the vendor could ask or think. I am pretty good at picking out the beautiful ones. Everyone has the capacity to be beautiful. Sometimes when I say this ladies think I’m talking about the outward beauty. Well, maybe I am. After all, since most of our readers are female, selling Street Sense gives me the opportunity to talk to quite a few beautiful ladies who might not talk to me otherwise. Sometimes gentlemen are beautiful, too. That’s the extraordinary gentleman, though. He’s a cut above the rest. Thanks again to all the beautiful people.

STREET SENSE April 13- 26, 2011

Writer’s Group Old Old Me By Robert Warren

Old old me The same old time, sometimes I can’t remember the days gone by. Looking in a mirror at a face, is that me? The lines of life I see, the gray days don’t feel new I have to remember to look for the new sunrise. That look in her eyes The same old time gone by. Now just looking out to faces older than me, so many other places I would love to be Anywhere where the young run free. Not be old and set in my ways Still looking for the new sunrises Still seeing the mystery in a young person’s eyes. It feels good for a moment to know I’ve been where they’re trying to go. Only for a moment until I see that glide in their stride. Then it’s old old me, is that how I used to be? Well I remember to look for another sunrise, all these years I’ve been alive. That’s what keeps me, the look in my child’s eyes, as she runs and plays. No thought of geting old. I wonder if she thinks, “My daddy is old.” Old old me I’ve heard it’s been said that fifty is the new thirty. O, what we have time to think The same old song. I have to remember to look for the new sunrise. Old old me Not wanting to hear the letters “OT”, from some young buck who thinks he knows more than me I can tell by his tone that will never be He will never be old old me Trying to remember to look for the new sunrise. The look in my lover’s eyes Thanking the Lord I am still alive and old old me

12 The Funnies

BARNEY & CLYDE IS A COMIC STRIP ABOUT AN UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN A HOMELESS MAN AND A TYCOON. IT’S ABOUT OUR MODERN, POLARIZED ECONOMY OF HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS. IT RE-EXAMINES TRADITIONAL MEASURES OF SUCCESS, FAILURE, AND THE NATURE OF HAPPINESS.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: GENE WEINGARTEN IS A COLLEGE DROPOUT AND THE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED HUMOR COLUMNIST FOR THE WASHINGTON POST. 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 WRITER’S GROUP FOR ALLOWING STREET SENSE TO RUN BARNEY & CLYDE.

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STREET SENSE April 13- 26, 2011

Op-Ed

COLUMN

Inspired by the Word: New Testament to a New Start By Jeffery McNeil Vendor James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. One of my favorite books to read is the New Testament. I do not read the Bible because I am religious. I read it because the words that were said thousands of years ago still ring true today. You can open up any part of the Bible and pinpoint what is happening in your life today, and realize that someone thousands of years ago was going through the same experience. The story I identify with the most is the story of Nebuchadnezzar from the book of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar was a mighty king who demanded to be worshipped and looked down on others until God threw him into the wilderness for seven years, a humbling experience that helped him regain his sanity. Before becoming homeless, I was a chef and managed a few prominent restaurants, making a decent living. As I spiraled into depression, I became isolated and alone, eventually winding up sleeping in the tunnels and using drugs to relieve my depression. Although I was homeless, I was arrogant and proud. I resented the fact that I was sleeping in a shelter, angry at God for putting me in such a predicament. But then something changed. Through blunders and mishaps and luck, I started reading. That got me started writing about my experiences. It might seem strange, but I only began to write after I got thrown out of Franklin Shelter because of fighting. I didn’t care at the time. It was early in the morning, which was just in time for Miriam’s Kitchen to open for breakfast. While waiting in line, I talked to the

social workers who gave me advice on where to get clothing and shelter. Then I noticed some books on their shelf. I picked up a Bible and read a few pages. A lady told me they held writing and art classes at Miriam’s. Since I had nothing to do, I decided to sit in and listen. I didn’t think much of the class, but it gave me an idea. I went to the library on 24th and L streets and continued reading the Bible. Then I saw a dictionary, and I started jotting down words I didn’t understand. Because I had nothing else to do, I kept on reading. I read everything from Roman history to Hemingway and Thoreau. When the library closed, I would find light and read outside. Someone bought me a notebook with a pen inside, so I began drawing and writing. I would sit in the park and observe. I would wonder, write questions, ask, ‘why are there so many homeless in Washington, D.C.?’ I would count every day how many were minorities, how many were women, how many were crazy, how many were high. Reading and writing consumed me. Then I saw someone wearing a Street Sense vest who told me about the organization. I went to the office, sold some papers and began writing articles. I wrote my first article in August 2007 and haven’t looked back since. I have also published work in other places since then, and have created my own blog called the Daily Street Sheets. I have gotten into the habit of selling Street Sense in places where writers and journalists will buy it. I have never wanted to sell papers because people feel sorry for me. I want to sell papers because they respect my work. I view writing as an art and want to be rewarded for good work. As I continue to write, I learn more about society and life and I do not know down what paths they are leading me. But so far, it has been an adventure.

Healthy Meals Foster Education, Creativity By Alex Sierra Volunteer Writer A crowd stands in line, in the cold, before a dilapidated-looking building — peculiar among the trendy eateries of the U Street neighborhood. With beige walls in need of paint and an eerielooking alley, it is unusual to see so many individuals gather in this area. They leave the building carrying heavy brown bags and wearing smiles. It’s Pantry Day at Martha’s Table. Every last Thursday of the month, a diverse group gathers for this opportunity to have their day brightened. Marie Breslin, the food program’s volunteer of the year for 2010, says with a welcoming grin, “We don’t make judgments…we’re not going to put a spotlight on people.” In good weather, she and her helpers may offer 300 65-pound bags of food to all who need it. The bags contain meals, not just cereals and soup. Pantry Day is just a tiny aspect of the Martha’s Table experience. This community-based nonprofit organization was started in 1980 with a pantry -focused mission to feed the hungry. Thirty-one years later, it serves 1,200 to 1,500 meals to the homeless daily and provides education and support to 290 children every day. From the outside, the block between V and W streets at 14th in the northwest quadrant of the nation’s capital looks somewhat dangerous, squalid and dusty. However, the building’s interior is the colorful opposite. It is a labyrinth of tunnels, floors and rooms, but each space has its own personality. The lively kitchen is filled with music that makes the volunteers dance as they prepare food bags. Cooks laugh around a colossal soup bowl. In contrast, a serenity reigns in the education halls — until friendly young “hellos” pop out from the doorways of the daycare classes. More than 200 partnerships have helped Martha’s Table grow into the multicenter it is today. Offering instruction, clothes and local and mobile food programs, everything is based on health and education.

Meals are a big part of Martha’s Table. Simone Johnson, the Child Development Center director, says that the most important thing to have is a “balanced meal… if not, you’re not getting the rest done.” Martha’s Table has a new focus on hot meals, teaching healthy eating and offering nutritious snacks along with the afternoon workshops. As a result, the children receive the energy they later transform into quality work. In 2008, Martha’s Table was recognized as a nationally accredited after-school program by the National AfterSchool Association (NAA). At Martha’s Table, there is a strong belief that children who receive an excellent early education carry the benefits throughout their entire school careers. As a result, children are initiated in a “learn-through-play” approach on everything from health and exercise to culture workshops, music, art and computers. Teenagers engage in professional workshops on entrepreneurship, creative photography and design. On top of that, volunteer nurses, doctors and a psychologist provide services such as eye exams and vaccinations to children who might not be able to afford them. These initiatives, along with many recommendations from social workers, make for a competitive waiting list. Nadia Sicard, who came to Martha’s Table in June, is in charge of organizing the masses of “exciting and passionate” pairs of hands that arrive every day. She says it is a great opportunity to be part of something big because “every day is their day to make a difference.” Martha’s Table started with a mission to feed hungry children. Nowadays, feeding extends to every aspect of people’s lives. It nurtures health, education, creativity and values. It engages children, parents and the community in a humanitarian effort to provide opportunities to all who need them. With more than 10,000 volunteers a year, Martha’s Table will never run out of soup.

Welcome to our newest vendors, Betty Everett, Harmon Bracey and Vennie Hill!

Vendor Profile: Charles Eatmon By Mandy Toomey Editorial Volunteer The proudest moment for Street Sense vendor Charles Eatmon was the birth of his daughter 16 years ago. His hopes for her now are that she will receive an education and that she will learn from the mistakes and the missteps of her father. As a role model, Charles feels he can show his daughter how to overcome obstacles and persevere. “I think that’s an important message because as long as she perseveres, she will be okay,” he said. However, according to this vendor, one of the challenges Charles battles against is himself: “Sometimes I get in my own way by thinking I know everything, and then I crash.” Street Sense is helping Charles to be a stronger example for his daughter. He first learned about the organization through another vendor who promoted Street Sense as a way to gain extra income. In 2008, Charles began bouncing between family homes in Southeast D.C. and living on the street. Today his living situation

is pretty much the same. Since 2008, Charles has been selling Street Sense papers near the Chinatown Metro; he recently returned in January after serving a one-year jail sentence for a drug-related charge. This vendor says Street Sense helps to draw him out of his own circle and into social conversations with a diverse range of D.C. residents. It pushes him to hone valuable communication skills he hopes his daughter also picks up. Charles hopes to find gainful employment in food service, to live a peaceful, content life and to take care of his daughter. He would like to remind Street Sense readers to be careful about judging those sleeping on the street or begging for money. “You never know what a person’s been through,” said Charles.

STREET SENSE April 13- 26, 2011

Community Service Service Spotlight: John L. Young Women’s Center The John L. Young Women’s Center is a Washington, D.C., emergency shelter for women and is part of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, an organization providing a wide range of services to people in need in the Washington, D.C. area. With 85 beds, the shelter operates for 12 hours each day—between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. The shelter works on a first-come, first-serve basis and women need to be at least 18 years old to qualify for an emergency bed. Women can stay at the shelter multiple times, but need to check in every night to get a spot. During the winter, the John Young Center works as a hypothermia shelter as well. Catholic Charities also provides adult education programs, legal aid, food assistance, health care, refugee services, help for teen parents, adoption and pregnancy programs and

DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH ACCESS HOTLINE 1-888-7WE HELP (1-888-793-4357) www.dcfoodfinder.org

SHELTER Calvary Women’s Services 110 Maryland Ave, NE (202) 289-0596 (office) (202) 289-2111 (shelter) www.calvaryservices.org

St. Stephens Parish Church 1525 Newton St, NW (202) 737–9311, www.thrivedc.org

Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW (202) 328–6608, www.marthastable.org

case referrals to other D.C. service and nonprofit organizations. The employment assistance team at Catholic Charities provides help with job applications, resume writing and employment research. The organization also reaches out to immigrant communities in the area, offering medical assistance, education, language training and social services to immigrants and refugees, as well as legal representation to foreign-born people from more than 100 countries. The John L. Young Center has partnered with D.C. Central Kitchen. Each day, 85 dinners are sent from the Kitchen to the shelter. During hypothermia season, this number increases to 100 dinners daily. The John L. Young Center is located at 119 D Street, NW, near the Judiciary Square Metro stop.

Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE (202) 269–2277, www.foodandfriends.org

Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW (202) 682–1005, www.ccdsd.org/howorwc.php

Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Avenue, NW (202) 452–8089, www.miriamskitchen.org

Sasha Bruce Youthwork 741 8th Street, SE (202) 675–9340, www.sashabruce.org

The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW (202) 347–2635, http://www.epiphanydc. org/ministry/welcometbl.htm

So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW (202) 797–8806; www.some.org

My Sister’s Place PO Box 29596, Washington, DC 20017 (202) 529-5261 (office) (202) 529-5991 (24-hour hotline)

Whitman–Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW (202) 797–3500, www.wwc.org

801 East, St. Elizabeths Hospital (Men) 2700 MLK Avenue, SE (202) 561–4014 New York Ave Shelter (Men 18+) 1355–57 New York Avenue, NE (202) 832–2359

Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 2nd Street, NW (202) 393–1909 www.newhopeministriesdc.org/id3.html

FOOD

Covenant House Washington (Youth) 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE (202) 610–9600, www.covenanthousedc.org John Young Center (Women) 119 D Street, NW (202) 639–8469, www.catholiccharitiesdc.org

Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW (202) 328–1100, www.christhouse.org Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW (202) 745–4300,www.unityhealthcare.org

Academy of Hope GED Center 601 Edgewood St., NE 202-269-6623, www.aohdc.org Catholic Community Services 924 G Street, NW (202) 772–4300, www.ccs–dc.org D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW (202) 347–8870, www.dccfh.org Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW (202) 347–0511, www.cflsdc.org

OUTREACH CENTERS N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060, www.nstreetvillage.org

Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW (202) 745–7118, www.missiondc.org

Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW (202) 232–7356,www.communityofhopedc.org

MEDICAL RESOURCES

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW (202) 232–3066 www.stmargaretsdc.org/charliesplac Church of the Pilgrims (Sundays only) 2201 P Street, NW (202) 387–6612, www.churchofthepilgrims.org Thrive DC Breakfast served Mon.-Fri., 9:30-11 a.m. Dinner for women and children, Mon.-Fri., 3-6 p.m.

Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW (202) 265–2400 1640 Good Hope Road, SE (202) 561–8587, www.breadforthecity.org Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW (202) 364–1419, www.cchfp.org Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060, www.nstreetvillage.org Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW (202) 842–1112 Friendship House 619 D Street, SE (202) 675–9050, www.friendshiphouse.net Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (202) 338–8301 www.georgetownministrycenter.org

Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW (202) 332–4010, www.foundryumc.org Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW (202) 842–1731, www.grm.org Hermano Pedro Day Center 3211 Sacred Heart Way, NW (202) 332–2874 www.ccs–dc.org/find/services/ JHP, Inc. 425 2nd St, NW (202) 544–9126, www.jobshavepriority.org Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE 1516 Hamilton Street, NW (202) 889–7702, www.samaritanministry.org

SHELTER HOTLINE: 1–800–535–7252

THE LAST WORD

Humanity: A Cause Greater than Journalism

Government of the District of Columbia • Department of Human Services

By Gretchen Grant Editorial Intern It is hard to believe that my time here at Street Sense is winding down. Being an intern here has been a true blessing and has undeniably changed me. Though I have only been in D.C. since January, these few months have pushed me to become a better journalist and a better person. Some recognition goes to my professors at The Washington Journalism Center, but much of this credit is owed to Street Sense. I am originally from a small town in east Tennessee, where the landscape is mountainous and people are eager to befriend others. My first month in D.C. threw me into a world where I had to ask for sugar in my “sweet” tea and my smiles were met with stares. When I found out I was going to spend a semester away from Milligan College to be a part of The Washington Journalism Center I was ecstatic. I knew I’d be able to intern somewhere, but the possibilities were endless, from The Washington Times and The Daily Caller to The Hill, but as soon as I saw a little newspaper called Street Sense with a purpose of covering homelessness and poverty, I knew I wanted to add my journalistic skills to a larger cause than journalism itself. I am so grateful that I got to be a part of such an amazing cause. I have learned

so much from my wonderful editors, Lisa and Mary, and I have also gained just as much from the vendors. Through our interactions, the vendors have taught me how to be selfless and hard working. And though not all the vendors are upbeat about their situation, a good number of them

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