05 13 2020

VOL. 17 ISSUE 14

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MAY 13 - 26, 2020

Real Stories

DC 2020 Primary:

5 Questions on Poverty

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NEWS IN BRIEF A dramatic increase in “medical respite beds” for homeless people in DC D.C.’s capacity to provide “medical respite” beds is on track to more than double, due to a partnership between a local Medicaid provider and a branch of the human services organization Volunteers for America.

Medical respite is an intermediary step between homelessness and housing for people with medical conditions that impede dayto-day life but aren’t serious enough for hospitalization. Patients can use them to rest up for an upcoming surgery or take time to manage a chronic illness. Prior to October 2019, there were just 36 total respite beds in the District.

Since then, AmeriHealth Caritas D.C., a 100,000-member Medicaid-managed care organization, and Volunteers for America Chesapeake and Carolinas, have partnered to open housing with 48 more medical respite beds and an emphasis on long-term housing through the Hope Has a Home initiative.

The plan is to open six homes with eight beds each. Two of the homes have already opened and negotiations are underway to build the remaining four.

Only members of AmeriHealth Caritas D.C. will be eligible for care in the homes when they’re completed.

The company’s CEO estimated that they cover 10 - 15% of D.C.’s homeless population.

The two open homes are being used already. Residents can be referred from the hospital into the first house, known as Phase 1, for round-the-clock medical care, and then transferred into the second house, Phase 2, to wait while they line up future housing. Residents are aided in both phases by a social worker and community support workers and the program is low-barrier, meaning sobriety and adherence to mental health medication is not a requisite for admittance, although counseling is available.

Read the full story by Julia Pinney on StreetSenseMedia.org.

New data available for DC emergency shelter use in Winter 2020

FRIDAY, MAY 15

MONDAY, MAY 18

SATURDAY, JUNE 20

Virtual FY21 Human Services Budget Briefing

Affordable Housing & Community Development FY21 Budget Briefing

Poor people’s assembly and moral march on Washington is going digital

1:30 p.m.

Register here.

Register here.

Join the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development for your chance to know the ins and outs of the FY2021 D.C. budget and how it impacts the affordable housing and community development field!

“COVID-19 has forced the nation into an unprecedented emergency.

The current emergency, however, results from a deeper and much longer-term crisis — that of poverty and inequality, and of a society that has long ignored the needs of 140 million people who are poor or one emergency away from being poor.”

Time: 2 p.m. EST Meeting Link: click/tap here Number: 471 800 284 Password: Budget Call In Number: 1-650-479-3208 In partnership with the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, the D.C. Department of Human Services invites you to join a presentation on the Mayor’s FY21 Proposed Budget. DHS Director Laura Zeilinger and other agency leaders will discuss human service budget investments virtually through WebEx.

Submit your event for publication by emailing editor@streetsensemedia.org

Data from the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness’s 2020 hypothermia debrief pointed to a moderate decline in usage of D.C.’s hypothermia resources by single adults in winter 2020 — compared to a spike in usage in 2019 and an overall increase over the last four years.

Between Nov. 1, 2019 and Mar. 31, 2020, 6,014 unaccompanied adults used the District’s low-barrier, severeweather shelters, compared to 6,568 during the same time frame the previous year. Both figures, however, are an increase from the 5,789 unaccompanied adults who used the shelters in the winter of 2017.

The average length of a stay in the shelters for men was 37 nights, an increase from 34 last year, and for women was 49 nights, an increase from 41 the previous year. In the winter of 2017, those figures were just 11 nights for men and 10 for women.

Some statistics remained more constant. As in previous years, around three-quarters of single adults using shelters were men and a quarter women, and the average age hovered around 50 for both men and women.

According to 2019 data, the number of homeless families fell from 2018 to 2019, however, the number of homeless single adults rose by 3%.

D.C. has a “right to shelter” law that goes into effect when a “cold emergency” or a “hypothermia alert” is called. The Community Partnership gathers data on the people who use shelters during these alerts annually and reports to the Interagency Council on Homeless. Read the full analysis by Ben Cooper on StreetSenseMedia.org.

—jake@streetsensemedia.org

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$2

NEWS

The first half of every edition of Street Sense is reserved for local news affecting D.C. communities and occasional national and international news related to homelessness. Think we should be writing about something? Send tips and suggestions to editor@streetsensemedia.org.

PHOTO: A member of the National Guard, wearing a face mask monitors people entering the 14th Street NW Trader Joes on April 28.

This photo essay of D.C. during the pandemic, seen on each section’s title page, was taken by Photojournalist Benjamin Burgess. The full series is available here.

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6 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2 020

NEWS

Advocates warn most homeless people in DC will be left out of the 2020 primary election there to answer questions about who’s eligible to vote, where they can vote, and sometimes even help people fill out their registration. Now, with social distancing guidelines in effect, ith Washington, D.C.’s primary elections that’s not an option. fast approaching, the voice of the District’s “We’re basically relying on paper, paper flyers, and phone homeless population is at an even higher risk information, and some emails. It is really difficult,” Gentle said. than usual of being left out at the voting booth, “You already don’t really know what’s sticking with people, thanks to limitations brought on by closures but now you really just throw it out there in the wind.” related to the coronavirus.

The nonprofit Bread for the City is encountering similar In the face of the pandemic, the D.C. problems, according to its CEO, George Jones. In past years, government is pushing residents to vote by mail across the the organization might have had a table set up in the lobbies board. However, people without a permanent address may not of the buildings they operate with voting information. Such know they are eligible to register and participate remotely. interpersonal interactions are “not a thing” this year, Jones said.

Organizations that serve homeless communities are taking Instead, Bread for the City is giving out packets of steps to revamp their own outreach to raise awareness with information along with the bags of groceries they hand out. The potential voters. organization’s food pantries fed more than 25,000 people last But some advocates worry the absence of face-to-face year, according to its annual report. Volunteers were brought meetings between them and the people they serve, as well as on to provide delivery of food during the pandemic. Jones said District of Columbia the extra steps involved in registering to vote by mail without the organization is hoping to address common questions people a stable address, are going to harm voter turnout. have, including who is eligible to vote and where to go to vote.

Betty Gentle, an advocacy and engagement specialist at the To get the word out to the homeless community, the District nonprofit So Others Might Eat, said normally she would go Board of Elections has similarly been distributing flyers Washington, DC 20003-4733 in person to SOME’s dining hall and speak directly to people through the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and

BY JAKE MAHER jake@streetsensemedia.org

W

Services at sites where hot meals and groceries are provided.

For people who may struggle to vote by mail, including people experiencing homelessness, a small number of in-person voting sites will still be available. Instead of the usual 143 polling precincts, the District’s early-voting locations will be repurposed into 20 voting centers, with two or three in each ward. The centers will be open continuously from May 22 to June 2, with the exception of Memorial Day, including the weekend and Monday before the election when early voting is normally closed.

The deadline to register to vote remotely was May 12. Voters who are already registered have until May 26 to request a mail-in ballot. In-person registration will be an option at the 20 voting centers through the last day of the election.

“Anybody who lives anywhere in the city can vote in any voting center [and] can same-day register,” said Rachel Coll, a spokesperson for the Board of Elections When asked why ballots could not be given directly to voters at the meal sites where flyers about ballots are being distributed, Coll said it would take “years” to create a system Vote Centers for the Primary Election will of automatic ballot mailing and distribution of the kind that be the openBoard fromofMay 22 through Election Day, would allow Elections to distribute ballots directly through partners June 2. like TheySOME. will be closed on May 25,

Board of Elections Vote Centers

Memorial Day.

Ward 1

Columbia Heights Community Center 1480 Girard Street, NW Columbia Heights | <0.3 miles

Ward 2

Prince Hall Center for the Performing Arts (Masonic Temple) Hardy Middle School 1000 U Street, NW 1819 35th Street, NW U Street/African American Civil War Foggy Bottom/GWU | <2.5 miles Memorial/Cardozo | <0.0 miles

Ward 4

Ida B. Wells Middle School 405 Sheridan Street, NW Takoma | <0.5 miles Emery Heights Community Center 5801 Georgia Avenue, NW Georgia Avenue-Petworth | <1.5 miles

Ward 3

One Judiciary Square – Old City Council Chambers Murch Elementary School 441 4th Street, NW 4810 36th Street, NW Judiciary Square | <0.1 miles Tenleytown-AU | <0.4 miles Oyster Adams Bilingual School 2801 Calvert Street, NW Woodley Park-Zoo/ Adams Morgan | <0.1 miles

» For Election Day, which is June 2 for the Primary Election and June 16 for the Special Election in Ward 2, Vote Centers will be open from 7am to 8pm.

Ward 5

Turkey Thicket Recreation Center 1100 Michigan Avenue, NE Brookland/CUA | <0.4 miles

Vote Centers

WARD

4

McKinley Technology High School 151 T Street, NE Rhode Island Avenue | <1.0 miles

Closest Metro Stop

WARD

3

Raymond Recreation Center 3725 10th Street, NW Georgia Avenue-Petworth | <0.2 miles

WARD

WARD

1

5

WARD

Ward 6

Ward 7

Ward 8

Sherwood Recreation Center 640 10th Street, NE Union Station | <1.1 miles

Benning Stoddert Community Center 100 Stoddert Place, SE Benning Road | <0.3 miles

Barry Farm Recreation Center 1230 Sumner Road, SE Anacostia | <0.2 miles

Kennedy Recreation Center 1401 7th Street, NW Mt. Vernon Square | <0.2 miles

Hillcrest Recreation Center 3100 Denver Street, SE Naylor Road | <0.7 miles

Anacostia High School 1601 16th Street, SE Anacostia | <1.2 miles

King Greenleaf Recreation Center 201 N Street, SW Waterfront | <0.4 miles

» For the Ward 2 Special Election, Vote Centers will be open June 12 through Election Day, June 16. » For all days other than Election Day, Vote Centers will be open from 8:30am to 7pm.

Deanwood Recreation Center 1350 49th Street, NE Deanwood Metro | <0.1 miles

2

WARD

6

Malcolm X Opportunity Center 1351 Alabama Avenue, SE Congress Heights | <0.1 miles

WARD

7

WARD

1015 Half Street, SE, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20003-4733 • www.dcboe.org • Telephone 202.727.2525 • Fax 202.347.2648

8

COURTESY OF THE D.C. BOARD OF ELECTIONS

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

Mail-In Ballot

Going to a Vote Center

6 WAYS TO REQUEST YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT

ONLINE/APP

EMAIL

FAX

Visit https://www.dcboe.org/ Request-Your-Ballot-by-Mail or download the Vote4DC app.

DCabsentee@dcboe.org

202-347-2648

// 7

COMMUNITY KEEPING UP WITH UPDATES THE COMMUNITY

Artist/Vendor Artist/Vendor Sheila Sheila White White is is quickly quickly making making her her new new apartment apartment feel feel like like home home with with this this personalized personalized blanket blanket her her daughter daughter gave gave her her forfor Mother’s Mother’s Day. Day. Read Read more more onon page page 19.19.

PHOTO PHOTO COURTESY COURTESY OFOF SHEILA SHEILA WHITE WHITE

MAIL

PHONE

DC Board of Elections 1015 Half Street, SE, Suite 750 Washington, DC 20003

202-741-5283

IN PERSON

(Closed until further notice.)

COURTESY OF THE D.C. BOARD OF ELECTIONS

“We consulted a number of national partners on this point, but Gentle said that only about a quarter of the usual crowd is and determined that the only way to effectively administer this coming to SOME everyday. Either due to enforced quarantines election was to use our already existing and established ballot or fear of crowded areas, many people may choose not to come request process.” to pick up their ballot, even if it were delivered in the mail.

Megan Hustings, the interim director of the National Gentle and Jones also described misconceptions and apathy Coalition for the Homeless, said that from a national toward voting they have found to be common among people perspective, D.C. has relatively relaxed rules on voting, experiencing homelessness and difficult to dispel without facemaking it more accessible for homeless people. “Voting is to-face interactions. also something that D.C. is definitely trying to make available Gentle said she struggled to persuade people at SOME that in for everybody and make sure everybody stays safe in their jurisdictions where one party is dominant, like the Democrats voting,” she said. Councilmember Robert White, for instance, in D.C., participating in the local primary to choose who will introduced a bill in 2019 that would restore the right to vote be that party’s candidate for a specific position in November for incarcerated people in D.C., and Councilmember Charles is often more important than the general election.

Allen wrote legislation in 2018 that would have expanded the “It may just not even be something that’s on people’s right to vote in local elections to D.C. residents as young as 16. minds,” she said. “I think a lot of people are focused on Some of the recommendations Hustings offered for cities the general election because of the presidential election.” expanding their voting access, like increasing Seventy-six percent of D.C. voters were the number of hours voting locations are registered Democrats as of April 30. The only open for, are things the District government competitive races in the primary this year are is already doing, though she added ID for the Democratic nomination, with as many restrictions could be relaxed across the board. as eight candidates sparring over one seat, in “[ID cards] are something that is the case of the Ward 2 D.C. Council race. commonly lost, and even if you haven’t “For people experiencing homelessness, lost it, [it’s] something that goes out of date. for people of color in particular, whether When you’re moving around, you don’t have they’re experiencing homelessness or not, a permanent address, it’s hard to get all the there’s a level of cynicism about voting documentation you need to update IDs,” she that’s understandable because, to be honest Betty Gentle said, noting that the District only requires with you, quite often, even when we vote, So Others Might Eat either a DMV-issued ID, a utility bill, or any the kind of policies that come out still don’t other government-issued ID, which is still really represent our needs,” Jones added. generous compared to other states. There are also ID clinics in He said Bread for the City uses face-to-face interactions to DC that can help homeless people with no official identification make the case that voting is a way for people experiencing obtain a temporary ID from the DMV that is valid for voting. homeless to get the policy outcomes they want to see, especially By contrast, some states require a photo-ID at the time of with regard to housing. voting. In Virginia, for example, laws require that voters show “Obviously, there’s a natural nexus between people a photo-ID when they vote or vote on a provisional ballot and experiencing homelessness and what’s happening in public provide photo-ID within the next three days, earning the state a policy around housing,” Jones said. “[The challenge is] getting “strict” rating from the National Conference of State Legislatures. people to realize that this is one of the places to try to exert Local advocates remain concerned about the logistical hurdles some influence over an issue that is particularly relevant to for the homeless community while public resources like libraries their own lives.” and many other social service providers are closed.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, those interactions are not “I have a smartphone. I requested [my ballot] through my possible anymore. The cumulative effect, Gentle said, is that smartphone, [but] everybody doesn’t have a smartphone, she expects a decreased voter turnout in June’s primaries from everybody doesn’t have a computer. Everybody is not going D.C.’s homeless population. to be able to make their way to the Board of Elections to drop “All the councilmembers are talking about [the primary] on off their ballot form,” Gentle said. “The mechanisms they’re Twitter, DCBOE is talking about it on Twitter, it’s almost an trying to use, they’re not low-barrier.” assumption that everybody has a smartphone or Wi-Fi, or a People experiencing homelessness are allowed to use shelters computer and can easily submit the absentee form and have it and locations like SOME as their address to register to vote, mailed to their house,” she said. “We know that’s not true.”

“The mechanisms they’re trying to use, they’re not low-barrier.”

BIRTHDAYS BIRTHDAYS Conrad ConradCheek CheekJr. Jr.May May15 15 ARTIST/VENDOR ARTIST/VENDOR

Reginald ReginaldBlack BlackMay May23 23 ARTIST/VENDOR ARTIST/VENDOR

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About this questionnaire We sent the same set of questions to each candidate seeking a seat on the D.C. Council who faces an opponent within their party. Candidates were contacted using the email address registered with the D.C. Board of Elections and provided one week in which to respond. Their answers were edited only to match our style or, in two instances, to shorten the content to fit on our pages. Street Sense Media is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit and an independent media company.

Candidate from all parties will be contacted for our general election voters’ guide in the fall.

Candidates who are in contested races for the June 2 primary ballot and did not return answers to our questions by the deadline include: Ward 2 Councilmember (Democratic Primary): • John Fanning Ward 4 Councilmember (Democratic Primary): • Janeese Lewis George, • Marlena D. Edwards Ward 7 Councilmember (Democratic Primary): • Kelvin Brown • Anthony Lorenzo Green • Rebecca J. Morris • Veda Rasheed • James Leroy Jennings Ward 8 Councilmember (Democratic Primary): • Stuart Anderson • Mike Austin • Trayon White

Registering to vote To vote in a D.C. primary election, you must be registered as a member of either the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, or D.C. Statehood Green Party. The last day to register online was May 12. This was also the last day to change parties.

However, same-day registration will be available at the 20 in-person voting centers listed on the previous page, from May 22 - June 2.

Requesting a ballot Use this digital form (the requirement for a signature has been waived). A print copy of that form included in the DCBOE voter guide that was distributed earlier this month. All requests for a mail-in ballot must be received by DCBOE no later than May 26.

For all other questions, visit vote4dc.com, call (202) 727-2525, or email Director@DCBOE.org.

1. According to The D.C. Policy Center, single-family units make up only 30% of D.C.’s housing stock but occupy 80% of its residential buildings. How would you change our approach to housing, density, and development to make the city affordable for all residents?

WARD 2

OTERS’ GUIDE

EVANS: The District has considerably increased its housing stock over the last 15 years. As cited, the new units have been, for the most part, been built in the areas beyond the zones identified or designated for single-family units.

Although, I have always supported and championed the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) and tax credits — believing that building, but more importantly preserving, affordable housing, is one of the key roles of the HPTF, I do understand that subsidies from the HPTF and other government supports, alone will not solve the affordability problem.

Ultimately, if we as legislative leaders of this city sincerely want to address and solve the economic and racial segregation in the city and increase the District’s overall housing stock, we will have to amend the zoning laws to be less restrictive.

Creating affordable housing and reversing practices that maintain racial inequities are social and moral imperatives that the Mayor and city Council should dedicate themselves to and finally reform the zoning code, focusing on the zoning for single-family units.

KENNEDY: I think it’s really important that the District advance multi-family development all across the city, in line with the mayor’s objective of creating 36,000 new housing units by 2025. We know that while the COVID-19 pandemic might represent a short-term disruption in growth, the demand to live in the District will continue to grow over the long run. If we are going to meet that demand, we have to increase the supply of housing units available at all price points, and use the dividends from our growth to subsidize the creation of affordable units for those who aren’t and won’t be served by the market.

In the short-term, this year the D.C. Council will take up the Office of Planning’s proposed revisions to the Comprehensive Plan. I support OP’s push for greater density, particularly along major corridors and close to transit, and would like to see the Future Land Use Map and Comp Plan principles reflect that the provision of affordable housing is our number one priority policy as a city. Additionally, I think that we should follow the lead of the city of Minneapolis and legalize triplexes across the District.

ZHANG: D.C. must build sufficient affordable housing. The Mayor has committed to 36,000 housing units, with one-third as affordable housing units. In addition to affordable housing units at the 80 percent area median income (AMI), D.C. needs more deeply affordable units at less than 50 percent AMI. Additionally, we need to equitably distribute housing units of different sizes (e.g., studio, one-bedroom, two-bedrooms, three-bedrooms) across all of D.C. In addition to affordable housing, we need to take a holistic approach and enhance access to public transportation, quality schools, affordable child care services, affordable grocery stores, hospitals and health care clinics, and diverse employment opportunities that pay a living wage near all homes in all neighborhoods.

PUTTA: Housing is one of the most critical issues to consider when thinking about the affordability and inclusivity of a city. As such, it has a direct impact on issues of racial and economic equity. A recent study explains how D.C.’s lack of affordable housing exacerbates the displacement of longtime low-income residents of color. As the study explains, where we live affects many other aspects of our lives: our quality of life; where our children are able to attend school; and what jobs and other opportunities are available for us as adults, as well as our children.

The Urban Institute recommends 374,000 new units of housing region-wide by 2030. I support more money for the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) but want to provide stronger oversight to ensure it results in as much quality housing as possible.

Recent audits show that less qualified projects are getting funded over more qualified projects and that the government (DHCD) is not enforcing the requirement that at least 80% of the funds are spent on affordable housing. The result is that far fewer units have been built than should have been built — especially for the lowest-income residents. As your councilmember, I would work hard to increase transparency through more regular audits to ensure developers are upholding their commitments. I would also advocate for DHCD to engage in proper monitoring of HPTF projects.

This includes making sure that site visits are executed and that sites are submitting their required annual certifications. I’ve conducted oversight as a commissioner on both sides of Ward 2 and have testified at over 20 agency oversight hearings at the D.C. Council! I care about agency oversight and I will be tough about pushing for the vital HPTF dollars to be used properly. I would also support many of Councilmember Silverman’s housing reform proposals — including a change to allow the Council to appoint two members of the D.C. Housing Authority’s board.

As a Ward 2 Council Member, I would take a holistic approach to any major changes in housing and the related community impacts—considering access to fresh food, affordable childcare, public transportation, and social services, to encourage diverse and accessible communities throughout Ward 2 and greater D.C.

PINTO: Washington, D.C., is facing a housing crisis and has experienced the highest intensity of gentrification of any city in the country. Single-family zoning has prevented density increases, which has caused a shortage of housing and skyrocketing rent and real estate prices.

However, one-size-fits-all zoning policies do not work. Our neighborhoods are all unique and therefore, face unique challenges. I strongly believe that density should be increased around public transportation and where infrastructure, such as grocery stores and pharmacies, already exists. This is the greenest solution and will not lead to increases in traffic and air pollution. I am also interested in zoning proposals that expand permitting for duplexes in residential neighborhoods, which already exist on a small scale. Duplexes increase density while preserving the cultural integrity of many of our historic neighborhoods. Affordable housing and historic and cultural value do not have to be mutually exclusive.

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HERNANDEZ: I believe we should ban single-family only zoning as has been done in other cities like Minneapolis.

As job growth has outpaced housing growth for decades now, we must work to ensure greater housing production in DC. This will make it easier to set aside additional housing for low and middle income residents and help prevent D.C. from growing increasingly unaffordable.

TODD: I support the Planned Unit Density (PUD) process as it allows the community to play an important role in neighborhood developments.

As with any process, there’s always room for improvement.

I believe the work being done to update the Comprehensive Plan will be a critical step in helping to address barriers clogging the current PUD process.

There has been unprecedented public engagement to make substantive changes that bring the existing plan into alignment with current pressures facing the District. Last year, the Council approved the Framework element of the Plan that would help elevate the importance of affordable housing and prioritize PUDs that increase planned housing numbers.

More importantly, the amendments support a “right to return” for existing residents, which is hugely important in ensuring neighbors aren’t pushed out of housing and unable to return for one reason or another, I also support a build first model which doubles down on our commitment to ensuring neighbors have access to high quality housing. I want to ensure that in addition to adding to our affordable housing stock, District residents are also able to remain in their communities, as well as take advantage of the benefits of new growth and opportunities throughout the city.

GRAY: I am eager to work with advocates, stakeholders and residents to generate legislative solutions for the challenges to affordable housing faced in the District of Columbia. The lack of affordable housing continues to be a growing concern for the District. The attempt to find long term solutions to this concern is no easy task, however, there are some tools available to the District and its residents to help increase the supply of affordable housing through current legislation and policies. As Mayor, in FY 2014, we began an annual investment of $100 million for affordable housing, with $287 million invested in the second year. Also, as Mayor, I introduced legislation to require that after the District reached 60 days cash-on-hand in its fund balance, 50% of additional surpluses would be dedicated annually to the Housing Production Trust Fund. As a result of this legislation, the Housing Production Trust Fund will receive an additional $161.8 million this year (this is prior to the losses incurred by the Coronavirus pandemic). This infusion of funds would go a long way towards increasing the production of affordable housing in the District. We must ensure that this historic level of investment in affordable housing is used effectively to create new units and to preserve the existing supply of affordable units through strategies such as the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. Rent control is a long-standing affordable housing tool that has been the subject of significant recent discussion and research. I support and co-introduced the bill to extend rent control in the District for 10 years. And, I have advocated for and funded additional affordable housing as Council Chair, Mayor, and as Ward 7 Councilmember. I am also aware of recommendations for changing rent control. I look

WARD 8

WARD 4

GR O S S M A N : I believe it’s time to legalize “gentle density” throughout D.C.– meaning that we should allow rowhouses and two to four-unit apartments in areas that are currently restricted to singlefamily homes. Here in Ward 2, many of our neighborhoods – such as Logan Circle – already feature a mix of rowhouses, twoto four-family homes, and small-scale apartment or condominium buildings on the same street.

Allowing small increases in density in areas of the District that are currently restricted to singlefamily zoning could have a major impact on our ability to meet our affordable housing goals. As the D.C. Policy Center has noted, rowhouses alone can provide thousands more housing units than singlefamily homes in just a single square mile.

Another key tool the Council should use to ensure development is better meeting the immediate needs of communities is the Comprehensive Plan, the “framework that guides future growth and development” in DC. I strongly support the amendment proposed by Councilmember Brianne Nadeau to make affordable housing, prevention of displacement, and the right of existing residents to return to new on-site units the explicit top priority in the Plan. Current regulations do not set priorities with respect to the list of potential public benefits for development projects, which range from affordable housing to “superior landscaping,” and do not include prevention of displacement whatsoever. As Ward 2’s councilmember, I would fight for this amendment to send an explicit and enforceable message to developers, courts, and agencies like the Zoning Commission that affordable housing and preventing displacement should be the most important objective in guiding development decisions and priorities in D.C. in the years to come.

WARD 7

ZONING & DENSITY F O R D : The DC Policy Center estimates that about 303,950 housing units are available to District residents.

Of these, 93,470 are singlefamily homes that make up 30% of the housing stock but a whopping 80% of the residential buildings. The remaining 23,900 buildings hold about 120,600 rental apartment units, 64,300 condominiums, and 28,600 co-op units. The region needs 115,000 additional homes above current projections by 2045, or about 25,600 total new units per year, to meet residents' needs. This is a tall order facing the District. In Ward 8 we can use blighted and vacant housing to create more housing, but I would revisit zoning restrictions and determine where we can place denser buildings to help keep housing affordable.

forward to receiving input from realtors, Ward 7 residents and other stakeholders and interested parties on any proposals that are or will come before the Council.

I also support building more housing in DC and support the Mayor’s goal to add 36,000 units of housing by 2025. This may require the use of height to create more density. In that regard, we need to have greater control over zoning decisions. When I was Mayor, I was promised by a ranking member of the House of Representatives that he would work to have that authority given to the District of Columbia.

In addition, an advisory council that I assembled to help facilitate economic development in Ward 7 consistent with the desires of residents worked hard to put forth amendments to the Future Land Use Map of the Comprehensive Plan.

The proposed amendments would help facilitate additional density in established corridors of Ward 7, creating more space for more affordable housing. Language included in the updated Framework Element of the Comprehensive Plan also prioritized the provision of affordable housing.

While in its powers, the Council is not able to engage in zoning, I was happy to support affordable housing through the Comprehensive Plan.

Finally, we must safeguard that affordable housing funds are allocated to development projects through a fair and competitive process. As Ward 7 Councilmember, I would also support a more ambitious target than 36,000 new housing units, assuming the resources are available post COVID-19.

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WARD 2

OTERS’ GUIDE

ZHANG: Addressing our homelessness crisis is my priority.

In my conversations with our residents experiencing homelessness, going to the shelters is a last resort. This may be for a number of reasons – do not feel safe, not clean (with bed bugs), cannot go with their partner if no children, and cannot go with their pets and service animals.

Housing first must be a priority. Residents experiencing homelessness should have timely access to stable housing, in addition to streamlined wraparound resources. This includes quality health care with mental and behavioral health services, substance abuse

2. Mayor Bowser has routinely invested more than $100 million in the city’s Housing Production Trust Fund. The District requires any multi-family housing development with 10 or more units to participate in the Inclusionary Zoning program, essentially enlisting the private market in helping to provide affordable housing. Yet there are approximately 40,000 people on the D.C. Housing Authority’s waiting list and more than 6,000 people experiencing homelessness. How would you bolster “housing first” programs and lower the cost of rent or homeownership tax burdens? recovery resources, and job training and employment opportunities that offer appropriate working hours (for example, a single working mother will need to be able to afford and find child care if she does not have employment opportunities that offer working times during school hours).

This is a long-term investment that requires continuous, coordinated case management.

Each case is different, and case management support will be needed for different periods of time.

HERNANDEZ: While the Housing Production Trust Fund is a great tool for the creation and preservation of affordable housing, it can’t keep up with the growing demand we have. In DC, much of our new affordable housing historically has come from Planned Unit Developments. There have, unfortunately, been issues with that process lately that I would like to resolve. Much of that is tied into the current discussions around the Comprehensive Plan.

KENNEDY: Public housing is critically important for those who aren’t being served by market rate housing, or even those who can be plausibly subsidized in market rate housing. That’s especially true for families, since an exceptionally small number of new housing units being built in this city are family-sized. That’s why it’s important that we make a commitment not just to overhaul the existing D.C. Housing Authority’s housing stock, most of which is in atrocious condition, but also increase the number of units in the overall public housing inventory.

Since the federal government has largely abandoned its traditional role in providing resources for public housing, we have to step up and do much of it on our own. That’s very difficult, but not impossible. I think that by providing a seed amount of local capital funding, we can leverage other sources and create more units via greater density on existing DCHA sites and opportunistically land-banking for future sites. We ought to embrace mixed-income models, and guarantee a meaningful right of return for existing tenants by following Build First principles.

Public housing has taken on a cultural stigma, but the fact of the matter is that it was created in the first place to address enormous urban housing shortages at various times in our country’s history. We are in such a crisis time now, and need to see investment in public housing as perhaps the only way we are going to meaningfully make a dent in housing affordability for those that are falling through the housing market at an accelerating rate.

Nonetheless, the vast majority of housing

is and probably always will be privately provided, so much of our housing policy should be rooted in how we can constructively influence and balance market dynamics. Part of the solution is addressed in the preceding question, but beyond that I will say as a tenant in a rent-controlled building that I do believe very strongly in enhancing rent control protections so that long-term tenants can afford to say in their homes.

We need to expand rent control on a rolling basis to buildings built after 1975, to arrest the decline in the number of units under rent control protection currently.

For homeowners, we have to provide relief so that the cost of property taxes is proportionate to people’s ability to pay. There are a lot of D.C. residents who purchased their homes decades ago for prices far less than what the homes would sell for today, and yet they or those in their family who inherited the properties are taxed as though they’re wealthy homeowners.

That’s why I support raising the maximum amount of the Schedule H property tax credit and increasing the income threshold beyond $55,000 to provide relief to those who spend more than a third of their income on housing costs (both homeowners and renters). This is a targeted way to provide property tax relief to those who need it most; it would also help prevent displacement and gentrification by reducing the financial pressure in many cases to sell.

PUTTA: I think it is imperative that we take action to increase the housing supply--especially affordable housing-by building new units and transition towards “housing first” programs..

A recent study by the Urban Institute recommends 374,000 new units of housing region-wide by 2030 to close the affordability gap and meet the market demands. So far, I’ve proposed the following solutions: Allow individual homeowners to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on their property. I have had experience and success advocating for ADUs in Ward 2. These ADUs of course have to pass inspection and be safe for tenants and would be subject to the rules/restrictions on short-term housing. But such changes could incentivize hundreds of homeowners to create affordable units.

Building more housing above retail spaces. There are several locations that could work. Just one example is the Safeway on Wisconsin Ave. It should have had housing built on it, and maybe it still can. Just a block away, another grocery store recently opened with housing above. Both are on a major transportation corridor. There

are many other such opportunities in Ward 2.

It is important that such developments have good access to existing transit or that more transportation options be made available to serve more people.

On DC-owned land in and near Ward 2, the District should consider building more affordable units.

As telecommuting, co-working, and gig-economy work rises, and traditional office space becomes underused, I would like to incentivize building affordable housing units in these spaces. Others have proposed using vacant office space in Ward 2 for affordable childcare. Both are important affordability priorities that can potentially both be served well and co-located in certain cases.

I would also support incrementally allowing more rowhouses and small apartment buildings near major transit corridors in Northwest DC, while simultaneously beefing up transit options and availability and reliability, including dedicated bus lanes — something I’ve been pushing for almost a decade.

EVANS: I have a long record of championing many tenant issues and have been endorsed numerous times by D.C. tenant organizations. In addition to enhancing existing programs, I have proposed legislation ensuring permanent supportive housing through Housing First.

D.C.’s rent control law needs to be renewed. We must not only improve but strengthen rent control, by closing loopholes and increasing the units covered by rent control.

I supported the “Permanent Rental Housing Act Protection Amendment,” which would have made rent control permanent throughout the District. I also supported the “Tenants Rights to Information Act,” which would force landlords to disclose the rent, rent ceiling, any pending or completed petitions; any rent surcharges and how often, if any, rent increases may be implemented.

I fully support legislation that would limit rent increases for hardship petitioners and co-introduced “Elderly and Disabled Tenant Rent Control Prevention Amendment Act” which supports rent control for seniors.

The preservation of affordable rental housing is critical. When that type of affordable housing goes offline, it is too rarely replaced. For this reason, support for the HPTF and tax credits is something I have championed at the Council. I believe both building, but more importantly preserving, affordable housing is one of the

key roles of the HPTF. There are buildings in Ward 2 and the city which have used the Fund to assist in tenant ownership of the building. That is why I created the funding mechanism for the HPTF. As the former Chair of the Committee on Finance and Revenue, I have a strong record of supporting tax incentives to create affordable housing throughout the District. I was instrumental in creating the Housing Strategy Task Force, which is designed to assess the quality and availability of housing for residents and workers at all income levels.

I also introduced legislation to create a “Community Impact Fund,” an offset program that provides support to the District’s social benefit programs and could be utilized by the District to provide new revenue sources for various projects such as affordable housing.

I have always said that our residents who have lived here during the bad times should be able to stay during the good times. As a result of the city’s success, many long-time residents of D.C. have been affected by the value of their home and taxes. I have consistently fought to keep the 10% cap on the assessment of primary residences so that D.C. residents can afford to stay in their home that they may have owned for many years.

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GROSSMAN: There are a number of ways we can make major progress.

We need to dedicate particular attention to extremely low income households – those who make about $32,000 or less a year for a family of four. The Council should press for substantially increased investments in the Local Rent Supplement Program and the Housing Production Trust Fund and enact more effective requirements for ensuring that units produced with Trust Fund dollars are affordable for low-income residents and families.

Moreover, preserving or rehabilitating existing affordable housing is one of the quickest and least expensive ways we can address our housing affordability crisis. We ought to enact reforms championed by the Reclaim Rent Control Coalition to close loopholes that exist in the current rent control law. Additionally, we should implement stronger oversight of all petitions for exemptions from rent control. In addition to rent control, I support strengthening the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) – and implementing the District Opportunity to Purchase Act (DOPA) where tenants are unable to exercise their TOPA rights – to help preserve D.C.’s deeply affordable housing stock.

We also must ensure that the strong tenant protection laws we have on the books are actually making a difference for tenants in their day-to-day lives.

Specifically, the Council should invest in additional housing inspectors and demand stronger oversight (and conduct stronger oversight itself) to ensure tenants have safe and livable units and are not unjustly evicted. This is an especially important priority for long-time residents who are at risk of displacement from their homes and communities as housing and other costs continue to increase.

Additionally, I believe that

remedying the deplorable state of our public housing that is literally making children, the elderly, and other residents sick should be our most urgent environmental justice priority in D.C. Where residents cannot feasibly remain in public housing in light of conditions that are beyond repair, alternative plans must directly address “the barriers and discrimination that DCHA voucher holders face when trying to rent in the District, as well as the barriers former public housing residents face when trying to return to the mixed-finance properties currently in DCHA’s portfolio,” as noted by the advocates referenced above. This includes prioritizing a “build first” approach to minimize or avoid temporary displacement and emphasizing projectbased vouchers or rental assistance that guarantees long-term affordability and stability. Moreover, such alternative plans must also recognize and accommodate not only “the years of harm endured by public housing residents who have been living in slum conditions,” but also the important support systems and communities that many public housing residents have developed over the years.

Finally, as discussed in more depth below, we must do more for the many Ward 2 residents experiencing homelessness – including by supporting a robust “housing first” approach with wraparound services, strengthening and expanding outreach teams and day services centers, and funding the Way Home Campaign’s proposals to end chronic homelessness once and for all.

This response was condensed to fit.

WARD 8

F i n a l l y, w h e n residents are able to access safe housing, we must ensure that they also have wrap around services to provide mental and physical health care, job assistance, and childcare.

The Department of Behavioral Health should also receive additional funding so that there can be a greater focus on giving people the tools they need to continue to live independently. Housing insecurity is deeply tied to many other social issues. When people do not receive holistic care, they continue to fall through the cracks.

WARD 7

PINTO: There is a lot of room for improvement in our housing programs.

Those struggling with housing insecurity should be given choice through the provision of housing vouchers.

This gives residents the power and freedom to decide where they want to live. The application and distribution process of vouchers must be streamlined so that recipients do not have to jump through unnecessary bureaucratic hoops to access financial assistance.

There also needs to be greater enforcement against source of income discrimination. This was an issue I worked on closely at the Office of the Attorney General. I understand that our laws are only as strong as their enforcement, so this will be an area I prioritize.

WARD 4

THE COST OF HOUSING TODD: I consider myself one of the strongest advocates for a housingfirst strategy, geared toward ensuring permanent, quality and safe housing for District residents. With my support on the DC Council, the District has made significant investments in affordable housing, but much of it is still in the pipeline. We have increased HPTF funds by $16 million for a total of $116 million in FY2020. Last year, Mayor Bowser put more of a focus on affordable housing than ever before and we are all supporting the efforts to expand not just a true expansion of housing options, but also permanent supportive housing.

FORD: First, I would strengthen rent control laws by voting to make voluntary agreements illegal. I would also support cap rent increases to match inflation. Ward 8 has no market rate housing at this point but it will soon come. When it does, I will advocate for developers who stand to make a certain profit margin on a particular project to increase the share of affordable units within market rate housing. I will also advocate for taking blighted and vacant housing to create more multi-family housing.

I will also work to increase the number of transitional housing units so families and individuals do not become homeless while waiting on permanent housing.

GRAY: I was happy to support efforts in the FY20 budget that made meaningful investments in Permanent Supportive Housing and Targeted Affordable Housing, street outreach and an expanded Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).

I am a proponent of affordable housing production as well as preservation, and I have also been a vocal proponent of workforce housing so that our professional public servants (e.g., teachers, firefighters, law enforcement) and other workers can afford to live in the District. In January of 2019, I introduced Bill 23-59, the First Responder Income Tax Exclusion Amendment Act. This bill would provide a significant additional financial incentive to all our public safety first responders to voluntarily live in the District of Columbia.

The legislation would offset the higher costs of living in the District by eliminating the requirement to pay local District of Columbia income taxes, for anyone employed by the District of Columbia as a member of the Fraternal Order of Police or IAFF Local 36. This legislation will ensure that more of our first responders will live in the communities they serve, and they will be living here to quickly help their neighbors in the event of a public safety emergency.

Acquisition assistance programs. There are potential gains to be realized by enhancing our existing home purchase assistance programs such as HPAP and EAHP. Rights protection and enforcement. With the real estate crisis around 2008, we have the benefit of hindsight to see how some lending institutions used discriminatory and predatory lending tactics to either create barriers to homeownership, or to lead to families having to forfeit homes they could not afford due to lopsided

financing arrangements.

Looking to how existing laws, regulations and enforcement could be enhanced will help ensure our real estate ecosystem is fair, reliable and accessible.

Taxes. We can enhance tax-based incentives for home ownership, such as the first-time homebuyer tax credit, mortgage deductions, and recordation tax reduction/abatement.

Targeted Demographics. We have the opportunity to focus homeownership assistance and new home production towards populations more prone to housing discrimination such as racial minorities, veterans, seniors, and LGBTQ+ community members.

Many residents who bought houses and stayed with the District during the city’s tough times are now retired and on fixed incomes. Repeatedly, I hear from senior residents who are most concerned about being able to afford housing in Ward 7 and are living on fixed incomes dealing with rising property taxes which make it difficult to afford other living expenses.

I introduced the Senior Citizen Tax Cap Transfer Act of 2019 and the Senior Citizen Real Property Tax Relief Amendment Act of 2019 to provide tax relief to seniors.

This crucial tax relief will allow Ward 7 seniors to continue to live independently in their own homes. It will ensure that those residents who endured the tough times the city faced aren’t forced to make tougher sacrifices on a fixed income and can remain in the District.

This response was condensed to fit.

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WARD 2

OTERS’ GUIDE

HERNANDEZ:The crisis had laid bare how so many of the inadequacies in our system affect everyone, not just the low-income. Our system of health insurance and issues with paid leave mean people who are sick often feel obligated to come to work to provide for their families. The expenses of testing early on in the spread and the cost of treatment further exemplify how much is wrong with our healthcare system.

Addressing systemic inequality is too complicated to cover in detail here. However, as a part of addressing our housing crisis, we need to increase supports and availability of affordable housing to tackle housing insecurity. We need better job training and placement programs and partnerships. We also need to ensure our education system is adapting to changing workplaces and helps places students in the best place to succeed, providing greater vocational and trades opportunities.

3. Chief Financial Officer Jeffery DeWitt projected a $722 million budget deficit due to the coronavirus response. How would you work to support people living in poverty in the FY2022 budget? What systemic challenges has the public health emergency highlighted and what are your short- and long-term ideas for solutions?

KENNEDY: You have to take the revenue that you have on-hand and work from there to prioritize services. Targeted revenue enhancements should be on the table, but can’t and won’t make up the full deficit – particularly since we are looking at a budget deficit over possibly several years. That being the case, we need to first prioritize spending in areas responsive to the ongoing public health emergency: the creation of a healthcare network east of the Anacostia River, the establishment of a strong testing & tracing program, etc.

We also need to prioritize our existing social safety net to the greatest extent possible, because the vulnerable are always the most at-risk whenever the economy experiences a downturn – and we haven’t experienced a downturn of anything like this in our history.

The other thing that we have to do is supplement the federal COVID-19 response, particularly in support of those who are either left out of federal relief altogether or those for whom federal programs are poorly designed to provide relief. We have to create the conditions necessary for small business recovery in the city, particularly in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Otherwise, we are looking at an enormous and possibly permanent loss in a large percentage of our tax revenue and tens of thousands of jobs that disproportionately are held by people of lower income levels. If we let our businesses fail and tax revenues that support our safety net sag, those who can least afford it will

PINTO: Systemic inequalities were already apparent in our city before the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the unemployment rate has skyrocketed and small businesses have shuttered. People of color and low income families have felt the financial and health effects of this crisis most intensely. Our COVID-19 relief plan must have short and long-term actions to ensure we recover from this crisis and are more resilient in the future. I encourage you to read my entire COVID-19 plan that includes relief and resiliency details. I understand that supporting the most vulnerable members of our community and caring for the long-term financial health of our city do not have to be mutually exclusive. Budget cuts will inevitably have to be made, but instead of instituting uniform cuts across the board, we need to be more strategic. This means that essential services for struggling residents should be fully funded, and in some cases, additional funding should be applied. For other programs that are nice-to-haves and not needed to get our city back on track, funding will have to be delayed until we are on more solid footing. It is crucial that we deal with this crisis responsibly now so it does not turn into a 15 or 20 year problem. With that being said, I will prioritize investments in our vulnerable populations who have been disproportionately affected by this crisis. My COVID-19 plan puts people first.

My COVID-19 Relief and Resiliency plan includes providing hotel vouchers and wrap around services for the homeless, increasing health care access, and supporting struggling small businesses. Poverty and inequality do not exist in silos. My plan recognizes that all of our agencies will need to work together to ensure no one is left behind.

GROSSMAN: I recently joined with D.C. Council At-Large candidate Ed Lazere, Ward 4 candidate Janeese Lewis George, and Ward 7 candidate Anthony Lorenzo Green to call for prioritizing the basic needs of D.C. residents and small businesses and protecting our most vulnerable, including those living in poverty, in the next budget.

Our leaders have a choice: they can choose to impose an austerity budget that would hurt those already suffering the most under the coronavirus pandemic, or they can invest in working families and build a more equitable economy in the long run. They can choose to reject the fiction that D.C. can’t afford programs and services, that we cannot help our neighbors in need, or that the road to recovery runs through trickle down tax breaks for those with the most well-connected lobbyists. None of that is true.

In fact, by ending ineffective corporate tax giveaways, utilizing a portion of the FY19 surplus and our rainy day reserves, and conducting vigorous oversight to pare back wasteful spending, we can close our budget shortfalls without making deep cuts

be the ones who pay the price.

What I think the pandemic has clearly exposed is larger societal disparities that require significant resources and attention.

A large number of poor residents and a disproportionate share of the District’s AfricanAmerican population, for instance, have been both exposed to the virus. Three-quarters of the people who have died of COVID-19 in the District have been African-American, despite the fact that African-Americans make up less than half of the population.

That does not occur by accident. People of color and those with lower paying jobs are significantly more likely to perhaps be “essential workers” and therefore more exposed to both the general public and transmission of the virus. Much of this can be traced to the original sin of racism in this country and the disparities that have been built upon and compounded over centuries. Therefore, investments in unraveling those disparities need to be centered as part of our government’s response. That’s why moving forward with the healthcare system I mentioned at the top is so important, as are other programs like Birth-to-Three and long-term investments in education that will help close our achievement gap and make upward mobility a possibility for more of our residents.

ZHANG: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to build a resilient infrastructure, with proactive policies and efficient processes. Our residents experiencing homelessness need timely access to stable housing in addition to streamlined wraparound services, our small business community needs timely financial relief without the burden of multiple application processes (even if the application is by itself not burdensome, small business owners are under incredible stress and may be working full-time while providing child care for their children), and all of our working residents should be paid a living wage and have access to paid sick leave. Every day, more unemployment claims are submitted, and we need an electronic system that can quickly process the claims so that residents can pay their rent and bills.

The reality is that there will be a long-term economic impact from COVID-19. With every passing day and month, it is becoming harder for residents and small business owners to pay their bills. D.C.has passed emergency legislation to support residents in paying their rent and mortgage, and now all rent is frozen and mortgage companies are required to offer payment deferrals up to 90 days. During this time, I believe we need to temporarily freeze rent and mortgage payments, especially for our most vulnerable residents, in conjunction with a relief fund for landlords, and assess and revise the real property tax for small businesses so that they can have financial relief.

D.C. was short changed $750 M in federal COVID-19 relief funding because it is not a state. This would have helped fund more test kits, hospital supplies, and relief for small businesses. We must continue to fight for D.C. Statehood, and we must provide fast relief so that we can work toward recovery.

to essential services and programs. I believe that what we truly can’t afford at this critical moment is to forgo investments in jobs, affordable housing, schools, child care and more.

In the near term, we need to take further action to support: residents experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity; frontline health care personnel; restaurant, retail, and other workers who have lost their jobs; grocery and delivery workers who have always been the backbones of our communities and are essential personnel in this crisis; educators who are quickly becoming experts in distance learning and trying to address inequitable access to online tools among students; and families and small businesses who will struggle to make upcoming rent and mortgage payments.

We also must address the health, economic, and racial disparities that have existed since long before COVID-19 shined an even brighter light on them. I believe it is more important than ever to ensure every D.C. resident can afford a place to live; has access to paid family, medical, and sick

leave and affordable health and child care; and benefits from real and proactive enforcement of wage and workplace protections. As Ward 2’s councilmember, those are the values and priorities that would guide my decisions when it comes to the District’s budget.

The District is at an inflection point.

With black and brown communities bearing the brunt of deaths and job loss from the coronavirus crisis, D.C.’s leaders must ensure the next budget reflects our D.C. values to lift up and protect those most in need. We must not hurt communities further through severe budget cuts to public services.

Protecting D.C. residents is not only the right thing to do, it’s also the best path toward rebuilding our communities, making our economy stronger than ever, and addressing the inequities in housing, health care, education, and transportation that have only grown starker as a result of this crisis.

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PUTTA: I and my colleagues in D.C. have been talking about health disparities for over a decade.

I have over 15 years of public health experience and six years working for D.C. making President Obama’s health care law a success. I have helped D.C. Health Link implement Obamacare from the start and helped cut the uninsured rate in D.C. to the 2nd lowest in the nation (3.8%).

I am very proud to be endorsed by Dr. Vivek Murthy, President Obama’s US Surgeon General and a national public health leader. Dr. Murthy lives in Ward 2. “As a long-time Ward 2 resident, I am proud to endorse Kishan Putta to be our next councilmember. Kishan is a progressive leader who fights for the rights of the vulnerable in our city and gets things done. He doesn’t just talk about change — he makes it happen…

Kishan and I share a passion for improving public

health. As a community and small business liaison for D.C. Health Link, he helped thousands of residents and small businesses. Kishan cares so much about keeping D.C. healthy. He has the experience to help D.C. get through this health and economic crisis.”

NOTE: a new COVID-19 testing site just opened in my ANC district and I am working to ensure all data gets reported accurately. My campaign has also convened a Coronavirus Advisory Team of top medical and public health leaders in D.C. and Ward 2.

We need more testing and contact tracing ASAP and then once cases decline, we can reopen slowly and carefully.

EVANS: The District is facing a two-front crisis.

At one front, a health crisis that has the potential to cripple the city’s health system with thousands sick and hundreds dead. At the other front, a financial crisis that can set the city back decades.

The challenges facing the health system are immediate and enormous. The challenges threatening the District’s economic footing are equally immediate and enormous. Just as we want people to be healthy and safe, we also want people to have a job when this crisis is over where they can support themselves and their family. As a city we will all face tough decisions over at least the next two to five years and the wellbeing of every person is at stake.

To put this looming threat into perspective, we have to look at where the city collects funds, how it spends these funds, and when we replenish our reserves.

The Coronavirus crisis will create at least a $1 billion shortfall between now and the end of the fiscal year on September 30th. Of the taxes collected, the city will lose nearly $700 million in sales taxes this year alone. We will also lose another $300 million from property taxes and income taxes.

The District collected $8.2 billion in taxes last year. Of this, $2.9 billion was collected from income

tax, $2.8 billion from property tax, and $1.7 billion from sales tax. Of the collected taxes, the city spends roughly 25% on human services ($2.2 billion), 25% on education ($2.3 billion), and 15% on public safety ($1.3 billion). Another 12% ($1.1 billion) is spent on debt service. All of this accounts for about 80% to the District’s budget.

City officials should start planning now. The FY2021 budget must be at least $1 billion less than our current budget, and that may be a bestcase scenario. Any reductions in spending will be difficult, painful, and absolutely necessary to balance our budget.

District leaders need to go back to the drawing board on the FY 2021 budget and draft it like they are preparing for the worst to happen. They will need to start with the FY2020 as a baseline and reduce spending by approximately $1 billion.

Raising taxes to attempt to cover the $1 billion loss in this environment would be a real mistake and make life only more difficult for residents trying to make ends meet. We could be reeling from the effects of this pandemic for months instead of weeks and still not fully recover for years.

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TODD: I have helped drive the DC Council’s emergency relief COVID-19 efforts that have included measures to: • Halt rent increases during the ongoing public health emergency and 30 days after it ends • Require landlords to agree to rent repayment plans for eligible tenants facing financial hardship during the pandemic • Require any property owner who gets a payment deferral to pass the savings to tenants • Halt evictions and power shut-offs under earlier relief legislation The long-term economic impact is still unknown but is expected to take several years for a full recovery. It will be more important than ever to make sure our social safety net is fully in place and funded to support our most vulnerable populations. Working families have been hit hardest because of so many businesses being shuttered. I am committed to making sure we get businesses reopened, people back to work, and the most hard hit populations do not fall through the cracks.

GRAY: The public health emergency and the underlying coronavirus infections have laid bare the systemic and structural food access, health, health care system and education opportunity disparities that have long existed in the District. The pandemic has also exposed how vulnerable our residents in congregate settings are, including those in shelters. Since before the pandemic, I have been very active trying to address these disparities, through increasing funding for education, funding affordable housing and homeless services, proposing legislation to bring full service grocery stores and healthy food to the East End of the District, and trying to bring a new hospital and a comprehensive health care system to the East End. Since the pandemic began, I have been advocating for testing for those who are in congregate settings and I have

WARD 8

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SAFETY NET & RECOVERY

FORD: COVID19 has directed a spotlight on the economic and health disparities already facing Black DC residents.

Wards 7 and 8 have the least grocery stores than any other Ward and neither has a full-service hospital although both wards have the highest cases of nutrition-related illnesses and diseases. Residents of Wards 7 and 8 also face social determinants of health that exacerbate our issues: lack of health food options; lack of access to green space, and economic instability to name a few.

been engaged in formal discussions about reopening the District in ways that are equitable and inclusive as well as regularly solicited and received the feedback from the Ward 7 community. I will continue to advocate for the same in the upcoming budget process. Due to revenue losses, District faces a situation unlike anything we have faced in recent budget history wherein important priorities, such as providing support for people living in poverty, will likely have to compete with other worthwhile priorities. I will support funding of efforts to address disparities and vulnerabilities; I am also cognizant of how difficult it may be to fund those efforts at the desired and deserved levels.

The first thing we need to do is to create an emergency task force to support people in poverty. The primary focus areas will include: 1. Housing: Increasing the number of temporary housing options, long-term housing options, affordable housing, and assisted living options for DC residents. We also must get people in housing as soon as possible. There have been major delays with people with housing vouchers and other programs.

We must work to quickly reduce the wait time of programs.

2. Food Security/Nutrition: For the short term, we must work in partnership with government and non-profit programs to make sure individuals, families, and children have access to quality nutritious food throughout the ward.

Long-term goals include bringing more quality grocery stores to Ward 8 so that there is competition which will drive costs down.

3. Healthcare: DC healthcare for residents that need public assistance is better than many other states, but we need to continue to improve. In the short term, we must market DC Medicaid to families that are not insured or are losing insurance due to job loss. As a long-term goal, I would advocate for a full-service hospital to serve Wards 7 & 8.

The secondary areas for the task force will include: 1. Job Security: Workforce development is key in the fight to break generational poverty. We must increase workforce development programs for returning citizens, single parents, and D.C. residents who lack opportunities.

2. Transportation: Transportation is big issue in Ward 8. Councilmember Allen’s recent legislation of subsidizing SmartTrip cards is a great start and I would support his legislation if I were elected Ward 8 Councilmember.

3. Childcare: DC ranks number one in the most expensive childcare cost. For infant childcare it costs $24,243 a year. We need to create more programs that support families in poverty, homeless families, and individuals facing financial uncertainty with professional childcare options at little to no cost.

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OTERS’ GUIDE PUTTA: I have a strong record of standing up and fighting for the rights of marginalized communities -- racial, LGBTQ+, ethnic, religious, and others. For example, as part of the D.C. Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Affairs, I helped lead the charge for better cultural competency training and hate crimes awareness in the MPD and the city government. To that end, I support legislation that helps protect minorities from any further systemic discrimination, including the REAR Act. Much like Environmental Impact Statements—tools that have been used to evaluate the environmental impact of proposed policies, and implemented pursuant to the passage of the National Environmental Protection Act in 1970— Racial Equity Impact Assessments (REIAs) are valuable tools that help examine how a proposed action may affect marginalized communities. REIAs can greatly aid the thinking and decisions of policymakers in understanding whether an action would further exacerbate or assuage the effects of institutional racism.

But to best implement REIAs, our city must learn from others who have already been successful in doing so. Seattle, for example, serves as a national model for using racial equity tools to interrupt entrenched systems of racial supremacy.

As noted by the Racial Equity Alliance, in 2009, Seattle’s City Council passed a resolution directing all departments to use a “Racial Equity Toolkit,” a resolution further reaffirmed in 2014 by the city’s mayor. The toolkit requires participants to take six steps: set outcomes; involve stakeholders; determine benefits and burdens; develop strategies that advance opportunity or minimize harm; evaluate HERNANDEZ: I will be a strong advocate fo r these policies.

While I’m doing well now, I was raised by a single mom with three kids with a dad who most of the time didn’t pay child support. I grew up in a working-class neighborhood and attended a primarily low-income school. I’m deeply familiar with the impact of these decisions and know what happens when we don’t invest in communities. That perspective will always be at the forefront for me on the council.

4. 80% of people experiencing homelessness in our region are people of color. The D.C. Commission on African American Affairs found that the median annual income in D.C. for white families is $120,000 while it is $41,000 for African American families. How would you push the city to apply an equity lens to all policy decisions, especially to strengthen education, wages, and housing?

impacts on communities of color and continue to communicate with stakeholders; report back information learned to the relevant leadership authority.

And in Seattle, implementing REIAs have led to concrete benefits: since their implementation, the city has tripled the share of its contracting dollars going towards women- and minority-owned businesses, and has mandated interpretation and translation services to help non-English-speaking residents meaningfully participate in civic life. D.C. must learn from cities like Seattle and become another national leader in actively using racial equity metrics like REIAs to carefully measure and think about the effect new policy measures can have on marginalized populations.

In DC, REIAs can be used just as they were in Seattle, and even more expansively: to better think about how government contracting funds are apportioned; to think about where affordable housing is best suited to reach those who need it; and to understand how transportation can be expanded to make the city accessible to everyone. REIAs can also be used to help evaluate whether the city is adequately providing language access services to those who need them. In my six years at D.C. Health Link, we prioritized language access by making sure our call centers had interpreters available and made sure our important website marketplace was translated in several languages. Other agencies need to do that too, and REIAs are a great tool that would help them better understand how to do so.

GROSSMAN: I strongly support the Racial Equity Achieves Results (REAR) Amendment Act, which would require the District to examine racial equity considerations in all budgeting decisions and performance metrics.

As the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute has noted, “decades of systemic racism ... are still evident today in our affordable housing challenges, income disparities, distressing educational differences, and health outcomes.” The Racial Equity Impact Assessments (REIAs) required by the REAR Act could be particularly helpful in addressing structural racial inequities that result from laws or policies that appear neutral on their face but actually disparately disadvantage people of color – especially at a time when the Supreme Court and the Trump Administration are seeking to undermine or destroy such race-conscious policy approaches at the federal level.

In particular, REIAs could be a key tool for providing support for pressing the Department of Housing and Community Development to prioritize compliance with the Fair Housing Act and the principles of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule— an Obama-era effort to address residential segregation and the inequitable distribution of housing that the Trump Administration has repeatedly attempted to undermine.

REIAs could also provide support for setting specific and enforceable targets for each ward for affordable housing efforts, including requiring minimum ward-based thresholds for Housing Production Trust Fund dollars, to address the clearly inequitable distribution of affordable housing across the District.

Moreover, REIAs could help us ensure that we produce urgently needed housing in D.C. in a way that prevents displacement of longtime residents, especially at a time when our city is experiencing “the greatest ‘intensity of gentrification’ of any in the country.”

EVANS: All my life, I have pushed legislation aimed at combating discrimination and fighting for social justice.

That is why I voted for the “Immigration Detainer Compliance Act”, which ensures the protection of our residents from the Federal government’s Secure Communities program which mandates fingerprints and detainment regulations that unfairly target immigrants.

Accountability is essential. I will tackle these issues head-on by implementing strict and strenuous oversight and demand transparency of each D.C. government department and agency. It is imperative to have a government that is more effective and efficient.

I will work with all appropriate city agencies to ensure our schools are performing at their peak. I believe that our public schools represent our city’s commitment to helping all children dream their dreams and achieve them. A high-quality public education for all children is an economic necessity, an anchor of democracy, a moral imperative and fundamental civil right, without which none of our rights can be realized fully. As part of this commitment to our public schools, the government should uphold, enact, and fund policies that fulfill our collective obligations to help all children succeed.

I will ensure that all relevant D.C. government departments and agencies, such as the Department of Employment Services are using best practices to deliver resources efficiently and effectively. That

REIAs should be used in a wide variety of areas beyond housing as well. For instance, D.C. implemented a rule in 2011 requiring participants in the Healthcare Alliance program, which primarily serves immigrants who cannot otherwise obtain health care coverage, “to visit a D.C. social service center every six months to maintain their eligibility, rather than an annual recertification process that most D.C. benefit programs have.” When I oversaw a division of the District’s Medicaid agency, I saw firsthand how this rule harms many Latinx residents in particular, as Alliance participants often must miss work and wait for hours on end to meet with a caseworker to avoid losing their health insurance.

REIAs could provide further support for efforts to fund “legislation to eliminate this unequal treatment in the Alliance” program.

REIAs should also be considered in education decisions, including examining why “Black students in D.C. charters and traditional public schools are 11.7 times more likely than white students to be disciplined” and whether to reform the current enrollment-based formula that can result in inequitable school budgets.

Additionally, “transportation policies have far-reaching impacts and yet historically have severely disadvantaged some groups of people in our city and region over others.”

REIAs could help D.C. government identify and avoid transportation proposals that would “disproportionately hamper D.C.’s poorest and Blackest communities,” such as reductions in bus and rail service east of the Anacostia River or less frequent or reliable bus or rail service where it’s needed most.

includes ensuring the citizens and workforce of the District of Columbia receive and are informed immediately of all existing and approved legislation affecting their employee rights and benefits, job training, and If needed, their unemployment insurance benefits. Working families are residents of our city, and members of our workforce.

Throughout my tenure on the Council, I have been proud to receive the endorsements of various labor unions and employee organizations. I have worked very closely with those groups to achieve the goals of working people: negotiated contracts with their employers to determine the terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, job health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family, and more.

While I have fixed many inequities within our tax system, I know there are many more challenges still needing to be addressed. That said, I also know our tax structure was recently recognized as one of the nation’s most progressive, so I take that as confirmation we are moving in the right direction but have more to be done.

As stated earlier, I have a long record of championing many tenant issues and have been endorsed numerous times by D.C. tenant organizations.

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P I N TO: Ye s , a b s o l u t e l y. I a m proud to include this reform in my COVID-19 Relief and Recovery plan. You can read my full plan at brookepintoforward2.com/vision.

Racial inequalities are tied to every issue in our city. If we are serious about addressing gentrification and racial inequity, the Council must be intentional when considering every piece of legislation. Laws with intended and unintended racial consequences have been passed in our city. The requirement of an equity and racial analysis for new legislation is a common sense and impactful reform.

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KENNEDY: I think that legislation which Councilmember McDuffie introduced, the “Racial Equity Achieves Results Act,” is one important way to start because that will at least force a racial equity analysis to be provided as part of pending pieces of legislation and official actions.

The concept of “disparate impact” is not well understood; policies that have seemingly neutral or benign intent can, in practice, have significant and disproportionate negative impacts on racial minorities or other disadvantaged groups. Of course, the vast majority of people in this country (and certainly this city) are against policies that have explicit, racially discriminatory intent…but what we often need to be challenged on are the policies that have just as great a discriminatory impact, regardless of intent.

When I worked at the WMATA, I researched and conducted a survey of how transit agencies across the United States interpreted and compiled with Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act…in particular, how they designed public participation processes and analyzed proposed actions based on a test of whether they had a disparate impact or not. I think applying that same degree of analytical rigor across our government would be welcome.

It won’t be a panacea, but forcing the conversation and having people even just think about issues differently, with a more holistic perspective, can have a profound impact on where their sensitivities lie.

TODD: Last year, I co-introduced the Racial Equity Achieves Results Amendment Act of 2019 and my committee held a hearing on the bill. Public testimony highlighted the need for dedicated efforts to ensure policy decisions are evaluated through an equity lens to create fair access to opportunity. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee was finalizing the bill and was prepared to move the bill out of Committee in March to be voted on by the full Council. I’m committed to pick this bill back up once the Council is working at full capacity again and will move the legislation forward.

GRAY: The public health emergency and the underlying coronavirus infections have laid bare the systemic and structural food access, health, health care system and education opportunity disparities that have long existed in the District. The pandemic has also exposed how vulnerable our residents in congregate settings are, including those in shelters.

Since before the pandemic, I have been very active trying to address these disparities, through increasing funding for education, funding affordable housing and homeless services, proposing legislation to bring full service grocery stores and healthy food to the East End of the District, and trying to bring a new hospital and a comprehensive health care system to the East End. Since the pandemic began, I have been advocating for testing for those who are in congregate settings and I have been engaged

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ZHANG: The zip code one is born in should not be the primary factor in determining one’s ability to live a healthy life, and ability to succeed. I strongly believe everyone should have – and I will fight for — equitable access to opportunities.

This means prioritizing a holistic approach in all neighborhoods, and making sure all residents have access to affordable housing, and access to efficient public transportation, quality schools, affordable child care services, affordable grocery stores, hospitals and health care clinics, and diverse employment opportunities that pay a living wage within a reasonable distance of their homes.

If we do not have this, we will not stop this cycle of closed opportunities to our most vulnerable communities, and we will continue to see disparities across the board.

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SYSTEMIC RACISM in formal discussions about reopening the District in ways that are equitable and inclusive as well as regularly solicited and received the feedback from the Ward 7 community. I will continue to advocate for the same in the upcoming budget process. Due to revenue losses, District faces a situation unlike anything we have faced in recent budget history wherein important priorities, such as providing support for people living in poverty, will likely have to compete with other worthwhile priorities. I will support funding of efforts to address disparities and vulnerabilities; I am also cognizant of how difficult it may be to fund those efforts at the desired and deserved levels.

FORD: The D.C. Council needs to use a racial equity metric when creating legislation and making budget decisions related to schools, jobs and housing so that it can examine the impact that certain legislation and budget decisions will have on Black residents and all residents of color.

Education: I believe that every child should have the same access to a high-quality education regardless as to where they live, the color of their skin, who their parents are, or how much money their parents make. I will advocate for equitable funding for education and infrastructure; for creating safe, nurturing and supportive school environments which ensure that our children have meals available in and out of school so they are not hungry; and fully supporting our educators with pay and trauma-informed tools they need in the classroom for success and creating a thriving learning environment.

Wages: Ward 8 needs workforce development programs that combine mental health/cognitive behavioral therapy with job training so that our residents can hold down the jobs once they get them. This will create sustainable streams of income that will allow them to break free from the enslavement of poverty.

Housing: Housing and especially affordable housing in D.C. is one of my top priorities. Ward 8 is the last frontier for economic development in the city and our residents are concerned about being displaced as the development evolves. It is equally problematic that we don’t have enough workforce housing so that our residents can focus on career development without the fear of being homeless. That said, DC government should increase the goal of 12,000 to 18,000 affordable housing units out of the 36,000 new units. In addition, I support: • • • •

18,000 new affordable housing units by 2022 Using vacant schools to create more workforce housing for our returning citizens Developing a task force to develop solutions for economic displacement Creating housing for target groups including seniors, artists, teachers and social workers who are serving our residents • Strengthening the Rental Housing Act by making voluntary agreements illegal.

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OTERS’ GUIDE

KENNEDY: We need more housing providers who are willing to accept vouchers, and who are willing to be constructive actors in terms of setting people up in environments where they can create a stable life and succeed. Many of the negative stories that have come out in the last year or two, in particular (e.g., Sedgwick Gardens) have come about because there are so few providers willing to rent to voucher recipients. To a degree, we need to do a better job of enforcing existing laws (particularly when providers are saying, explicitly and illegally, that they won’t accept voucher recipients).

The practical reality is that some of this is difficult to enforce, and so I think the much quicker and more effective way to house people more quickly is for political and government leaders to work affirmatively and proactively to try and build relationships with those who can be part of the solution.

I think another thing that we have to do is vastly improve our shelter system.

The mayor made a very commendable commitment and investment in closing the D.C. General shelter, and the Council’s action on her plan resulted in the establishment of eight new family shelters throughout the city. That has led to a steep (about 40%) reduction in family homelessness. We need to make a similar commitment to reducing homelessness among single and childless adults.

The most urgent need in that category is improving shelters. Talking to people experiencing homelessness on the streets, most are there because they perceive the District’s shelter system to be unsafe, inhospitable, or otherwise not suited to their needs. Many have barriers and rules

5. An average of 50 homeless D.C. residents have died without a home each year since 2014, with at least 117 dying last year. Many have been identified as receiving a housing voucher but dying before they could use it.

What specific steps would you take to house the most vulnerable people sooner, prevent people from ending up on the street in the first place, and deliver quality health care to people experiencing homelessness?

that are difficult for someone trying to get their life back together to meet, most are quite large, and a number of shelters aren’t co-ed or pet-friendly.

By investing in our shelter system to create smaller facilities, ones that affirm individuals’ privacy and dignity, and more that don’t kick people out during the daytime…I think that we will find that many currently living on the streets will avail themselves of a better option. We also ought to triage resources especially to those with substance abuse or mental health challenges who might not be a good fit, either for themselves or others, in large, congregate shelter settings.

Finally, as health care is concerned, the District needs to build out a more robust network of community clinics and support health care providers who specialize in preventative care and treating the less fortunate. The District has attempted to “exit the hospital business” for the last 20 years since D.C. General closed, unsuccessfully.

The current plan to create a new medical center at St. Elizabeths and a network of community clinics in Wards 7 and 8 might finally give us a plausible way to do that, but we have to understand that the public does have an ongoing role to play in subsidizing healthcare through the Alliance, Medicaid, and just as much by investing in nutritional programs, treatment services, and other forms of care that serve the less fortunate.

EVANS: There is also much to be said about homelessness prevention. Emergency Assistance is part of that equation, as well as intervening as we can in preventing home foreclosures.

As cited earlier, in addition to enhancing existing programs, I have proposed legislation ensuring permanent supportive housing through Housing First.

The “DC Homelessness Services Reform Act,” implements policies to help families in need of housing. I believe in its goal of preventing families from becoming homeless, moving families out of shelters and into housing quickly as possible.

I’ve worked with stakeholders such as Washington Interfaith Network, DCAYA, The Way Home and Good Faith Communities Coalition, to develop a fully funded platform to end chronic homelessness. I worked to establish the Interagency Council on homelessness to coordinate with organizations to identify, track, and offer solutions to end homelessness among populations hit hardest, including veterans.

I also passed the “Returning Veteran’s Tax Credit,” which encourages businesses to hire veterans and championed funding to local organizations housing homeless veterans through the “Southeast Veteran’s Access Housing.”

Although it is estimated roughly 10% of the population identifies as LGBTQIA, identifying members account for 30% of youth receiving homeless services. That is why I co-sponsored the “LGBTQ Homeless Youth Reform Act,” to develop policies to reduce the rate of homelessness within this community.

PINTO: DC has the highest rate of homelessness per capita in the country. This is shameful not only because it is morally wrong, but also because it is a public health crisis. I previously served as a fellow with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless and saw that many of our city’s housing programs allowed people to slip through the cracks and did not provide people with crucial wrap around services. I am a strong supporter of Housing First policies and will work to ensure we provide those suffering from housing insecurity with physical and mental healthcare, job services, and childcare. In addition, our government housing programs and nonprofits do not always communicate effectively.

This has caused the system to become difficult for residents to navigate and access services. When there is better communication, we can identify where there are duplicated efforts and how we can more effectively address housing challenges.

GROSSMAN: I believe we must do much more for the many Ward 2 residents experiencing homelessness – including treating them as our neighbors, not as a nuisance. Our current COVID-19 public health crisis makes it clearer than ever how vital it is for every single resident has a safe place to live. I support a robust “housing first” approach with wraparound services and strengthening and expanding outreach teams and day services centers in order to house the most vulnerable people as soon as possible. Moreover, as the Way Home Campaign has pointed out, it “costs less money for the District to end chronic homelessness than it does to manage it.” We ought to fund the Campaign’s proposals to end chronic homelessness once and for all.

Ultimately, the best solution to homelessness is affordable housing – and preventing residents from experiencing homelessness in the first place. I support the Fair Budget Coalition’s recommendations to increase funding for Project Reconnect and the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, programs that help residents near or newly experiencing homelessness with family reunification or financial assistance for rent or security deposit costs. Additionally, the District has some of the strongest housing protections in the country on the books, but they are not a reality for many tenants in their day-to-day lives. For example, despite the fact that D.C. law prohibits discrimination against tenants who rely on housing vouchers, enforcement has been so sporadic that some landlords literally advertise in writing that they do just that. The recent tragic deaths of two D.C. residents, including a child, in a fire also make the urgency of stronger oversight and accountability regarding tenant protections heartbreakingly clear. According to a Washington Post investigation “of the city’s handling of the code violations at the property ... virtually every relevant regulatory mechanism of the city government appears to have failed” these two victims, who lived in “life-threatening housing conditions.” This is absolutely unacceptable and, if elected, proactive and persistent oversight of these kinds of housing programs, laws, and protections will be one of my top priorities. Additionally, if voucher programs and similar laws are not being carried out as intended, I believe the Council should ask the D.C. Auditor or other reviewing bodies should provide specific recommendations to the Council for how to make sure they do. Passing these kinds of laws and protections is just the beginning: we must make sure they are actually helping people access and stay in safe and affordable housing.

HERNANDEZ: For some of these residents, we not only need to provide a voucher, but we need to aid in securing a residence. Also, if we’re able to produce more housing in DC, it will be easier to provide permanent supportive as well as transitional housing to help people get back on their feet and get any needed treatment.

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PUTTA: I support fully funding the plan to end homelessness and filling the funding gap from the previous four fiscal years. The Council and the Mayor need to increase investments in the Permanent Supportive Housing and Targeted Affordable Housing programs. Funding for the Mayor’s plan needs to come from a variety of sources in order for it to be a sustainable investment. First, I support funding programs to end homelessness with at least a $40 million investment in the city budget. To do this, I support using government revenue sources such as those from taxes on online purchases to help fund the plan. Finally, I would also explore how we can work with partners outside of the government to encourage private investment to end homelessness. However, we will only eliminate homelessness in D.C. if increased funding is paired with effective policy solutions.

We first need to increase the supply of affordable and supportive housing. I believe that Mayor Bowser’s Homeward D.C. program is a step in the right direction. However, there are still about 7,000 individuals experiencing homelessness in DC. I believe we need to continue moving forward with this plan in full force. At the same time, I would like organizations to follow the Housing First approach and have proudly supported organizations like Pathways to Housing. Our homeless neighbors need housing first AND supportive services so they have the support to slowly, steadily move forward — with steady support along the way. Getting people housed is only half the battle; staying in stable, long-term housing and gaining confidence to take control of one’s life is the other half.

Lastly, working together with other councilmembers is critical to long-term success. Homeslessness is not limited to Ward 2; it is pervasive across all wards of DC. I will work with other council members across all eight wards to combat homelessness and make sure needs are being met in shelter and transitional housing settings.

This also means working across public and private sector partners to ensure that individuals are getting mental and physical health support.

Importantly, change won’t happen without proper outreach. Creating these services and channeling funding into transitional homes is important, but we also need to make sure these services are accessible to people who are homeless. Making sure our communication is targeted and coordinated will be critical to combating homelessness.

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ZHANG: We need to take a housing first policy, in addition to providing streamlined wraparound services. This includes quality health care with mental and behavioral health services, substance abuse recovery resources, and job training and employment opportunities that offer appropriate working hours.

I would assess the current housing voucher request process, and review the identification and paperwork that is required. It’s already difficult enough for our residents experiencing homelessness to be able to access resources – they may not have their ID and other paperwork because their encampment was swept.

A case manager should be available to coordinate continuous support.

If and when a case manager leaves, their responsibilities – especially those currently in motion – should be comprehensively relayed to the new case manager. Additionally, we need to provide the appropriate resources to our case managers so that they have what is needed to support our residents experiencing homelessness.

Case management should also include making sure residents experiencing homelessness have efficient access to quality health care and a primary care provider and their care team, who can be the central point-of-contact in working with the case manager to coordinate specific specialty care and mental and behavioral health services. Ultimately, our residents experiencing homelessness should know who they can easily turn to and reach when they need support.

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HEALTH & MORTALITY TODD: The tragedy of these deaths of our homeless neighbors is something that cannot be overlooked and is unacceptable. Chronic homelessness is a complex issue that the District has been dealing with for decades. Our efforts to offer supporting housing for this population is critical, which is why I’ve supported our Homeward DC policy platform. Housing alone is not the solution, but a huge part of the puzzle. Addressing mental health issues, especially for our veteran community is so important.

The District has decreased the number of homeless veterans by 27% in the last five years and I look forward to continuing taking steps to continue that trend.

I was honored to cut the ribbon at The Beacon Center, a mixed-use development in Ward Four’s Brightwood community that includes 99 affordable housing units for nearly 300 people, including veterans, seniors and those transitioning from homelessness. In addition to housing, the project includes a broad array of health, employment, and other support services to support the District’s low- to moderate-income residents.

The project’s aim was not to serve as a “one-off” project, but rather as a model for how wrap-around affordable housing/health care/employment opportunity and related services ought to be provided across our Ward and District-wide.

GRAY: As indicated earlier, the attempt to find long term solutions to the District’s affordable housing concerns is no easy task, however, there are some tools available to the District and its residents to help increase the supply of affordable housing through current legislation and policies.

For instance, the District’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act can be an important tool for preserving affordable housing in the District.

According to the Department of Housing and Community Development, since 2016 D.C. tenants have exercised their rights as part of two dozen deals to preserve affordable housing.

In addition, investing in Opportunity Zones can provide preferential tax treatment to those that invest in geographic areas that have been identified as low-income census tracts.

The District should also increase funding for the emergency rental assistance program (ERAP) to help families avoid homelessness. By

providing temporary assistance in times of need, the program is a lifeline to many vulnerable families and residents. Every year this program spends its entire budget, and it could benefit from additional funds.

ERAP enables the District to provide short-term assistance to keep a person or family from falling into homelessness. With all too many families living paycheck-to-paycheck, even a two-week gap in employment can put a family at risk of not being able to pay the monthly rent.

ERAP fills those small gaps that could otherwise force a self-sufficient family or individual into the District’s shelter system. Given the losses people will endure due to Coronavirus, many could face even greater challenges, particularly with increased joblessness.

FORD: As a civil rights attorney this is a major issue for me and I have clients that have experienced issues related to homelessness after losing a job or returning home from prison. I am currently assisting a family who recently lost their loved one in a homeless shelter. Sadly, when they made contact with certain members of the Council, no progress was made. We must do better and as the Ward 8 City Council Member I will make sure we do better. My priority is to decrease the deaths of the homeless population by doing the following: 1. Make sure homeless shelters are safer and all deaths of residents are properly investigated.

2. Advocate for DC communities to be more inclusive to transitional housing facilities being placed in their neighborhoods so that resources are fairly allocated throughout the city.

3. Utilize vacant housing, dorms and hotels to create temporary housing for homeless individuals/families, while they wait to use their housing voucher.

4. Work with government agencies and community based non-profits to better market their services that can prevent options before individuals/families become homeless and support families out of homelessness.

5. Create more workforce housing.

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OPINION

The section aims to foster healthy debate about critical issues affecting vulnerable communities in the District. We have an open submission policy and welcome diverse voices from across our region, regardless of your housing status. Whether you’re responding to something we’ve published or putting forth a new argument, send your thoughts to opinion@streetsensemedia.org.

PHOTO: An artist painting store fronts on 14th Street NW on April 15. This photo essay of D.C. during the pandemic, seen on each section’s title page, was taken by Photojournalist Benjamin Burgess. The full series is available here.

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OPINION

A Call to Action: Establish DC’s first safe-consumption space

BY SHANE SULLIVAN

In 2018, D.C. reported 213 opioid-related overdose deaths, or 30.3 per 100,000 people.

Overdose fatalities ended the lives of over 70,000 Americans nationally, at a rate that is accurately described as a crisis — 14.6 per 100,000 people — but that is less than half of the District’s. Through testing of drug samples

by Ward, the harm-reduction nonprofit HIPS estimates that over 90% of the street heroin supply in D.C. contains fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl has been involved in the majority of overdose fatalities within the past few years.

Last December, in response to widespread criticism for political inaction, Mayor Bowser announced the “LIVE. LONG. D.C.” plan with multiple goals, including reducing “opioidrelated deaths by 50 percent in 2020.” While HIPS has finally been equipped through this initiative with an ample supply of naloxone, the medication used to reverse opiate overdoses, this goal falls short of the reality that overdose deaths can be entirely preventable. In fact, we have a model that’s been successfully replicated in 10 countries over multiple decades to prove it: safe consumption spaces (SCSs).

In six years of doing outreach with HIPS, I’ve witnessed firsthand the impact of providing syringe exchange, safer injection equipment,

naloxone, linkage to care, and other essential services for people who use drugs. But outreach efforts and harm-reduction supplies cannot on their own heal the extreme stigma many people who use drugs face, which perpetuates social environments ripe for fatal overdose.

And, of course, they cannot on their own, solve our drug crisis, which is born from a complex intersection of structural racism, poverty, a lack of accessible healthcare and affordable housing, criminalization, and a poisoned and largely unregulated drug supply.

At HIPS, we provide naloxone and other harm-reduction services to residents at the highest risk of overdose or of witnessing loved ones overdose. As a society, however, we do not acknowledge this essential gap in services that SCSs fill. Instead, we have normalized sending off people who use drugs to use on the streets, alone, or in other high-risk settings.

My friend fatally overdosed just over a year ago, on April 6. She texted me the night she died, saying she felt too ashamed to accept help. This feeling was compounded by a lack of response from the several treatment centers she had contacted shortly before her death. She had overdosed multiple times before while using alone and had been revived by EMTs, with no follow-up from medical professionals. I can’t say with certainty that she would have chosen

an SCS over using alone, but I do know that she felt she had “burdened” her family and friends too much already.

She wanted the type of direct help that an SCS provides. I believe she would have at least considered using an SCS, particularly because of the low-barrier way in which most operate.

Regardless, she should have been provided with that option and might still be alive today had it been available to her.

Safe consumption spaces are not just a stopgap for overdose prevention, although no one has ever fatally overdosed at any of the more than 120 SCS locations worldwide.

They are places where people who use drugs can receive broader medical services, such as wound care, HIV/Hep-C testing, case management, medication-assisted treatment or linkage to treatment, and additional services that HIPS and other harm-reduction organizations already offer.

They are also places where people with any type of substance use issue can use safely.

While opioids were involved in 64% of D.C.’s intoxication deaths in 2018, there were at least 299 deaths overall related to intoxication that an SCS could more broadly address. Most importantly, when operated successfully, they are run by compassionate, competent service providers who are ready not just to respond to an overdose, but who are also able to look past stigma to see the full person in front of them, regardless of what stage of use they may be in.

The shame my friend felt that led her to use alone is in no way a reflection of her character. She was a beautiful and amazingly compassionate person whose life had

immense, irreplaceable value. Using drugs, which she did to cope with significant personal trauma and chronic health conditions, does not change that. Instead, her shame is a mirror for us as a culture, and how much we’ve utterly failed people who use drugs.

Her last words to me, a person who has worked in harm-reduction for my entire adult life and who was living 10 minutes away from her at the time, were, “Just stop. I don’t deserve friends this good.” The truth is that she deserved so much more from all of us. She deserved so much more from a system that will again fail 70,000 Americans this year. She didn’t just need naloxone or treatment; she needed a place to use safely, supported by non-judgmental healthcare providers until she was ready to gradually taper off of the substances she used.

Highlighting naloxone access within the past couple of years has forced us to acknowledge the painful reality that we’ve lost so many D.C. residents to preventable overdoses. We need to name that for what it is: a systemic failure to protect people who use drugs, particularly those most vulnerable due to racism, poverty, disability, and related social factors.

I envision a future where we can look back and say we learned from the enormous loss of life we’ve already sustained, that we finally began to treat people who use drugs with the dignity and respect all people deserve. In the midst of our overdose crisis, establishing D.C.’s first safe consumption space is an essential step to recognizing that vision.

Shane Sullivan is a Community Outreach Specialist who has conducted outreach with HIPS for six years.

We know the GOP playbook

BY JEFF TAYLOR

We all know — or rather should know by now — the tools and tricks the Republicans and the Russians used to steal the 2016 presidential election. That should mean they can't get away with it again. But they're sure as hell going to try. And unless we prepare to deal with them adequately, it will work.

Republicans, Russian operatives (bots and hackers), the American right-wing media machine (Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and his ilk, and Breitbart.com, to name just a few), and social media (primarily Facebook) all worked very effectively in concert to spread mis-characterizations, wild conspiracy theories and outright lies about Hillary Clinton.

But Hillary was an easy target in that Republicans had successfully demonized her, even among a disappointing number of Democrats, ever since she was First Lady and dared to enter the policy arena with the introduction of Hillary Care. It won't be as easy to pull the same s*** with Biden, but they are working hard at it.

There's nothing we can do to stop the spread of misinformation, but we can be prepared to deal with it much better than we did in 2016. For one thing, we're better equipped to recognize it when we see or hear it. It's time we take some kind of stand in our families and among our friends and co-workers, even if it's a simple shaking of one's head in disappointment at those who would buy into the bulls***. There's nothing wrong with gently shaming someone you care about.

This time, we must turn it around and use these platforms to our fullest advantage. If they post, or tweet, or retweet their bunk a million times, we must counter it 5 million times.

Never ever forget that there are more of us than there are of them. Always has been, always will be. They know it and it scares the crap out of them.

We know voter suppression has long been a favorite tactic of the GOP. There was a time in U.S. history when only white male landowners had a vote. Republicans yearn for those days.

The only time I can say with certainty that Donald J.Trump spoke the unvarnished actual truth was when he said, "If everybody voted, Republicans would never get elected again."

So it will be imperative that Democrats get out the vote! If we do this, then it will be nearly impossible for the GOP to pull a repeat of so many past elections.

We know from the Mueller report, beyond a doubt, that Trump has already taken help — monetary and intel-wise — from the Russians. He also took monetary assistance from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel. And he has already indicated quite clearly that he's open to getting dirt on an opponent from a foreign entity to win re-election. We had a whole impeachment thing about that, you may recall. Even Senate Republicans didn't deny he'd done it, they just deemed it not meeting the threshold for impeachment.

It seems it would be difficult for the GOP to accept foreign assistance this time around now that they know we're expecting it. If they do try it, the national outcry will be loud and long. The narrative that must be set in advance is that such actions would not only clearly violate election laws, they would meet the constitutional definition of treason, at least where Russia is concerned.

The plain old smears have already begun. There's at least one website that uses manipulated video footage to make it look as though Biden is inappropriately touching prepubescent girls. The obvious aim is to portray him as “creepy uncle Joe the pedophile.” It's truly vile. It's also pretty rich coming from the camp whose standard bearer is a self-avowed sexual predator who likes to, and I quote, "grab 'em by the p***." It's called projection, which is yet another tool the GOP loves to use. They've also commenced with the implication that Biden is mentally incapacitated: more projection from Team Trump.

Remember, their guy is the dude who got lost between Air Force One and his waiting limo.

These are the kind of things we'll be seeing plenty of on Facebook and hearing about from family, friends, and co-workers. On the internet, look for what others might be posting as effective responses to such crap and repost while encouraging others on our team to do the same.

When encountering it in person a polite roll of one's eyes and shaking of one's head and just walking away may be the best course of action. It lets your views be known without having to engage in a both-siderism conversation.

So there you have it. We know what they did and what they're likely to do or are already doing again. Being armed with this knowledge and having the truth on our side positions us well for sweeping victories come November. But only if everybody does their part. Let's all commit to that.

Jeff Taylor is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

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Insiders and elites can’t guide DC to an equitable reopening

BY PARISA NOROUZI

Elitism runs deep in the veins of D.C. politics. It is a disgustingly familiar and toxic form of exclusion, the kind that allows those that hold the most wealth and power to make decisions supposedly for – yet noticeably without – people of lesser means.

It is no surprise that Mayor Bowser’s recently announced “ReOpenDC Advisory Group,” tasked with informing the city’s movement out of quarantine when the COVID crisis lifts, includes none of the people most impacted by the crisis itself.

“Every resident has a seat at the table and an opportunity to share their perspective, thoughts, and dreams. Our hope isn’t just to simply ReOpenDC, but to be a better D.C. when we do reopen,” Mayor Bowser heralded in her official press statement. But on her telephone town hall, held April 29, thousands listened in while only a few residents were selected to direct their reopening questions to the mayor and her panel.

It turns out there are “seats at the table” – but they are reserved for insiders. The mayor hand selected members and excluded anyone who might not conform to her development agenda.

Look no further than the “Real Estate and Construction” committee of the advisory group. That’s right, “real estate” – not “housing,” much less affordable housing. The group is chaired by the city’s Director of Real Estate who, working within the office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), is in charge of giving city land to developers.

The “Community Co-Chairs” are two of the city’s most prolific developers: Monty Hoffman, who developed The

Wharf with over $200 million in public land and subsidies, and Buwa Binitie of Dantes Partners, which has several times benefited from public subsidy.

Among the 20 others listed on the committee as “Community Members,” you will find some of the biggest names in D.C. development – like MidCity, EYA and WC Smith. A quarter of the committee members have direct links to the Federal City Council, a notoriously powerful business lobby group.

Missing from the committee are people with expertise in deeply affordable housing and community development.

A glance at the membership of all 12 committees shows how exclusive this group is. There appears to be no one representative of the D.C. populations most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

No persons living below 30% of the area median income, or at the poverty level. No one experiencing homelessness. No public housing residents, no people with disabilities, no returning citizens.

The rest of us are offered the chance to be “heard” via online surveys, yet another void of “public engagement” that most D.C. residents will never know about.

There’s a saying about privilege – it’s when you think something is not a problem because it is not a problem to you.

We can imagine the types of “problems” this privileged group of developers and development attorneys will bring to the table. How can the city provide more financing for their projects? How can the city lessen regulatory obstacles to development? How can the city keep their profits flowing,

based on the continued influx of higher-income newcomers?

We are about to face a massive wave of evictions across the city if nothing is done to provide rental assistance to those who lost work during the crisis. We have thousands of people residing in shelters or on the streets who are greatly susceptible to the coronavirus. Even pre-COVID, tens of thousands of Black residents had been displaced and tens of thousands more were on waiting lists for housing. We don’t have housing for tens of thousands of returning citizens, and people with disabilities literally cannot escape institutional settings because there is no affordable housing for them if they leave.

The definition of an elitist is “someone who believes that some things should be controlled or owned only by the richest or best educated people.”

Mayor Bowser is making sure that the project manager for the Brookland Manor development and the project manager for the McMillan development are at the table. She wants us to be satisfied that they and their development peers will guide our city to become more racially equitable and address the longstanding and systemic divides that exist along racial and economic lines, causing widespread suffering.

And that my friends, is elitism at its worst.

Parisa Norouzi is the executive director and co-founder of the grassroots organization Empower D.C. Her work has included community organizing on issues of housing, child care, education, environmental justice, development, displacement and other issues its members face.

Business owners and government must help excluded workers

BY NATASHA RIDDLE ROMERO

As the body count from COVID-19 climbs, so does the number of people struggling to meet their basic needs. Many in the informal and cash economy — undocumented people, street vendors, sex workers, and people experiencing homelessness — do not qualify for government assistance unless they meet certain criteria.

There is a glimmer of hope from community organizations and businesses. Events D.C has announced intentions to allocate $15 million for hospitality workers and undocumented people. Local organizations have supported affected workers with cash assistance and grocery deliveries. A grassroots mutual aid network has provided food and financial support to residents. Many restaurants have set up fundraisers for their staff. But communitybased relief can only go so far.

The D.C. government’s refusal to provide aid to all workers excluded from federal relief threatens to pit members of already vulnerable communities against one another by forcing them to compete for scarce resources. The District must fund relief for all workers and residents to avoid a public health catastrophe, and business owners must pressure the city to do so.

Though the D.C. Council considered expanding unemployment insurance to laid-off undocumented workers, the plan was nixed at the last minute. Events D.C., the local tourism group, stepped in with $5 million in funds for undocumented workers and $10 million for hotel and restaurant workers and operators.

While generous, that, too, is not enough.

According to Pew Research Center, undocumented immigrants comprised 3.8 percent of the workforce in D.C. in 2016, meaning that $5 million can provide about $200 to each worker. D.C. government must provide excluded workers with cash assistance comparable to what others will receive through unemployment insurance and the federal stimulus package.

Juan, an undocumented immigrant who has been working in the restaurant industry for 10 years, believes that restaurant owners should also apply pressure on local government to advocate for their immigrant staff. “If they would help us out by advocating for assistance from the government, then we could help each other out,” he said in an interview.

Excluded workers like Juan have a few options for assistance, but most do not guarantee financial support over an extended period of time, if at all. Language barriers and unreliable access to the internet or a computer may make it impossible for someone to access online mutual aid networks.

The pandemic has exposed some of the worst pitfalls of American society and the failings of a government that prioritizes wealthy residents and developers over robust social programs.

The city has already been ravaged by deeppocketed real-estate investors. Shiny new restaurants and apartment buildings attempt to hide deep inequities by promoting superficial prosperity. The gilded facades of the city —

and the country — are being torn away. What’s left is a workforce systematically excluded from this supposed wealth.

As the virus spreads, workers at the intersection of the cash economy and an undocumented immigration status may be the hardest hit.

Without income, excluded workers do not have the privilege of staying home and not working.

Like everyone else, they need to pay rent, provide for their families, and support their communities.

The health risks of conditional aid are the most difficult and cruel to ignore.

If a person does not qualify for government assistance, they will be forced to return to work and risk exposing themselves and their families to the virus. Black, indigenous, and Latinx workers are already disproportionately affected because they face many racial and social barriers to building wealth and are less likely to be able to stay home without work for months at a time. Due to systemic poverty and racism, these communities have less access to proper health care and insurance and are more likely to suffer from pre-existing conditions that increase the risk of dying from COVID19. Indeed, as of May 10, over 77 percent of those who lost their lives to COVID-19 in D.C. were Black.

Many cities around the country are stepping up to help excluded workers. Los Angeles partnered with private funders to give residents up to $1500 distributed in no-fee debit cards regardless of immigration status. Chicago extended benefits to undocumented people

and refugees through their COVID-19 Housing Assistance Grant program. Minneapolis set up a $5 million forgivable loan program that pays up to $2000 toward a person’s rent and utilities.

With these initiatives as examples, D.C. has no excuse but to provide similar assistance to excluded workers.

For voters and restaurant-goers, it’s important to consider that charity — a restaurant’s GoFundMe or an organization’s one-time fundraiser — is not a sustainable catch-all solution to a rapidly evolving and expanding crisis. A one-time $5 million fund will only go so far, especially without transparency about how it is managed. Who will distribute the aid? Will there be measures in place to ensure employers do not use the aid as an excuse to shirk their responsibility to their own workers?

In addition to donating and organizing community aid, D.C. residents and restaurant owners must demand that our city government do its part in protecting all of us. By listening to the city’s affected and vulnerable communities, allowing them to determine their needs, and providing a suitable financial support system, the D.C. government can help all its residents stay safe during the pandemic.

Natasha Riddle Romero is a writer and former tipped worker living in Washington, D.C. Her work with Restaurant Opportunities Centers United’s D.C. chapter includes bi-lingual outreach and communications to Spanish-speaking communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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ART

The art section is reserved exclusively to elevate the art of Street Sense Media vendors who contribute poetry, essays, illustration, fiction, and more.

PHOTO: An artist painting store fronts on 14th Street NW on April 15. This photo essay of D.C. during the pandemic, seen on each sectionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s title page, was taken by Photojournalist Benjamin Burgess. The full series is available here.

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ART

Coping with COVID

BY DONALD BROWN // Artist/Vendor

Th e c o r o n a v i r u s w a s shocking because I don’t have a television to watch the news as much as I would like to. I didn’t know about everything that was closing.

I didn’t know about the recommendations to stay away from people or to use masks. It got bad.

I’ m t r y i n g t o s t a y motivated. I pray every day when I wake up and again before I go to sleep.

It’s hard being homeless and not having a bathroom to use. But I’m adapting and surviving. I wash up with bottles of hot water and soap, trying to be clean and healthy.

I still smoke cigarettes, but I smoke a lot less because I have less money.

I'm coping with the pandemic, waiting for the world to open up. The city is still beautiful. But it will be a lot better when things start to reopen. I miss people coming to commute to work and to

other places. I like going to the mall, movies, casinos, and restaurants.

I have a gambling addiction. I dealt with peer pressure growing up. But I’m trying not to blame anyone for my situation.

I actually stopped distributing Street Sense before the pandemic hit.

Between the students selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts, the panhandlers, and the vendors selling souvenirs, there was too much competition where I liked distributing papers near Farragut North.

But I miss it. I had regular supporters and I met new people. I miss the good days.

I'm also involved in Anchor Mental Health. I've been a patient for about three years. I'm getting good news about housing. I'm trying to work on that and my mental illness — to stay positive and do my best.

COVID-19 reduced access to showers in downtown DC

BY PAUL INFANTE // Artist/Vendor

With COVID-19 now impacting access to showers for the homeless in Washington, D.C., a little help from the D.C. Council and Ward 2 would go a long way.

For people who are located in downtown D.C., a mobile shower would come as a valuable resource.

These mobile showers range from between $24,000 to $54,000 dollars, and cost approximately $100,000 for annual operating costs.

With Washington, D.C. set to receive at least $500 million in a proposed aid package, it might make sense for the city and Ward 2 to invest into these portable shower units when the money becomes available. Will the candidates in the Ward 2 special election on June 16 think this issue is as important as I do? With the election just over a month away, citizens may have to wait patiently to find out.

BY BEVERLY SUTTON // Artist/Vendor

Poet vs the DC government

BY LATICIA BROCK // Artist/Vendor

Who’s supposed to be the genius, me? Or is it you?

Well why do my homeless people still get abuse from the way you shelter them down to the way you feed them food?

You talk to them like they’re trash, you make them sleep with rats Years after years, you still feed them lunch bags You make them feel unwanted even if they’re spending their money But what makes you any better than ours?

Why didn’t your family end up where mines is?

The Creator always had this plan just like God told you Stop playing, how y’all virusly washing your hands Don’t get scared, now you SEE God wasn’t pleased at how y’all fight over money Coronavirus commentary cartoons by Angie Whitehurst, Artist/Vendor.

I don’t like this virus

Y’all think I’m crazy, huh?

Coronavirus is an attack on our government It don’t take a rocket scientist to see It’s evident.

The tension in this city is about to be bad.

People are looking at you, and walking like you got something wrong with you. It just makes me mad. I don't like this situation. I don't like it.

My life is ruined because of it. I'm not able to get around like I'm used to. A lot of people ain't out and about either. It's hard. Period.

The only difference where I stay at is I can't have nobody come over to do my hair or take me places. Like, for instance, my nurse — she can't take me out for activities.

There's a lot of people who I sell papers to normally. But they ain't been around because of this. Everybody's spread out. There's only one lady I see on a regular basis. She don't live that far from me. She gave me some money last week.

I'm not worried about catching the virus, just when this problem is gonna come to an end so I can go and get my hair fixed and go shop.

I’ve changed

BY MARCUS GREEN // Artist/Vendor

My prayers have changed to include everybody.

Some people’s immune systems are weaker than others. People who are older and who have underlying issues are more at risk.

I’m doing what I can to stay healthy. I’m in good shape and I work out. I clean the church where Street Sense Media is, which is an honor and a blessing. It’s work and it makes me feel like I’m making a difference. I take vitamins and eat right, too.

The next day, I do the same thing, again. I’m praying for everybody to keep safe and take care.

God bless.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

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e c a l P a g n i d Fi n Called Home

BY SHEILA WHITE

ROSES PHOTO COURTESY OF PEXELS.COM

Artist/Vendor

A week before Mother’s Day, I picked up my keys and moved into my apartment. On Mother’s Day weekend, my daughter sent me a cheesecake that she created and a custom blanket featuring photos of everyone I love, which now adorns my new living room. It’s already home.

But it was a long road to get there. I’ve been trying for 18 months to find a landlord that will accept my housing voucher. I was homeless for seven years.

The first three, I slept in the parks and on playgrounds. My life was spinning out of control. I remember sleeping on the playground and it started to snow real heavily.

Freezing cold with no blanket, just my North Face jacket on. It seemed like I was the only one on the planet and no one cared.

After three years sleeping in apartment buildings, benches, and playgrounds, I took refuge in a shelter called Patricia Handy Place For Women. My problems didn’t go away living there because I endured prejudice. I was told by many advocates when I first got there that they weren’t going to help me, so I had to learn how to advocate for myself. I found myself asking a case manager at Street Sense to step in and she gladly took on the challenge.

On numerous occations, Ms. Julie Turner had to come down to Pat Handy and talk to advocates about what they were going to do about my housing. They had no clue.

I was hospitalized for being malnourished. I entered the shelter healthy. Now I am diabetic now due to the food it served. Dinner was always burnt and we had pasta every day. Once in a while, we’d have baked, dried fish. When I asked about a special diet, I was told the food they serve is already chosen with diabetics in mind. But diabetics should not have rice or pasta every single day. Since that’s what they provided, my choice was to eat out or don’t eat.

Lord knows I tried to eat the food. But when I did, I got sick and cramped up.

My four years in Patricia Handy were a nightmare. People stole my clothes and other small items that were valuable to me.

If you reported it, nothing was really done.

The most that would happen is we’d have meetings about what would happen if you took someone’s belongings. At one point, my phone was intentionally broken by another resident. I asked if the staff could view the security tape. They did and told me, in a joking manner, “I won’t tell you who it was, because I don’t want you and the other person to get into it.” I said I would go to small claims court and file the necessary papers and make them pay for my phone. Everything seemed to be a joke to the new staff there.

I always pitched in when needed. When the elevator broke, I helped the advocates bring food to our floor. I also decorated for holidays

and cleaned — anything I could do to pass the time away in this place. Nothing seemed to help because the advocates still weren’t helping. I would tell them what Ms. Turner and I were doing about my housing situation.

The Coronavirus hit the world and I was still at Patricia Handy, nervous and scared that I might catch it and die. I started wearing a mask. You couldn’t practice social distancing in there. You had to stay in a dorm with at least 10 other people or go to the common area where everyone eats and sits.

Those were your options.

They were taking people out of Pat Handy left and right due to this virus by the time I left. I was fortunate enough to go stay with my family as things got worse. There was no room for me with them. I slept on the floor for five weeks until I signed my lease on April 29.

Lease day was the best thing that happened in the seven years of being homeless.

And thanks to Street Sense Media teaching me the power of speech, I am not afraid to tell my story. This paper gave me the courage to speak out about injustice in the world. We tell our stories through poetry, songs, and photos and demonstrations at the Wilson building. And through Street Sense, I was introduced to so many other wonderful people and organizations, such as Miriam’s Kitchen. I became an advocacy fellow at Miriam’s and learned how to organize from a team of professionals. The staff I worked with for those six months are deeply caring and compassionate about serving homeless communities. I am so proud and honored to have worked with a fine group of men and women who put their life on the line to go out and help people experiencing homelessness everyday, especially now with the coronavirus.

Thank you, Miriam’s Kitchen. You have given me so much. When I didn’t think anyone cared, you reminded me that people do care. When I felt alone, you made sure I wasn’t. You kept me busy. Your arts and crafts and meals make all the difference to people like me. The love you pour out to us is never going unnoticed. Thank you!!!

These last three years, I had ups and downs.

But with the Street Sense team — Eric the editor, Professor Willie, Bryan with the film co-op, Ms. Laura from American University, Ken Martin, my best friend Angie Whitehurst — Julie Turner, Miriam’s Kitchen, and Pathways to Housing, I have a purpose again.

Getting my associates degree is becoming a reality. I didn’t think it would because I was always tired. I didn’t sleep at all in the shelter. Doing homework now is possible. I don’t have to wait until 11 p.m. to be able to study anymore. I am sitting in my new place thinking of things I need and not what I don’t because God has just provided me with what I needed: good friends and a place to call home.

Mother’s Day

BY DARLESHA JOYNER // Artist/Vendor

Well, well... Mother’s Day has come and gone.

Messed up time in my life. Another year, another day without my mother.

And after this holiday, it’ll soon be your birthday, May 28th.

So May is just a messed-up month. Yes, I have my man. He will stand by my side. But the hard part is the pain you are feeling and experiencing in life for 29 years.

I feel like a psycho for real. I am

definitely in my feelings about it. It makes you go crazy in the world.

Cause you have to wake up seeing people with their moms, and that makes you feel like, “D***, I wish I could do this with my Mom.” But anyway... I love you, Mom. Happy Mother’s Day and Happy Birthday.

From your daughter, Darlesha

My Mama is da Queen of Class POEM AND ILLUSTRATION BY PIERRE JOHNSON Artist/Vendor

My love for you will always last You’ve raise me well to have good sense I’ll always be a mama’s prince When you made cake I licked da spoon When I was hurt you healed the wound I love my ma, the Queen of Class When I was bad, she’d beat my a** So I would grow to be a King And learn to handle anything Not only is my mom the best She taught me how to have finesse My mom is also my best friend My love for you will never end

My Mother

BY COREY SANDERS // Artist/Vendor

For nine months, she carried me and I learned her ways. Even though I was in her belly, the warmth of the love made me wanna stay. When I came into this world and opened my eyes to see her face, I knew that no one would ever take your place. I love you, Mommy. Happy heavenly Mother’s Day.

2 6 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / M AY 1 3 - 2 6 , 2020

FUN & GAMES

Intermediate Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 20, Book 2

Sudoku #2

Treading The Waters, Part 28

4 3 7 5 8 7

3 7 5 6

2 9 8 5 6

3 5 9 8 Answers

© 2019 KrazyDad.com

Sudoku #1 Fill inso that each row, each column and each Fill inSUDOKU: the blank squares 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits71 thru 4 9.5 3 9 2 6 8 1 the blank squares that row,solve the puzzle without guesswork.

If youso use logiceach you can 6 3 8 5 1 4 7 9 2 each column and Needeach a little3-by-3 help? The hints page 9 a 1logical 6 to8solve 5 the 4 puzzle.

2shows 7 order 3 block Use it to identify the next square you should solve. Or use the answers page contain all of the if you really get stuck.

1 7 4 2 3 6 8 5 9 digits 1-9.

8 5 9 1 4 7 2 3 6 3 6 2 8 5 9 4 1 7 LAST 5 1 7 4 2 3 9 6 8 EDITION’S PUZZLE 4 2 6 9 8 1 3 7 5 SOLUTION >> 9 8 3 6 7 5 1 2 4 Sudoku #3 9 1 8 3 3 5 2 8 7 4 6 1 8 7 4 5 5 6 1 7 2 9 3 6 1 2 7 4 6 3 9 2 4 8 5 9 Sudoku #5 3 1 6 8 5 2 9 4 7 8 4 3 9 5 3 1 6 7 8 2 1 4 2 7 8 6 5 9 2 3 7 5 4 9 1 6

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

9 1

2 6 4 5 3 8 7

5

2

7

8

4

9 8 1 3 7 6

5 2

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

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

"Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf."

-- Rabindranath Tagore

9 6 2 7 5 4 7

BY GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor

But nah, man, it’s cutthroat.

There sometimes Minew used to come get me, and I might tell him I don’t feel like riding. My mind telling me that. Cause remember, he a killer and I’m a killer.

Minew used to come get me in the morning. He might say, “Come on, let’s go eat breakfast,” and like that.

You don’t really want to beef with a dough boy. You want I say, “I ain’t moving this morning, bro. Come back to get him out the way quick. later.”

With me and Minew being outlaws… I can always get My mind be like, “This what I’m gonna do.” to Sam, cause I’m one of his workers.

If me and you was to hug each other in the street now, I think Sam look at the picture he got like ain’t nothing I always hit your waistline to see if you strapped. That’s he can do. how you can tell you can get ‘em. Any time you hit my Minew and him didn’t really get in a talk. But Minew waist, that gonna tell you. That n*** got like a TEC. always watched Sam move.

Bill Cosby came out with these sweaters. They call Sometime we used to ride at night. Minew ride with them “Bill Cosby Sweaters.” I used to wear them. Big the gun rightSudoku at his leg.

I ride withVolume mine. 20, Book 2old heavy sweater, cost like $200, $300 dollars.

Intermediate byAnd KrazyDad, Sometime we want to go out. And we might say, “Nah, You have a TEC 9 underneath and they wouldn’t even Sudoku #2 we ain’t going.” know it’s right there on you. Only way they know that 2the4big1dogs.

7 We 3 worse 8 than 9 scared 6 5 of We never was they come up on you. them. They got more to lose than we got to lose.

But most time the killers gonna know, they gonna hit 8 2 4 6 3 7 5 1 9 Yeah, it be the money that effecting with them, but each other around the waist.

3 7 1 8 5 9 6 2 4 it be more the power they got. They wouldn’t do they “I know you strapped. You busting heads out here, you 4 1you6 and3 do they 5 8 7 2 under dirty work. They put 9somebody getting money. You be strapped.” dirty work. You I go to the police like that. I’d rather get caught with 1 don’t 3 who 6 8they9will7 send 5 at you.

4 2know If they will send anybody. it than get caught without it.

7 3 6 9 1 5 8 4 2 They call it “who upped first?” Who upped the trigger The game is dirty. You’re on your own. It’s like 2 send 5 you 8 4to kill 7 me.

3 you 6 But 9 1 first. He might might get Russian roulette. the gun and the 6 gun 1 might 4 8 7 3 5 jam 9 on2you.

To be continued. Anderson’s first book, “Still Standing: How That’s when you can’t really trust too many guys. an Ex-Con Found Salvation in the Floodwaters of Katrina,” 4 9 7 1 8 3 2 5 6 Can’t be thinking everybody your friend. Cause I’m is available on Amazon.com. talking to you now, we like gum, we sticking together.

When we were last with Gerald, he was running the streets of New Orleans with his friend, Minew, who was talking to Muscles, a woman who was also involved with a major operator, Sam Skully, a dough boy. And things were getting heavy...

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

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

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

1 6

4 8 3

7

5

2

9

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

5 8 6 4 7 3 9

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

1

8

3

2

7

6

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

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

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Unity Health Care 3020 14th St., NW // unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699 1500 Galen Street SE, 1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 555 L Street SE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place, NE, 810 5th Street NW

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

The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

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For up-to-date information on service provider operations during the pandemic, visit: TinyURL.com/HOS-covid

// 2 1

HELP! WE’RE LOOKING FOR

volunteers

Become a Street Sense Media volunteer and help further our mission to empower people experiencing homelessness. Get to know the vendors and make a difference in their lives and yours!

More details: streetsensemedia. org/volunteer You can support our vendors by helping provide essential resources in our office for one four-hour shift each week.

If interested, please contact: Nikki D’Angelo nikki@streetsensemedia.org 202-347-2006 (x10) Or you can support our artists and interns by helping with editorial duties such as writing, editing, page design, and web publishing.

If interested, please contact: Eric Falquero ericf@streetsensemedia.org 202-670-5591

A Mile A Minute

Animal Science,

BY LEVESTER GREEN // Artist/Vendor

Don’t tell me it’s too late to make a great escape ‘Cause they was willing but they weren’t quite able To continue the fable Steady telling me stories at the head of the table!

Part 1

Well this is the way the road turns Too much time at the table watching the candles burn and fall.

The opposite of standing tall.

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

We’re riding on for the rest of them!

The ones that wear it on the chest for them, Just so that we can put a rest to them!

We’re carrying on the vest for them!

I get in and up and at ‘em!

Watch a live reading of this poem performed by the author by clicking the photo, or here.

VIDEO COURTESY OF LEVESTER GREEN

Who you asking when you already know that I win?!

It’s not a trend; Quick, run and tell a friend!

You can’t comprehend this new edition but it’s not the end!

Call of the wild be them whispers in the wind Telling me when it’s time to win again and again Until anew it begins!

New day, new hunt To try and acquire the different things that you want.

You call it insane. I call it a brain!

It’s just the way things get down here on Victory Lane!

She said she’ll be coming ‘round the mountain when she comes And not until we reach the end of the road will we be done!

That Time Always Alone

BY ROBERT WARREN // Artist/Vendor

This city in which I live surrounded by life yet always alone.

Why won’t the world acknowledge me?

When people walk by me no one says “hi,” or “good morning,” or “how are you?”

I feel the heat of the same sun that shines on you, I look to the moon and stars of night.

Like you, I hope that my family will get it right.

I, too, pray I may one day walk into the Lord’s light.

Like many men I have never known the blessing of a wife.

No great love have I known in this life.

Heart-broken and always alone has been the story of my life Even though I believe the Lord is closer to me.

For me it all has changed.

I became homeless and all alone, always fighting for the right to a home and not to be always alone.

He like dogs and she love cats She like snakes and he like bats She love birds and he love fish She hate pigs, she say they make her sick He like crabs but he hate lobster She say shrimp make her go to the doctor He like cows cause he love beef She love steak but it get stuck in her teeth She like squirrels but she love rabbits She hate bed bugs, can’t let them get in her mattress She hate spiders and he hate rats He hate mosquitos and she hate gnats She like groundhogs and he like gophers But they don’t like hamsters, they leave a bad odor She say alligator, he say crocodile Don’t like raw oysters cause they taste so foul He like camels and she like sheep Every night these d*** crickets wake them up out of their sleep She likes swans but he likes eagles But they love animals, science, and people Don’t trust sharks ‘cause they eat other sharks for a living They love each other the way people love puppies and kittens Animal Science

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

MAY 13 - 26, 2020 | VOL. 17 ISSUE 14

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PHOTO BY ROLANDO APARICIO VELASCO

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Hello, I’m

Hello, I’m

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