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Volume 14: Issue 12 April 19 - May 2, 2017
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OUR STORY Street Sense began in August 2003 after 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. Through the work of dedicated volunteers, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003. In 2005, Street Sense achieved 501 ( c ) 3 status as a nonprofit organization, formed a board of directors and hired a full-time executive director. Today, Street Sense is published every two weeks through the efforts of four salaried employees, more than 100 active vendors, and dozens of volunteers. Nearly 30,000 copies are in circulation each month.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jeremy Bratt, Max Gaujean, Margaret Jenny, Jennifer Park, Reed Sandridge, Dan Schwartz, Jeremy Scott, John Senn, Kate Sheppard, Annika Toenniessen, Martin Totaro EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Brian Carome EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eric Falquero COMMUNICATIONS & SALES MANAGER Jeff Gray VENDOR PROGRAM MANAGER Mysa Elsarag EVENTS & ADMINISTRATION MANAGER Dani Gilmour INTERNS Ashley Clarke, Bryan Gallion, Ariel Gomez, Mae Hunt, Ji Kim, Ellida Parker, Jeanine Santucci WRITERS GROUP LEADERS (VOLUNTEER) Donna Daniels, Willie Schatz OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER) Rachel Brody, Arthur Delaney, Britt Peterson EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS Justin Benedict, Lenika Cruz, Roberta Haber, Jesse Helfrich, Laura Osuri, Andrew Siddons, Jackie Thompson, Marian Wiseman VENDORS Shuhratjon Ahamadjonov, Gerald Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Aida Basnight, Phillip Black, Reginald Black, Melanie Black, Phillip Black Jr., Maryann Blackmon, Viktor Blokhine, Debora Brantley, Andre Brinson, Donald Brown, Joan Bryant, Elizabeth Bryant, Brianna Butler, Melody Byrd, Conrad Cheek, Aaron Colbert, Anthony Crawford, Walter Crawley, Kwayera Dakari, James Davis, Clifton Davis, Charles Davis, David Denny, James DeVaughn, Ricardo Dickerson, Dennis Diggs, Alvin Dixon-El, Ronald Dudley, Charles Eatmon, Deana Elder, Julie Ellis, Jemel Fleming, Chon Gotti, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Tyrone Hall, Richard Hart Lorrie Hayes, Patricia Henry, Jerry Hickerson, Ray Hicks, Sol Hicks, Rachel Higdon, Ibn Hipps, Leonard Hyater, Joseph Jackson, Carlton Johnson, Donald Johnson, Harold Johnson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, Morgan Jones, Linda Jones, Darlesha Joyner, Juliene Kengnie, Kathlene Kilpatrick, Hope Lassiter, John Littlejohn, James Lott, Scott Lovell, Michael Lyons, Jimmy M. Ken Martin, Joseph Martin, Kina Mathis, Michael Lee Matthew, Authertimer Matthews, Charlie Mayfield, Jermale McKnight, Jeffery McNeil, Ricardo Meriedy, Cynthia Mewborn, Kenneth Middleton, Cecil More, L. Morrow, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Earl Parkin, Lucifer Potter, Ash-Shaheed Rabil, Henrieese Roberts, Anthony Robinson, Doris Robinson, Raquel Rodriquez, Lawrence Rogers, Joseph Sam, Chris Shaw, Patty Smith, Smith Smith, Gwynette Smith, Ronald Smoot, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens James Stewart, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Archie Thomas, Shernell Thomas, Craig Thompson, Eric Thompson-Bey, Sarah Turley-Colin, Carl Turner, Jacqueline Turner, Leon Valentine, Grayla Vereen, Ron Verquer, Martin Walker, Michael Warner, Robert Warren, Angelyn Whitehurst, William Whitsett, Wendell Williams, Sasha Williams, Judson Williams III, Ivory Wilson, Denise Wilson, Charles Woods
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Deconstructing ‘Inclusive Prosperity’
STREET SENSE April 19 - May 2, 2017
3
NEWS
By Bryan Gallion bryan.gallion@streetsense.org
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launting the title “D.C. Values in Action: A Roadmap to Inclusive Prosperity,” Mayor Muriel Bowser’s $13.8 billion 2018 budget proposal has garnered mixed reviews from government officials and advocacy groups. Highlighting D.C.’s “largest public education budget ever,” a “historic investment in affordable housing,” employment and ending homelessness — the FY18 budget aims to include all District residents in the city’s recent prosperity, Bowser said at an April 6 press briefing. “We have the strongest finances in the city’s history right now,” Bowser said. “We’re still growing.” Planning to invest $1.58 billion in public education, Bowser increased the sector’s funding by $105 million from FY17. Modernizing public schools over the next six years would be funded by an additional $1.3 billion from the FY18 budget. Charter schools would receive 2.2 percent more resources per pupil to provide “a safe, welcoming learning environment,” according to Bowser’s April 6 testimony before the D.C. Council. Public school per-pupil funding would see a 1.5 percent increase. School enrollment in D.C. will increase by an estimated 3,634 students next academic year, according to budget analysis conducted by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI). Ninety-four percent of new students are expected to enroll in charters and 6 percent in public schools. The proposal’s increased public school funding falls 14 percent below what is considered necessary by the Finance Project’s 2013 adequacy study on D.C. education. Judith Sandalow, executive director of the Children’s Law Center, stressed the importance of early childhood intervention during a March 30 conference call. Intervening early can prevent developmental delays that could hinder children from performing at the same level as their peers. Bowser unveiled her administration’s plan for increased investment in affordable child care on April 5. The $15.3 million commitment would increase D.C. residents’ access to high-quality infant and child care. Over three years, the initiative would increase the capacity of local infant and toddler care programs by 1,300 seats. Additionally, three new sites in city-owned buildings will be leased to private child care providers and support will be given to 300 District residents to become certified infant and toddler educators. “This new investment would give more children and families access to the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development opportunities high-quality child care provides,” said Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles in a press release. While the initiative increases the capacity for child care programs, the budget does not call for improved access to affordable care for low-income families, according to DCFPI. During the March 30 conference call, DCFPI Executive Director Ed Lazere voiced concerns on the District’s current Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) plan. The rigid D.C. time limit for the program cuts families off from assistance after five years, according to Lazere. “You could be homeless, you could be experiencing domestic violence, you could be caring for a relative with a disability,” Lazere said. “You lose assistance and you can never get back on.” A working group convened by the mayor last year developed a recommendation for how D.C.’s TANF program would operate in coming years. Lazere, who took part in the working group, said the suggested plan would allocate 80 percent of funds to child care and
the remaining 20 percent to the parents if they met the requirements outlined in their TANF plan. The new TANF policy will be executed using an $8.1 million portion of the FY18 budget. It will use local funds to continue cash assistance under the program. The mayor proposes an even split of the funds between child care and the parents’ benefits. The DCFPI argues this plan would not provide adequate funding to ensure children’s basic needs are met. Under the current budget, families receiving TANF benefits for less than 60 months receive an average benefit of $410 a month, while those receiving benefits for more than 60 months receive an average of $150 a month. With the FY18 budget, all families meeting TANF requirements — for less or more than 60 months — would receive an average of $465 a month with a 13.3 percent cost-of-living adjustment. Family assistance will not be reduced after 60 months under the new plan. “There’s nothing in the data that shows 60 months in somebody’s lifetime is the right number, that if you give someone cash assistance for 60 months, they should be able to do everything that would cause them to never need to rely on that kind of a safety net again,” D.C.’s Department of Human Services (DHS) Director Laura Zeilinger said at an April 13 budget briefing. Bowser proposed another $100 million for the Housing Production Trust Fund, as she did in her previous two budgets. A new $10 million is pledged for an affordable housing preservation fund. An additional $15.2 million would fund the next phase of Homeward D.C., the Interagency Council on Homelessness’ five-year plan to end long-term homelessness in the District. This investment — $8.8 million from the DHS and $6.3 million from D.C. Housing Authority — would add 130 rapid rehousing units, 117 permanent supportive housing units and 85 targeted affordable housing units for families, as well as 162 permanent supportive housing units and 100 targeted affordable housing units for individuals. The portion of the budget allocated to permanent supportive housing for singles only meets 30 percent of what is needed to end chronic homelessness, while the targeted affordable housing budget meets 24 percent of the units needed in FY18, according to the DCFPI. Proposed investments in family housing units would only meet about 40 percent of the permanent supportive housing and targeted affordable housing needed to meet the ICH’s strategic plan goals, the DCFPI analysis said. Bowser believes affordable housing could help reduce homelessness in D.C. “The fact is that a lot of people in our system, they don’t need permanent supportive housing,” Bowser said at the April 6 press briefing. “They need affordable housing.” The budget does not provide additional rental assistance resources needed by D.C.’s poorest families to find affordable housing, however. To improve the homeless crisis response, Bowser proposed $36.4 million to expand shelter hours, improve family case management, offer meals at shelters and improve shelter janitorial services. Year-round shelter access no longer depends on federal funds. Federal TANF money previously filled gaps in D.C.’s family homelessness budget, particularly to fund emergency shelters and motels in the winter hypothermia season. This federal funding is no longer available. Sixteen million dollars of the budget would be
dedicated to emergency family shelters in motels. The District hopes to reduce motel expenditures over the next two years, Zeilinger said. The proposal allots $50 million over the next 4 years to replace D.C. General Family Shelter and shelter units lost when a provider lost a building’s lease. The mayor’s budget proposes $36.7 million for employment initiatives. It introduces a new infrastructure academy to be built on Ward 8’s Saint Elizabeth’s East Campus to provide job training in sectors such as energy efficiency, logistics, transportation and utilities. The budget proposes $16.75 million to build the facility by 2021. Bowser hopes to reduce unemployment for people of color, Ward 7 and 8 residents and those without high school diplomas. The Ward 3 unemployment rate is 4.2 percent, while Ward 8 has a 12.5 percent unemployment rate. The budget fails to extend the Kids Ride Free Program, which covers transportation costs for adult learners and D.C.’s re-engaging youth. Evidence supports that transportation costs prevent students from regularly attending class, and the Deputy Mayor for Education recommends free public transportation for adult students, according to the DCFPI. The FY18 plan also completes a strategy developed by the Tax Revision Commission to lower the tax burden on District individuals, families and business. It would provide $60 million in relief for “low- and moderateincome” residents, $28 million for D.C.-based businesses and $12 million for “higher-income” residents, according to Bowser’s April 6 testimony before D.C. Council. The tax cut proposal has been widely criticized for not placing a higher focus on sectors of need in the District. However, Bowser has said repeatedly that she would only consider delaying the tax cuts if she felt her administration could not meet the other goals she has committed to. “Instead of devoting our money to housing, schools and other services, the budget puts tax cuts first,” Lazere said in a statement. “Mayor Bowser’s budget does not live up to her own goal of ‘inclusive prosperity’ — ensuring that all D.C. residents benefit from our growing economy — and we call on the council to do more.” Despite the District finishing FY17 with a $128 million surplus, Councilmembers Trayon White (D-Ward 8) and Robert White Jr. (D-At-Large) said the proposal lacks funding for the city’s poorest residents. F o r m e r D . C . M a y o r Vi n c e n t G r a y, a Wa r d 7 councilmember whom Bowser defeated in the 2014 mayoral race, said Bowser’s budget underinvests in education, health care and other social services. “This budget is not a roadmap to inclusive prosperity,” he said. “It is a path that leads to nowhere.” Gray and Bowser disagreed over Ward 8’s United Medical Center, which is owned by the city. Gray suggests an additional $150 million above Bowser’s proposed $180 million for the project. More than 90 advocacy groups and social service providers sent a letter to Bowser on March 24 demanding that she put the tax cuts on hold and instead invest in combating homelessness, providing affordable housing and improving infrastructure. The letter also requests Bowser create a budget cushion to protect against potential federal cuts under the Trump administration. The D.C. Council will review the budget proposal and ask for public feedback before voting on it in late May. ■
McMillan: What’s Happening and Why By Reginald Black Artist/Vendor
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cMillan Park is a 25-acre parcel of land in Ward 5 that has been unused and surrounded by a fence since 1987. Bordered by North Capitol Street, First Street Northwest, Michigan Avenue and Channing Street Northwest, the land was once part of a 92-acre reservoir and filtration plant. The site is visible to anyone passing by the large medical complex that includes Children’s National Medical Center, Medstar Washington Hospital Center and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. McMillan Park was one of the first racially integrated parks in the District of Columbia. Due to its proximity to their campus, McMillan Park was once popular among Howard University students. In July 2015, Street Sense reported that the D.C. Council was supporting a plan that would let the developers radically reduce the greenery of the park and replace it with extensive commercial building. The Office of the D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) and partner developer Vision McMillan Partners (VMP) expected to break ground in 2016 on a long disputed redevelopment plan. A grassroots organization, Friends of McMillan Park (FOMP), opposed the development plan and sued to overturn the D. C. Zoning Commission’s decision to approve the plan. In December 2016, the Court of Appeals agreed with FOMP; the court vacated the Zoning Commission, DMPED and VMP’s orders. Right now, the land is still fenced off and unused. None of the parties has given up; DMPED, VMP and FOMP are still at loggerheads. DMPED and VMP must renegotiate with neighborhood stakeholders. The land is still closed off to residents who could use it. FOMP held a meeting on March 24 to educate the
community about the decision of the Court of Appeals. FOMP’s objectives were to gain support and consider alternative plans for the park. This group, along with similar organizations, has filed a legal appeal to the D.C. zoning board to prevent the demolition of the historic underground vaults and other features. The park has no shortage of neighborly heroes like Jerome Peloquin. “We’re all volunteers. No one here has ever been paid,” said Peloquin, a FOMP member. “None of us has an economic stake in McMillan Park.” Peloquin opined that “Without constant and rigorous oversight, [the developers] can get out of control.” He claimed that former Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. wrote legislation that allowed the mayor to surplus land and sell it to developers. As Peloquin said, “the bears were fully in control of the honey production [because of Thomas’s legislation]. D.C. Council has allowed this and it’s not illegal.” Peloquin also claimed that the administration thinks FOMP members are radical hipsters. “They attack the public’s right to protest, our First Amendment rights,” he said. Another FOMP member, G. Lee Aking, once a contender for the Ward 5 council seat, said, “I’ve lived in D.C for 50 years. They didn’t want all those Black people using the park [despite] it being the only [integrated] park at one time.” Aking expressed concerns that the District is selling off its school buildings and parks. Daniel Wolkoff, another member, discussed possibilities. “Do you provide a big park … for our kids to play in, or build the [commercial] monstrosity on Michigan Avenue? Obviously the city is making its
rules as it goes along...We would have a recreation site that was beautiful if we didn’t have a government that was corrupt.” Jason Klein, the attorney who represented FOMP at the Court of Appeals, said, “This is not what I do day to day.” Klein said that when the group argued this case, the Zoning Commission’s ruling was overturned. “It appears that many of our councilmembers are in the pockets of the developers.” Edward Johnson said, “The more we continue the destruction of these large green spaces, we jeopardize not only our landscape, but our health. We will have more toxins being dropped on us.” “Developers have to spend 35 percent with small business and that is not happening,” Johnson said. “The single most important economic development in America is land development. We pay income tax, sales tax, and we are not benefiting from it. When do our rights get protected? We need incentive to preserve green spaces. I want to see positive development; if we don’t continue to pressure for reasonable development, D.C. will never be the same.” Kirby Vining told Street Sense about a meeting with Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie. “Councilmember McDuffie said ‘I support the proposed development,’ but refused to say more.” Vining — who moved to the neighborhood in 1986 — is concerned “We have been through four outrageous proposed development plans for the park, including a strip mall, a prison, a church headquarters and now we have this one,” he said. “Let’s look at the options available, ask what we could do, not just accept an idea that is popular for some reason with the Wilson Building folks.” ■
LAST CALL FOR ENTRIES!
EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARDS Entries must: address the causes, consequences, and/or solutions to homelessness. relate to the D.C. metro region or national policy on homelessness. have been published between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016.
Print, web, television, and radio pieces will all be considered. You may submit more than one article in each category.
Categories
News/feature reporting Opinion and commentary Photography
Please send submissions and questions to AWARDS@STREETSENSE.ORG Anyone can nominate a story. Please submit a link or PDF of the article. Please also indicate the category and provide your email and phone number.
The deadline was extended through April 28, 2017 You may view past winners at http://streetsense.org/awards
The Depar tment of Housing and Community Development turned out on April 9 for the third annual Anacostia River Festival, now a local staple of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN
STREET SENSE April 19 - May 2, 2017
LETTERS FROM THE ‘INSIDE’:
5
NEWS
Help Wanted
Job Counselor L a w r e n c e Ta y l o r speaks at Jubilee Jobs’ March 26 event in the 14th Street NW Bustboys & Poets.
By Mark Rose Volunteer
COURTESY OF JUBILEE JOBS
L
ife in prison is always difficult. You are cut off from friends, family and general society — living in often intolerable conditions, feeling displaced and yearning for freedom. Once you make it out and return to society, that is hard, too. It is difficult to get a job as an ex-offender and hard to find affordable housing on, at best, entry-level wages. Having a job keeps you out of prison and the vicious ghetto-prison cycle, according to experts. And you respect yourself. “Nothing stops a bullet like a job,” Lawrence Taylor told a group assembled at Busboys & Poets on March 26. Taylor is an employment counselor for Jubilee Jobs, a D.C. nonprofit that helps low-income D.C.area residents find affordable housing. That includes connecting returning citizens to employers. Jubilee staff had strung 50 letters from inmates asking for help finding jobs across the front windows of a large private meeting room where the event took place. From a reporter’s observation, many of them read that those people were good and ready to come back from incarceration, work and become a success story. Taylor told the crowd at the awareness and fundraising event that a job will keep ex-offenders from reverting back to dealing in and using drugs, or to stealing to obtain enough money to make ends meet for their families. Counselors like Taylor urge Jubilee’s ex-offender clients to keep a job, if they get one, for at least six months. That way the employer gains trust that the person will be reliable for the job, and the employer also will be inclined to hire more ex-offenders from Jubilee when positions open in the future. Referrals help stabilize the organization’s partnerships. Taylor hammered home the importance of employment for returnees. “You know you’ve uncovered something of your soul when you’ve been in the workplace,” he said. “It gets you a sense of who you are from being part of the workforce.” He noted that people coming out of jail tend to be resigned to a lack of prospects to build their futures. If Jubilee can help them get a job, it is a huge plus.
Job counselor Sean Hicks reminded the crowd that because D.C. does not have a prison, Jubilee gets letters from inmates all over the country, including California and Alaska. Those arrested here go to prisons in other states. They face the same problems if they are coming back to the D.C. area as they would returning to any major urban area in the country: scarcity of affordable housing and trouble getting even entry-level work. In the District, that work tends to be clustered in the city’s poorest wards, 7 and 8, Hicks emphasized. He noted most of these people are in for misdemeanors, most often minor drug possession.
Painting by Seamus O’Brian PHOTO BY MARK ROSE
Deone Brown, a Jubilee Jobs alumni in attendance, came to the organization after being released from Baltimore Penitentiary in the early 2000s. In an interview, Brown said he was convicted of heroin sales and possession. Addicted as a teen, Brown had committed crimes in the street to support his habit. His is now 59. With help from Community Action Group in Northeast and Second Genesis in Northwest, he has been off the drug for 18 years. Brown spoke proudly of his daughter’s success in college. He has supported her as a single parent and she recently made the dean’s list at Fairmont State University in West Virginia with a 3.4 grade point average
He spoke lovingly of her influence on his life. “She has kept me on the right path with the Lord because I knew she was all I had; she depended on me,” Brown said. “I thank God and Jubilee Jobs for giving me an opportunity to stay on the right path and enable the people reading this story to stay on the right path.” Brown lives by himself in an apartment in Southeast and has been working successfully at a Target in Prince George’s County for about a year. Getting the job was “a big relief.” Now he has a pro bono lawyer working to expunge his record. Some of the charges go back 30 years. And after 11 years of dialysis, he has been able to get a needed kidney transplant. “[Jubilee Jobs] is a beautiful program that gives you strength and hope that you can turn your life around and stay positive at all times,” Brown said. Hicks went on to tell the audience that returning prisoners’ transition to life outside can last up to two years. Most need more money than they have and many struggle with mental health issues. A lot of the mental health problems are caused in prison because it is loud in the penitentiary, to the point of pain, according to Hicks. So, Jubilee and other resettlement assistance programs try to give returnees “wraparound” services — psychiatrists, social workers and others — to counsel them, listen to them, and figure out what their issues are and the best way to help. It takes time and money. Hicks reminded the crowd that Jubilee can only help these people when they get out; not while they are still “inside.” It has to be realized they were probably in an often-dangerous situation, and may not be responsive at first to outside offers of help. “It’s hard to get deep with someone without putting them in danger,” Hicks said. “We take pride in building a diverse community” of people returning from imprisonment. Terry Flood, Jubilee’s executive director, said in a separate interview that the returning prisoners they have helped have been more reliable workers for employers who will take a chance than the ordinary low-income people with no prison time.
“It’s also very hard to move from entrylevel [jobs] to a higher-paying job at, for example, $20 an hour, when you’re an ex-prisoner. Many don’t want to go back to school, and employers don’t promote much from within,” Flood said. People usually “piece it together,” meaning they work until they get of the age to receive Social Security. There is also a D.C. nonprofit called Manna that can help ex-offenders buy houses, she noted. Flood said Jubilee gets on average 20 or 25 letters a month from prisoners all over the country. But only 40 percent of their clients have prison records. The organization started in 1973 to help low-income people find housing. Need began to build from returning prisoners in the 1980s and 90s when mass incarceration began after the Civil Rights movement. So Jubilee branched out to meet the demand. “[Prison] is an awful, destructive experience,” Flood said. O n e o f t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n ’s j o b counselors had been imprisoned in Lorton Reformatory — formerly operated by the District and shuttered in 2001 — before returning to the city and working with Jubilee. He was well-connected to inmates who knew they would need help finding employment when they got out, and he brought in many new clients. Flood stressed that the organization’s philosophy is pretty basic. “We decided to treat anybody with a prison record like anyone else,” she said. They have found, she noted proudly, that the people with criminal records that they have placed in jobs have had better retention than those with no record. D.C. law has, for several years, prevented employers from asking job applicants on applications whether they have a prison record. “People want to rebuild their lives and are thrilled to have a job,” Flood said. “They are trying to reach financial sustainability, which they can achieve only with a community network.” ■
District Must Tweak Strategy to Maximize By Jeanine Santucci and Ji Kim jeanine.santucci@streetsense.org, ji.kim@streetsense.org
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hree years after the launch of a new system to more effectively end homelessness in Washington, D.C., Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement leaders are re-evaluating its effectiveness in light of expanded federal requirements for the program. With the publication of a notice in January establishing new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines for CAHP, or coordinated entry, to be implemented no later than Jan. 23, 2018, major U.S. cities dealing with high rates of homelessness are focusing on issues of data collection, prioritization and collaboration. Coordinated entry was launched in D.C. in February 2014 after the system was successful in housing many of the District’s homeless veterans the year before. It is an approach to administering services to homeless individuals that requires many different resource providers within a community to coordinate with each other and place the most vulnerable individuals at the front of the line for available housing. It is a triage system that typically consists of outreach, an assessment of homeless individuals’ vulnerability, coordinated case management and placement into appropriate housing. Many cities had been operating coordinated entry systems that arose independently of federal oversight. When the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness released a federal plan called “Opening Doors” in 2010, coordinated entry sprung up in major cities to facilitate ending veteran and chronic homelessness by 2015, to end family and youth homelessness and to lay the groundwork to end all homelessness by 2020. “It took away from the first-come, firstserved basis or other factors, like whether you had a good case manager or not,” said Sarah Honda, assessment and housing navigator at The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness. “Instead of people being placed on a waiting list and being moved around, they would be placed on a centralized registry.”
Stagnation The amount of homeless individuals being housed, however, dipped down for the first time in 2016, and at the same time assessments for rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing increased. Leaders at the most recent D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness CAHP committee meeting criticized that much of the chronically — but not as medically vulnerable — homeless people in D.C. are being left unserved. Community leaders expressed their
HOMELESSNESS (PER 10,000 PEOPLE IN GENERAL POPULATION), 2016. CHART COURTESY OF THE U.S. COUNCIL OF MAYORS
In 2015, D.C. began reporting individuals being permanently housed each month. 1425 individuals were housed in 2015 and 1191 individuals were housed in 2016. DATA COURTESY OF D.C. COORDINATED ASSESSMENT AND HOUSING PLACEMENT
clients’ and their own frustrations at the need for prioritization due to limited resources. “If you don’t have a house, you don’t have a house,” said Kally Canfield of Friendship Place. The key question at the D.C. CAHP meeting was “Where do we see prioritization working and not working?” On top of the persistent lack of affordable housing and resources in the District, other ongoing challenges identified were a need for more proficient staff/volunteers and, consequently, more quality data collection.
More Staff, More Training The District’s primary goal is to house individuals in the most pressing medical danger. However, questions arose at
the meeting about the strength of the assessment tool. New York City and Los Angeles have both been implementing coordinated entry systems for about the same number of years as the District and have encountered similar challenges for prioritization. Both cities have significantly more people experiencing homelessness than in the District, though the nation’s capital retains the highest rate of homelessness per capita, according to a December 2016 report from the U.S. Council of Mayors. D.C., Los Angeles and New York City all use the Vulnerability Index and Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool to rapidly assess homeless individuals and families to determine what services they may need and be able to access. VI-SDAT allows outreach teams to rank
individuals based on health and fortitude by assigning them a number from 1 to 20. The higher the score, the more “at-risk” an individual may be. From there, it is determined what level of intervention that person needs, such as permanent supportive housing or one-time assistance. D.C. community leaders have found it difficult to prioritize tie-breaking factors when two equally vulnerable individuals are in need of housing. They considered whether or not the length of stay in a shelter, or time being homeless, should be used as a first tie-breaker when prioritizing people for permanent supportive housing. The length of time spent homeless is currently a third prioritization factor, behind severe medical needs and unsheltered sleeping locations. Los Angeles County has faced similar challenges in prioritizing chronically homeless people based on vulnerability, according to Meredith Berkson, a leader of coordinated entry efforts on behalf of People Assisting the Homeless in Southeast LA, one of the eight regions the county is divided into. Since Los Angeles’ coordinated entry system focused on veterans and chronically homeless people in 2013 and 2014, fewer resources were available to individuals considered less vulnerable. Even though data suggested that veteran homelessness and family homelessness rates were decreasing, it did not account for individuals who were not prioritized in early implementation. This realization prompted Los Angeles to invest in rapid rehousing as a short-term subsidy for less vulnerable individuals. “We saw that folks who were less acute — not chronically homeless — were becoming chronically homeless because there were no resources for them. So we saw people decompensating on the streets,” Berkson said. “Having everyone in the system understanding now that yes, we are using prioritization, but, what does that mean for populations that aren’t prioritized — and then using that to advocate for the resources that we need for both vulnerable and less vulnerable individuals. That was a great thing.” High staff turnover and lack of extensive interview training are challenges in any region for gaining an accurate initial VI-SPDAT score, according to Melissa Marrone, coordinator of the Housing and Homeless Coalition of Central New York. Those administering the VI-SPDAT are required to undergo basic training, but Marrone emphasized the need for additional training, such as motivational interviewing and trauma-informed care, to adequately prioritize someone’s vulnerability the first time they are entered into the system.
Precious Housing Resources She explained how some communities exciting time for there to be more accountin the past, prior to the use of VI-SPDAT ability because we’ve really built a good and then for a while still afterwards, collaborative system and now looking at ‘OK, would cherry-pick and house people who where do we need to improve from here?’ were not as vulnerable as others. using data and that’ll be a good thing to help “There were 3 or 5’s going into rapid the system move forward.” rehousing or even public supportive This difficulty intervening with housing housing and ... I had to monitor the in a timely manner gives credence to program and provide oversight,” Marrone New York City’s recent switch toward a said. She described how she even saw “prevention-first” model to combat its some people with graduate degrees and high rate of homelessness. NYC’s mayor yearly incomes greater than her own ordered an operational review of New York inappropriately going into housing over City’s homeless programs in December other “hard-to2015, which serve” people, drew out a plan those who may be to overhaul the unwilling to receive system and expand services or are its homeless difficult to keep in prevention network contact with. s e r vi c e s s o t h a t Regardless, clients at risk Marrone and Central of homelessness N e w Yo r k h a v e are proactively reported success. targeted in order to The region began prevent them from with and still uses entering shelters. chronic homelessWhile a similar ness as one of the prevention model first tie-breakers is planned out in in prioritizing its the Homeward clients. With Central D.C. (2015-2020) — Meredith Berkson New York having met People Assisting the Homeless, LA s t r a t e g i c p l a n , federal guidelines prevention is for ending veteran homelessness, Marrone not the primary focus of the District’s looks forward to the goal of ending chronic coordinated entry housing-first model. homelessness by the end of this year with plans to hire more staff in order to provide Collaboration is Key more oversight and workforce power. Virtually all service providers now collaborate in the District’s coordinated The Problem with Prioritization entry system. One hundred and four A second key point of discussion at unique agencies have received training the D.C. CAHP committee meeting on how to administer the VI-SPDAT explored the time period between when through D.C.’s coordinated entry system, a person initially becomes homeless according to the published January 2017 and then becomes “entrenched in the update, with eight organizations recently system.” In relation to making the best doing the bulk of the work. use of limited resources between rapid Berkson cited large team collaboration rehousing and permanent supportive and the support of local government as housing placements, community leaders helpful in Los Angeles’ system. “That’s questioned the lack of federal evidence a huge step in the way of making sure or studies on whether there is a critical that people are getting the best possible period of time to seize and provide the care and that services are connected and most mediation before a person becomes speaking to each other,” she said. chronically homeless. In Central New York, Marrone cited two Los Angeles is currently undergoing the key things that are a part of their growing launch of a new data collection system with coordinated entry success: a large number the aim of more reliably documenting the of motivated and dedicated people and time it takes for someone to get matched a well-functioning street outreach team. to housing, how long people remain in “We have a monthly ... meeting the system and how service providers are where 60 [people] and over come in — matching individuals to resources. we have to really pack people in … and “The biggest success of coordinated entry there are other committees besides the in Los Angeles has been the level of coopmonthly meetings that are just as full,” eration and coordination that’s happening she said. Currently, Marrone and another between agencies,” Berkson said. “It’s an administrator provide oversight and make
We saw that folks who were less acute — not chronically homeless — were becoming chronically homeless because there were no resources for them. So we saw people decompensating on the streets.
sure that housing providers adhere to the vulnerability index registry. Notably, the Central New York’s agency agreement is a much more binding contract than that of the District’s in which provider agencies must date and sign to specific terms and conditions that explicitly details timesensitive responsibilities. In D.C., a collectively agreed-upon, “organic” policy and procedures was published in 2016, acting as more of an instructional guide on how to administer
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and enter in assessments and on the roles of assessors, attendees of case conferencing meetings, housing guide specialists and housing providers. As the District moves ahead with the coordinated entry system and ongoing discussion on the future of its prioritization criteria, the community leaders shifted the focus back to what could be done: “We need to show that we can make the best use out of these little resources that we have. That’s how we get more resources.” ■
In New Off-Broadway Production, Talent and Spirit Triumph Over Poverty By Michael Craig and Barbara Pollard Artists/Vendors
S
t r e e t S e n s e A r t i s t s / Ve n d o r s Michael Craig and Barbara Pollard interviewed actor and playwright Richard Hoehler on April 12.His off-Broadway production "I of the Storm" coming to D.C. for one night only, May 4. Hoehler's play follows the story of a man who finds himself living on the street yet discovering his true self for the first time. Craig and Pollard dive into Hoehler's outlook on theater, homelessness and humanity. Michael Craig: Do you ever feel stage fright? Richard Hoehler: Always. And I tell my students, always, if they’re not nervous then something is wrong. Because being nervous means you really care about what you’re doing. And the thing is, I’m terrified before I go on stage, but once I get out there, I’m perfectly fine.
Barbara Pollard: You're brave for doing this. H o e h l e r : Pretty much I feel more comfortable on stage than I do in life. [laughs] It’s funny — being on stage just feels like being home to me. I’ve known since I was really young that this is what I was meant to do. I didn’t realize it was going to be so challenging. But, you know, things that are worth doing are worth the challenges. Craig: How much negative attention did you get before you started getting professional? Hoehler: It’s not so much that it’s negative. It’s just that it’s such a competitive business. And you know, rejection — you can go out to 20 auditions and maybe you’ll get one callback. So it’s not that people are negative as much as it’s just really very difficult because there’s so many people out there.
Craig: So, you do solos, one man shows? Hoehler: Yeah. I mean, I do all kinds of theater. But for the last 20 years I’ve been doing a series of solo shows. I’ve been doing theater my whole life. And I went to see a solo show, Eric Bogosian, and I was just so blown away by what he did that I said, “man, I want to do that.” I created my first solo piece, which went very well. Since then I’ve created three more. Craig: Where do you do your work? Hoehler: Wherever I can get a job. I primarily work off-Broadway and off-offBroadway. What usually happens is I start my show out where I’ve started a lot of my shows out, at a place here called the Cornelia Street Café. The first time I worked there the guy saw my work and said he liked it and that whenever I’ve got something new to bring it there first. What happened with this show that I’m bringing down to D.C. is somebody saw it at Cornelia Street and really, really liked it and said, “I’d like to help you get this out into the world.” Craig: Well, how do you go about creating a position like that for yourself? Hoehler: So, what I tell anybody who asks me is that you just keep doing it. You have to be persistent. It’s a very tough business. And a lot of times, especially the stuff I write about. Craig: Oh you do your own work?! Hoehler: Yeah, yeah. This is all my own work. I use a pen name, R.J. Bartholomew. All of my solo work is original. Craig: What do you write about? Hoehler: I try to write about issues that I think are important in society. Not just feel-good stuff. I try to look at the truth and ask the difficult questions and make people think and make people feel and try to connect with each other. Sometimes that seems to be a little threatening to the powers that be.
Richard Hoehler performs “I of the Storm” at the Cornelia Street Café. Photo courtesy of Richard Hoehler
Craig: I know, I write allegorically and metaphorically. I understand exactly what you're saying. People can't take the truth. Hoehler: Right, it’s very, very frightening to them. I don’t understand why, but that also makes my work difficult sometimes. I’m lucky that I found the right producer for this show, who really loved the message and wanted to help get the word out. But I’ve hit a lot of roadblocks in the past where I would get so far and they would say “no-no, this is
too risky” or “this is too edgy” or “this is too … something.” You know? I was writing about working people, I was writing about people who are struggling with homelessness, people that are struggling with living with addiction. And they just don’t want to — Craig: — deal with it. Hoehler: Right. And it’s like, we need to put light on these subjects or else they are never going to get solved. Pollard: What research went into making this character believable and respectful of homeless people? Hoehler: I can only base it on my own life experience, which, I have never experienced homelessness. I have friends who have and I know people who through the years have. So I have some kind of reference. And I’ve also opened my shows to — even before this show, like, all my other shows — I’ve always invited people from homeless shelters and people that did not have opportunities to go to the theater and spent a lot of time dialoguing with them. That’s not as in-depth as I’d like it to be, but I trust as an artist that I’m able to access something. What I look at is the human condition and I think that regardless of if a person is homeless or has a home, that there’s a basic human condition there that we all share, regardless of what our challenges may be. And that’s what I try to focus on, so that people can identify with it regardless of their station in life. Pollard: Right, they are human and they are people. And you let them know that they are somebody. Hoehler: Exactly. And they have something to say and they have something to contribute to life. Craig: Yeah! You have a lot of beautiful people who just fell into bad situations. Hoehler: I know, I know. I know. Craig: Well, the way you accept your own challenges is wonderful and encouraging. Hoehler: IIt’s not easy. But I can’t see any other way of being. And I hope both of you might come to the workshop I’m giving the next day. It’s an interactive workshop and I’d love to have both of you in that. I’ve worked for years with at-risk in New York City schools and for the last six years I’ve been working with Otisville State Prison teaching an acting class called “Acting Out.” The courses began to be developed for kids who have behavioral issues and things like that – and it’s developed into a professional acting class. It’s based a lot
STREET SENSE April 19 - May 2, 2017
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ART
I was going for a daily walk and ended up in Potomac Park, where I saw this tree that looked like a cherry blossom umbrella. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen: a cloister made of flowers. | PHOTO BY JACQUELYN PORTEE
Perception or Reality: Foundation of Our Nation By Robert Williams, USMC, Artist/Vendor
Richard Hoehler’s character finds self acceptance. His talents remain in tact, and he brings them to the audience. | Photo courtesy of Richard Hoehler on my training but also on the needs of the group that I’m working with and it’s really about each person taking advantage of who they are and using themselves. I don’t believe acting is being somebody else, I believe acting is being who you are, perhaps in a different situation. And I think it’s fun work, it’s helpful, but it’s also very healing work. And the exercises that I use are basic warm-ups and then there’s a bit of improv and sensory work — all centered on person and catered to each individual. I started working with kids, but now I work with the incarcerated another adult groups from time to time. I’ve been getting more and more requests for this kind of work because it is different than most training that is provided. Theater training is mostly philosophy-based. This stuff is much more in tune with the human being that is working there and trying to find out who they are. Craig: That's so lovely. Pollard: And the wonderful thing about you doing that with inmates is that it brings out their talent. Hoehler: It’s a very powerful program. We did a show there last summer and at one point they gave us permission to invite the families of the men. It was a very moving thing, where a lot of these children and mothers and wives and brothers were seeing the men doing something positive and powerful for the first time in their lives.
Craig: I've been in jail 4 times. Not fun. The thing about it is, what you're basically doing, is liberating people. Hoehler: Well it actually is that people liberate themselves, in a way. Craig: True Hoehler: I try to provide the space in which that can happen. I’m not anybody on my own. I’m just the teacher or t h e d i r e c t o r o r w h a t e v e r. I j u s t create a safe space in which people can really be themselves. I’m really excited about doing this event at Street Sense. I performed this show about a year and a half ago and the response was really strong.
What's going on, folks? No, look around. What do you see? If you need to open that third eye, utilize it! Acknowledge what is truly happening around you before it's too late. Try to see what we all undoubtedly feel. I mentioned a few articles back that we should all participate, trust and believe. We cannot mend our broken system with lip service. Mayor Muriel Bowser's administration has been unable to fulfill its promise of eradicating homelessness. People are dying on the street, sometimes with nothing to eat, in a frozen climate. Don't you care that it could one day be you or yours in that situation? Even if it is not you or anyone you know, it is a suffering human being. No person deserves to live or die on the street. We are our brother's keeper! President Trump wants war, or at least
this is my perception of the reality. We must prevent this fight from happening if we want to continue to enjoy the freedoms we are now afforded. Utilize the internet for information, and realize that your vote counts. All our votes count, whether or not we are homeless. We are all brothers and sisters. Our nation was built not only on the backs of people of color, but also on spiritual principles. Built on those who spoke up for rights, equality and what they believed in. We must all have a level playing field, regardless of our differences. What if anything do YOU stand for? Or will you just fall for anything? Will you sit by and watch your friends and family be mistreated, lied to, abused or slaughtered without protest? ■
Pollard: What are your goals and dreams? Hoehler: Boy, that’s a big question. [laughs] In my ripe old age (63), I’m still learning and hope to continue to learn right up till the end. I’m trying to break down the walls around me. I want to be able to see life for what it really, really, is and not for what people tell me or how they condition me or how society tells me. I’m really trying to be my own man. ■ A free performance of “I of the Storm” ($10 suggested donation) will be held at 6:30 p.m. on May 4 in the Church of the Epiphany sanctuary, 1317 G Street NW (Metro Center). More details at StreetSense.org/calendar.
Lena Truman — Tenleytown resident artist and Street Sense supporter — visits our own artist-in-residence, Bardia Saheedi. His LED masterpiece, “The Temptation Tree,” is on display in room 7607 at Artomatic 2017 alongside hundreds of artists with workshops, creative events, films, dance, poetry, music and more through May 6. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN
OPINION
How Puritans Drove Me To The Arms of A Sinner
Pushed Out
I never cared for the morally pious and self-righteous. I’m always suspicious of people that cloak themselves in morality. Usually those that wrap themselves in virtue are the biggest hypocrites. Many people stopped speaking to me because they believed Hillary Clinton was a beacon of virtue while Donald Trump was immoral. I wonder if these people ever become embarrassed by their hypocrisy. Gov. Robert Bentley (R-Ala.) was one of these virtuous Anti-Trumpers who couldn’t support Trump because he was immoral. Now Bentley has resigned in disgrace because of sexual impropriety. While I don’t care for self-righteous liberals, I’ve become alarmed by the water carriers for President Trump. When I supported Trump, I was under no illusion he couldn’t betray us. What sealed the deal for me was the moral absolutism of the left. There was no nuance or complexity with them. If Democrats made any attempt to reach out to disgruntled voters maybe the outcome would have been different, but instead of being humble they still demonized and demeaned and wondered why no one supported them. But I don’t know how the Republicans have gone from the party of Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan to the party of Ann Coulter and Alex Jones. The far right is just as crazy and dogmatic as the far left. If you don’t with agree with them on everything then you’re a globalist shill working for the Deep State. The reason why the right and left hate each other is because they’re two sides
winning 40 percent of the Latino vote and hiring African Americans such as Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell. They attacked Reagan even though his policies reduced Black unemployment. Richard Nixon should have been a liberal dream come true — he created the Environmental Protection Agency, supported single payer healthcare, raised taxes on the wealthy and even proposed a guaranteed income — but liberals ran him out of town because of their moral conscience. There is no evidence that virtuous men make great presidents. Abe Lincoln was a racist but it didn’t stop him from freeing slaves, Harry Truman was once a Klansmen but he desegregated the military and Lyndon Johnson called the Civil Rights Act “the [N-word] bill,” but we all benefit from it. I don’t want to hear about racism when we had a Black president and have nothing to show for it. I conclude that Trump is president because Washington is full of Puritans who do nothing but steal our money. Americans have had enough of politicians that take moral stands when they are some of the most perverted people on Earth. I don’t know what the answers are. I made my bed, so I will lie in it. I can’t go back home to liberalism so I hope Trump doesn’t betray me. In the words of Elvis Presley, I’m begging President Trump: “Don’t be cruel to a heart that’s true.” P.S. Keep Jared Kushner and fire Steve Bannon. ■
When selling Street Sense you encounter all kinds of people. Most of them are on their way to somewhere, to do something and just pass by. As a vendor, I sometimes interact with security guards. For the most part, many of the guards appreciate that I am making positive use of space and time. Every so often, though, I find myself in battle with them, about public versus private space. On one occasion, I was told I could not sell the paper on a street near the White House. I showed the guard my badge and told him Street Sense has agreements with the Metropolitan Police Department agreeing to that arrangement. He insisted that because this was, at the time, “Obama’s block,” I couldn’t distribute the paper there. I did everything I was supposed to, but still had to move along. We all have faced discrimination, but for those who are impoverished, it makes the situation worse. I am a native Washingtonian who grew up in the Southeast. Restrooms in the Southeast are so scarce. Pretty much anyone who goes there could be subject to arrest just for a natural thing. A bodily action outside might even put you in jail. D.C. has the ability to be a model of a human rights city. But every day, many discriminative actions take place against its citizens. Let’s hope that over time, and with many voices here at Street Sense, we can reach those in power and implement ways to combat, eliminate and eventually end poverty. ■
Jeffery McNeil is a Vendor/Artist for Street Sense.
Reginald Black is a vendor/artist for Street Sense.
By Jeffery McNeil
of the same coin. They’re only interested in power maintenance and control. No one’s ever pure enough. As long as you allow them to indoctrinate you with their conspiratorial nonsense you’re okay, but the minute you start critically thinking and seeing the truth they will despise you until the day you die. Anyone who thinks there’s a difference between the far right and far left can’t be taken seriously because neither side takes you seriously. Both want power, not what’s good for society. Both have evil in their hearts. Although I soured on some Trump supporters, I still believe President Trump is a patriot. Although I detest conservative dogmatism, I still think collectivist and statist ideologies are a greater danger to our republic. It’s easier to identify racists than leftists and communists — at least the racists don’t hide their contempt for poor people and minorities. Liberals are deceitful, therefore more dangerous. They use people’s humanitarian impulses to destroy society. What is humane about telling children it’s okay to smoke pot, be promiscuous and abort their fetuses? I ask those who consider themselves liberal: Was Clinton worth it? She was the supposed beacon of virtue that made you end friendships, get divorced or excommunicate your parents. You worked yourself into a frenzy believing Trump is Hitler when there was no evidence he could run a lemonade stand, let alone a country. Donald Trump isn’t the first person the left called racist. They said the same things about George W. Bush despite him
By Reginald Black
Where’s the Reciprocity, Mr. Trump? By Aida Basnight Thank God we have a voice in America when it comes to our health benefits, as well as affordable and stable housing for the homeless. President Donald Trump seemed to want to eliminate this with his Ryancare proposal. Now the administration wants to cut the budget in a way that will critically affect my living situation. These cuts occur as Trump and his wife jet off to Mar-a-Lago for vacations. Also, Melania, the first lady, and her son Barron are staying in New York’s Trump Tower as opposed to the White House, a separate residence that will be absorbed by the taxpayer at a cost of millions. How can the House and Senate allow the White House to make the proposed cuts to the living standards of millions of Americans, while Trump and others run up massive bills at the taxpayers’ expense? One weekend trip to Mar-a-Lago costs
the taxpayer $3.3 million, security costs included, as well as $85,000 for overtime pay for local law enforcement, according to the BBC. A local skywriter whose business depends on using his plane to advertise has lost $65,000 because the president has a 10-mile no-fly zone wherever he goes. The company owner, who employs three other pilots, says Trump’s frequent trips mean his business may not last after this summer and has lost several clients. $3.3 million is quite a sum! That money could have easily gone into the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and advocating for the homeless. There is a crucial need for affordable housing that we are not meeting. ■ Aida Basnight is a vendor/artist for Street Sense. ILLUSTRATION BY KEN MARTIN
Have an opinion about how homelessness is being handled in our community? Street Sense maintains an open submission policy and prides itself as a newspaper that elevates community voices and fosters healthy debate. Send your thoughts to opinion@streetsense.org.
Homelessness and Sex Trafficking Go Hand-in-Hand
STREET SENSE April 19 - May 2, 2017
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OPINION
By Madye Henson Homelessness can often be the door into a life of sex trafficking. One night on the street is the fastest way homeless youth enter the homeless to sex trafficking pipeline. In a recent study of Covenant House youth in three cities, the University of Pennsylvania and The Field Center found an alarming 22 percent of all homeless youth were approached by sex traffickers on their very first night of being homeless. An astounding 67 percent of homeless females reported being solicited for paid sex. Without a home and the love of a caring adult, homeless youth are too often manipulated into a life of sexual exploitation. Complicating this further, traffickers can use the internet as a reliable tool to help them generate a lucrative and steady i n com e e x pl o i t i n g youth that may go unnoticed by authorities. Covenant House Washington believes that important ways to greatly reduce youth sex trafficking is to first increase the amount of beds available to youth without safe housing — then support youth to further their education, put caring adults in their lives and increase community awareness so everyone can take part in reporting suspicious behaviors. Each given night, our organization provides safe housing to over 100 homeless youth and their children. The importance of safe housing is critical; a total of 41 percent of the youth in the study lacked steady living arrangements when they were introduced to sex trafficking. Socioeconomic factors directly play a critical role in youth homelessness and sex trafficking, too. To be frank, the cost of living in Washington, D.C. and other major cities is unbearable for low-income individuals. It is reported that a salary of $80,273 is required to live a comfortable life in D.C. Obtaining close to that level of income is near impossible without education and career credentials. According to the study, 67 percent of homeless youth that were introduced to sex trafficking lacked a high school diploma. Our organization offers Adult Basic Education courses to homeless youth, as well as preparation for the GED,
that, once passed, will now be converted to a high school diploma in D.C. This is one thing that will help youth establish a more secure foundation after leaving programs like ours. The study, which included interviews of close to 300 homeless youth in Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C., brought other sobering statistics to light. Ninety-five percent of youth who were trafficked for sex reported a history of child maltreatment, with 49 percent reporting a history of childhood sexual abuse. Thirtynine percent of those who were trafficked identified as LGTBQ youth, with transgender youth having the highest incidence. There is an upside, though: Youth who reported having the presence of a supportive adult in their lives and completing high school were less likely to be trafficked. To eliminate youth sex trafficking, it is mandatory that we end youth homelessness. More dollars need to be spent in providing safe beds for youth who don’t have a stable place to put their heads at night. This is a community issue, and we members of the community must actively report things that we see that aren’t right. ■
An astounding 67 percent of homeless females repor ted being solicited for paid sex. Without a home and the love of a caring adult, homeless youth are too often manipulated into a life of sexual exploitation.
Dr. Madye Henson is president and CEO of Covenant House Washington.
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It happened in a parking lot. It’s a story you’ve heard before. As I walked out of the bookstore and into the familiar chill of January in Ohio, I saw him watching me. I wasn’t frightened; the neighborhood might not be the greatest, but I had lived there for thirteen years — long enough to know the difference between danger and desperation. He was going to ask me for money, not steal it. There’s no need to describe him. By now, my readers have already attached their favorite stereotypes, and I’m not going to deconstruct those in the short time we have together. Just know that he was polite, humble and most importantly, human. He had a story, that may or may not have been true, about being stranded and needing help with bus fare. His delivery looked something like a prayer — fingers interlocked and chest high, hands gently rocking forward and back every few syllables. I wasn’t really listening. I didn’t really care about the details. He was asking for help; the rest is just noise. And noise is the problem. As he approached, I had to tune out the things people in my life have said about similar encounters, opinions containing cringeworthy phrases like “those people” and an endless stream of tiresome bootstraps metaphors. In order to be human, it seems, we must first confront the glaring lack of humanity all around us. T h a t ’s t h e d i s c i p l i n e . Yo u s e e , compassion is no longer simply a human trait, at least not in America. Here, we have to want it; we have to work hard to set aside the messages; the consumerism, the demagoguery, the sheer tonnage of influence exerted by those who couldn’t possibly care less about people stranded in the cold. Helping each other is no longer our natural reaction to pain and suffering; instead we blame, make excuses, dehumanize … anything to absolve us of our simplest and most important responsibility, to simply behave as decent people would. I can’t remember how much money I had in my pocket, only that I had to push aside my new iPhone to collect it. Some change, a bit of folding money. I gave it to
him before he could finish his pitch. Like I said, I wasn’t really listening anyway. He looked down at his hand and his face changed in a way that told me the money was more than he expected. He tried to give me some of it back, said it was more than he needed. I simply smiled and refused, and the fact I can’t remember the sum today confirms that it was not too much. Not at all. In my life, I’ve had dozens of these encounters, none of which should be special, or worthy of any storytelling after the fact. In a country where poverty is growing at a frightening pace, where good jobs are scarce, where the gap between rich and poor is wider than it has ever been before, where few have all and many have barely enough, it seems only natural that our collective compassion would grow in proportion to the need, that we would begin to see the world how it is. It’s tough out there. According to the numbers, it’s much tougher than any of us remember. He said thank you, blessed me and turned away. I thanked him and did the same. I pressed the unlock button on the key to my Honda, climbed in, started the engine, turned on the heat and never looked back. I looked forward, though. I pulled out of the lot and felt equal parts of pride and shame, the simultaneous feeling that I had done something right and also something terribly incomplete. I often wonder if it is this feeling, not the excuses, that makes us ignore reality, that perhaps it is not our greed that makes us do nothing, but our deeper understanding of just how large the task really is, and how small we are in its shadow. On the next corner stood a man with a cardboard sign. It said something about him being a veteran, about wanting to work for food and shelter. I wasn’t really reading. I didn’t really care about the details. The only thing I could think about was the fact that I no longer had any money in my pocket. ■ Brett Pransky is a professor, a writer and a dad, not necessarily in that order. You can email him at pransky@ohio.edu. This piece originally ran in Street Speech, the Columbus, Ohio street paper.
The Street Sense Writers’ Group is led by writing professionals and meets every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. The group’s goal is to develop ideas and collaborate on the next great issue of Street Sense.
The Devil Died By Robert Warren Artist/Vendor I heard that the Devil died. he lied and they cried, now common sense is being pushed aside. All because the Devil died Someone let the people know the truth about McDonald’s French fries. Trump still lies and lies about the lies he told, don’t he know the Devil died. No need to spy on you. He still sees and knows your needs. I know a man; His brain is so small He wouldn’t believe the Devil died And lied about climate change the world will never be the same. No one to blame, you see, the Devil died, And people laughed at scary movies and men wear women’s clothing on their way in. Have you heard the news? No it’s not fake news; this news from the North, South, East, and West. The Devil really died, read all about it. It is with words as it is with People who won’t believe the Devil died, really died and people really cried at his funeral. Yes, the Devil has family too Who would believe the Devil got old and the Devil died? All in time. It was said, lying here Is one who made you fear, and lust and cuss and envy the wealth of others and not give A thought to feed the needy child All while you lived in sin And whispered to you the lies That you would find glory in war. And made you change His Lord’s words of truth to you So may he rest in Hell, for ever more.
Vending Changed My Life
My Street Sense Experience
By Damon Smith, Artist/Vendor
By Ricardo Meriedy Artist/Vendor
Vending for Street Sense changed my life. Having an alternate source of income is vital to sustaining a normal lifestyle without needing a government subsidy. Raking leaves and shoveling snow are seasonal at best. They help, but year-round employment would alleviate a lot of problems caused for me by homelessness. If you empower yourself financially, other than vending and writing for Street Sense and other publications, you still contribute to the society around you with pure love and passion. This will help you increase and reinforce the level of your writing. It is a double benefit because it spreads the word for those unheard voices of the homeless population. Part-time jobs or a small personal business will help greatly for someone with a disability, which is a problem for some vendors.
Since I became a Street Sense vendor, I have developed so many qualities about myself. I built my self-esteem higher than ever thought possible. My confidence has been so good about getting my life together, that I thought I would never conquer my shortcomings. I knew I had to get off drugs, so that was where I started. Street Sense is the one thing that helped me get my life together. They didn’t help me with the detox but they are the ones who made me take a look at myself and identify my addiction. I just want to say that their presence in my life did not stop there. There was much to do after I realized and came to terms with the addiction; there is so much to learn about myself and to identify with others who were going through this. But my attitude, my “mouth” and the way I thought of myself and my situation were the worst problems I had to overcome because they caused me to get into a lot of trouble. Street Sense introduced a certain amount of the spiritual into my life. Now, I can say everything has been so good in my life. Thank You, Street Sense.
A Touchy Subject By Elizabeth Bryant, Artist/Vendor I have been to a lot of treatment centers. And one place that I remember asked us why we don’t like ourselves. I thought I did then, but now I know that I was wrong. The longer I stay sober, the more I realize that I was wrong. I’ve been sober for ten years now. When I was drinking and drugging, I thought something was wrong with everyone else. And I drove them away.
Now, I’m lonely. Some days I want to take care of myself, other days I don’t. I’m not talking about expensive stuff. Some days I don’t feel like wrapping my hair — but I’ve got a great hair stylist! Sometimes I don’t feel like lotioning myself, but I’m getting better. Doing these simple things makes me feel good. But self-hatred still runs through my veins. I didn’t know society messed me up so bad. And I’m trying to dig myself out. Somebody at an AA meeting called this “the fight to get out.” And I understand that: I am in prison in my mind.
Checking My Behavior By Joe Jackson, Artist/Vendor
It is hard trying to sell Street Sense with panhandlers interrupting you as you try to talk with customers. It’s especially hard when you try to keep your temper when others can be so judgmental. I am waiting on affordable housing and staying clean from alcohol and drugs. I get up early every morning to wash up in a neighborhood store bathroom before the customers come in. Again, I am trying to stay
clean around the people buying my copies of Street Sense. I want to thank everyone one who helps homeless people. But it troubles that some people aren’t trying to help themselves. It hurts me to stand there selling my papers and see someone else down and out, drinking alcohol nearby. And people still give the drinker money! I am doing something positive to try and save my life and prevent others from being homeless. But I will have to check my own standards for others and focus on me. The only way to do this is to keep someone in my corner: God.
Lame! By Levester Green Artist/Vendor Some cop with a glock looking like he went out on swat ran up in our spot acting all hot with his flashlight & phone for props saying where the stem I dropped as I let out a laugh, a chuckle. I was shocked! I immediately tell him “Boy stop, playing w/me, cuz that shit you see is purely strictly a fantasy but in reality we were just trying to get up off the block & out the rain so the rest of them events is totally off the chain with them tactics totally designed to make you go insane. In a word? #Lame! You should make more use of your good brain.
STREET SENSE April 19 - May 2, 2017
My Day of Success
13
ART
By Henrieese Roberts, Artist/Vendor
In 1992, my eyes became diseased with histoplasmosis and severe dry eye, manifesting red-speckled spots in both eyes. I had severe pain in my eyes and head. A specialist informed me that there was no treatment for “my” ocular histoplasmosis, a disorder in which airborne spores of the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum are inhaled into the lungs and then spread to the eyes. This is an extremely painful disorder. When seeking relief, a doctor in his mid-70s warned against painkillers. He told me I could not afford to become a drug addict. I followed his warning and avoided things like morphine, heroin, tramadol, oxycodone and methadone. Consequently, I’ve endured severe pain throughout my life. Nevertheless, wanting to save others from misinformation, I trained as an American Red Cross HIV Preventionist and Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs Preventionist. My eyes gave me more pain to bear than I could muster. I expected blindness. So, I then trained to become a medical transcriptionist — a field that employs people with visual impairments. Although there were numerous struggles
with the pain and my eyes, I persevered with no prescription drugs, as the doctor advised. There was even a period where I slept heavily, keeping my eyes closed as a sight-saving device. I’ve remained interested in medical research and community action. Lately I’ve been researching opioids and the destruction they have wrought in our neighborhoods and among our families. How right my doctor was to warn against them. It just so happened that I recently saw that the nonprofit journalism institute Poynter would be holding an Opioid Crisis Reporting Training Day in New York City. Not expecting to hear back, I dropped a line to senior faculty member and veteran journalist Al Tompkins. And I was lucky enough to be invited to join! So, I headed up to New York. And I’m so glad that I did. Mr. Tompkins was a star. And while there, I got to hear from Mark O’Brien, Baltimore’s director of opioid overdose prevention and treatment. He shared the city’s “Staying Alive” campaign to destigmatize addiction and has been at the forefront of Baltimore’s response to the opioid epidemic. “Staying Alive” also trained injection drug users,
High School Students Disrupt Metro By Phillip Black, a.k.a. “The Cat in the Hat” Artist/Vendor More and more high school students riding the Metro trains and buses disrespect other riders by smoking cigarettes. I’ve seen them drinking beer and smoking weed when I’ve been on the Orange Line. Most of them can’t be any more than 15 years old.
Most Metro police don’t want to deal with these kids because it’s too hard to prosecute them due to their age. But it is breaking the law, for which they should be held accountable. Parents should step up their game and discipline their children. Let these kids know there are rules when riding public transportation. A kid’s age should not excuse his or h e r a rre st wh e n th e y b re ak a law. Especially when drinking and smoking underage!
first responders and others on how to treat overdoses with Naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan, a prescription medicine that can reverse opioid-related overdose. Due to their effect on the part of the brain that regulates breathing, opioids in high doses can cause respiratory depression and death, according to a World Health Organization fact sheet. Access to naloxone is generally limited to health professionals, but WHO advocates that people who might experience an opioid overdose or be likely to witness an opioid overdose should be trained on how to administer naloxone, according to the fact sheet. O’Brien, said that in 2015 alone, Baltimore lost 393 persons to overdose. And 90 percent were opioid-related deaths. These community members were our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters and sons. We now have an empty seat at our dinner table. We miss our family members. While in New York, I also ventured to the “Ark of Return: Lest we Forget” memorial, which asks us to remember the American slave trade. The Ark of Return was unveiled March 25, 2015, a
date that honors the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The memorial is located in the United Nations Visitors Plaza. I appreciate my doctor’s counsel regarding my eye pain, which I still experience as a part of my life. We must learn alternatives to pain management, such as yoga. Perhaps we need to be reasonable and give our injuries time to rest so healing can occur. We should give consideration to our activities as we work and play so we can work to deter accidents that generate pain and opioid addiction. Missing our family members at the dinner table is saddening and produces struggling moments for our children that we leave behind. After photographing the Ark, I walked on to the New York City Aids Memorial located at the intersection of West 12th Street and Greenwich Avenue. Both memorials memorialize lives lost in tragic events that ceased breath for many of us. I grasped the loss of human breath at the Ark and AIDS Memorial, while others sauntered by. ■
Difficult Decision My Chuck Berry Honorific Chicken Lunch
Vision of My Father
By Patty Smith Artist/Vendor
By Sybil Taylor Artist/Vendor
By Frederic John, Artist/Vendor
My husband and I had an argument. I had just gotten home from work, and he wasn’t home. Later, he came racing into the house and up the stairs. He looked under the bed. He was looking for a man. I was five months pregnant at the time, and my husband acted as if he would strike me. I picked up a glass and broke it to fend him off. Granted, we were both serving in the Army. I broke away from my husband and ran downstairs, screaming. My husband was still behind me. My sister and her husband caught him, screaming, “You’re trying to hurt her.” They held my husband until help came. I went to the magistrate and proceeded to get a three-day stayaway order against my husband. The difficult decision I had to make was whether I should let him back in the house. When I did let my husband back in the house, we fought again, and I ended up leaving him.
The Florida Avenue Grille is a tiny, vestpocket-sized landmark perched beneath the retaining walls of the old Garfield Hospital and Cardozo High School. This zone was once part of D.C.’s northernmost boundary. Maybe that’s the reason I drifted off, spurred by the yellowing but still powerful vibes emanating from the faded glossy photo pantheon over the cook’s hot range. Furthermore, I was split off from my housemates, who were dining at this noted shrine, more to celebrate the scattered cherry blossom crop of 2017; whereas this observer was noting deeply the date of guitarist and urban folk maestro Chuck Berry’s passing (March 19). A glance at my friend Chuck Brown’s 1979 portrait, all dap in Jheri curl and dark slim suit, spun me off to dreams of “Buck Cherry” crooning “you two, we two, and a cozy clan of four...” As the crisp, flavorful roast chicken and Carolina mash on a classic oval crockery plate was set before me on the time-worn formica counter, I sank my jaws in, and once again Berry’s sweet words reverberated in my spinning head: “You do the rounds, Of some jazzy sounds, and I’ll stir a charcoal fire; an’ she’ll roast the wieners and have some fun— As the night grows nigh-er!’ Now I was drifting in and out of today’s reality. The clattering of pots and plates and the cries of delighted diners diminished as I pictured Mr. Berry in a shimmery satin suit, in a key clip from Alan Freed’s 1958
showcase movie “Mr Rock and Roll,” where the distinguished duck-walker chuck (Charles Anderson Berry), himself, slid across the studio stage, chiming out “long distance information, give me Memphis Tennessee, I could not find the party, that would get in touch with me...” Of course, the klieg lights just “hadda” bounce off that gleaming Guild or Gibson semi-hollow guitar with the oh-so-classy “F hole” perforations, from which the looping, leaping, quasi-Hillbilly tones oozed out into our believing brain pans. Even scruffy Keith Richards could relate to the chronic cry of, “Up in the mornin’ and out to school,” or, “Gee, you’ve changed.” Master, Maestro Chuck Berry, too much “monkey business?” Not hardly. To think I rolled a big cheap wine bottle, drained, down the aisle o f L o e w ’s e m b a s s y theatre (farther down at Florida and Connecticut avenues), in 1986— as your 60th birthday was being hailed on the wide screen by Clapton, Keith, and others. “HAIL HAIL Rock & Roll,” they called it. Did a single sublime soul food platter launch bring on all this mammoth sense memory inundation? Perhaps it was possible. The chicken was that tasty; none of the above were alternate facts. Berry presides (with his dear but difficult dad at his side, one suspects) over a more peace-filled “Berry Park:” with “No Particular Place to Go!”
A message from my Father in his new home, after he'd been missing for two years. My father has been missing for some time. It has been sad for my family and I, not having him present with us. When my father returned, he was quiet, saying only that he was home to stay, and we were so very glad to see him. After eating dinner and watching television, he expressed himself by hugging us after I remarked that I felt as if we had buried him. Palm Sunday just passed, and it will be Easter soon. Our father is now in Heaven. My father saw the Palm trees in Heaven, the silky green palms that sparkle, as do the birds and flowers. My father sings all day long and is happy all day long. The angels fly around in heaven and are also happy. It is a glory to reunite with long passed friends and relatives, as one flies through the Golden Gates. There is much laughter, joy, and enjoying beautiful trays of food. My father spent the day telling us his story, and says that one day we will all be together in the afterlife. We love you, Dad.
STREET SENSE April 19 - May 2, 2017
15
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Academy of Hope Public Charter School: 269-6623 | 601 Edgewood St, NE aohdc.org Bread for the City: 265-2400 (NW) | 561-8587 (SE) 1525 7th St, NW | 1640 Good Hope Rd, SE breadforthecity.org Calvary Women’s Services: 678-2341 1217 Good Hope Road, SE calvaryservices.org
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Línea de Salud del Comportamiento Jubilee Jobs: 667-8970 2712 Ontario Rd NW | 2419 Minnesota Ave SE jubileejobs.org
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Loaves & Fishes: 232-0900 1525 Newton St. NW loavesandfishesdc.org
Sasha Bruce Youthwork: 675-9340 741 8th St, SE sashabruce.org
D.C. Coalition for the Homeless: 347-8870 1234 Massachusetts Ave, NW dccfh.org
Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org
Father McKenna Center: 842-1112 19 Eye St, NW fathermckennacenter.org
Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org
So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 O St, NW | 797-8806 some.org
Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp
Central Union Mission: 745-7118 65 Massachusetts Avenue, NW missiondc.org
Charlie’s Place: 232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave, NW charliesplacedc.org Christ House: 328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd, NW christhouse.org Church of the Pilgrims: 387-6612 2201 P St, NW churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach food (1 - 1:30 on Sundays only) Community Family Life Services: 347-0511 | 305 E St, NW cflsdc.org
Vagrancy Comics #2: Mar-a-lago By Justin Benedict Former Vendor
Food and Friends: 269-2277 219 Riggs Rd, NE foodandfriends.org
St. Luke’s Mission Center: 333-4949 3655 Calvert St. NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
My Sister’s Place: 529-5991 (24-hour hotline) mysistersplacedc.org
Thrive DC: 737-9311 1525 Newton St, NW thrivedc.org
Foundry Methodist Church: 332-4010 1500 16th St, NW foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities
N Street Village: 939-2060 1333 N Street, NW nstreetvillage.org
Unity Health Care: 745-4300 3020 14th St, NW unityhealthcare.org
Friendship Place: 364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave, NW friendshipplace.org
New York Ave Shelter: 832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave, NE
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St NW | 328-5500 legalclinic.org
Georgetown Ministry Center: 338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave, NW georgetownministrycenter.org Jobs Have Priority: 544-9128 425 Snd St, NW jobshavepriority.org
Patricia Handy Place for Women: 810 5th Street, NW, NW | 733-5378 Samaritan Inns: 667-8831 2523 14th St, NW samaritaninns.org
The Welcome Table: 347-2635 1317 G St, NW epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St, NW | 745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave, SE | 797-3567 whitman-walker.org
James Davis reads at Siletti’s memorial. “George (left) and I when we fed the homeless.” PHOTO BY ASHLEY CLARKE
The Rev. Dr. Kate Heichler, pastor of St. Columba’s Episcopal Church. | BY ASHLEY CLARKE
PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE PETROVICH
Celebrating the Life of George Siletti By Ashley Clarke ashley.clarke@streetsense.org When the April 6 funeral service began at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, about 30 people sat in the pews. By the end, almost every seat was filled with the friends and family of George Siletti. “I’m glad we decided to use the large chapel,” said one of Siletti’s friends who came to pay their respects. People gathered from all walks of life to celebrate the legacy Siletti left behind on Feb. 28, just shy of his 61st birthday. His longtime friend, Steve Petrovich, welcomed people into the chapel with a song that he said Siletti inspired him to write. “George was a very giving person. Others mattered a lot to him. He was very generous,” said Jean-Michel Giraud to the gathering. Giraud is the CEO of Friendship Place, an organization that helps people trying to get out of extreme poverty in the District. Siletti was first connected with Friendship Place in 2004 and became an important part of its community outreach initiative over the years, by sharing his story to inspire others.
Before moving to D.C., Siletti battled with homelessness for nearly 30 years. His friends say he has been homeless in all 50 states. Sharon Hendershot Jessel, an older sister Siletti had never met until nine months before his death, said that he was the youngest of seven children. Siletti was just 3 when their mother was killed and the siblings were all split up. He had a tough childhood and bounced around a lot. According to Petrovich, Siletti was abused as a child. By the age of 16, he emancipated himself. More than 50 years later, he reconnected with family members who he didn’t even know existed. In 1992, while Siletti was homeless, he met Petrovich and the two became inseparable. Petrovich said he was playing music on a park bench when Siletti said of the song, “That’s the story of my life.” They became traveling buddies: While Petrovich played music, Siletti told the story of his his battle with homelessness to people around the United States. Petrovich married in 1998 and moved to Rochester, New York. Siletti, his best man,
ended up in D.C. Shortly after arriving in the District, Siletti connected with the National Coalition for the Homeless, where he became involved in going out and speaking to people about homelessness. “He was lending his voice to the cause of ending homelessness for over 20 years. He educated thousands of young people on the realities faced by homeless people,” said Megan Hustings, director of NCH. “George wasn’t just one of the faces of our speakers bureau, he was also its heart.” Hustings said that whenever she saw Siletti, he always gave her a warm bear hug. She said he would call from time to time just to check on her and see how she was doing. That’s just the kind of person Siletti was, according to Hustings. “When he shared his story of his threedecade struggle against homelessness with students and others who attended his presentations, he conveyed a positive message about the inherent value of people and the importance of helping one another,” Hustings said. Everyone who spoke about Siletti at the memorial said he was very kind, easy
going and did not let his traumatic past hold him back. In 2004, with help from partners of Friendship Place, Siletti finally had a permanent place to call home: Anne Frank House, Inc. His friends said he found joy in the simple things in life such as junk mail, being in the phone book and having neighbors . It made him feel like a part of the community for the first time. Even after he found a home, he never forgot the people who still needed help, his friends said. He remained there for the rest of his life. Though Siletti experienced homelessness for more than half his years, it did not define him. His sister said the time she spent with her brother was the best eight months of her life. “I have his ashes,” she said. “He told me that he wanted to go two places before he died, to the mountains with me and to Alaska, because that’s the only state he’s never been.” Sharon plans to fulfill these wishes. ■
April 19 - May 2, 2017 • Volume 14 • Issue 12
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