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In 2017, we began hosting a number of different workshops aimed at helping our vendors develop skills beyond writing for our newspaper. On any given day, our vendors are illustrating, painting, recording podcasts, taking photos, rehearsing plays, organizing advocacy groups, and coming together as a community.
In 2023, artists/vendors published a book of their photography,
and shared their life experiences in an oral history project!
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The People for Fairness Coalition (PFFC) held a candidate forum and anniversary celebration on May 8. Attendees spoke with advocates and candidates ahead of the June 4 primary election. Here are reflections from vendors who organized the event.
The candidates came out swinging, uppercuts. I had to bob and weave so I wouldn't get hit. They were passionate, just as passionate as I was about my policy. I choose questions that would help me better understand how people are seen through others’ eyes. Like guaranteed income, why is it that singles don't receive guaranteed income and families do? If people need money to live, then why are singles treated less than and given less? I asked this question to Robert White and Rodney Grant, running for at-large councilmember. My opinion is the language that was spoken was meant to fit who was listening. I will also say we are all humans who can be unpredictable when we want something. I didn't make that line up; I’m just using it.
Some candidates did not show up because they had other things to do, but our vote matters. The thing I was most irritated with was the not knowing and pointing fingers. We want to help, we don't get paid to give you our ideas. Listening to policies that can better our community is a good start. We attended the DC Justice Lab to prepare for this fight and we had some pretty good coaches. We are not throwing in the towel and neither should you. - Nikila Smith, panelist at the forum
□ The office will be closed Monday, May 27, for Memorial Day.
□ There are two upcoming theater performances. Details at the office.
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Reggie Black May. 23
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I attended the DC Justice Lab Policy Academy, and the policy I worked on is the universal right to housing. We at PFFC believe every unhoused individual deserves a place to call home. We believe that safe, affordable housing should be a right and not a privilege. This is a racial equity issue. We must reverse the effects of gentrification and displacement here in D.C. We need more affordable housing. D.C. is short 32,900 rental homes for extremely low-income residents. It’s said 73% of low-income residents choose among healthy foods, health care and paying rent. Ninety people died last year unhoused and 57 were matched to a voucher. Our solution is to make the Housing Production Trust Fund meet its target goals. We should also develop a universal housing subsidy system to ensure vulnerable populations can achieve the stability to succeed. In addition to housing subsidies, we are in support of public, social, and cooperative housing. I talked about these issues and proposals at the candidate’s forum. I wanted to ask “What would your plan be to rebuild public housing/social housing infrastructure?” I also wanted to ask about timing vouchers based on returning citizens’ release dates from prison, so resources are already in place. I believe the forum was a success overall for our 16-year anniversary celebration. -
Rachelle Ellison, PFFC co-directorLeslie Jacobson (Theater), Roy Barber (Theater), Rachel Dungan (Podcast), Willie Schatz (Writing)
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Annabella Hoge, Anne Eigeman, August Ditcher, Benjamin Litoff, Cari Shane, Casey Bacot, Chelsea Ciruzzo, Dakota Bragato, Dan Goff, Grier Hall, J.M. Acsienzo, Josh Axelrod, Kate
Kathryn Owens, Lenika Cruz, Micah Levey, Miles Wilson, Rachel Siegal, Roman Peregrino, Ryan
Ron Dudley May. 30
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Cameé Lee June 2
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Carina Gervacio’s 4-year-old son likes bananas, but everything else is a guess.
Even after trying pizza or chicken nuggets, she can strike out. When that happens, she feels better about sending her son to school on an empty stomach because come lunchtime, the school will make sure he gets a meal — for free.
“In those moments every parent, every family, every caregiver, deserves the safety net of knowing like, ‘Hey I didn’t get breakfast right, for whatever reason,’” Gervacio said. “‘I didn’t get lunch right. I didn’t get the perfect thing that my kid is going to eat because kids are really unpredictable sometimes, but I know that school is there.’”
Gervacio’s son, like many other D.C. kids in low-income areas, receives free school meals. For Gervacio, this offers
peace of mind her son will eat during the school day, even if he refuses his breakfast. For others, school breakfasts and lunches provide an essential resource for students and their families, combating childhood hunger and helping kids stay focused during the day. But despite broad support to expand free lunch programs in D.C., a proposed bill that would ensure every D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) student has access to school lunch is unlikely to pass the D.C. Council as budgetary restrictions press the city to limit spending.
DCPS students already receive free breakfast as well as supper and snacks at applicable schools, according to the DCPS website. And Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools, like Powell Elementary School where Gervacio’s son attends, also serve lunch at no cost to all enrolled students, according to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which administers federal school lunch programs.
The Universal Free School Meals Amendment Act of 2023 would essentially build on that program and provide access to free school breakfasts, lunches, and afterschool snacks for students in all public, charter, and private schools that choose to participate in the National School Lunch Program, making school meals universally free for district students.
According to DCPS enrollment data, the school district has 116 public schools. Free lunches are only universally available in 96 CEP schools. Students who attend other public schools can apply to receive free lunches or through the federal Free and Reduced Meals, or FARM, program. Charter and private schools are also eligible for the FARM program. In 2019, over 75% of charter school students participated in the program, according to D.C. Hunger Solutions report.
School meal programs are linked to better test performances, fewer disciplinary problems, and a better diet according to
the report. About a fourth of D.C. households with children reported having insufficient food in 2020, according to a D.C. Food Policy report. Although many students are already receive free school meals through existing programs, not every student has access to these benefits.
The bill, introduced by At-large Councilmember Christina Henderson, is supported by nine members of the thirteenmember council who helped introduce or sponsor the bill. In the bill’s introduction, Henderson detailed the benefits D.C. residents already receiving free and reduced meals would get if the bill were enacted.
“The first would be that some families would no longer have to pay anything at all for receiving reduced-price lunches,” Henderson wrote. “The second being that concerns around the stigma associated with receiving this benefit would no longer be an issue.”
Despite these benefits, the bill doesn’t have a funding source, Henderson’s office confirmed in a statement in early May.
National expansions in free lunch programs have shown students and families take advantage when schools offer free meals.
During part of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government offered free lunches year-round through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option. However, the option is typically only available during the summer, according to a 2021 USDA press release. The year-round option was only extended until June 30, 2022.
As a result of the National School Lunch Program temporary expansion, FNS provided 2.2 billion meals in 2021, and 4.9 billion in 2022, Diana Limbacher, deputy regional administrator for the USDA’s FNS mid-Atlantic region, wrote in an email. In both years, almost all of the meals were served free or for a reduced price. In 2020, 3.2 billion meals were provided without the expansion, but only about 77% were free or reduced price.
The 2021 and 2022 increases in the rate of students served at free or reduced price are partially because the USDA pandemic waiver offered free-of-charge meals to all students, Limbacher wrote.
“When all students have access to healthy school meals at no cost, more children are fueled for learning and development,” she added. “Nutritious school meals and quality education go hand-in-hand. We know that hungry kids cannot learn and are at risk for diet-related diseases.”
Local students have also come out in support of the proposed D.C. program.
Zoe Fisher, a 17-year-old student at the School Without Walls and part of the DCPS Green New Deal for Schools Initiative, testified about the importance of universal free school meals for students in a November public hearing on the local bill.
Fisher told Street Sense students at her D.C. middle school had a stigma against eating lunches from school instead of from home, which she thought prevented people from taking advantage of free and reduced lunch programs.
“The lunch line I think was shorter than it could have been because kids didn’t want to face ridicule or judgment when they come back to the table and they’re eating something different from everyone else,” Fisher said.
Fisher hopes if school lunch is available to everyone, that judgment will fade. Lunchroom stigma had a measurable impact in a 2023 U.S. Census Bureau working paper where the implementation of free lunches caused suspensions to decline. The paper links different access to meals with separation and discipline issues. Free school meals improve perceptions of the school climate, according to the paper.
“I know that the next step for [the act] is finding the funding and that this year the budget couldn’t be tighter,” Fisher said. “And like, really using strong language to convince those in power that it needs the funding now is going to be very important.”
The bill would cost D.C. about $8 million a year in additional funding, according to a 2022 D.C. Food Policy
Council report. Most of the funding for universal free school meals — over 80% — comes from existing federal and local meal reimbursement programs, keeping the price tag relatively low. However, the DCPS budget for the 2025 fiscal year is already tight, according to a February press release by DCPS.
The D.C. Policy Center found the school district will need $615 million in one-time funds to maintain the same level of spending in the coming year as in 2024. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed budget would increase DCPS’s budget by 16% from the 2024 fiscal year, but could still force the district to eliminate up to 200 positions, according to the Washington Post. Existing meal programs could also be at risk, DCPS Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee said, if the council decides to move money away from the DCPS central office to individual schools.
“We are heading into the most difficult budget season since the Great Recession,” Bowser said in the February press release. “Federal relief funds are ending, our personnel and operational costs are higher, and commercial property tax collections are lower. We know that even as we increase our local investments in public education, our schools will still feel the impacts of rightsizing.”
On May 3, the council hosted a public hearing on the budget. Residents and advocates testified that many social service programs were at risk of losing funding, a refrain several councilmembers have echoed throughout the budget process.
“Another thing that is important — is critical, a third leg of the stool — is supporting opportunity and supporting the safety net, and I don’t think that this budget has done those things, and we in the council are going to need to do that,” Ward 3 Councilmember Matthew Frumin said.
The councilmember acknowledged residents at the hearing advocating for pay equity and called it a classic pathway to the middle class. More than 300 people registered to testify,
calling for increased funding for other programs affecting families including teacher pay equity, childcare, and funding for domestic violence prevention.
Even if efforts stall in D.C., free school lunch is now on the table nationally. Starting this summer, states will have the option to provide summer benefits to help families of eligible children purchase food when there is no school in the summer to provide meals, Limbacher wrote. Many states are now developing more permanent free school meal plans after USDA’s COVID-19 support waivers expired.
For instance, free school breakfasts and lunches are still available because of a new Meals at No Charge program in Maine, said Director of Child Nutrition in the Maine Department of Education Jane McLucas.
“I don’t know if it played into the decision, but it really made it easier to come back from the pandemic knowing that the meals were free for kids and that could continue,” McLucas said. Maine is listed in the introduction of the D.C. bill, along with California and Colorado, as having similar plans to the one D.C. could implement.
“I keep reminding people all the time we are very lucky to be in Maine because there’s a lot of things happening out there in states that don’t have this wonderful program,” McLucas said.
There are eight states, including Maine, with universal free meals for the 2023-24 school year and another 25 states, in addition to D.C., where legislation has been introduced, according to the Food Research and Action Center. The programs are meant to benefit students but also affect the communities they live in.
“We hope that every student takes advantage of the plan that supports the students, supports the families and the schools can then use money to buy local foods, and it supports the economics of the town and the state as well,” McLucas said.
As the U.S. Supreme Court considers Grants Pass v. Johnson, addressing homelessness requires more work, regardless of outcome
JEREMIAH HAYDEN Reporter at Street Rootsassy Leach woke up early on April 22, the day the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Grants Pass v. Johnson across the country in Washington, D.C. That morning, Leach, Mobile Integrative Navigation Team, or MINT, cofounder, a Grants Pass service provider for people living in parks, tuned into the livestream while helping a 62-year-old homeless woman look for her cat, Sylvester. The cat had gone missing in Fruitdale Park when Grants Pass police forced the woman, who is blind in one eye, to move her tent and belongings two miles away to Tussing Park.
CA Grants Pass city ordinance requires homeless residents living in vehicles to move every 72 hours, and police require anyone living in parks to move as often as is allowed by state law, which is also every 72 hours. City code bars anyone from sleeping in public spaces or using sleeping materials for the purpose of maintaining a temporary place to live under threat of criminal and civil penalty.
Later that day, Leach drove another homeless resident to a doctor’s appointment, dropped off wound supplies in local parks, and transported an elderly, deaf homeless resident to an orthopedist appointment.
The Supreme Court’s decision in the case out of southern Oregon, expected in June, will broadly impact how local governments write homelessness policy in the United States.
Since the Supreme Court took up the case in January, Democrat and Republican governments, district attorneys and business associations submitted amicus briefs arguing a 2022 Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals injunction removes necessary tools for enforcing laws against homeless residents sleeping on public property.
A host of organizations submitted amicus briefs in support of counsel representing homeless residents, saying laws punishing individuals for being homeless are cruel and unusual. The briefs argued the laws do nothing to solve the homelessness crisis and will likely exacerbate the issue.
Leach said most Grants Pass residents are well aware of the case before the Supreme Court. Some hope the justices will uphold the ordinance, and others generally support efforts to solve the housing crisis, regardless of the court’s decision. While there are fundamental disagreements on how to treat homeless residents in Grants Pass, Leach said the community can agree to come together and create a safe place for people so they don’t have to live in the parks.
“We still need to do something, so let’s just do it,” Leach said.
‘You don’t arrest babies who have blankets’
The Supreme Court is a lavish theater for a case deciding whether cities can punish people for sleeping when they have nowhere else to go.
Court staff ushered some 400 guests, lawyers, journalists and family members across the Grand Hall and into the courtroom through bronze gates flanked by marble pillars on the morning of arguments. Dark, wine-red drapery framed the chambers on all sides. Above the curtains, friezes of prophets, owls, and allegorical figures looked on just beneath a high red and blue-checkered ceiling with white and gold-trimmed rosettes as court aides paced across the bench between two American flags.
For two and a half hours, the justices questioned counsel for each side, as well as Edwin Kneedler, U.S. Justice Department deputy solicitor general. A central theme was where the line should be drawn between the involuntary status of being homeless and the conduct associated with being homeless. That question of status and conduct arises from a 1962 Supreme Court decision in Robinson v. California. Justices
ruled it is cruel and unusual for the state to punish a person for a status — in that case, the status of being addicted to narcotics — and therefore violated the Eighth Amendment. However, in a case six years later, Powell v. Texas, justices decided the state can punish a person for the conduct of using substances, creating a legal distinction between status and conduct.
The justices presented a range of hypotheticals meant to clarify the question: Addiction is to drug use as sleeping is to what? And where is the line between a universal need and punishable behavior?
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson helped differentiate between the conduct of drug use as a consequence of the status of having an addiction and the conduct of using a blanket for the universal status of needing to sleep. She said drug use is punishable because it is not a universal need, despite some people having an addiction to drugs. However, people cannot be held criminally liable for universally necessary acts that are in and of themselves not criminal, like using a blanket to sleep.
“Not only is it something that everybody engages in, but it’s something that everybody has to engage in to be alive,” Kneedler responded.
In this case, counsel for homeless residents argued the city of Grants Pass punished the status of being homeless by creating ordinances making it impossible for homeless people to be anywhere in the city without receiving constant fines or jail time — a violation of the Eighth Amendment.
Jackson asked whether the same ordinance could apply to eating in public spaces. Justice Neil Gorsuch extended the question to whether other biological necessities, like urination and defecation, would be considered status or conduct. Chief Justice John Roberts went so far as to ask if being a bank robber is considered a status, while Justice Samuel Alito and Gorsuch tested whether a person could steal food if they were hungry without being punished.
In an early, fiery exchange, Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked Theane Evangelis, Grants Pass’ counsel, if the city enforced the ordinance against the general public or exclusively against people who have no other place to go.
“If a stargazer wants to take a blanket or a sleeping bag out at night to watch the stars and falls asleep, you don’t arrest them,” Sotomayor said. “You don’t arrest babies who have blankets over them. You don’t arrest people who are sleeping on the beach.”
Evangelis said the laws apply to everyone.
“Yeah, that’s what you want to say,” Sotomayor said.
Sotomayor referenced an amicus brief filed by a group of criminal law and punishment scholars, which included testimony from a police officer saying that someone would “violate the ordinance if he did not ‘have another home to go to,’” and “laying on a blanket enjoying the park” would not violate the ordinance. In other words, sleeping in public is a crime for homeless individuals, but not for those who have a home.
Evangelis said one example exists of a person in Grants Pass receiving a citation despite having a home address.
“There’s nothing in the law that criminalizes homelessness,” Evangelis said.
‘Ending
Early on the cool April morning in Washington, D.C., before oral arguments began, a crowd gathered outside the Supreme Court. In the clear sky, the sun rose behind the building, forming a corona around its roof.
The National Homelessness Law Center, or NHLC, organized a rally for “Housing Not Handcuffs,” a national campaign advocating for housing as a human right and
demanding an end to the criminalization of homelessness. Over 600 people showed up for the event, which included homelessness advocates from across the country giving speeches.
Jesse Rabinowitz, NHLC campaign and communications manager, said the court’s decision to hear the case indicates how politicized homelessness has become.
“It’s also a reflection on the fact that we do have a homelessness crisis in this country and our elected officials are not doing what they need to do to make sure everyone has housing that meets their needs,” he said.
Rabinowitz said it is a catalyzing moment for homeless advocacy across the nation.
“We know that ending homelessness is possible, but it’s going to take building power and getting our elected officials to do their jobs,” he said.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2023 “Out of Reach” report shows a person needs 1.6 full-time jobs at minimum wage, or must make at least $22.44 per hour, to afford a two-bedroom at fair market rent in Grants Pass.
As the justices debated the constitution some 3,000 miles away, Leach saw a similar demonstration as she drove past the Josephine County Courthouse. Roughly a dozen homeless residents held signs reading “Stop Sweeps” and “If everyone can’t pay the rent, they shouldn’t fucking take our tent.”
The Oregon Legislature passed ORS 195.530 in 2021, which dictates laws regulating sitting, lying, sleeping, or keeping warm and dry outdoors on public property “must be objectively reasonable with regards to people experiencing homelessness.” The statute is somewhat vague, and cities like Portland — Oregon’s largest city — have battled in court to determine what is “objectively reasonable.”
Lawmakers intended to codify the Ninth Circuit’s 2018 Martin v. Boise decision into the state statute, which ruled Ninth Circuit jurisdictions, including Oregon, have the authority to regulate when and where people can or cannot stay but cannot punish people when shelter is unavailable.
Martin v. Boise served as the backdrop for the Grants Pass case when it arrived at the Ninth Circuit, and governments leaning toward both sides of the aisle argue the two Ninth Circuit decisions hamstring them from solving the homelessness crisis.
Referring to the state law, Jackson asked about “constitutional avoidance,” a legal doctrine that would allow the Supreme Court to decline to render a decision on the constitutionality of the Grants Pass ordinance. Roberts appeared to also question the court’s responsibility, asking why “these nine people are the best people to judge and weigh those policy judgements.”
The lower court’s decision will stand if the court decides not to issue a ruling as a matter of constitutional avoidance. Kelsi Corkran, Georgetown Law Supreme Court director and counsel for the class of homeless residents, told the court she would have no issues with that outcome.
If the court determined the ordinance does not violate the Eighth Amendment because Oregon has a necessity defense, the burden of proof would fall on each homeless individual to show a court they were sleeping outside for a reason, each time they received a citation.
Ed Johnson, Oregon Law Center director of litigation, initially filed the suit against Grants Pass in 2018. On the sidewalk below the steps of the high court, he said in a city with zero available emergency shelter, the status and conduct of homelessness are two sides of the same coin.
“Living outside and trying to stay warm with a blanket is literally the definition of what it means to be homeless when you don’t have anywhere else,” Johnson said.
‘Homelessness is a choice made by our elected officials’
On April 17, just five days before the case arrived at the Supreme Court, Grants Pass City Council unanimously approved a new MINT property just off Redwood Highway. Leach said people who initially opposed MINT’s tactics showed up to testify in support of its efforts.
One Grants Pass resident previously testified in a contentious May 17, 2023, City Council meeting, saying the community needed to “get aggressive” and “take their parks back,” calling on neighbors to “make them feel uncomfortable.” Less than a year later, he told City Council the new MINT shelter is a “win-win” because “abracadabra” won’t fix the issue regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision.
A local “park watch group” organizer recently volunteered to install flooring in the new MINT building.
“I get emotional just thinking about it,” Leach said. “When you’re doing something good and right, people come along.”
Rabinowitz said in the places most successful in reducing homelessness — like Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Houston, Texas — everyone comes to the table to address the root causes.
“Ending homelessness requires collaboration and buy-in,” Rabinowitz said. “That cannot happen when the government is focused on throwing away people’s stuff and throwing folks in jail.”
Tickets can impact credit scores, making it more difficult for people to be accepted into housing, and a criminal history also creates significant barriers.
“All of these things break connections and displace people from their chosen communities,” Rabinowitz said. “They all make homelessness worse.”
There is a broad range for what the Supreme Court could ultimately decide, Rabinowitz said. It could uphold the Ninth Circuit’s decision saying civil and criminal punishments against homeless residents for being homeless are cruel and unusual. It could say people can be fined but not arrested, or it could overturn Martin v. Boise. While there appeared to be little appetite for it in the courtroom, the court could go so far as to say it has wrongly interpreted the Eighth Amendment in cases like 1962’s Robinson v. California. That could make way for laws criminalizing other involuntary statuses.
Rabinowitz said in the best-case scenario, the Supreme Court will set a bar — albeit a low bar — saying homelessness cannot be criminalized. People still need a place to go, regardless of the court’s decision. Until the support systems are in place to keep people from becoming homeless, the crisis will continue, according to Rabinowitz.
“Homelessness is a choice made by our elected officials every day when they fail to fund housing,” he said.
Leach, MINT volunteers and the coalition of organizers in Grants Pass are trying to address their community’s short- and long-term needs. Whether providing emergency shelter, health care and harm reduction tools or reuniting Sylvester the cat with his owner in the park, Leach said she believes Grants Pass will make national news again, “but for how we worked to fix homelessness and housing.”
Despite philosophical clashes and frustrations in the local community, Leach remains hopeful as the national spotlight shines on the city.
“There’s a weird unification that’s happening,” she said. “And it’s beautiful.”
This story was originaly produced by Street Roots. Street Sense is republishing it courtesy of the International Network of Street Papers.
DC.’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS) and the National Park Services (NPS) closed encampments across Foggy Bottom in mid-May, displacing at least 50 people in the largest encampment closure since McPherson Square.
The main closures occurred near San Martin Memorial on May 16. D.C. and the federal government were originally scheduled to remove two encampments on May 15, but postponed a day due to inclement weather. About ten people were still living at the encampment at San Martin on the day of the closure. Homeless advocacy groups estimate as many as 70 people experiencing homelessness were impacted by the wave of seven encampment closures in Foggy Bottom beginning on May 16. Local and federal officials removed encampments between 21st and 25th Streets NW and along E Street and Virginia Avenue NW over the course of a week.
Park space in Foggy Bottom, including near San Martin Memorial, is split into land owned by D.C. and land owned by the federal government and managed by NPS. NPS first announced the closure of its side of the park last year and cleared the sites for restoration and turf cleaning to prepare for the 250th anniversary of United States independence in 2026, according to the signs posted by NPS before the clearing. DMHHS had not originally intended to close its side of the park, but did so after safety concerns arose, including fires and traffic accidents, a spokesperson wrote via email.
“The National Park Service is the decision-making entity for encampments on federal land, but the District continues to work to deliver shelter resources and other social services to residents at those sites,” a DMHHS official wrote. “The District will continue our work to connect all unhoused residents in the city with human support services, including housing.”
David Beatty, 65, who’s lived at the park for close to nine months, disputed the rationale behind D.C.’s closure. He said that there were at least five fires over the last year and that multiple assaults occurred. But he said that was all months ago, while D.C.’s decision to close the parks was only within
the last month. Encampment residents knew since October 2023 that NPS was clearing its side of the park for rehab, and initially thought they would only have to move to the D.C. side of the park.
“Nobody is sure what’s happening but I’m staying as long as I can,” Beatty told Street Sense a week before the scheduled closure. He said he had talked with representatives from the NPS and even they were confused about what was going on with the D.C. side of the park.
On the day of the closure, it wasn’t exactly a joint operation. A crew of NPS workers gathered on one side of the park, while DMHHS was on the other side.
NPS arrived with a garbage truck, a bulldozer, and close to 10 park staff with pitchforks and hazmat suits, while DMHHS brought multiple garbage trucks, its own bulldozer, and a large dumpster. NPS cleared the federal side with six tents within less than an hour of the closure starting at 10 a.m., while DMHHS officials were still clearing the local side of the park, which had about eight tents, at noon. Altogether, government officials removed up to 15 tents in total.
But government officials and advocates estimate far more people were forced to move. D.C. outreach providers identified at least 52 people affected by the Foggy Bottom encampment closures as clients of city-funded outreach services, according to notes from an Interagency Council on Homelessness meeting on May 7. About 15 were matched to housing resources like housing vouchers, though it can take a while for people to move into housing with a voucher, and 22 were chronically homeless, meaning they likely qualified for support but were not matched to a resource.
Homeless advocacy and service providers that attended the encampment closure, like Miriam’s Kitchen and the National Homeless Law Center, said they saw the encampment closure as causing more harm than good. Without services that provide pathways to housing, the closures cause encampment residents to distrust the government further, and it makes those that advocacy groups were assisting harder to find, they said.
D.C. doesn’t close sites without offering shelter beds, Wayne Turnage, D.C.’s Deputy Mayor for Health and Human
Services, said at a budget hearing on April 29. At the meeting, Turnage said the new congregate shelter space at the Aston wouldn’t be open this month, but that they would “bring new beds online” to ensure all encampment residents could go to a low-barrier shelter.
“In the past, we’ve offered [apartment] units and shelter beds but we can’t do that at this time because of a range of budget issues,” said Turnage at the budget hearing. “I went to the encampment and took a census last week and six or seven of I believe have vouchers. And they’re waiting for apartments so what we will offer them is…we have a shelter bed until your unit becomes available.”
Adam Rocap, deputy director of Miriam’s Kitchen, said he didn’t know of any encampment residents forced to move on May 16 who wanted to go to a shelter space. Some, like Beatty, said they preferred to either sleep on a bench at Lafayette Park or move across the street to a small patch of park and green space.
Sterling, who gave only his first name to protect his privacy while sleeping outside, lives in the small patch of park across the street from Virginia Avenue that’s not being shut down. He said he’s been on that side of the street for six months.
“They were wild over there,” said Sterling about the side of the park being closed. “Setting fires.”
Sterling didn’t get on the bus for the shelter, deciding to stay on the side of the street that wasn’t closing, along with a few other encampment residents who moved their belongings across the street on the day of the closure.
The encampment clearing was heavily attended by advocacy groups, media, and at least one council member, Robert White. Miriam’s Kitchen staff fed encampment residents, directed them to services like the bus to the low-barrier shelter, and helped encampment residents move their belongings to other parks where they hoped the city wouldn’t remove them.
The series of encampment closures in Foggy Bottom joins McPherson Square in pushing the city’s residents experiencing homelessness further to the margins. Meanwhile, advocates worry homelessness will only continue to increase as D.C. cuts funding for housing programs.
arning: The following content may be graphic and offensive. It depicts lamb cruelty, which could offend animal lovers, vegans, and cancel culture enthusiasts. However, please note that this tale is intended to be humorous and not taken seriously. You can laugh hysterically, turn the page, write a letter, or call for my firing—it’s all in the spirit of free speech and great publicity. So go ahead, laugh if you want, or be offended—I don’t give a hoof.
WIn a peaceful meadow was a shepherd named Bernie “The Butcher.” Bernie loved his flock as if they were his children, but he was torn, knowing the sheep he tended would be slaughtered, skinned, hung on meat hooks, and ground up and turned into gyros and lamburgers.
Before he slaughtered a sheep, he would emotionally bellow, “Eenie, meenie, miny, moe, one of my lambs has to go.”
A part of him would die when the sheep he raised, baaed, snuggled, and sniffed, were led to the slaughterhouse. He shed tears until he received a substantial paycheck for his prized lamb.
He named his flock “Sheer Delights.” They were wellfed and robust, their tenderloins plump and succulent. One bite was like a slice of heaven. His pasture was like a Willy Wonka wonderland for the sheep. They dined on top-quality hay and sipped mineral water from pristine springs. And when they grew weary, they rested on beds as comfy as those in a prestigious hotel.
But Bernie’s care extended beyond mere creature comforts. He provided universal health care for the sheep, tending to injuries such as stubbed hooves and poor teeth with his magical bandages and precision tools. Little did the sheep know that he didn’t feed them well because he loved them; he cared only about the profits from a tender, juicy lamb chop. Little did the sheep know that they would be someone’s lamb tagine with a glass of Chianti one day.
Behind every lamb is a personal story about a sheep who doesn’t know he will eventually be made into a kabob.
Woolly the ram, born a humble sheep, turned into a loud, obnoxious, bleating ram; his ostentatious wool and wellmanicured horns led him to be nicknamed by other sheep “The Wool of a Fool.” He had an air of grandiosity, for he believed he was a prime choice over the other sheep. He always talked about how the shepherd had been good to the flock and that anyone who didn’t obey should leave the flock. He said Bernie was protecting the flock from wolves because he cared for them
ow the time comes when the truth needs to be told. In fact, I don’t know how long we should be on hold while the wrong judgment about homelessness continues. “You need to do better,” he exclaimed to me. But being homeless is not a crime to me.
Many people continue having the wrong perception until they do things on bad conception. Some are sick and fall into homelessness. Some are depressed and end up helpless. Some are jailed for years and get out houseless. Some
when Bernie’s main motive was to make Woolly into a kabob. Hue was a different kind of sheep. He was always shunned and ostracized for thinking outside the herd. He was the black sheep who hated being dependent on the shepherd. He knew the world was dangerous but noticed that when a sheep became a ram, even the wolves respected his willingness to stand his ground in the face of danger.
One day Hue was grazing when Bernie said his famous words, “Eenie, meenie, miny, moe,” while he led a favorite among the herd, known as “Little Boo Boo,” to a shed. Hue could never forget the noise of the saws and the bleats until blood ran out of the shed. They say sheep have no emotion, but Hue saw Bernie’s help in the shed where there was butchering.
Something inside Hue told him that killing sheep was morally wrong. He wished he could transform into a ram to prevent the sheep’s genocide for profit.
Although Hue wasn’t exactly brisket material, his shepherd desperately needed cash. He decided Hue was a troublemaker; today was the day he would be turned into someone’s mint jelly. Hue agreed to be led, and when they opened the door, he bit the shepherd, jumped over the fence, and escaped.
He ran with urgency to the neighboring pasture where “Woolly” lived. At the time, Woolly was in his glorious shed deciding oats or hay. He was so plump and juicy that they were bidding him for almost $1,000!
Hue arrived with a bleating message, “Baaa! Baaa! Beware and steer clear of the Butcherman! If you don’t leave here, you’ll all be turned into lamb stew.”
Woolly, however, felt irritated by Hue, calling him a conspiracy theorist. He called him “Crusty Musty” and vowed never to listen to him because he was a low-life, foul-mouthed, soiled bleater.
Woolly believed it was beneath him to listen to a sheep so poor in manners and behavior. He was a “Never Huey.” Guided by his unwavering belief in his convictions, Woolly followed the butcher because he provided great health care benefits, which were vital to him.
Hue wasn’t refined or sophisticated. He told the sheep, “If you don’t believe me, follow me.” He led them to the slaughterhouse, opened the door, and was horrified. There were skinned lambs, others bleating until everything went silent, and rivers of blood flowing out of the slaughterhouse.
They knew then that all the food and free health care provided for them was not for benevolence but to be made into briskets and a glass of wine. All the sheep followed Hue
except Woolly, who remained loyal to the shepherd.
As the sheep left, Woolly noticed what was once a paradise turned barren. No longer a top grazing trough, the shepherd made him work to get rid of the gristle, and Bernie started drinking heavily and grew more distant towards Woolly. Times became tough: poor crops, rebellious sheep, and lack of interest. Desperate, Bernie struck a deal with a millionaire shepherd. Before the farm was sold, he obtained permission to slaughter his prized sheep and sell their body parts for $3,000.
The millionaire agreed.
Despite Bernie’s change in behavior, Woolly was principled. Now wasn’t the time to abandon the shepherd he depended on. He was loyal and willing to die with his hooves on even if they would eventually be used for soup.
It was early morning, rain was pouring, and Bernie, with tears in his eyes, called Woolly.”Eenie, meenie, miny, moe.” Woolly, out of the bath, had his white wool so fluffy, horns brimming with a glow, and bleated like Beethoven, rubbed up by the master who had tears in his eyes.
The butcher said he had sold the farm and had to move Woolly to this house. Woolly told the butcher in his bleat, “You love me so much I will remain loyal and follow you.”
The butcher said, “It’s time for your new home. I love you, Woolly. I’ll never forget you.” He cried like a baby, like tears of rain. The butcher bid him farewell, knowing it was their final meeting.
Woolly, feeling proud, was led through the doors to a room that looked like a hanger, not knowing the process. He sat for hours until the crew said it was time. As he was led closer, he saw blood flowing and the saws and heard the bleats, but too late, he tried to run and was pronged. He screamed, “No.”
A few months later, because preparing a lamb can take weeks to a month, we are at Lamb Vie, a fancy restaurant where this beautiful couple is seated. They are ordering a glass of Chablis with curried lamb and mint jelly on the side. As they taste one bite, their mouths water after every bite. Little did they know that the lamb came from Sheer Delights and the prime rib was Woolly the ram.
After the meal, the man kneels on his knees and proposes, she says, “I do.”
Does unwavering principle sometimes lead to becoming someone’s kabob?
are just good and fine, but become homeless. So why do people continue stigmatizing? Anybody can fall into a hard situation, and be in the worst condition. Let’s let the world know about homelessness. Let’s continue to advocate. Let’s continue to teach and be taught. May this year be a productive one that way, so we can find the right pathway. I know the stigma still exists. Let real people tell the real story. Stigma is leaving, stigma’s against wellbeing.
Degnon Dovonou is an artist/vendor with Street Sense Media.
.C. government has a budget shortfall for safety net programs. Sports betting revenue could be a potential solution or another funding alternative.
Content warning: This piece includes mentions of suicide and suicidal ideation
Iended part two of my article with the detrimental importance of suicide education seeking the truth behind a negative narrative about a victim’s experience.
A couple of years ago I randomly met a Vietnam veteran who has passed away from suicide. I met this individual as he was passing on his bicycle. He was going to government offices to seek help. After his wife died, Tom became homeless. The awkward part was he was the brother-in-law of my grandmother’s neighbor, who she had known for over 20 years.
One day I was sitting outside with another neighbor, and Tom said, “I am going to commit suicide.”
My heart fell to the floor because I knew why he had said this. As a Vietnam vet he had tried seeking help at so many government places for homelessness and the response was “We can’t help you.” Tom tried to save the home him and his wife had built together.
The Vietnam War vets who could go home were not welcome They were spat on, assaulted, committed suicide, became homeless (some may still be homeless today), and experienced unemployment and drug addictions.
An example of Tom’s experience follows the information of vet experiences, even though veteran benefits started in 1917 (World War I) they were not implemented well. That’s why the Veterans Administration was established in 1930. This did not matter when the American people were against supporters of the war, not acknowledging the fact that many were drafted (forced into fighting for a cause unnecessary) and others volunteered. A concern was the amount of money the Vietnam vets should be paid for their service. Other issues, among many, have been the fight for adequate veterans’ benefits and Agent Orange causing detrimental health issues. This biological war chemical is still creating anxiety for veteran’s families and these warriors may have passed while advocating for their just compensation.
The reason for this backstory is Tom may have been dealing with this as well along with the experience of losing his wife. I learned how she held his broken pieces together. With her gone, Tom’s mental health was lost in societal despair. He dealt with the psychological warfare that played over and over in his mind.
I saw his soul lost on the day he said, “I had enough. I am going to commit suicide.”
My response was “I am not a veteran, but I do live with suicidal ideation and life for me is different too. Do you want to sit with me and talk about what you’re feeling?”
Tom said, “YES!” He became so happy and sat down. We spoke for a bit as I addressed witnessing how he was treated at those government places while seeking help. In our discussion,
I said, “We didn’t know each other and never met but every word was heard. I was there. You didn’t see me and now we were introduced to this moment when he needed a hug just to be heard.”
Tom said thank you and sat on his bicycle to leave. I said, “Please sit with me again if you need to hear a voice with love when you need it the most.”
I realized his wife may have done the same for him in his moments of societal despair. He rode off and that was the last time I saw him. A couple weeks went by, and I saw that the neighbor we sat with said Tom passed away from a “broken heart.”
That was crap. I believe it was a suicide.
The moral of the story is even if you believe that government entities will continue to help you, they won’t. If you can’t offer them a part or all of your soul, they’ll mess up your life willingly and with pleasure. Whatever Tom and his wife’s story could have been, I only knew a little of their life when we spoke. His fragile soul and existence relied on the importance of her presence. When she was gone, so was his love for God that his wife held in her heart. Maybe we can all learn from Tom and his experience. From my point of view, maybe from Tom’s point of view, the world is a cesspool of crap spewed by “reptilian” garbage.
My writing is not for all readers and vendors, that is the most important part of this last piece. In part two of my writing, a volunteer asked me, “What did my article mean? What was I trying to say?”
I said, “Thank you for asking” and I explained to her about the societal despair other humans feel when they are outcasts. When people aren’t drawn in by the polarity of unsuccessful bias and remain different because they choose not to be part of the normality’s drama, or be abused or manipulated.
She said, “I can never live without trusting anyone.”
Well, my response to her statement was that the truth behind suicide is that when a blind eye is taken to other people’s actions, accountability for their hateful actions will never be justice for a victim’s experience. I also said everyone’s reality is not from a God perspective. Society normalizes the mentally unstable behavior of pedophilia and rape. Each offender does not get the right amount of time or receives probation by enablers or abusers themselves.
If a victim defends themselves, they are punished. In the final words of part three, my next piece will be about how the plagiarism of my words when others cannot be original is a mental health crisis.
Artist/Vendor
I enjoyed watching WNBA games, which correlates with my love for women and with the fact that my desire to see the men’s NBA games had dwindled to the point I was just completely ignoring them. I mean, I wasn’t going to be a connoisseur and specialist as I haven’t even played in years myself, but it was when I was homeless and I wanted the activity. Nowadays my goal has been to regain a relationship, so that’s been my focus. But it seems like I’ve rather been crowded and disturbed by bigheaded ego-driven dudes out to skunk, boast, and brag about what’s rejected by my type of woman. Like I’ve taken the time to be so very selective. Others are on some same old routine while, to be honest, I can’t because I’m not in a position to even play it the same way. They’re haters filled with greed for sport! So, I’m on hiatus from ascending up to my next level or plateau due to the interference, however, it is still very much my goal! I just signed back up for the league pass trial out of availability but then now I started wondering do some fellas need other male attention, say through sports? I don’t qualify, but I have no qualms about being me and doing me even if it’s to the point of just all women all the time!
LATICIA BROCK Artist/Vendor
In a city this expensive, every extra dollar makes a positive difference to people like me with only one source of income. We Street Sense vendors are talented writers committed to improving our lives. When you buy our papers, you hear about homelessness straight from the horses’ mouths. The money I earn from Street Sense helps me because, as I wrote earlier, paper sales are my only income. Our new price will improve my mental and emotional health. The extra dollars I will earn will help even more because I will have more cash to buy more food so I can prevent more tent residents from eating out of the trash cans. (Yes, some of us do that because sometimes we don’t have a choice.) The additional money from our new price will help stop that.
WARREN STEVENS
Artist/Vendor
God blessed all the mothers in Heaven. They were very special. Our mothers raised us when we were kids. They taught us how to swim, go bowling, and educated us. When we grew up to be adults, it was our turn to take care of them. When my mom was alive, we would have a cookout in our backyard behind her big house in Northwest. I would grill hamburgers and hotdogs, chicken, and corn on the cob. We would eat watermelon, cut the grass, and have a ball playing frisbee. Our relatives and friends would bring a dish and have an enjoyable time.
Summer is around the corner in June. The pool will be open on Memorial Day. The children will be having fun playing catch with the ball in the park. School will be closed for the hot summer until the fall. The weather is turning warm. I hope I can take my bike on a trail and ride it until I get tired. Stay safe, love you all.
TASHA SAVOY
Artist/Vendor
Mothers without are like a father in doubt, but no children in luck. And a pond with no ducks. Stay around our mothers because we need your feathers. To sit in your nest we also need the rest. Just like our three-course meals, you are the real deal.
JOSIE BROWN
Artist/Vendor
Mothers nurture
Their children to be
Strong and caring
Always sharing, though
The sharing can vary
Darling, always baring
With so much caring
Mothers bear the babies and Maybe share too
Though it might sound crazy
But be my fair lady!
JEANETTE RICHARDSON
Artist/VendorWell, she tried all kinds of situations to keep her kids together in one house but it did not work. So social workers and the government took the children and put them in different states with foster parents, and in children’s centers that kept kids till they found homes for them. Some were hurt in foster homes, abused, and assaulted physically and mentally.
Now sometimes they see one another at different kinds of functions, but to just come and visit. Only one person out of the 10 family members does that. But God is a good father that loves you no matter what.
MARC GRIER
Artist/Vendor
Happy Mother’s Day to my Ma. Even though you’re gone and in Heaven, you still look after me. The main things that you have taught me are: to love your neighbor, and that Jesus is the reason for the season, so you need to go out and share the love of God with everyone, even though it’s hard. My mother was a person who always loved people and was very giving of herself. I’m gonna miss her.
TONYA WILLIAMS Artist/Vendor
My morning routine is waking up and being thankful. I sit up for about five minutes to get my mind together and give myself a big hug and squeeze knowing I love myself. It feels good when you hug and squeeze yourself every morning. Now I get my day started. I have a positive mindset for today. I do this every morning. Try it. You will love it. Always keep a positive mind
DANIEL BALL
Daniel asks: Is Jesus Christ your savior, yes or no?
Daniel asks: Do you go to church on Sunday, yes or no?
Daniel asks: Do you pray for other people who work here at Street Sense, yes or no?
Daniel asks: Do you read your holy Bible seven days a week, yes or no?
Daniel asks: Do you like the church where you worship, yes or no?
Daniel says: My last words are these—have a happy year!
Spring season:
Spring has sprung, outdoors in the fun
Kids, dogs, bikes, walkers, couples hand and hand strolling will have lots of fun
In the spring season under the sun
It’s spring already:
It’s eighty degrees
Pollen, insects, green trees and bees
Great outdoors O.K.
Spring is here:
Clothes on, clothes off
For a while, no hail, sleet, or cold
Drink lots of ice water
This photo was taken on May 1. It was hot for me, please drink water! I’m also honoring Mother’s Day this month. The girls and I ate out at the buffet so we were on our way to the station going home.
Winter, spring, autumn, summer. You may think, why are there four seasons? If there were five, who would know?
When it comes to turning the clock or using a digital watch, add one hour or vice versa. The question will be what or how many, not will one. You know in the United States of America, you have to turn the clock when winter begins. The hours of the night become more than the days. Temperature can fall too. Days are cold or colder than is normal, and it snows.
How many hours of the night or day according to seasons? How do the temperatures change?
A. Temperatures. From November to February, it is winter. Temperatures are from minus 20 or 30 Fahrenheit. (Don’t ask the range in Celsius, Fahrenheit is Celsius times 9.5). As you may know, Fahrenheit degrees are higher than degrees Celsius
B. From spring to summer, the range of months is February/Groundhog Day to early May or June every year. You can experience the 40 F to 70 F or possibly 80 F.
C. In autumn and summer, the temperature changes from 70 F to possibly over.
The season can fool you short or another inconvenience. You need to behave with them. The seasons are life itself.
Thanks to my South Side Shaman, a/k/a Lefty the Wizz Dizz, I fell under the hyper but benevolent spell of Mister Junior Wells while in the Windy City. Though scarcely five-foot-seven even in his platforms and process pomp, Junior had earned his berth as King of Blues Harmonica, especially after the death of Little Walter, sadly, from head blows sustained in a nightclub fight.
Walter had held the harmonica chair early in the 1950s, wailing behind the big boss, Muddy Waters. When the wily soloist landed his contract on the Chess Brothers label, the even more sleek Junior jumped up and shagged the spot. I know all this because in the summer of 1979 I rode around in my “blood brothers” white Cadillac El Dorado.
Vince Chappelle was the owner of the ride. He was “baptized” with olive oil straight out of the can at his mom’s, Willie Mae Chappelle’s, sanctified church on Indiana Avenue. He took care of me while I was bunked up in Chicago. As did his son, Victor, who attended the highly-ranked Jean Baptiste DuSable High School near their Greenwood home. (We all rode with Junior Wells!)
Junior still filled in behind the bar when playing his neighborhood gig at the wild and wooly Theresa’s Show Lounge on Indiana and 46th. If the lethal-looking guitar ace with his bolo pulled low took the stage to play his hit single, Junior would relieve the owner Ms. Theresa and draw draughts for the myriad of parched customers.
That night I boogied on the rude slab step of the lounge alongside the slightly unhinged — was it Louisa Ann? — sister of the recently departed Duke of the Slide Earl Hooker. A pair of smirking white patrolmen sidled up to me reaching for handcuffs — until Junior Wells announced “he’s with ME!”
I was on my precious land hearing an English song where people speak Spanish but I love the English song.
They were singing without knowing what was in the song but enjoying the lyrics and the music despite not knowing the words.
Across
1. Major literary or musical work
5. Shirking working
9. Puccini opera (TACOS anagram)
14. Voice below soprano 15. Polo grounds?
16. John of England
17. What children should be, per an old saying (4 wds.) (4,3,3,5) (EARTHBOUND TEENS anagram)
20. Ring bearer, maybe 21. Acid related to gout
22. Longs (for)
23. Coffee shop freebie
25. What’s described as “...mightier than a sword” in an old saying (2 wds.) (1,3)
26. Moray, e.g.
27. Hints
28. Registered product names (abbr./ initialism)
31. Amorphous creature
34. Coffee-growing region of the Big Island
35. Checked item
36. Order that might be placed by a steakeater who likes them rare but not in need of a tourniquet (4 wds.) (3,3,3,6) (BOLT TO UNDERBODY anagram)
39. “Bus Stop” playwright
40. Straw buildings
41. Building addition
42. Citrus drink
43. “All ___ are off!”
44. Button on a DVD player
45. Ring bearer?
46. “Give it a shot!” (3 wds.) (2,3,2) (I FORGOT anagram)
50. Horrify
53. Multigenerational baseball family name
54. In-flight info, for short (abbr./ initialism)
55. “And finally...” (4 wds,) (4,3,3,5) (LATENT SUBTOTALS anagram)
58. “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” musical 59. ____ B’rith
60. Andes capital
61. Painter’s plaster that sounds like an alternative phrase for “I s’pose”
62. Leave full
63. Blast furnace input
Down
1. Havens
2. Skirt fold
3. Fetal development sites (Lat. pl.)
4. “My boy”
5. Hardy’s partner in old comedy films
6. Up and about
7. Brass component
8. Retired 7’6” NBA star ___ Ming
9. Giggly sounds
10. Fake fat brand
11. Have the lead (in), as a play or movie
12. Vegetable ‘hidden’ in “Add garlic or not as personal tastes dictate”
13. “No ifs, ___ ...”
18. The “B” in F.B.I.
19. Like universal blood recipients (2 wds.) (4,2)
24. Jewish teacher
25. Em and Polly, in literature
27. Crotchety types
28. Warner Bros. creation, familiarly
29. Earned
30. Charon’s river
31. 9-Across tune
32. Darn, as socks
33. Halftime lead, e.g.
34. Legendary Notre Dame football coach Rockne
35. Modern apartment complex unit
37. Winter bug that can be a real killer (2 wds.) (3,3)
38. Legit
43. Basque Country metropolis
44. ___ pajamas (onesie with built-in socks, essentially)
45. Light bulb units
46. Be a bad winner
47. Broadcast again (2-3)
48. “Who’s there?” reply (2 wds.) (3,2) (TIMES anagram)
49. Breezy bye-byes (2 wds.) (2,3)
50. Have ____ up (possess an advantage over others) (2 wds.) (1,3)
51. Cover, in a way
52. Pitchfork-shaped letters of the Greek alphabet
53. “___ and the King of Siam”
56. Atlanta-based channel
57. “Don’t Bring Me Down” grp.
This crossword puzzle is the original work of Patrick “Mac”McIntyre. It is provided to us courtesy of Real Change News, a street paper based in Seattle, Washington. Learn more about Real Change News and the International Network of Street Papers at realchangenews.org and insp.ngo.
What it Is...and Isn’t Puzzle by Patrick “Mac” McIntyre
Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento Case Management Coordinación de Servicios
Academy of Hope Public Charter School
202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Pl. NE
202-373-0246 // 421 Alabama Ave. SE aohdc.org
Bread for the City 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 1700 Marion Barry Ave., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org
Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Marion Barry Ave., SE calvaryservices.org
Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp
Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org
Charlie’s Place // 202-929-0100 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org
Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd., NW christhouse.org
Church of the Pilgrims // 202-387-6612 2201 P St., NW (1-1:30 on Sundays only) churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach
Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW cflsdc.org
Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 4 Atlantic St., NW communityofhopedc.org
Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org
D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org
Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 North Capitol St., NW fathermckennacenter.org
Food and Friends // 202-269-2277
(home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc) 219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org
Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th St., NW foundryumc.org/idministry
Identification services
Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org
Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org
Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9096 1526 Pennslyvania Ave., SE jobshavepriority.org
Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org
Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 Elvans Rd, SE
2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE
Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org
My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org
N Street Village // 202-939-2076 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org
New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE
Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW
Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org
Samaritan Ministry 202-722-2280 // 1516 Hamilton St., NW 202-889-7702 // 1345 U St., SE samaritanministry.org
Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org
So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org
St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-363-4900 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org
Unity Health Care unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699
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, 850 Delaware Ave., SW, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 1151 Bladensburg Rd., NE, 4515 Edson Pl., NE
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
Whitman-Walker Health 1525 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 1201 Sycamore Dr., SE whitman-walker.org
Woodley House // 202-830-3508 2711 Connecticut Ave., NW
For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide
Store Sales Associate Blick Art Materials // 1250 I St. NW
The Retail Store Sales Associate will maintain outstanding customer service, housekeeping, merchandising, signing, pricing, POS operations, and loss prevention in adherence with all company policies and procedures.
REQUIRED: Must be able to lift and carry 50 pounds and be a high school graduate or equivalent. Six months of previous retail, sales, and/or customer service experience.
APPLY: tinyurl.com/BlickStoreAssociate
Server
Founding Farmers // 1924 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Full-time/Part-time
Job entails taking orders from guests, cleaning tables, assisting host answering phones and handling orders along with general waiting staff duties.
REQUIRED: one year of experience and ability to lift 50 pounds
APPLY: /tinyurl.com/DCFoundingFarmers
General Cleaner/Janitorial
Elite Building Services // Washington, D.C. Part-time
Cleaning as needed, vacuum as needed, and take out the trash nightly.
REQUIRED: Must be able to lift 10 pounds and must be comfortable working on feet for entire shift.
APPLY: tinyurl.com/janitorDC
Dear readers,
There is an uneven rhythm to our income flow at Street Sense Media. That is why this annual spring appeal is so important. It comes at a time when other income tends to slow down. Last year, when the spring appeal failed to hit its goal, we were forced to make severe staffing and program cuts. While we are financially healthier now compared to a year ago, it’s critically important that we stay on that path. You can help. Please consider supporting our work with a donation today.
You may be aware that the local media landscape is changing quickly. Our partner WAMU significantly cut its local reporting team. So too did the Washington Post. As a result, our work is more important that ever. We are determined to continue holding the D.C. government accountable for what it must do to address the homelessness and housing crisis in our city. We are determined to keep our readers aware of what is going on in our community and how it affects our most vulnerable neighbors. And the pages of our newspaper will continue to be a place where our vendors and those who have experienced homelessness can raise their voices and be heard. All of this is reporting and story-telling that you won’t find anywhere else.
None of this is possible without your support. Please help us remain a vital part of this community. Your support as a one-time or recurring donor allows us to partner with men and woman who are working their way out of homelessness towards more stable lives.
We are profoundly grateful for your past support. Please consider renewing your support today with a taxdeductible contribution to our spring appeal. This appeal occurs annually at a time when donations typically slow making it harder for us to keep up with demand for our services and make critical investments. Your support now offers us important stability at a time when we most need it.
Sincerely,
Brian Carome CEO
