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Volume 14: Issue 14 May 17 - 31, 2017
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This is your brain on a budget. D.C. demonstrates pattern of disinvestment from mental health services. p 4-5
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OUR STORY Street Sense began in August 2003 after Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions with the idea to start a street paper in Washington, D.C. Through the work of dedicated volunteers, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003. In 2005, Street Sense achieved 501 ( c ) 3 status as a nonprofit organization, formed a board of directors and hired a full-time executive director. Today, Street Sense is published every two weeks through the efforts of four salaried employees, more than 100 active vendors, and dozens of volunteers. Nearly 30,000 copies are in circulation each month.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jeremy Bratt, Max Gaujean, Margaret Jenny, Jennifer Park, Reed Sandridge, Dan Schwartz, Jeremy Scott, John Senn, Kate Sheppard, Annika Toenniessen, Martin Totaro EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Brian Carome EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eric Falquero COMMUNICATIONS & SALES MANAGER Jeff Gray VENDOR PROGRAM MANAGER Mysa Elsarag EVENTS & ADMINISTRATION MANAGER Dani Gilmour INTERNS Ashley Clarke, Bryan Gallion, Ariel Gomez, Ji Kim, Jeanine Santucci WRITERS GROUP LEADERS (VOLUNTEER) Donna Daniels, Willie Schatz OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER) Rachel Brody, Arthur Delaney, Britt Peterson EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS Justin Benedict, Lenika Cruz, Roberta Haber, Jesse Helfrich, Laura Osuri, Andrew Siddons, Jackie Thompson, Marian Wiseman VENDORS Shuhratjon Ahamadjonov, Gerald Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Aida Basnight, Phillip Black, Reginald Black, Melanie Black, Phillip Black Jr., Maryann Blackmon, Viktor Blokhine, Debora Brantley, Andre Brinson, Donald Brown, Joan Bryant, Elizabeth Bryant, Brianna Butler, Melody Byrd, Conrad Cheek, Aaron Colbert, Anthony Crawford, Walter Crawley, Kwayera Dakari, James Davis, Clifton Davis, Charles Davis, David Denny, Reginald Denny, James DeVaughn, Ricardo Dickerson, Dennis Diggs, Alvin Dixon-El, Ronald Dudley, Charles Eatmon, Deana Elder, Julie Ellis, Jemel Fleming, Chon Gotti, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Tyrone Hall, Richard Hart Lorrie Hayes, Patricia Henry, Jerry Hickerson, Ray Hicks, Sol Hicks, Rachel Higdon, Ibn Hipps, Leonard Hyater, Joseph Jackson, Carlton Johnson, Donald Johnson, Harold Johnson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, Morgan Jones, Linda Jones, Darlesha Joyner, Juliene Kengnie, Kathlene Kilpatrick, Hope Lassiter, John Littlejohn, James Lott, Scott Lovell, Michael Lyons, Jimmy M. Ken Martin, Joseph Martin, Kina Mathis, Michael Lee Matthew, Authertimer Matthews, Charlie Mayfield, Jermale McKnight, Jeffery McNeil, Ricardo Meriedy, Cynthia Mewborn, Kenneth Middleton, Cecil More, L. Morrow, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Earl Parkin, Lucifer Potter, Ash-Shaheed Rabil, Henrieese Roberts, Anthony Robinson, Doris Robinson, Raquel Rodriquez, Lawrence Rogers, Joseph Sam, Chris Shaw, Patty Smith, Smith Smith, Gwynette Smith, Ronald Smoot, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens James Stewart, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Archie Thomas, Shernell Thomas, Craig Thompson, Eric Thompson-Bey, Sarah Turley-Colin, Carl Turner, Jacqueline Turner, Leon Valentine, Grayla Vereen, Ron Verquer, Martin Walker, Michael Warner, Robert Warren, Angelyn Whitehurst, William Whitsett, Wendell Williams, Sasha Williams, Judson Williams III, Ivory Wilson, Denise Wilson, Charles Woods
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STREET SENSE May 17 - 30, 2017
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D.C. Returns $15 Million Federal Housing Dollars By Ashley Clarke, Editorial Intern
A group of local skateboarders familiar with Freddy Cougar tacked up this fleeting memorial after his passing. | PHOTO BY COLLEEN COSGRIFF
Remembering “Showtime” By Bryan Gallion Editorial Intern “He was like a homeless Michael Jackson — very entertaining, but he was always drunk,” said Steve Thomas about his friend Freddy “Showtime” Cougar. Cougar, nicknamed “Showtime” for his lively personality, died in October 2016 at age 57 while living in a homeless community between 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, according to Thomas. “He couldn’t give up drinking,” Thomas said, “and it was drinking that eventually killing him.” Cougar lived near Freedom Plaza for about 20 years, said Thomas, who used to be a member of the same downtown community. Thomas now serves as the National Coalition for the Homeless speakers’ bureau director, but he met Cougar while living on the street himself. “Ten, 11 years ago, when I hit rock bottom as far as being homeless,” Thomas said, “I stayed on the street of Pennsylvania Avenue between 12th and 13th Street, right in front of the post office. One of the guys who was already down there was Freddy Cougar.” Cougar came from an upper-middle class family with three or four kids, a wife and grandchildren, according to Thomas. His struggles with substance abuse disconnected him from his family. “He was welcome any time [by his family],” Thomas said, “as long as he didn’t drink.” Cougar’s “Showtime” persona came to life when he was intoxicated, according to Thomas. “He had this way of dancing and talking that just made everybody laugh,” said Michael Barnett, another member of the downtown homeless community near Freedom Plaza. Thomas recalls introducing Cougar to his sister in downtown D.C. the day the
National Museum of African American History and Culture opened. It was “love at first sight,” Thomas said, and Cougar asked Thomas’s sister to marry him, despite her having a husband. “He wasn’t fully drunk— he was like, high,” Thomas recalled. “He actually had a brilliant conversation with my sister.” Cougar asked her for a dollar or two before parting ways, Thomas said with a laugh. The two men developed a close bond while living in the same community, but Thomas learned two important lessons while trying to care for his friend: that you can’t help everybody and that not everybody wants help. “I had to put Freddy in that category of being a homeless individual who did not want no help,” Thomas said. “And so I had to leave him alone. That was one of the hardest things I had to do.” Barnett found Cougar in a sickly state the morning of his death and called an ambulance for him. While it was too late to save Cougar, Barnett was relieved his friend at least did not die on the street. Cougar’s passing was a great loss for those who lived with him. “A key member of the family has passed on,” Thomas said. And he will be remembered for his care of others, according to Barnett. “Freddy was kind, gentle, giving. He loved so much.” While Freddy “Showtime” Cougar battled a dependence on alcohol, Thomas trusts that that passing on has eased his suffering. “As far as my faith goes, I truly believe that he has transitioned into a better life, so I’m happy for that,” Thomas said. “He’s in a better place. I don’t have to worry about him no more. That is a worry that I no longer have, that Christ can handle.”
With thousands of families waiting for access to housing vouchers and homelessness plaguing thousands more, the District was required to return $15.8 million federal affordable housing dollars over the past three years, according to a Washington Post investigation. The funding came from the HOME Investment Program overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The grants had not spent within deadlines that are set to ensure the money is properly managed. The amount returned could have provided roughly 1,000 families with rent vouchers for a year, according to the Post’s findings. Other possible uses include down-payment assistance to buyers or renovations to subsidized apartments that are virtually uninhabitable. According to the Post, 2000 District households live without kitchens or plumbing. While 28 percent of housing agencies in the United States had to return money to HUD in the past two years, no other housing agency in the nation returned more affordable housing dollars than the District. This discovery comes just a few months after an audit of the D.C. Housing Production Trust Fund was released that urged the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to improve management in order to better meet affordable-housing goals. According to the Office of the D.C. Auditor's March report, the nearly $700 million fund has been mismanaged since its creation in 2001. The audit revealed that
money was allocated to build housing that was never constructed, that the department was too disorganized to keep track of developers who were not paying back loans and that DHCD did not have a standard method for certifying household income across all properties. Some tenant incomes had never been certified, including several individuals with income over $80,000, which is well above the maximum level to qualify for housing assistance. Polly Donaldson, director of DHCD, responded to the Washington Post’s investigation on the Kojo Nnamdi radio show. She said that Mayor Bowser’s administration inherited most of these issues and are working to mitigate them. Within the agency there had been leadership turnover, vacancies and years of misspending and mismanagement of federal funds, according to the director. Nevertheless, Donaldson said that the agency’s failure to spend the funding is shameful. “The steps that we have taken under this administration are focused on one point very clearly and that is we don’t want this ever to happen again,” Donaldson said in response to Nnamdi’s question about her understanding of the situation. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development also released a memorandum in response to the Washington Post investigation. It claimed that the administration has resolved some of the issue that plagued the agency and that they have done more for affordable housing than ever before.
Michael’s Funeral The life of Michael Stoops will be celebrated:
Thursday, May 25, 2017 12:00 p.m. Church of the Pilgrims 2201 P St, NW Washington, DC In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the National Coalition for the Homeless. With respect, it has been requested that there be no photography or videography. *** Re f l e c t i o n s , m e m o r i e s a n d memorials for the Street Sense tribute to Michael should be submitted by June 5. (202) 347-2006 x 13
Only People, Dedicated People, Have Proven Able By Ji Kim Editorial Intern
“H
omelessness is like a black hole,” described Reginald Black, a long-time Street Sense vendor who is both trained to administer the city’s vulnerability assessment tool to determine who receives limited housing assistance, and who has been assessed himself. Aw a r e o f t h e l i m i t a t i o n s o f t h e coordinated entry system since it first began, Black is still patiently waiting for housing. He understood that the assessment tool was and is still in need of more resources and funding, coordination improvement and increased accountability. In December 2015, the D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) acknowledged that most of the housing placements that
been successful. “[It] is a constantly evolving process. Honestly it didn’t exist a few years ago, so we had to create a system out of nothing. It wasn’t going to be perfect the first time around and it’s still not perfect, so that’s why we have the ICH leadership team … constantly talking about what can we tweak to improve upon things.” The need for a far more robust system and protocol for helping homeless individuals and families, either at the local or federal level, was reiterated by Scott McNeilly of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. “The question becomes,” McNeilly said, “can an individual sue to enforce federal guidelines?” The federal government provides regulations and
out to our community service providers.” Gray continued to spell out how the non-personnel services budget drops from $143.1 million in fiscal year 2015 to $123.8 million for 2018, a cut of about 13.5 percent. Examining the mayor’s proposed budget for DBH, funding has, indeed, stagnated over the last few years with little change despite the District’s growing need. With the final D.C. Council markup sessions for the budget ending on May 18, advocates and representatives of mental health service providers are calling for the mayor to substantially increase funding for mental health services. “This should raise alarms about the health service provider system,” said Richard Bebout, former CEO of the now
Washington had done “everything right,” according to his social worker, but the gaps in his care at Green Door — teams not following up, errors in paperwork, caseworkers not showing up more than six times — led to Washington ironically receiving a housing voucher the day after his death. Over two hours of testimonies at the April 28 DBH budget oversight hearing included clients of Good Hope Institute wiping away tears while testifying that their opioid treatment will be cut off if they are unable to pay and numerous advocates in support of increasing youth mental health service and accountability over the DBH’s use of funds. Dr. Tanya Royster, director of DBH, fielded questions at the hearing from
Dr. Tanya Royster, Director, DBH
Emily Buzzell, Director of Outreach, Miriam’s Kitchen
Scott McNeilly, Staff Attorney, WLCL
Reginald Black, Vendor, Street Sense occurred during the two-week, widely-publicized standoff and public shutdown of the “Camp Watergate” tent community happened outside of the coordinated entry system. While some were concerned that the most visible, rather than the most vulnerable, were receiving housing — others considered it a moot point, saying that unsheltered people should be given priority as well. Currently, homeless encampments are still being removed underneath Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Hye Sook Chung, who took office in January. Neither Chung’s or Mayor Bowser’s office have replied to requests for comment beyond previously-given statements of wishing to maintain public safety and health for all District residents while performing outreach to displaced persons. Today, such placements no longer occur outside of the system, according to Emily Buzzell, director of outreach at Miriam’s Kitchen. Many people living in tent communities near Miriam’s, for instance, have not been matched with vouchers because they did not score high enough on the vulnerability index. Buzzell pointed to how the collective accountability of the District’s system, while not perfect, has progressed and
Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity means “comparable insurance coverage for mental health, substance use disorder and physical health care.” - United States Department of Labor standards that jurisdictions must meet in order to receive funding. However, localities are largely reliant on holding themselves accountable.
D.C.’s Mental Health Providers Are Struggling While housing placements have sped up overall under the system — one particular group still remains in a tough spot: those refusing help who are not an immediate danger to themselves or others. Most often, that means people with mental illnesses. Wa r d 7 C o u n c i l m e m b e r Vi n c e n t Gray began the April 28 Department of Behavioral Health budget oversight hearing with a statement criticising the mayor’s lack of investment in mental health services. “I’m deeply concerned about the three-year pattern of disinvestment in behavioral health services that we’re seeing from the mayor, culminating in this fiscal year 2018 budget. ... There is a stark reduction in funding that is going
Richard Bebout, former CEO, Green Door the council and emphasized that DBH had reached out to providers multiple times to advise them to never summarily turn away people from treatment. Royster stated that some of the providers have been cooperative whereas others have not. D.C. council also followed up on DBH’s investigation into Green Door’s closure. Royster said DBH’s new Chief Operating Officer, who started in March, is tasked with auditing Green Door’s records and drafting recommendations to guide future agency assessments of providers’ fiscal health. While there have been initial email exchanges between Bebout and the DBH, to date, the agency has yet to complete the investigation. Councilmember Gray stated that it was his understanding that MBI Health Services, the company assuming control of Green Door’s former property, government contracts and operations, had made job offers to more than 90 percent of former Green Door employees and that most had accepted. Bebout explained to Street Sense, however, that while it was his hope that as many people as possible were able to transition to MBI in order to keep the same caseworkers and staff together with their clients — only about half of Green
Councilmember Vincent Gray Chair of Committee on Health
closed Green Door Behavioral Health. Green Door was one of the District’s oldest mental health service providers until this past February when it closed down, mainly due to financial difficulties, according to Bebout. He also stated that there are many structural problems providers such as Green Door face just to make ends meet, especially with D.C.’s lack of safety net programs and full enforcement of mental health parity laws. For example, the Green Door Clubhouse provided social, educational and employment programming but had to be shut down in 2010 due to city budget cuts at the time. Bebout pointed to the nationwide problems and unintended consequences of the growth in Medicaid mental health spending which led many state governments to favor Medicaid funding for public mental health care and sparked a nationwide trend in underfunding non-Medicaid services. Notably, Street Sense vendor and Green Door client Kanell Washington passed away in October 2016 from kidney failure.
to Fill Cracks in Mental Health System Door’s staff were offered job and many refused to accept MBI’s significantly decreased benefits and salaries. “I wouldn’t be surprised if more organizations like Green Door closed down,” Bebout said, highlighting the continuing stagnation in funding for mental health services. Bebout himself has decided to pursue other opportunities rather than transition to MBI.
Clients’ Rights and The Rise of Community Mental Health Providers Beginning in the 1950s, especially as the American public became aware of poor conditions in mental institutions, states
STREET SENSE May 17 - 30, 2017
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across the table, contemplating his two-bedroom apartment and is looking to Earley spoke of his son who is now a retirement after decades of helping relocate soon. peer support recovery specialist. Kevin homeless people in Georgetown — after Pete Earley forced his adult son, Kevin, is thankful that his father aggressively years of knowing that, under the District’s into the hospital multiple times to receive fought for his treatment, which included current mental health system, some treatment for his mental illness. After years multiple hospitalizations, police tasering people will never get off of the streets. of unraveling the nation’s mental health and arrests. They were worth it in order These are the people that cannot be system to help his son, Earley, a 14-year for him to realize that he needed to helped through the coordinated entry veteran journalist, published his book become an active part of his treatment. system, according to Gunther. Not with “Crazy” and regularly speaks out about “I don’t believe anyone is too far assessments, not with housing placements how America’s prisons unofficially became gone,” said Stephanie Lyons, a senior and not with vouchers. These are the the nation’s new psychiatric institutions outreach specialist at Pathways to Housing people of the District living with health and of how involuntarily committing his son D.C. Five years in, Lyons still sees herself problems and mental illnesses, the people ultimately led to saving Kevin’s life. continuing her daily work of constant now cynical and burned out of the system. Bebout, Earley and Stern all stressed the outreach to clients. Ken Martin went through three separate significant difference early intervention has Often it will take her years of frequent vulnerability greetings, assessments and Ken Martin Pete Earley (right) and his son Kevin Earley. conversations waited since 2013 Vendor, Street Sense Journalist, Peer Support Specialist and questions before the people she reaches out to finally open up and accept help. She described coming across many individuals
for housing, due to a low vulnerability Lisa Dailey, score despite Legislative & Policy being an elderly Counsel, TAC man with health problems that Gunther Stern, include multiple shifted from central institutions E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r , heart attacks and to community-based care. In Georgetown Ministry Center surgeries, spinal 1975, the O’Connor v. Donaldson stenosis, peripheral Supreme Court ruling set the tone neuropathy and for many localities to adopt an “immediate torn meniscus. It is painful for Martin to danger” baseline — physical harm to oneself just be on his feet and walking. and others — for involuntary treatment. Martin only recently received a housing To d a y, m a n y p s y c h i a t r i s t s a n d voucher through a dedicated person at advocates such as those at the Treatment the D.C. Office on Aging. “‘Mr. Martin,’ Advocacy Center, which is headquartered he recalled her saying, ‘you need this in Arlington, V.A. fear that America voucher. We don’t want you to die out has deinstitutionalized far too quickly there.’ She thought I was worthy, that I without building up enough local was deserving, that my children needed community resources. their father alive, and she wanted to do Lisa Dailey, TAC’s legislative and policy what she could do to help me.” counsel, wrote in an email to Street Sense Sasha Williams dealt with depression that while TAC believes that “the laws in and bipolar disorder alongside caring D.C. (together with legal interpretation) for her infant child as a single, homeless do allow for more robust use of inpatient mother. With her baby in her arms, in the and outpatient civil commitment, the winter, Williams had been turned away practice has lagged behind what the law from the Virginia Williams family resource allows and has led to some situations center because the temperature was not where very sick people are allowed to below 32 degrees Fahrenheit exactly. Like languish without treatment.” with Martin, one dedicated person helped Williams get into a shelter on that winter night, connected her with another case A Legislative or Humanitarian manager in order to take the assessment Touch? again and followed up with Williams on Gunther Stern, executive director of the progress of her housing placement. Georgetown Ministry Center, sat quietly Williams now has a federal voucher for a
in a person with mental illness. By taking care of the person four to five years before they reach that “immediate danger” state is critical to Sasha Williams prevent that Vendor, Street Sense person from deteriorating into a state too far gone, according to Bebout. Stern criticised DBH’s policy of not intervening unless the person is in a dire state. “‘This person is ok because they’re not eating their feces, they’re not about to kill themselves, we can’t intervene’— and I think they could intervene … we need to do more.” Stern discussed how people on the streets most likely have anosognosia, a lack of self-awareness about one’s own disability, such as a mental illness. They all advocate for the current emergency evaluation bar to be lowered so that people can receive treatment much sooner, whether voluntarily or not. “But I’m not talking about locking up people forever, that’s inhumane,” Earley said in a phone interview, “I’m talking about caring about the person and taking them somewhere where you can provide them with good care until they’re stable.”
with severe and persistent mental illnesses and negative experiences with the system. Building trust and rapport Stephanie Lyons, is difficult Senior Outreach without Specialist, Pathways to Housing D.C. constant, determined effort. “The little successes can be the most rewarding and, you know,” Lyons said. “I’ve had clients say to me — it’s not necessarily ‘I appreciate you because you got me into housing, because you helped me get benefits,’ it’s more ‘I appreciate you because you didn’t give up on me, and that to me is what this work is all about.” Lyons emphasized this humanitarian element that is essential to truly help people on the streets. But she also nodded in agreement when asked about the need for immediate medical attention to help people with extreme illnesses. “But at some point, you got to get the person to want to change,” Earley said, “and that’s coming face to face with the real beast — the illness.” ■ Jeanine Santucci contributed reporting.
Affordable Housing Customers Pack Council Chambers By Mark Rose Volunteer
T
he District is gentrifying so quickly that moderate and low-income people who have lived here a long time are being forced to the fringes of the city to find housing they can afford, particularly to the poorest and most neglected parts of Wards 7 and 8. They can’t afford to pay rapidly increasing rents or to buy houses in better-off neighborhoods. The large group of D.C. residents who depend on public housing for a place to live cannot even afford the prices developers offer label as “affordable” as part of their residential/retail/office mixed-use requirements to be approved to build in the city. A list of about 40 D.C. citizens, public housing advocates and experts testified before the D.C. Council’s Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization at a May 4 budget oversight hearing. Resentment was evident among those that testified. “The city has plenty of money,” said Monica Kamen, co-director of the D.C. Fair Budget Coalition. She noted D.C.’s annual surpluses of $200 million, a fund balance of over $2 billion, projected revenues of over $200 million, and planned tax cuts that would largely benefit wealthy estates and businesses. This year the Bowser administration invested in the District’s wealthiest residents and businesses rather than the communities that have been struggling for basics such as food and housing, according to Kamen’s testimony. She added that, for the second year in a row, there is no new funding for the Local Rent Supplement Program that many low-income residents depend on. “We have to pick a fight with the status quo,” testified Parisa Norouzi, the executive director of Empower D.C. “This budget season we have to do something drastic. There is a long history of racism [in the city]; we have to repair the harm done. We need drastic measures to enable lifting up the people, starting with affordable housing.” In addition to creating true affordability, the advocates called on D.C. Council to invest substantial funds in repairing existing low-cost housing and public-housing infrastructure. The state of disrepair that plagues much of the city’s public housing stock makes existing housing unlivable and contributes to the housing shortage, both advocates agreed. The cost of repairs for existing housing is nominal compared to what it takes to build new housing structures. Last year, the Bowser administration broadcast that it had found $15 million in leftover rental-assistance money from the D.C. Housing Authority’s budget to
fund some infrastructure spending. But this year, there is none budgeted. Several at the hearing said celebrated that there was $25 million devoted to public housing repairs in this year’s budget proposal but said one year is not enough. “The city needs to prioritize every year to protect public housing,” Daniel del Pielago, organizing director for Empower D.C. explained in phone interview. He called for a doubling of the $25 million commitment next year.
“We have to pick a fight with the status quo.” — Parisa Norouzi Empower D.C.
Anita Bonds, chairperson of the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, has proposed a legislation that would guarantee that at least $120 million of the city’s budget be reserved each year, starting in 2017, for the Housing Production Trust Fund that provides loans to affordable housing developers. Mayor Bowser has voluntarily proposed $100 million dollars for the fund year after year. While this and more is needed each year, it is not yet guaranteed in future proposals by Bowser or other mayors to come. Bonds’ proposal would use funds from real property transfer taxes and deed recordation taxes combined, according to materials from her office. The bill is currently in her committee awaiting action. . “We need to ask the Housing Authority what they need,” del Pielago said. “That money is somewhere; they just need to find it.” Bonds told those gathered at the hearing, “We still are at a point where we have individuals wandering in the wilderness trying to find affordable housing.” She said she thinks vouchers for low-income renters are necessary. Nechama Masliansky, a senior advocate for So Others Might Eat noted that when SOME’s housing intake opened recently, they received more than 2,000 calls. The waiting list for aid from the D.C. Housing Authority, the agency charged with providing affordable housing in the District, is currently 40,000, Several of those signed up to testify protested the economic disparities in D.C. and the money the Bowser administration has spent helping the affluent. “Are we going to give tax breaks to millionaires when there are people living on the streets in D.C.?” said Claire Zippel, an analyst for the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute.
One glaring statistic Norouzi highlighted in her testimony was that the city is budgeting only $85 million for affordable housing this year while it is spending $280 million on a new streetcar. Several complained that communities receiving the most money are those that are near transportation hubs such as Metro stops, not those most in need of repairs. Kamen told the assembled, “We need to show the moral courage to spend more money on affordable housing.” She specifically called for more funding to support the widely used Local Rents Supplement Program and more emphasis on building housing for residents whose income is at 30 percent or below of the Area Median Income. Many “affordable” units are briced at 60 or 80 percent of the AMI, which is remains high due to the city’s extremely wealthy residents and those in the surrounding counties. There are a lot more low-income people than the government acknowledges and they need to be provided vouchers, according to Kamen. Discrimination in granting these vouchers also needs to be dealt with. Re s i d e n t s o f t h e l o w - i n c o m e neighborhood Barry Farm went to court in the fall claiming that a mixed-use gentrified housing and retail development slated for the area would uproot their community and displace many. The residents echoed the language Mayor Bowser included in her budget, marketed as “A Roadmap to Inclusive Prosperity” and stating that residents who want to live here should be entitled to a place to live regardless of their means. Emma Owens, a Barry Farm resident, told the committee her home repairs had been done inadequately and didn’t fix the problems. She alleged purposeful neglect as tactic to force her to move. Paulette Matthews, who has lived at Barry Farm most of her life, complained that the rent restrictions that are considered “affordable housing” are in reality way beyond residents’ means. “You know they’re not for everyone,” she told Bonds and the committee. “Depending on where you live, you can be forced out by high prices.” The Barry Farm redevelopment plan promises one-for-one replacement housing for any current resident that wishes to stay. But Mathews noted one-for-one replacement doesn’t account for inferior quality or significantly reduced living space. Berlin Dean, another public witness who is an engineer by training, told the committee he has inspected several units at Barry Farm. The buildings are not in bad shape, the repairs could be done economically without spending too much money.
Glenwood Smith, another resident, requires a nurse and special accomodations in his living space due to paralysis that resulted from a 2015 accident. He testified that the Housing Authority disregarded his request for a disability voucher and recommended that he go to a shelter instead. “Don’t send me to the rat race,” he told the committee. “It could be you.” He added, “We need money and vouchers until there are no people on the streets.” After hearing this stream of citizens and experts testify, Bonds assured them she’d been listening. “I will do all I can most definitely,” she said. “You can count on that.” Resident Daima Lewis said that she came to the city largely because her two kids were both accepted at the prestigious Duke Ellington School of Music here in D.C. But she lives in Anacostia with them and has trouble making ends meet. Recently, she said, she had to choose between paying her water bill and paying for her daughter’s college food bill. She opted in favor of her daughter, and as happy endings go she credited Chairperson Bonds with helping her get her water turned back on. Lewis claimed in her testimony that most of D.C.’s affordable public housing is not fit for living. “D.C. does have money, and landlords need to be held accountable,” she said. “It’s not fair if you’re low-income to be locked into bad living conditions.” A recent investigation by the Wa s h i n g t o n C i t y Pa p e r u n c o v e r e d abhorrent conditions — including multiple faucets overflowing with backed up feces and sewage — in many properties managed by the now infamous Sanford Capital. City Paper reported a whopping 114 of those properties were subsidized for low-income tenants by the D.C. Department of Human Services and another 225 were occupied by Housing Authority voucher holders. Lori Leibowitz, a public-interest lawyer who coordinates Neighborhood Legal Services for Affordable Housing, presented the committee with some stark numbers. There are 26,000 very low-income households in D.C. paying half their income in rent, according to Leibowitz. These households include one-fifth of the District’s children. Also, more than 18,000 very low-income households are paying at least 80 percent of their income on rent. If people continue to be forced to “live on the edge,” the city will have a huge, larger bill to pay in medical expenses, lost productivity, missed school and other areas, Leibowitz emphasized. ■
Housing Provider Accused of Discrimination
STREET SENSE May 17 - 30, 2017
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By Ashley Clarke Ashley Clarke
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he Equal Rights Center (ERC), a non-profit civil rights organization, routinely conducts investigations to identify unfair discrimination in housing, employment and accommodation nationwide. In 2015 and 2016 ERC sent testers to residential complexes in Northwest D.C. with instructions to act as if they wanted to rent a unit that they would pay for with a voucher. Each tester was given a profile to embody, such as the number of children they had, their employment status and if employed, their place of employment. None of the testers was instructed on what answers or behaviors they were testing for. The experiences of the testers at The Garfield House, The Lencshire House, The Yorkshire and The Parkhill gave rise to a lawsuit against the owner of those four properties, Lenkin Company Management, Inc. The investigation into Lenkin stemmed from a wider probe into systemic issues with housing inequality in D.C, said Kate Scott, the fair housing director at ERC. Over the years, ERC has called at several different properties in the District, not just Lenkin’s properties, Scott said. The lawsuit against Lenkin was filed on the basis that it is unlawful, under the D.C. Human Rights Act (DCHRA), to discriminate based on source of income, which encompasses Housing Choice Vouchers. ERC also claimed racial discrimination, which is similarly unlawful under both DCHRA and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
A Lenkin property at 3355 16th St NW put out balloons to attract new tenants. However, staff told an ERC test renter that housing vouchers would not be accepted. | ASHLEY CLARKE ERC claims Lenkin unlawfully engaged in income and racial discrimination by refusing to rent to holders of Housing Choice Vouchers. The Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) was designed to help low-income families compete in D.C.’s expensive housing market.
“The discrimination in this case is very blatant. In each of the tests, the tester was told that the property did not accept vouchers,” Scott told Street Sense. There are approximately 10,790 African American voucher households in the District and 117 white voucher households. “When you have a housing provider in a predominantly white neighborhood r e j e c t i n g v o u c h e r h o l d e r s , t h a t ’s tantamount to race discrimination,” Scott said. “I think unless that reality comes to the fore it’s going to be really hard to tackle the problem of longstanding racial segregation in the District, which is the whole point of the voucher program overall.” Scott said that ERC reached out to Lenkin after the investigation. “Our next step was actually to conduct education outreach activities to try to make both consumers and housing providers aware that this kind of discrimination is illegal,” Scott said. She said that ERC sent a letter directly to Lenkin telling the company about the problem. She said ERC provided Lenkin’s staff with educational materials and asked them if it would be possible to set up a meeting to figure out a way to resolve the issue. Lenkin never responded to the letter, according to Scott. The company’s president, Edward Lenkin, told Street Sense in an email, "We take this matter very seriously, and are investigating the allegations in the complaint. The allegations do not reflect who we are as a company, and in fact are contrary to our regular fairhousing training. The allegations are not the way we've always conducted our business. As a company we do not tolerate discrimination." Lenkin declined further requests from Street Sense for comments on their fair-housing training. Scott said that the testers’ experience during the investigation proved that Lenkin had a policy of not accepting vouchers at all of their properties. When property owners refuse to rent to voucher holders it not only violates anti-discrimination laws, it also exacerbates the District’s struggle to house homeless families. “Voucher holders are limited by only the maximum amount of rent DCHA is permitted by regulation to pay on their behalf,” said Christine Goodman, public affairs and communications director for the D.C. Housing Authority, which administers housing choice vouchers. Goodman said the only thing vouchers cannot be used on is units that are already being subsidized by federal rental assistance. ERC is seeking monetary damages from Lenkin in an amount to be determined at trial.
A Lenkin property at 1610 Park Rd NW advertises “available apartments.” However, an ERC test renter was told by management that housing vouchers would not be accepted. | PHOTO BY ASHLEY CLARKE “In terms of damages, ERC was harmed by Lenkin’s behavior. We are interested in recouping those damages,” Scott said. Damages she enumerated were “the cost of the investigation and the cost of the education and outreach work that we had to undertake to try to counteract their discrimination.” Scott said that the most important thing is to make sure that voucher holders can live in these properties if they would like to. “The main goal is to change the behavior of this particular defendant and hopefully through media and attention to the case it will change the behavior of other companies that may be engaging in the same conduct, ” said Steven Cherry, a partner at WilmerHale, the firm representing ERC. This is not an issue unique to the District. “Housing discrimination can be a major issue in most cities and states, including the District,” said Stephanie Franklin, director of policy and communications for the the D.C. Office of Human Rights (OHR). “The basis of this issue is not solely limited to race or source of income, but is often motivated by a number of traits and factors.”
Franklin said OHR attempts to proactively reduce discrimination by working with both landlords and tenants. “The D.C. Office of Human Rights has a robust education and outreach strategy that engages not only residents and visitors of the District, but also housing providers,” she said. “Our dual approach to limiting the number of violations is to inform communities of their rights through neighborhood workshops while also creating awareness in the housing provider community as to their responsibilities by law.” There were a total of 41 housing discrimination cases docketed by the OHR from October 2015 to September 2016, according to Franklin. Almost half of the cases were filed on the basis of “source of income” discrimination. “Our complaint process is completely free and does not require an attorney,” she said. “There are 18 protected traits that apply to housing discrimination that include both race and source of income.” If prospective renters believe they have experienced discrimination, Franklin encourages them to file a complaint through OHR. ■
May Day Writing by Robert Warren & Photos by Jennifer McLaughlin Artists/Vendors Someone told me when it rains for the first time in May that you should go out in the rain — that you will be blessed with good health the whole year through. This past May Day, I thought it would rain. There were so many dark clouds in the sky. I was thinking about the the rain as some of my fellow People for Fairness Coalition members prepared to march with some of the Miriam’s Kitchen staff and guests. We marched from Foggy Bottom to Freedom Plaza. As the wind blew our signs, we shouted out our slogans of support for our fellow citizens in the immigrant community and our Muslim brothers and sisters. Our activism became real to me when we reached the White House and tourists started to show their support. Some even joined us and began to march with us us. We marched around the Wilson Building to let the mayor and city council know that we need our leader to stand up to Mr. Trump’s misplaced and wrong-minded beliefs about people from other parts of the Americas and other parts of the world. We ended the march back at Freedom Plaza with encouragement from people setting up for the rally that was about to begin there. What really made my day was seeing people from all walks of life marching into that plaza. A short time later, one person after another took the microphone and spoke truth to power. A lot of them talked about how so many people are living in fear right now due to the recent wave of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Folks from the Muslim community praised the judges who stood up to Trump’s travel ban. And even more people spoke to the need for Mayor Bowser to take a strong stance to protect our immigrant brothers and sisters. Mr. Trump came under fire for portraying Mexicans as rapists and criminals. Then, just four days later, the Rockville High School alleged rape case that Mr. Trump used to incite anger against undocumented immigrants was dropped for lack of evidence. “We have concluded that the facts in this case do not support the original charges filed in this matter,” Montgomery County’s state attorney said at a press conference. As the May Day rally continued, still more people stepped forward to talk about the need for fair housing and to help each other. Black and White people alike spoke about how we can’t let anyone divide us or cast doubt on those we have lived with for years. Then we all came together and marched one more time to the White House and joined other community members in Lafayette Park.
Robert Warren.
Mexican Students Learn About Homelessness Firsthand in D.C. By Ariel Gomez Editorial Intern
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t is safe to say that most D.C. residents have at one point seen a person experiencing homelessness and thought, “I can’t imagine living like that.” This was the case for 12 Mexican students studying in D.C. through the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars’ professional development program. However, when beyond the conceptual. Through the National Coalition for the Homeless and their Homeless Challenge Project, the visitor were put into the situation themselves. The program serves as an educational experience that focuses on developing personal awareness about the realities of homelessness. Homelessness exists all over the world, but according to the students that participated in the challenge, what it looks like in Washington, D.C. is very different from the homelessness they see back home in the Mexican state of Sonora. So the students, with the help of an NCH “guide,” all spent a day living homeless on the streets of the District. “In Sonora the homeless are mainly the mentally ill, drug addicts, and South and Central American immigrants,” said Alberto Holguin, one of the students that participated in the challenge. “They try to cross the border, but sometimes they are unsuccessful and have no money left to try again or go back to their home countries, so they are stuck. They live in the streets of the border cities.” Michelle Felix Velarde, another student participant who is from the border city of Nogales, said that for them the issue is not so much homelessness or housing affordability, but instead the displacement of South and Central American immigrants.
Students from the Mexican state of Sonora experience homelessness in Washington, D.C. for a day. | PHOTO BY ARIEL GOMEZ The homeless people that Holguin and his classmates encountered in the streets of Dupont Circle and Franklin Square did not fit that profile. Velarde was also surprised by the people she met. Especially by the amount of access they had to information, food, and other living essentials. During her time participating in challenge, she met a man living on the streets who was able to guide her and show her where she could go for help. His name was Antonio and “he had a lot of access to things with his phone,” Velarde said. “In Mexico, you will never see a homeless [person] with a cellphone.” Jorge Efren Urias Armenta, who did the challenge with Velarde, had a similar experience. “Homeless [people] here seem to have everything,” Armenta said. “In Mexico, the homeless don’t have any clothes, any food, nothing. To see that here they have camping tents, places to get food, good clothes, smartphones … in Mexico even
people who are just of the lower level of the society can’t have all those things. If someone can have food just for one day, that is really lucky.” Another difference that several of the participants noted was that in Mexico many homeless people are given tasks by the local government. “They wash your car windows in the parking lots or other things like that,” Armenta said, marveling at panhandlers in the U.S. “There are no non-profits to help you. Nobody has a tent,” Ana Ancheta added. The participants also noticed that many more children experience homelessness in Mexico than in the U.S. In every stoplight you see kids from ten and up washing car windows for money,” said Ancheta. “They are the kids of homeless.” H o w e v e r, n o t e v e r y t h i n g i n Mexico is different when it comes to homelessness: the stigma the community faces is the same. “In Mexico you never look at the
Students from the Mexican state of Sonora experience homelessness in Washington, D.C. for a day. | PHOTOS BY ARIEL GOMEZ
STREET SENSE May 17 - 30, 2017
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homeless, you don’t talk to them,” said Ancheta. This is something many in the group believe has changed for them after participating in the challenge. “We were indifferent toward the homeless [people]. We walked past the tents under the bridges every day, and that is all we did. We just walked by them,” Armenta said. “But, now it feels different.” Armenta, who was stationed around the Dupont Circle area, said he felt no one noticed him, that no one knew he was there. He said he felt the stigma he had toward the homeless all of a sudden reflect back on him. “I felt I did not have the right to talk to people.” said Holguin, who had a similar realization. “I wasn’t used to feeling like that. They ignore you, they don’t even look at you.” What Holguin also realized was that, “just with a smile they could change your day. Just to be noticed made a difference.” “[You] need love,” Velarde said. She said homeless people here have realtive access to the material things they need to survive. But you get to a point where you need someone to tell you that you are someone.” Don Gardner, a formerly homeless Street Sense vendor, led the group in the challenge. At the end of the experience he had one thing to ask the group: Could they imagine doing that for six months? Morale and spirit dies every single day, according to Gardner. “I always say that if you see the same homeless person every day, get to know them. That is how you help them. Connect with them. Learn their name. Give them your number. Then, they feel like a human being, like a person,” Gardner said. “And eventually you won’t see them anymore because they realize everyone is not mean and nasty, so they go and ask for help. That’s all they need.” ■
OPINION
Siting a Service Center That Makes a Statement By Reginald Black Artist/Vendor It has now been two months since the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library branch closed its doors for an estimated three-year renovation. This renovation has been in the works since at least early 2014, when the public chose one of three innovative design teams to remodel the facility. The closing of the library created a gap in services for the homeless community that the city aims to solve by opening a downtown day center. But downtown services have been needed since long before that. In 2004, Gales School Shelter closed and its residents were moved out of downtown Northwest and into a new facility: a literal warehouse and former halfway house off New York Avenue Northeast, in Ivy City. Then, in 2008, as then-journalist Elissa Silverman reported for the Washington Post at the time, Franklin School Shelter closed. Willing residents were moved onto St. Elizabeth’s campus in Congress Heights. Others survive downtown in other ways, including occupying Franklin Park, which is also slated to close for redevelopment soon. Some go to Adams Place Men’s Shelter in Northeast: another warehouse, turned halfway house, turned shelter. The trend of fewer services downtown can be seen as far back as 1991, when a shelter closed at 14th and Q St NW after the city cut its budget for emergency shelter by $11 million. No new facility was opened -- in fact a shelter also closed that year at 13th and G streets NE. The city social service commissioner at the time admitted this was a problem and said the only hope for the growing homeless population was aid from the community. The last city-funded shelter for men in Northwest, La Casa in Columbia Heights, closed in 2010. Some of the residents filed a class-action lawsuit alleging “disparate impact” since the shelter closings forced homeless people out of the heart of the city for shelter, and an overwhelming majority of homeless people are Black and brown. The suit was eventually dismissed. Low-barrier shelters require that residents leave between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and a number of day programs rose up over the years to fill this time with access to services. They too struggle to remain in Northwest D.C., however. Hermano Pedro, a staple in the Columbia Heights community near the La Casa site, closed after 10 years of service when their contract was not renewed. The city van system has shuttled shelter residents downtown for meal programs, library access and more for years. Many libraries end up serving as de facto day centers: providing computer access, shelter from the elements, quiet, relative
Franklin School 963 13th St NW; Daniel Webster School 940 H St NW; J. Edgar Hoover Building 935 Pennsylvania Ave NW. PHOTO BY REGINALD BLACK
security and entertainment to be found in books and more. The D.C. library was one of the first in the country to hire a social worker, and the MLK branch in particular served as a prominent pickup and drop-off location for the shelter vans. The city opened its own day center in 2015 to fulfill goals identified in the mayor’s five-year plan to end homelessness. It even hired homeless people to help staff the center and its outreach team to assist their peers. However, the center is connected to the remote Adams Place Men’s Shelter, off the beaten path of many potential clients. At meetings surrounding the MLK branch closure, city officials have agreed that a downtown day program is necessary, but that space has been hard to come by. A Department of General Services request for space issued on May 20, 2016 is seeking 8,000 to 10,000 square feet for the facility. The June 20, 2016 deadline for space offers has come and gone. But the Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services aims to have settled on a space by July 1 of this year, wrote Program Analyst Ben Link in an email. Such a central location would serve to combine services such as showers, laundry and assessment for need-based housing — as well as assist the various outreach teams to locate their clients as needed. The community has been in discussions about several buildings that could be a useful place to house the service center. Everyone always returns to the still vacant historic Franklin School, where the shelter used to be. However, when the school was briefly taken over by Occupy D.C. protesters in 2011, Washington City Paper reported the structure contained dangerous levels of lead and asbestos. Estimated to cost more than $30 million, revitalization of the school has eluded mayors Williams, Fenty, Gray and Bowser in her first year. However, in January of this year it was announced that a proposal was accepted by the Bowser administration to turn the school into a tech-savvy museum about language. The project’s website, www.planetwordmuseum.org, points to declining national literacy levels and
promises that “the iconic Franklin School will guarantee its role as a community anchor and cultural magnet.” But there is no shortage of vacant or soon-to-be-vacant property that could provide a much-needed central coordination point for services and make access to services easier for those who are unsheltered. Across from City Center — a large parking lot turned small town — rests another historic property, the Daniel Webster School. Owned by the feds, the school is located at 940 H Street NW and occupies lots 108-114. According to the General Services Administration website, the red brick Daniel Webster School was built between 1881 and 1882 for $42,013.77. It is close to where the MLK Library branch was and would be central enough for people experiencing homelessness to access easily enough. During recovery, people need stability. And unfortunately, the rules of some facilities in the District contribute to job loss through the loss of equipment, Safety does make a difference. A secure space where tools can be stored — even where good clothing can be stored and kept clean — is essential. Another option that would make for an amazing daytime service center location would be the J. Edgar Hoover building. Nearly complete by 1964, though still under construction through 1975, the building cost taxpayers $126 million (originally estimated to be no more than $60 million). Today, it is beginning to deteriorate and the FBI intends to move. No plans have been announced for the site yet and the National Capital Planning Commission’s public comment period for the lot closed on May 13. It would be a great use of real estate to help the poor. If the District could secure that building for to combat poverty, it could produce affordable housing units in an area like Ward 2 — still using the bottom 3 floors for the service center. C o u n c i l m e m b e r J a c k E v a n ’s constituents were not assigned an additional family shelter as part of the mayor’s “All 8 Wards” D.C. General replacement plan. Instead, Ward 2 saw the brand-new Patricia Handy Place for
Women move into the old Gospel Rescue Mission building in Chinatown. And on top of languishing office space, BID reported no new residences created in 2016 and very few residential vacancies. More likely than not, those who are in need of the housing may not be able to access it. So, if renting off most of the J. Edgar Hoover is out of the question, then it makes a better idea for that particular building to contribute to combating poverty. WTOP reported that developers are already envisioning creative mixeduse complexes to replace the domineering federal construct. But in the age when Amazon.com’s headquarters also houses a family shelter, “mixed-use” doesn’t rule out affordable housing. A list of D.C. Department of Human Services shelters is available at https:// dhs.dc.gov/node/127912. Reginald Black is an artist and Street Sense vendor.
Trump Needs a History Lesson By Aida Basnight Trump did it again. Made another bizarre statement about Andrew Jackson having a "big heart" and that the Civil War wouldn't have happened during his time of presidency. What's so baffling to me and the rest of the world is how would Trump know that, when Andrew Jackson had been dead for 16 years before the Civil War started? Was he aware that Jackson owned slaves himself? Paris Dennard, a conservative GOP political commentator and former White House staff to George W. Bush's administration, made the case on CNN that Trump was simply asking questions to educate the public and to make sure a Civil War never happens again in the U.S. I hope that’s true. But in any case, Trump needs to crack open a history book.
Aida Basnight is a vendor/artist for Street Sense.
Have an opinion about how homelessness is being handled in our community? Street Sense maintains an open submission policy and prides itself as a newspaper that elevates community voices and fosters healthy debate. Send your thoughts to opinion@streetsense.org.
We are Sanctuary By Angie Whitehurst The United States of America was founded by a people already in sanctuary. That is who we are. That is what the Constitution is all about. Of course, that does not mean a haven of freedom for those whose selfishness and greed usurps the agreeance to live in a more socially just society. For example, the crime bosses, terrorists of any persuasion, race color, gender or creed, drug dealers, marketeers and their degrading multilevel marketing pyramids which enslaves low-end street sellers in a modern day hightechnology non-government Jim Crow, are not included in this philosophical and conceptually accepted consensus. Thank goodness they are not the majority but the few. Primarily, our system gives the benefit of the doubt and innocence until proven guilty. Yes, we must fight those that would destroy and lead by illegal and political despotism. But, as I stated before, they are the few – outweighed by the humanity of our basically moral majority and rule. What we have now – with flexing muscles, verbal stances and a push to enact a zero tolerance without due process – is a challenge to our existence as a nation and as individuals. Actually, what this is, is fear. We, the people of the District of Columbia, thrived pre-Civil War and until its end, as a city of sanctuary for the enslaved. Yet, by law at the same time,
we still allowed other families in the District to own slaves. In fact members of the U.S. Congress used to jail and chain their slaves in a building between 5th and 6th Streets, on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. This took place in full view of the U.S. Capitol, all because they feared the valuable property would escape to the sanctuary of the city. This building is still standing. When I got to see the inside, during a visit in the 1970s, the cells, bars and chains were still there. Can you imagine! We a c h i e v e d f r e e d o m t h r o u g h the leadership of Abraham Lincoln, abolitionists and other decent elected officials. Sanity and common sense won. Let us not transfer old practices and stale thinking into a rebirthed controlled, contained and brainwashed nation. Washington, D.C. rose to its success because of sanctuary. The history of the black church, Howard University, D.C. Teachers College, the University of the District of Columbia and the thousands who migrated here during both World War I and World War II, despite the tag, poverty and depravity of segregation, is proof that we are sanctuary. To borrow a phrase from the One D.C. Black Workers Chorus, "We shall not be moved." The Constitution says so, and we will live up to its words. Peace. Angie Whitehurst is a vendor/artist for Street Sense.
America’s Fake Reality By Michael Craig If our political structure allows other countries and continents to influence our political process, which still needs fixing, then we need fixing. All President Donald Trump’s cabinet members are running away, and he’s faker than his toupee. I’d have voted for his toupee before I voted for him. How did this happen? This man has no political background. And at the same time, he’s sitting at the White House saying he’s going to cut health care for 20 million people. Now taxpayers have to pay for him to stay in the White House.
People act like they don’t really care as long as they pay their bills and car loans. It doesn’t really matter whether the monkey is under investigation, now does it, they say. They are so hypnotized by corporate society that they are scared or blind to what’s happening right in front of them. This is structurally messed up. But there’s still a lot of room to reverse. Why are we putting an egomaniacal billionaire in the office when we’re broke? There’s no sense in that. But people are falling for it. A gimmick. A fake reality. Michael Craig is an vendor/ artist for Street Sense. ILLUSTRATION BY BARBARA POLLARD
STREET SENSE May 17 - 30, 2017
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OPINION
We Are Better Than This By Jeffery McNeil What happened to us? I say to my African American brethren: We're better than this. We went from being brave to being moral cowards. The Little Rock Nine were determined to get educated despite taunts, slurs and violence. We put our lives on the line when we marched on the Edmund Pettis Bridge for the crime of wanting to vote. Who took away our courage? We are told it is misogynistic to be a man and make a stand. We are told we need to shielded into safe spaces because the world is too difficult to understand. We are weak so we need protectors. Some don't want to hear the truth because they been raised on fear and lies. Racism doesn't weaken a man, it should make you more determined to succeed. Martin Luther King knew he was going to die. He said, “I may not get there with you. But I want you to know... that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land." Honor this man's dream and stop this foolishness. Our race has taken a wrong turn. We are the lost tribe taking forty years to make a ten minute journey. Progressives have fooled blacks. Did racism stop Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali? Hank Aaron broke the home run record despite numerous death threats. The only person that stops you is you. Racism shouldn't stop you but motivate you. If someone is getting in the way of your dreams it should make you more determined to defeat him. Liberals have brainwashed people into believing that one should be shielded from challenges rather than figuring out how to solve them. If you are not going on offense, pushing the pot, angering and upsetting people, then you are not doing anything worthwhile. All solutions first start off as complicated problems. You're not helping someone by making things easy for them. Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder were double screwed they were black and blind, but racism didn't stop them from learning how to play the piano. History has shown people have done the impossible despite being called the N-word. The notion that racism makes men weak is nonsense. Only weak men succumb to bigotry. When someone rejects me it makes me more determined to succeed. They hate you because your presence makes them feel uncomfortable. You are the bright light amongst dim bulbs. They hate you because you're doing what's right in the eyes of the Lord. Take it as badge of honor when you get hate mail and angry letters. Because you are getting the scales off people's eyes. While progressives push this "hate America" narrative, America has been good to them. Barack and Michelle Obama
are getting sixty million dollars from the apartheid state of America. The America of the KKK has allowed race charlatans Maxine Waters and Al Sharpton lifestyles they could never dream about in Africa. This racist nation has welcomed them, taken them in as brothers and they show no gratitude for what America has done for them. A l t h o u g h s l a v e r y, J i m C r o w a n d segregation were morally wrong, African Americans live better lives here in America than in Africa. Black Lies Matter talks about criminal justice but try telling a Somali police officer that you have rights. America is humane to women and gays — tell someone in Nigeria you're a trans intersectional feminist. There is no free health care in Haiti and in Jamaica if you get sick and don't pay out of pocket you're not going to be treated. The poor in America live better than me and I work two jobs. They drive cars, have cellphones, cable TV, internet service and Sony PlayStations. I saw one homeless person in Georgetown carrying Gucci Bags and eating lasagne. Sometime I have to live on tuna fish and Cup Noodles. America is not perfect but this country twice elected a black president and almost elected a woman. The problem isn't racism, it’s liberals poisoning children with
All solutions first start o f f a s c o mp l i c a te d problems. this woe-is-me mindset rather than tapping into the potential God gives everyone. Our Republic was developed to prevent a centralized bureaucracy from turning its citizens into slaves. Our nation has gotten away from people wanting to uplift themselves to demanding that government solve all our problems. I believe people are capable of making their own decisions without an intrusive government telling them what's best. We are a proud people with a proud Heritage. Our history is a history of uplift, holding on despite forces that try to destroy us. We have been lied to and we need to know the truth. Up, you mighty race -- it’s time to unite, join our brothers and sisters in the cause of liberty and defeat Global Slavery once and for all.
Jeffery McNeil is a Street Sense vendor.
The Street Sense Writers’ Group is led by writing professionals and meets every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. The group’s goal is to develop ideas and collaborate on the next great issue of Street Sense.
He Fed Us When He Didn’t Know Us
STREET SENSE May 17 - 30, 2017
17
ART
By Conrad Cheek Jr. Writer/Vendor I feel I must write this article about a special person who fed me and many other homeless and needy people in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. I am embarrassed to have put off writing this article about James Foward, whom I called "J.J.," until now. It is published posthumously. J.J. — short for his more popular nickname Jameson James — died before I'd written the story. But I can still tell it! I met him after I had been kidnapped and carjacked by shady characters in front of my temporary quarters. I had called the police and left the neighborhood, taking my place among the homeless men on Capitol Hill, some of whom I had employed for odd jobs during my more prosperous days. [Read more in my “Kidnapped, Carjacked and I Stole my Car Back” story on StreetSense.org] Now I needed food, shelter and odd-job money. I began eating at a soup kitchen run by the Capitol United Methodist Church at 5th and Seward Square, S.E. At first the meals were rare. But after J.J. became involved in gaining the clergy’s trust, we began eating at Capitol United regularly, as well as at other churches. For many of the homeless on the Hill, including myself, it was the only delicious, filling, and nutritious full-course meal that we could depend on once a month. The pastor commented that the homeless would ask “When are the ‘Rogue Saints’ going to serve again?” We knew that whether it was pork roast, ham, meatloaf, turkey or BBQ, a good meal was coming. Personally involved in the soup kitchen work, J.J. would come out and greet us in his tall chef's hat, usually after the food was served. I recognized him from a neighborhood tavern, the Tune Inn. On occasion, I would stop by the Tune Inn during happy hour. James would greet me by saying “Welcome aboard.” James had an interesting sense of humor. He once drew a picture of three Native Americans sitting on horses at the top of a hill overlooking the ocean. There was a ship like the Mayflower anchored in the distance. Underneath the drawing, his caption read “Aw sh**! More undocumented aliens!” In the later years, around Christmas time, I would say to James “Get your hand out of my pocket!:” He would look down
and see my hand in his jacket pocket, Then he would check the pocket and find the $10 I had placed there. He would say “thank you” and I would reply, “No! Thank you for all you do.” It made me feel good to give back to someone who had done so much to help people in need. I had been selling enough Street Sense newspapers to put gas in my car and rent a room. M y f i r s t recollection of Derrick Hopkin was at the ‘Lib Pub’ bar. I had been invited there by a coworker when I was teaching chess to children at the MLK Library, Southeast Branch. Back then and to this day, he always called me “Snoop.” A nickname given to me at the bar by one of its patrons. [Read more on the first and last page of Eric L. Wee’s “Shelf Life” on WashingtonPost.com] I recall taking pictures and videotaping the Rogue Saints in action, preparing and serving the food to the needed about 3 years ago. James was sitting on a stool directing the operation. That day they were serving pork tenderloin as the main course. It so happened that for Derrick Hopkin, this was his first day as a volunteer. I've been acquainted with Derrick for about 12 years but I'd never seen him so happy and animated. We had known "Captain James," as
he called J.J., for thirty years. That day Derrick learned how to prepare the vegetable soup from the Captain and later other foods, including how to properly carve a turkey. James would encourage and compliment him. When the pot of vegetable soup was too heavy for J.J to lift, Derrick said he lifted it and was bestowed the nickname "Right Hand Man" by the Captain. Some days he would say "I need you in the kitchen" and "I can count on you." Derrick told me that one Sunday James wasn't feeling well. He could hardly speak. "The crew handled it like a pro" Derrick said. On Tuesday mornings he would tell his coworkers that he helped to feed the homeless on Sunday with a smile on his face. His coworkers would say "God's going to bless you!” “Once I had the good feeling that I helped feed the homeless, I couldn't stop!” Derrick said. "It broke my heart when I found out that James had passed away. He was like a second father, the way he would teach me things." James would go to the Safeway to get enough to feed 120 people. He told me that sometimes the meat was donated by Mr. Canales, the owner of the Canales Deli at the Eastern Market. The delicious pork tenderloin we were eating that day had come from Mr.
Canales. When I asked Mr. Canales about his donations, he smiled and explained that on a regular basis he has also donated turkey for Thanksgiving, honey baked ham and other meats. He said "It makes me feel good to help feed the homeless when I can." After more than a decade of purchasing the delicious sandwiches, chicken or spinach empanadas, seafood or chicken salads, I didn't know until 3 years ago that the same Canales Deli had a hand in feeding me when I slept on the street or in my car. I believe that I found out when James invited me to a special meal for disabled veterans held at the American Legion near 13th and D Street SE. Again they were serving pork tenderloin donated by the Canales Deli. I used to tell J.J. how much I appreciated his help and how I planned to write an article about him for Street Sense. I’d even get his picture on the front page! A friend thought my grief over J.J.'s death was greater than after my mother's passing. I had to explain I had put off writing J.J.'s article too long and now he would not be alive to read it. I can only say that my mother’s passing was expected, where the news of J.J.’s passing came so suddenly that I didn’t have time to brace myself and I lost my composure. But at last others will be able to read about the generous chef who fed the homeless residents of Capitol Hill. The common link between these three individuals is that they found joy in that feeling of accomplishment by doing their part in helping others. Each of them displayed a sense of pride in their own way.
games have returned!
STREET SENSE May 17 - 30, 2017
15
COMMUNITY SERVICES Housing/Shelter
Food
Clothing
Showers
Case Management
Health Care
Transportation
Laundry
Education
Employment Assistance
Legal Assistance
Vivienda/alojamiento
Comida
Coordinación de Servicios
Seguro
Educación
Assitencia con Empleo
Academy of Hope Public Charter School: 269-6623 | 601 Edgewood St, NE aohdc.org Bread for the City: 265-2400 (NW) | 561-8587 (SE) 1525 7th St, NW | 1640 Good Hope Rd, SE breadforthecity.org Calvary Women’s Services: 678-2341 1217 Good Hope Road, SE calvaryservices.org
Ropa
Lavandería
D.C. Coalition for the Homeless: 347-8870 1234 Massachusetts Ave, NW dccfh.org
Línea de juventud
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE: (202) 749-8000 Línea directa de Violencia doméstica
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE: 1-888-793-4357
Assistencia Legal
Covenant House Washington: 610-9600 2001 Mississippi Avenue, SE covenanthousedc.org
Línea directa de alojamiento YOUTH HOTLINE: (202) 547-7777
Duchas
Transportación
Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org
SHELTER HOTLINE: (202) 399-7093
Línea de Salud del Comportamiento Jubilee Jobs: 667-8970 2712 Ontario Rd NW | 2419 Minnesota Ave SE jubileejobs.org
Samaritan Ministry: 1516 Hamilton Street NW | 722-2280 1345 U Street SE | 889-7702 samaritanministry.org
Loaves & Fishes: 232-0900 1525 Newton St. NW loavesandfishesdc.org
Sasha Bruce Youthwork: 675-9340 741 8th St, SE sashabruce.org
Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org
So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 O St, NW | 797-8806 some.org
Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp
Central Union Mission: 745-7118 65 Massachusetts Avenue, NW missiondc.org
Charlie’s Place: 232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave, NW charliesplacedc.org Christ House: 328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd, NW christhouse.org Church of the Pilgrims: 387-6612 2201 P St, NW churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach food (1 - 1:30 on Sundays only) Community Family Life Services: 347-0511 | 305 E St, NW cflsdc.org
Vagrancy Comics #4: Impressionable By Justin Benedict Former Vendor
Father McKenna Center: 842-1112 19 Eye St, NW fathermckennacenter.org
Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org
St. Luke’s Mission Center: 333-4949 3655 Calvert St. NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
Food and Friends: 269-2277 219 Riggs Rd, NE foodandfriends.org
My Sister’s Place: 529-5991 (24-hour hotline) mysistersplacedc.org
Thrive DC: 737-9311 1525 Newton St, NW thrivedc.org
Foundry Methodist Church: 332-4010 1500 16th St, NW foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities
N Street Village: 939-2060 1333 N Street, NW nstreetvillage.org
Unity Health Care: 745-4300 3020 14th St, NW unityhealthcare.org
Friendship Place: 364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave, NW friendshipplace.org
New York Ave Shelter: 832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave, NE
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St NW | 328-5500 legalclinic.org
Georgetown Ministry Center: 338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave, NW georgetownministrycenter.org Jobs Have Priority: 544-9128 425 Snd St, NW jobshavepriority.org
Patricia Handy Place for Women: 810 5th Street, NW, NW | 733-5378 Samaritan Inns: 667-8831 2523 14th St, NW samaritaninns.org
The Welcome Table: 347-2635 1317 G St, NW epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St, NW | 745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave, SE | 797-3567 whitman-walker.org
Street Sense Community Forum on
Photo by Jane Cave from 2015 Forum on Family Homelessness
June 3rd from 1-3 PM at 1317 G St. NW, 20005 Learn from, and ask questions of, a panel of experts.
May 17 - 31 • Volume 14 • Issue 14
Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
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