06 09 2021

VOL. 18 ISSUE 21

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New Samaritan Inns center opens the door to addiction recovery

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Jackie, a Samaritan Inns client, opens the door to her new transitional housing.

PHOTOS BY SLOANE AIREY

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NEWS IN BRIEF Online court for involuntarily committed patients may continue post-pandemic

Online discussion: PBS’s “The Black Church,” episode 2 June 11, 7:30 p.m. / Online

Join the Washington National Cathedral’s LGBTQIA Alliance & the Racial Justice Task Force to discuss episode 2 of PBS’ “The Black Church.”

Episode 2 documents how the Black church expanded its reach to address social inequality and minister to those in need. The discussion will focus on Bishop Yvette Flunder, pastor of the City of Refuge United Church of Christ in Oakland, CA. Flunder describes her church as an effort to “create a spiritual community that embraces our collective cultures, faith paths, gender expressions, and sexual/affectional orientations while simultaneously freeing us from oppressive theologies that subjugate women, denigrate the LGBT community, and disconnect us from justice issues locally and globally”. You can stream episode 2 via PBS, iTunes, or Amazon.

Register at: tinyurl.com/cathedral-watch-party THURSDAY, JUNE 10

Strategies for protecting communities of color in the DMV region: defunding the police and exploring other alternatives to policing 3-4 p.m. / Online This panel from the Urban Institute and the Urban-Greater D.C. Initiative will feature local scholars, activists and politicians.

Register at: tinyurl.com/policeabolition-panel

UPDATES ONLINE AT ICH.DC.GOV

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings Housing Solutions Committee June 21, 3 - 4:30 p.m.

Strategic Planning Committee June 22, 2:30 - 4 p.m.

Shelter Operations Committee June 23, 1 - 2:30 p.m.

Youth Committee June 24, 1 - 2:30 p.m. ***For call-in information, as well as meeting info for unlisted working groups, contact: ich.dmhhs@dc.gov

SATURDAY, JUNE 12

At the intersection of gardens, culture, and style 1-3 p.m. / Online Join the Anacostia Community Museum and public horticulturalist Abra Lee in an exploration of her connection to her cultural and ecological heritages, her navigation of predominately white spaces, and the importance of meeting people where they feel most comfortable Register at: tinyurl.com/anacostiagardening-event

DD.C. hospital representatives pushed lawmakers to rewrite a rule that requires in-person court proceedings for involuntarily committed patients during a D.C. Council Committee on Health oversight hearing held virtually on June 5.

The proposed change would make virtual court proceedings the new standard for patients committed to treatment involuntarily under the Ervin Act, a set of procedures governing the detention of mentally ill patients believed to pose a health risk to themselves or others. The procedures, originally written by North Carolina Sen. Sam Ervin in 1964 and updated in 2002, give involuntarily committed patients the right to regular court reviews of their detainment. These proceedings have been held online for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to minimize the risk of viral spread in the courthouse.

“I’ve had numerous discussions with people about the Ervin Act over the last several years, and it sounds to me too like there might be a need … for ‘modernization’ of the Ervin Act,” said Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray (D), chair of the Committee on Health, during the hearing.

Justin Palmer, the vice president of public policy and external affairs for the District of Columbia Hospital Association, brought up the topic during witness testimony in the committee’s review of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s recent budget proposal for the 2022 fiscal year. According to Palmer, the prepandemic practice of regular courthouse visits was taxing for patients and hospital staff.

“Prior to the pandemic, court proceedings were required to be in-person,” Palmer said during his testimony before the committee. “That required moving a patient that was involuntarily committed using a taxi or an Uber with hospital staff down to the courthouse, taking them outside the therapeutic environment for extended periods of time, and also creating the opportunity for elopement, which while infrequent, has serious consequences if an individual is able to elope and they self-harm.”

Palmer, during his testimony, also tried to preempt lawmakers’ worries about how the shift might impact patient experiences in court. “It’s not about taking rights away from the patient, it’s about preserving their rights — just meeting the modern day needs and making sure those who need treatment are able to get it,” he said.

Though members did not commit to any specific changes in policy during the hearing, the possible rule change could be implemented alongside other reallocations for the Department of Behavioral Health when the District’s budget is finalized and voted on.

—John Woollley Follow more headlines at StreetSenseMedia.org/news

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NEWS

THRIVE DC and CFLS open 12-bed housing center for women returning from prison or fighting addiction

BY AJA BECKHAM DCist

This article was first published by DCist. on May 12. program, and the two are opening in quick succession A new housing facility, opening in June, will provide because of the pandemic, Horton said. shelter to women returning from prison or struggling “As COVID hit, we saw so many people being released with addiction. in an emergency setting,” she said. “We just knew we “I know stories about people coming home [after had to move quickly.” prison] with $20 in their pocket, no phone, not knowing The Thrive D.C. site adds to the few other existing where to turn, no job, no family contacts,” said Alicia housing sites that are specifically for Horton, executive director of women returning citizens. But once Thrive D.C. “So they really do need the 12 new units open, CFLS and somebody to be able to help them Thrive D.C. will be the city’s largest navigate the housing arena, food, single program for female returning and employment.” citizens, according to Horton.

Thrive D.C. and Community When participants complete Family Life Services are opening the Thrive program, Community their second housing facility in Family Life Services will help the Kenilworth neighborhood in women returning citizens connect Northeast D.C. to help women with long-term housing that extends returning from prison or struggling for up to five years. During the sixwith addiction have stable housing, month program, participants receive access to mental health services, and case management services, substance a peer support network. abuse counseling, employment This is the second facility assistance, and other support.

Thrive has opened in the past three Formerly incarcerated people months: The organization’s location Alicia Horton are almost 10 times more likely to in the Burrville neighborhood in experience homelessness than the Southeast D.C. opened in February, general public, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. and has seven beds. This forthcoming facility will have A 2020 study from the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute found 12 beds, and allows women to stay for up to six months. that nearly a third of people experiencing homelessness The new housing program is similar to the first

I know stories about people coming home [after prison] with $20 in their pocket, no phone, not knowing where to turn, no job, no family contacts.

Formerly incarcerated women have a higher rate of homelessness than men. DATA AND GRAPH COURTESY OF THE PRISON POLICY INITIATIVE

Incarceration and homelessness are directly linked. DATA AND GRAPH COURTESY OF THE PRISON POLICY INITIATIVE

in the District say incarceration played a role in their housing struggles.

One Thrive D.C. client, Karen Collins, lives at the Burrville location. She joined Thrive D.C. programming in 2018, after returning from prison after serving 30 years for felony murder and forgery. Collins became the housing manager at the 7-bed home when it opened in February.

“When I was going through Thrive, I was living with a friend on their couch, waiting to get a bed at a program that I applied for,” says Collins. In 2018, Collins found out about CFLS affordable housing through Thrive DC. She became housing manager because she wants to help other women who are struggling with life after reentry.

When Collins was released from prison, she says, “I felt out of place. I felt lost. I didn’t have family on this side.

It didn’t feel like home. … For me, prison was home.”

But the newly rolled out program allows women returning citizens to transition back home more easily.

“You don’t have to worry about rent. You don’t have to worry about food. You can focus on what you need to focus on, which is your credentials, your resume, getting acclimated with being back in the community, [and] parenting,” Collins said.

Horton said Thrive D.C. works with the Federal Bureau of Prisons reentry division to inform women of services and call-in consultations are open for women who are interested in the housing program.

“It really is an incredibly difficult journey if you’re on your own and don’t have a real support system,” Horton said. “We’re able to create support to really help guide and provide them with the necessary bridges to success.”

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DC’s first transitional drug treatment program for women opens

BY SLOANE AIREY sloaneairey.contently.com

D

.C. is now home to its first transitional drug treatment program for women.

Nestled in between Adams Morgan and Lanier Heights, the three-story Tudor building opened its wrought iron door in November to half a dozen women seeking sobriety who are homeless or at-risk. The D.C. Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) awarded Samaritan Inns a twoyear, $1.4 million grant to support the project in 2021 and 2022 as part of the District’s push to curb homelessness.

The six-month treatment program sits on Ontario Road NW and typically accepts its clients from various 28-day residential drug treatment programs across the District.

Women who go on to attend this longer transition program live full-time in the building while receiving a personalized regimen of therapy and medical care, and later, assistance finding jobs and housing. In a recent interview with Street Sense Media, staff said their inaugural class of clients range in ages from 29 to 69.

“We are really seeing a lot of women with a long, long history of substance abuse,” said Clinical Director Chrissy Buswell.

Jacqueline “Jackie” Pearson joined the program in February after struggling with addiction to heroin for 45 years.

“I had four fentanyl overdoses in November,” Pearson told Street Sense Media. “Three of them I was taken to the hospital to come back. The fourth one was the one that did it: My son had to breathe in my mouth.”

Pearson was watching her 2-year-old grandson when she overdosed the last time, and said the realization of what could have happened to him while she was unconscious was a wake-up call. Previously she said she would lie to her son — asking for extra money she would use to buy opiates — but after he resuscitated her and realized the extent of her addiction, her son called her selfish and self-centered.

“I didn’t care anything about manipulating him, I just cared about getting high,” Pearson said. “But I hurt my baby, I really hurt him. When I talk about him, I can see how he looked at me — his eyes had so much pain in them. I was so selfish, I never thought about how much pain I had inflicted on my kids.”

Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Michael Ferrel said substance abuse disorder (SUD) treatment programs like this new Samaritan Inns one are an important part of combatting homelessness because they serve people whose relationships are fraying.

People who become addicted to drugs or alcohol may find themselves becoming homeless once they reach a point where they are no longer able to maintain employment or relationships with family and friends, Ferrel said. “And that homelessness is compounded by the fact that they’re struggling with an active addiction.”

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Jackie Pearson and her roommate, Rita Lewis, in their Samaritan Inns room. PHOTO BY SLOANE AIREY.

‘You never know exactly what the experiences are for the women involved’ In a statement to Street Sense Media, DBH said the new Samaritan Inns program “complements” the city’s other treatment program for pregnant women or mothers.

“These two programs reflect our commitment to address the unique needs of women and mothers to remove any barriers to treatment and provide a safe, nurturing environment which can lead to better outcomes,” the department wrote in an email.

Ferrel noted that although several successful SUD treatment programs like Narcotics Anonymous are co-ed, he could see a benefit to a residential program dedicated to women.

“For some women, because they have been victims of domestic violence, being around men in general in very close proximity like a transitional program might be problematic for some of the women from a therapeutic perspective,” he said.

Pearson said she completed several stints in 28-day recovery programs but always relapsed because she wasn’t ready to be sober. One of the things she’s doing differently now in the Samaritan Inns six-month program is addressing the trauma underlying her drug use.

“My addiction started as a kid because I was raped at six years old. I was being raped just constantly, constantly, constantly,” she said. “I never, ever told my mother because I always looked at my mother as a big strong person because she was a single parent. And I figured if I told her something like that she knew she couldn’t protect me and it would affect her. And that’s the kind of attitude I had with people: I always take care of other people and don’t think nobody’s supposed to take care of me.”

Pearson started smoking marijuana and taking psychedelics with friends at concerts, then progressed to snorting PCP and then heroin.

“What started as a recreation became a problem for me,” she said. “And I started going back and forth to jail.”

Buswell at Samaritan Inns is working to include traumainformed therapy techniques like trauma recovery groups to the women’s program to help clients like Jackie who have experienced sexual violence.

“You never know exactly what the experiences are for the women involved,” Ferrel said. “Some women maybe become homeless and it wasn’t due to domestic violence, but while on the streets they are abused and raped.”

“These people keep on encouraging me, something that I need, that I was scared to ask for,” Pearson said of the staff at the program. “I don’t have to ask them, that’s what they do, that’s their job. And they let you know that’s their job: they’re here for you. And that’s why I’m still here in this program.”

‘Women may fall through the cracks’ Two bunk beds with bright comforters line the bedroom Pearson shares with her roommate, Rita Lewis. Both women

have claimed the bottom bunks and decorated the sparse but bright room with the things that remind them of home: pictures and posters from loved ones, a fan and books brought by family.

The top bunk beds are empty in deference to the CDC’s COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. Under those precautions, staff say they can currently house up to 10 women in the three-story house but they have been licensed to house up to 50 people in the future.

The opening of a new drug treatment program comes at a needed time. Nationwide, drug overdose deaths and alcoholic liver disease rates — particularly for women — rose sharply during the pandemic. In D.C., the most recent medical examiner reports indicate drug overdoses caused the majority of accidental deaths. Fentanyl overdoses alone was responsible for half the accidental deaths in 2018 and 2019, per the reports.

There is no data on how many men and women in D.C. today suffer from SUD. However, DBH told Street Sense Media that 32% of people who received substance abuse disorder services in 2020 were women. This number does not include patients who received services covered by private insurance.

“For other mental health concerns, women seek treatment at much higher rates than men,” said Dr. Sarah Meyers of Unity Health Care’s healthcare for the homeless team. “But for substance abuse disorder we see that reversed, we see men seeking treatment at much higher rates.”

She noted it’s important for women to work with a treatment designed for them considering they can be more likely to overdose using the same amount of substance as a man.

Additionally, women can test positive in urine drug positives longer after consuming a substance than men.

“There do seem to be more men with substance abuse disorders but if programs are targeted towards men, then women may fall through the cracks a bit,” Meyers said. “If you imagine a drunk, you imagine a drug user, the automatic image for a lot of people is a man. So it may have not always been on people’s radar. Sometimes there is a societal image of women are more pure.”

Women interested in seeking treatment at the new Samaritan Inns transitional treatment program must be at least 21 years of age and can request a referral to the new treatment program by calling DBH’s 24-hour Access Helpline at 1-888-793-4357. Women can also make an appointment or walk in at any of the assessment and referral providers listed at tinyurl.com/dbh-referral. The program accepts cis and trans women, as well as non-binary and gender non-conforming people.

Back in the Tudor house on Ontario Road, Pearson says Buswell is teaching her how to pause and think before acting impulsively on her feelings — something Pearson said she never learned in drug treatment settings before.

“The addiction is still there. And it might creep up at any time regardless of what she taught me,” Pearson said. “But she gave me something to hang on to.”

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The main campus of American University. PHOTO BY WILL SCHICK

DC residents owe the highest student loan debt per capita in the US. Councilmembers asked the federal government to cancel it

BY WILL SCHICK will@streetsensemedia.org

T

he D.C. Council voted unanimously on June 1 to call on the federal government to cancel all student loan debt and “begin the transition to education as a public good.” The council’s resolution comes as a handful of cities like Boston, Cambridge, and Philadelphia have issued similar calls for President Joe Biden or Congress to eliminate student loan debt.

Some, however, argue that canceling student loan debt does little to address the underlying problem: the rising cost of higher education, which has skyrocketed over the past decade.

Other critics say the expense of forgiving student debt should not be forced on taxpayers, and that such a sweeping solution will not target the help to those most in need.

In either case, spiraling tuition has led to a precipitous rise in debt, creating a situation unlike any before it. According to data compiled by the Federal Reserve, student loan debt has nearly tripled in size from $600 billion in 2008 to over $1.7 trillion in the past year. Increased demand for higher education is another reason the debt has grown so much. One-fifth of Americans carry this kind of debt, owing an average of $38,792, according to Experian.

Experian also notes that residents in D.C. owe the highest per capita amount of student loan debt in the country, with the average borrower burdened with a whopping $60,651. Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George said this affects people of all demographics, but particularly women, seniors, and people of color.

Despite any conceptions to the contrary, Lewis George said, “student loan debt is not just about millennials.”

In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Education, there are more people over the age of 50 with outstanding student loans than there are people under the age of 25 with loans that are due. Those over the age of 50 tend to owe far more than those under 25 — around $41,000 versus about $15,000.

Racial and gender disparities in student loan debt are welldocumented. Women hold two-thirds of all U.S. student loan debt, according to the American Association of University Women. And a 2018 study published in the academic journal Sociology of Race and Ethnicity found that student debt holders who are Black, on average, owed 85% more than their white peers.

A study conducted by the Brookings Institution found that Black college graduates owed nearly double the student loan debt of their white counterparts four years after graduation.

Lewis George, who co-introduced the measure with seven colleagues, noted that resolutions, though not binding, are important because they are one of the only ways for D.C. residents to express their will to the federal government.

“Since D.C. doesn’t have voting representation in Congress, [passing a resolution like this one] is really how we express our will as a District on issues that deeply impact our residents,” Lewis George said.

She is optimistic that student debt cancellation can happen under the Biden administration, saying the president has the authority and campaigned on this promise.

During his campaign, Biden promised to create a public service student loan relief program that would forgive $10,000 per year for up to five years. While many members of the Democratic Party say the president has the authority to cancel the debt via executive action, Biden has not yet announced whether he concurs. In April, the president asked the Department of Education to provide him a memo examining his legal authority to take such action.

“Our administration prides itself on being one of the most diverse administrations this country has had,” Lewis George said. “And since we have such a diverse administration …

I’m hopeful that Biden will listen … and make this happen.”

The first-term legislator, a democratic socialist, also said that she believes student loan debt is unique when compared to other kinds of debt.

“Education, in and of itself, should be a public good. And so, no student should have to accrue debt to be educated,” Lewis George said.

Shouldering the burden of student loans The D.C. Council has long mulled over the issue of student loan debt. In 2017, the District created the position of a student loan ombudsman as a way to assist families and prospective students in navigating the student loan lending system. Located within the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking, the office also helps families with finding ways to relieve their debt.

According to the office’s 2020 annual report, the ombudsman met with 119 District residents in fiscal year 2019 and fielded 202 complaints related to student loan programs.

In interviews with residents across the D.C. metro area, families talked about how student loan debt has become an overwhelming burden for them.

Tee Sule, who was born and raised in the District and resides in Shaw, said she owes about $179,000 in student loans after borrowing what she estimates to have been about $75,000.

“There was a period when I couldn’t pay them … and then through time with interest and stuff, it just ballooned up to that,” Sule explained.

A graduate of both George Washington University and Catholic University, Sule said that despite earning a “relatively high” salary of $70,000, she can only afford to make the minimum monthly payment of $550, which covers the interest but does not lower her debt.

The added monthly expense is enough to prevent her from moving out of public housing.

“I can’t afford rent and student loans,” Sule said before adding that she accrued an additional $5,000 debt after

contracting COVID-19 this past year. “All of this debt, it seems like it’s never-ending.”

When Kia Ellis graduates next year with her third degree — a master’s degree from American University in strategic communication — she estimates she will owe somewhere between $140,000 to $150,000 in student loan debt.

Ellis, who lives in Arlington but is originally from Louisiana, said that she was one of the first people in her family to go to college — an achievement that created its own set of hurdles.

“It was really difficult for me to find a cosigner because I come from a low socio-economic background,” Ellis said. “I guess the banks didn’t trust anyone like my dad, my mom, anyone from my family to cosign a loan with me.”

Ellis began her college studies at Hollins University, a private college in Roanoke, Virginia, which charges close to $40,000 a year. She soon found herself owing money that she could not repay.

Ellis, who funded her first semesters at Hollins primarily through federally backed Pell Grants, said that one day she received a notice telling her she owed the school $3,000.

“I have no idea how that ended up happening,” Ellis said.

Ellis eventually left the school in 2010, unable to pay the debt and unsure whether she would ever finish her degree.

But several years later, Ellis enrolled at Louisiana State University, a public university that was much more affordable.

She graduated with a B.A. in sociology in 2014.

Ellis, who is Black and has a Master in Fine Arts in creative writing from American University, said that she remains determined to pursue her intellectual passions and interests despite any financial hurdles.

Still, Ellis said her student loans cause her stress because she would have no one to turn to if she were to default on them. “I can’t go to one of my parents [and ask] ‘Can you help me out with this?’ or ‘Can you leverage your mortgage?’” Ellis said.

“I would be up a creek without a paddle.”

Student loan debt is unique because it is treated differently from other kinds of consumer debt in bankruptcy court. While other types of debt are often freely discharged in bankruptcy, student loan debt requires proof from borrowers that paying the loan would constitute an “undue hardship,” a challenging legal burden to meet.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the reason for this additional process is to prevent borrowers from abusing the federal student loan program.

The stress of having student loans Alan Collinge is the founder and organizer of Student Loan Justice, an activist organization that has accumulated over 1.5 million signatures on Change.org calling on the government to cancel all federal student loan debt.

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AT A GLANCE Collinge, who is 51 and lives “off-the-grid” in Wisconsin, left the California Institute of Technology in 1998 with a bachelor’s in aeronautical science and approximately $37,000 in student loans. At the time, he hoped to become an aerospace engineer in the defense industry.

A few years after graduation, however, Collinge found himself “underemployed” and nowhere near fulfilling his dreams. “And despite my best efforts to keep my loans in good stead through deferment, forbearance, et cetera, my lender threw my loans into default,” Collinge said.

Before he knew it, Collinge said, his loans exploded into six figures. “I was getting bills for over $100,000 by 2002 or so,” Collinge said.

About seven years ago, which was the last time Collinge checked, the amount he owed had ballooned to about $300,000.

With his debt climbing, Collinge decided to turn to research, and in 2004 he turned to activism.

Collinge sees no benefits to the current student loan lending system. In his view, the student loan system serves only as a way of controlling people.

“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country,” Collinge said. “One is by the sword, and the other is by debt.”

Nicole Leblanc, a 35-year-old resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, is autistic and has anxiety, a non-verbal learning disorder, and attention deficit disorder.

According to Leblanc, not only is it difficult to find steady full-time work as a person with disabilities, but it’s also difficult navigating the student loan lending system.

“All the paperwork and all that. … Our government, our capitalistic system makes being disabled a full-time job, dealing with all the bureaucracy,” Leblanc said.

Leblanc, who pays $1,179 in monthly rent, said she also owes $1,177 total in loans for classes she took online to get an associate degree in behavioral science through the Community College of Vermont.

Currently, Leblanc has a loan deferment as part of the pandemic relief program that exempts borrowers from having to submit paperwork or pay back their loans during the COVID19 public emergency. The payment deferment, however, is set to expire Sept. 30.

Leblanc dreams of finishing her degree and becoming a disability policy advocate one day but is still about eight classes short of completing her degree. The thought of having to pay back her loan looms over her.

“One should not have to choose between rent, food, and paying student loans,” she said.

What’s being done at the federal level?

For the past several years, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) has been calling for action on student loans.

In 2019, she co-sponsored the Student Debt Cancellation Act, a bill that called for the elimination of all student loan debt.

The legislation did not make it past the three committees it was referred to then, but was reintroduced last month.

In February, Norton co-sponsored a House resolution calling on President Biden to take executive action to cancel student loan debt up to $50,000 per borrower. And last month, Norton co-sponsored the Zero-Percent Student Loan Refinancing Act, which would allow people who carry student loan debt to refinance their loans without further interest.

Each bill was referred to one or more committees in the House on the day it was introduced but has not progressed since. But Norton said she is hopeful.

“This is a classically nonpartisan bill,” Norton said, when asked if she thought the idea should be equally as appealing to Republicans.

But the issue of student loan debt is just a reflection of a bigger problem, Norton said: the need for more affordable higher education.

“We allow free education through the 12th grade. And now we see many states who are beginning to incorporate, or to pass bills that allow free tuition for the first two years of college,” Norton said.

The reason for this change is simple, according to Norton: More jobs today require workers to have higher education, and states are beginning to recognize this need.

Norton said she is open to supporting future initiatives such as free college tuition “as one way to eliminate some of this college debt problem that confronts young people today.”

Meanwhile, the mounting pressure on government leaders across the country is cause for optimism, Norton said. She, like Lewis George, believes the president has the authority to resolve the issue and should have taken executive action by now.

The D.C. Council’s resolution and others like it “will bring pressure on the president and continuing pressure on the Congress,” Norton said.

This article was copublished with The DC Line.

Student loan debt averages in D.C. and across the country

Reggie Jones

BIRTHDAYS Reggie Jones June 14 AUTHOR/VENDOR

VENDOR PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS • Vendors can receive 15 free papers for presenting a complete vaccination card

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Average money owed, tens of thousans of dollars, by student loan borrowers across different states.

DATA DERIVED FROM EXPERIAN. GRAPHIC BY WILL SCHICK. IMAGE COURTESY OF DRRANDOMFACTOR / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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8 // ST REET SENSE ME DI A / / JUNE 9 - 1 5 , 2 0 21

NEWS

College students overlooked in measurements of hunger, housing insecurity, and poverty

BY JILL SHAUGHNESSY International Network of Street Papers

T

he story of the “struggling college student” is perpetuated in the United States. It may bring to mind the idea of subsisting on a diet of Ramen noodles or couch surfing for a semester. The example of a hungry, poor college student has been made out to be a common rite of passage.

It’s considered almost normal to “struggle” during those crazy, college years.

A demographic often overlooked in terms of hunger and homelessness is college-aged citizens and those enrolled in college. In some cases, these problems arise because parent support stops when entering college, while others have experienced hunger or housing insecurity prior. Some college students may find themselves financially unprepared to meet their basic needs after paying for tuition. Beyond that, universities are often ill-equipped to help these students.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened this. In 2020, when many schools were forced to hold only virtual classes, some students had to scramble for accommodation. While many students found themselves back with their parents, others just didn’t have the option. Those who used to rely on university meal plans may no longer have this accessible food resource.

The Hope Center is a non-profit aiming to assist colleges and universities with research and resources about food and housing insecurity. Their 2020 study surveying over 38,000 college students found 3 in 5 students were experiencing basic needs insecurity. Food insecurity affected 44% of students at two-year colleges and 38% at four-year institutions. 15% of the students surveyed who attended 4-year colleges were experiencing homelessness due to the pandemic.

Maya is a 21-year-old college student who currently attends Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Maya struggled with food insecurity before going to college. As a high school student, she relied on her mother’s Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly referred to pandemic in the past year. For example, Maya received the as food stamps, to supplement her family. When she entered stimulus check from the United States government which university, she was no longer receiving any government helped her during the pandemic, but other students were benefits nor financial support from her mother. Maya was used excluded from this relief bill. The first two rounds of stimulus to working 40 hours a week to checks did not grant collegehelp support herself, her sisters, aged dependents benefits. The and her mother. Once entering term “dependent” refers to an college, this all changed. adult that is still claimed on “I think a lot of people think their parent’s taxes. It is often college at a four-year university not the choice of the student. is a luxury, but it shouldn't be,” The government ignored she said. “When I was living dependents despite the fact with my mom, she couldn't the group was hit hard by really help me, I was helping the pandemic. With dining her. Since parents can't always halls shut down and student step in, the government should housing paused, the stimulus be the helping hand because we check would have gone far for are just starting off on our own.” many students.

Maya recalled a time when Many schools have been she was not able to make ends trying to fix these problems meet for the semester. She was and make sure their students denied a loan and couldn’t can meet their basic needs. figure out how to continue to At Arcadia University in take all of her classes and pay Glenside, Pennsylvania, this for groceries. She sat down with meant allowing housingher roommates and they looked insecure students to at her budget. She had bills to continue living on campus Tenille Metti Bowling, Swipe Out Hunger pay and was unable to manage while the majority of the everything. Her roommates school was shut down. In offered to pay for her food for the term. addition, they are helping students by offering a free food “They had the resources, and they were kind enough to help. service, called the Knights for Nutrition Food Pantry, to But I just don't want to rely on anybody else. It's not their supplement their food needs. responsibility to take care of me,” she said emotionally.

The Knight Pantry was started before the pandemic to Existing challenges have been only compounded by the combat the obstacle of college hunger. There are no restrictions on who can get food or what items can be taken. They have a “no questions asked policy” for the students. The pantry is managed by the housing office but almost completely studentrun. Tyanna Taylor operates the pantry three days a week.

“I will say there has been a high demand for the pantry.

We are trying to do our best to destigmatize its use. We want everyone to feel comfortable coming to get the things you need for free because you have the right to feed yourself,” she said.

The pantry has things like feminine hygiene products, laundry detergent, and deodorant as well. There is an option for groceries to be delivered at no cost right to the student’s doors through a larger local pantry, if needed.

These services go a long way for the food insecure. Taylor says keeping up with studies at a university is a full-time job.

She believes college students should not have to worry about feeding themselves, especially in a pandemic.

“We are trying to make it known that it is not just a food pantry, but a resource pantry,” Taylor said. “We want to be able to educate students, like how you can apply for food stamps.

We want to be that bridge for students.”

There are other efforts being made across the country to tackle college hunger. Swipe Out Hunger is a national nonprofit based in California. They were founded in 2010 to help college students and universities design anti-hunger programs. Tenille Metti Bowling is the communications director for Swipe Out Students at Arcadia University have the options to pick up pre-stocked bags of groceries from the Knights of Nutrition’s pantry. PHOTO Hunger. She describes one of their more popular resources, the COURTESY OF INSP.

I was most struck to hear some of our students who started programs at their universities did so because some of their friends who are athletes, who are representing their school, were hungry. I think hunger is right in front of us, but we haven't really been able to identify it as such because of the stigma associated with food insecurity.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

Prevalence of certain kinds of housing insecurity among college students. GRAPH COURTESY OF THE HOPE CENTER’S #REALCOLLEGE DURING THE PANDEMIC REPORT UNDER THE CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTIONS 4.0 INTERNATIONAL LICENSE. LICENSE DETAILS: CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/LICENSES/BY-NC-ND/4.0/ LEGALCODE

Swipe Drive, as a project that “allows students from different colleges to use their leftover meal swipes for their peers on campus who are facing food insecurity.”

In most colleges in the U.S., meal plans work on a swipe system where students have a certain number of swipes or points that can be exchanged for access to a dining hall or a meal. The students who have extra, unused “swipes” are able to give them to students who are food insecure at no charge.

The eligibility for this resource varies between the 130 campuses affiliated with Swipe Out Hunger. Swipe Out Hunger believes in “the lowest barrier to access” for college students.

They work directly with different universities to allow students to receive the help they need with projects like the Swipe Drive.

The nonprofit is determined to destigmatize college hunger by allowing students to be at the forefront of the cause.

“We know no matter who you are or where you come from, food insecurity really can affect you. It’s a spectrum. I know I was most struck to hear some of our students who started programs at their universities did so because some of their friends who are athletes, who are representing their school, were hungry. I think hunger is right in front of us, but we haven't really been able to identify it as such because of the stigma associated with food insecurity,” said Metti Bowling.

She discusses how different programs have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some schools are partnering with Grubhub to allow students access to discounted, delivered food despite closed dining halls and programs.

The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice was founded in 2013 and is currently located at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Part of their initiative is #RealCollege, that is, “redefining what it means to be a student-ready college.” The Hope Center and #RealCollege understands basic needs like food and a safe place to stay are needed for learning and that “students are human first.”

In addition to research, The Hope Center is dedicated to

informing students about the resources available to them. From food pantries to programs like the Swipe Drive, The Hope Center compiles the different types of support on their website.

Jennifer King, a practitioner-researcher at The Hope Center, noted that the issue of basic needs insecurity existed prior, but the coronavirus pandemic has further exposed the situation.

“We encourage all thinkers and doers in higher education to view the Hungry to Learn documentary, which features the lives of #RealCollege students navigating their academic journey

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while managing a host of vulnerabilities that were practically nonexistent twenty years ago,” she said. The documentary, presented by Soledad O’Brien, shows what college hunger is like for four unique students.

Within The Hope Center, the policy and advocacy staff follow legislation regarding this issue and systematic change on both the federal and state levels.

“Number one is the research,” King said. “We want research to be actionable through engagement and communication with colleges, universities, and students, as well, about what's going on, and what can be done. That communication then extends itself to state and federal legislation to ensure these are not just institutional changes, but there is systemic change, for college students to thrive, while they're completing their degree.”

In January 2021, President Joe Biden announced his $1.9 trillion-dollar American Rescue Plan which includes hopeful policy for college students facing basic needs insecurity.

The plan passed both houses of Congress in March. The bill extended the third stimulus legislation to include adult dependents, meaning eligible college students should receive the $1400 stimulus check. In addition, part of this plan allowed qualifying college students the option to receive food stamps after being excluded previously. Although these efforts are slowly coming along, many students will be able to benefit from the food stamps.

This is temporary SNAP eligibility due to the pandemic. A statement by the Hope Center reads: “We hope the administration will build on this stimulus plan, and codify many of the opportunities and expanded support that are set to disappear when COVID-19 is finally eradicated.” Permanent actions will still need to be examined and established in the future. With the help from resources like the Hope Center, Swipe Out Hunger, and more, progress can be made.

“As students, we are just getting our feet in the door. In college, you still have to perform like everyone else, even if you’re struggling. Being expected pay my bills, earn enough to feed myself and attend college full time is a lot to handle alone,” says Maya.

In the United States, a college education is not a given. Many students cannot afford to attend university at all. But for those trying to get a higher education, their basic needs should not be neglected. After all, college is more than “living on Ramen.”

Courtesy of INSP.ngo

The Knights of Nutrition pantry is student-run and located in university housing. PHOTO COURTEY OF INSP

1 0 // S T REET SENSE ME DI A / / JUNE 9 - 1 5 , 2 021

OPINION

The pandemic proves DC needs statehood now

BY OYE I. OWOLEWA

Since the founding of our republic, citizens of the District of Columbia have lacked various democratic rights enjoyed by their fellow Americans who live in full-fledged states. During the Covid-19 pandemic, that fundamental inequality has proven deadly, and must be addressed as soon as possible.

Without statehood, D.C. is limited in its ability to raise revenue, since all of its laws are subject to Congressional approval and much of its land is federally-owned and therefore untaxed.

Despite having state-like duties, from education to road maintenance, the District is explicitly barred from taxing the wages earned by non-residents who work within its borders, unlike any other state. The prohibition on such state revenue collection practices makes it hard for the District to respond to crises such as the pandemic.

Although it is normally treated like a state in federal formula-based funding programs, that privilege is subject to the

whims of lawmakers. In the pandemic relief bill that passed last March, D.C. was treated like a territory instead, and therefore received half the aid to which it was entitled. That represented a loss of $755 million, which was only made up for later after intense lobbying.

It is sickening to see how a nation founded on the ideal of equal representation has disenfranchised the residents of its own capital. D.C. has nearly 700,000 residents, more than the population of Vermont and Wyoming. D.C. residents also pay more taxes per capita to the federal government than their counterparts in any other state, yet we don’t have a voice in Congress. We are treated as second-class citizens, despite having the same responsibilities as other states, such as serving in the military if a draft were to be reinstated. And this is clearly against the consent of the governed: In 2016, 86% of D.C. residents voted in favor of becoming the nation’s 51st state.

Recent events have only highlighted further the perils of keeping D.C. an unequal territory. During the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, since we lack

The 2015 MLK Parade in D.C.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TED EYTAN / FLICKR

control of our own National Guard, a mob was able to terrorize the Capitol building with little resistance. Not only did this situation pose a grave physical threat to members of Congress, it was also likely a Covid-19 super-spreader event. Shock over the lack of preparedness by federal authorities for an openly planned attack has reinvigorated residents’ demands for the same Congressional representation that all other Americans enjoy.

While electing two senators with full voting rights will not put an end to the traditionalist vehemence on display at the Capitol that day, representation will provide residents with a voice in debates that have profound consequences for their lives.

Rep. Oye I. Owolewa has served as one of D.C.’s non-voting members of Congress since 2020.

Who fact-checks the fact checkers?

BY JEFFERY MCNEIL

I wasn’t long ago that op-eds were to be taken as opinions.

Today, if you disagree with consensus thinking, you are met with resistance by social justice warriors disguised as fact-checkers.

According to these new guardians of the truth, you can’t opine on any topic unless they are corroborated by trusted sources, such as CNN and MSNBC. Fact-checking has become so ridiculous that everything has become serious, and nothing is funny, insightful, or interesting.

Despite all this fact-checking, who fact-checks factcheckers? Why is Fox News, or Newsmax not a credible source, while the New York Times and Washington Post are considered credible sources? The Post and the Times have had to retract stories or have been sued over alleged false or defamatory claims. Recently, both media outlets have had to correct a misleading story regarding former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; they reported that the FBI had briefed Giuliani that he was being targeted by Russian spies. Alan Dershowitz is suing CNN for $300 million because he claims the network unfairly characterized and edited a statement he made while representing Donald Trump at the Senate impeachment trial in 2020.

I wish that a fact-checker showed how many times conservative publications had to retract or pay defamation lawsuits. Can someone explain how left-wing sources are truthful, while conservative outlets spread lies or conspiracies? Fact check this: CNN lost nearly 50% of its primetime viewers between Nov. 4 2020 and Jan. 21 2021.

As a writer for Street Sense Media, I urge us not to be cheerleaders for the Biden administration or risk alienating a wider audience that may be interested in donating but are turned off by the divisiveness and partisanship. The Opinion page has become an uninteresting and unreadable platform for Pro-Biden fluff pieces.

Writing shouldn’t be about cheerleading or protecting narratives. But saying things that make people uncomfortable. If someone is passionate about issues such as transgender intersectionality, then there shouldn’t be silence but the ability to write about it and withstand criticism. All perspectives should be represented, especially the views of working-class people.

Political correctness makes people walk on eggshells, and I think fact checkers spend more time worrying about being PC than confirming whether or not something is true.

Fact-checking is code for burying a story that counters the establishment’s narrative. When censored, consider it an honor. If what you say is crazy, there should be no need to silence you. They censor people who the establishment fear because you’re not going along and calling the corporate-controlled bullies out. The reason people listen to Tucker Carlson or Alex Jones is because nobody wants to hear President Joe Biden while gas prices are increasing, borders are not being secured properly, the Middle East is in turmoil, and our nation hasn’t been this divided since the civil war.

Biden ran on restoring America’s soul. He vowed to get Democrats and Republicans together but since elected everything he’s done antagonizes

Conservatives and even those that — honk honk — have given him over 80 million votes. In the end, if I feel Biden isn’t transparent, I don’t need media reports on how fit Biden may be. If I believe I need an umbrella because it’s raining, I don’t need Rachel Maddow telling me I’m not getting wet.

Those that claim Biden won fair and square believe it is final. With the census, strict voter ID laws, and forensic audits, no amount of fluff, cheerleading, and silencing will stop the determination to understand the 2020 election. Stay tuned because those not buying what these fact-checkers sell will be a thorn in the side of the left for this century and the next.

Jeffery McNeil is an artist and vendor for Street Sense Media.

Join the conversation, share your views - Have an opinion about how homelessness is being addressed in our community?

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- Interested in responding to another writer?

Please send submissions to opinion@streetsensemedia.org.

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ART

Silence

BY KYM PARKER Artist/Vendor

Something we all need It’s something we all crave We look for noise to calm our souls The Voice is sometimes gentle For some, it’s chaos But to all God’s children, Peace, grace, mercy We are what we crave To enjoy God’s voice All we need is silence

Why I became a vendor

BY AMIA WALKER Artist/Vendor

I became a Street Sense Media vendor to help bring awareness to others about the situation we face with homelessness. I once dealt with being in this situation. That was uncomfortable for me, not having family support. I was also once a part of a street ministry with my church, distributing clothes and food. And now I really love being an advocate for Street Sense.

Love’s in need

Charity

BY BRIANA BUTLER Artist/Vendor

BY JEFFERY CARTER Artist/Vendor-

It don’t cost you nothing, and in fact you gain from producing food for hungry children and adults so they don’t have to decide which is best between medicine or food, and inspiring people to help save lives and give.

It takes us to care about others and not always ourselves. No one should have to beg or steal to keep from starving.

I know it’s hard times for you but look at others and see that there’s always somebody worse off than you. So join in with the food pantries, put some effort to donate your love, time, food and clothing.

Today, we need love.

There’s too much hatred going on in this world.

Love is the force that binds all things together.

Love transforms enemies into friends.

Like Stevie Wonder said, love is in need of love today.

On bended knees

BY QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE Artist/Vendor

Me, I must stay on bended knees.

You see, it’s my faith. I must say it With no shame; I believe I’ll only gain as I share my Christian faith I’ll only ask you, please To join me on bended knees To do what? I’ll say, “Let us pray to God, down on our knees.”

My Mom

BY PATTY SMITH Artist/Vendor

Here are a few words about the lady that gave me so much encouragement. I wouldn’t have been what I am today if not for my mom and the rest of my family.

She taught me values and she also taught me how to love other people.

When I was a little girl, the thing that inspired me the most about my mom, was that she would let me decide to try to make up my mind, just what I wanted to be when I grew up. She would try to explain and give examples of just how life was. Rules to live by.

Me and my sister and brothers grew up with mom’s sisters and brothers. She was head of the family.

She’s been dead for 4 years now and I missed her this Mother’s Day.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY PATTY SMITH

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1 2 // S T REET SENSE ME DI A / / JUNE 9 - 1 5 , 2 021

Anxiety disorder

BY MARCUS MCCALL Artist/Vendor

Many people in the world suffer from anxiety. I personally do. I sometimes have trouble going to sleep, and I also have trouble staying in one place. It’s like I must be doing something, at weird hours of the night my body feels like I have to be outside.

My sister, my other half, has the same problems with this disorder. She said sometimes when she gets off work she

can’t go home, like her body is saying there is something else that needs to be done.

An anxiety disorder is defined by worrying or feeling fear that’s so strong that it limits your ability to do things. My whole body experience is sweating. On the behavioral side it’s more unwanted thoughts and sometimes I just can’t stay still!

Universally good feelings

BY JACKIE TURNER Artist/Vendor

1. Having a conversation with a four year old. You know that you are hearing truthful words. That makes you feel good.

2. Walking through the woods and seeing wild flowers under a large tree, tall and big.

That makes you feel good, knowing that nature is the work of God. 3. Seeing a dog run after a car, knowing it can never outrun the car but it keeps trying every time. That makes you smile because it is determination.

4. Looking at nature photos of the different beautiful birds. Seeing how they display themselves to each other. That makes you smile because you know that is vanity.

There’s nothing wrong with pride in oneself.

If you look for joy or good feelings, they are all around you. Make your own day.

I used to live in a small town where there was a place called flower hill. The beautiful wild flowers grew all around and they were so pretty, just looking at them made you feel good.

Being vaccinated

BY AIDA PEERY Artist/Vendor

I’ve been fully vaccinated since April 14. Most of my colleagues from Street Sense Media are fully vaccinated or have gotten one shot and are waiting for their final shot.

Being vaccinated doesn’t entirely eliminate your possibility of getting the virus. But the COVID19 vaccines seem to be even more effective than the flu shot (though there are many differences between the two viruses).

And both the COVID-19 and flu shots minimize how bad the virus is if you do get it, keeping you out of the hospital and avoiding phenomenal hospital bills if you survive.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to get a COVID-19 shot. Regardless of whether you’re homeless or not homeless. Let’s all keep each other safe!

I want to give a huge thank you to all of my readers for the donations during the shutdown caused by this pandemic! It has given me a lot of hope and I feel loved by many people that have brought the paper from me or to other vendors.

Street sense Media is home for many vendors! Thank you again.

IMAGE BY TASHIKANITBH / REDDIT

Rain Rain Rain

BY ROCHELLE WALKER Artist/Vendor

I think it’s going to rain, rain, rain Blue sky, yellow moon When I look up in the sky I see the signs and wonders of this world It’s going to rain, rain, rain When I wash away my tears Not crying, crying, crying I think it’s going to rain, rain, rain Blue sky, yellow moon The stars are signs no evil will be done Raindrops are falling in my hands The water sounds like drip drop, drip drop Cold and wet I want a dry space No tears can take my place on this earth because it raining, raining, raining

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 13

Jazz and deep soul

BY FREDERIC JOHN Artist/Vendor

Jazz and deep soul affect me greatly But political speech I also need I prefer the jazz and soul But without the latter, we couldn’t have the former PF, I love you

PHOTO BY JIMMY BAIKOVICIUS / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Praying for an end to violence Treading the Waters, Part 36

BY GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor

When we were last with Gerald in New Orleans he was maneuvering the social circles of the streets with Greg and Minew, his two closest friends, together at his side for the first time...

It’s crazy how me and Minew run together.

One time we got busted for some powder, for heroin. And he went to the Parish jail and I went to the B-Roll, Juvenile.

Still today, me and him talk about that charge.

Today, he say, “How the fuck you go to the B-Roll? How old are you?”

I say, “I’m 50” He say, “Man you older than me?!”

“I BEEN older than you, motherfucker.”

“So how you go to the Juvenile?"

I say, “Because I slipped my little brother’s name and went into the Juvenile.”

And that’s why I went in there and he went into the Parish Jail. And because of that, they was trying to say he was distributing to a minor.

I say, “Man, s***... Well, we beat the charge!”

He say, “Nah! You a slimy motherf*****!”

“Motherf*****, I never go in under my real name. You ain’t know how to use false names?”

I always deal with so many dudes on the street say, “Man, I ain’t go no charges.” So I say to myself, “Remember his name, you can use that goddamn name!”

To be continued. Gerald Anderson’s first book, “Still Standing: How an Ex-con Found Salvation in the Floodwaters of Katrina,” is available on Amazon.com.

BY AYUB ABDUL Artist/Vendor

I step out of my house and walk down the street. I am unexpectedly attacked.

"Why are these people beating me up?

I don't know them, but they're hitting me, they're kicking me, they're fighting me," says the Jewish man in New York as he's experiencing this.

Swastikas appear again on synagogues; thousands of anti-Semitic messages slandering the Jewish community proliferate over social media.

It's 3 in the morning in Palestine.

Everything is quiet...until it isn't. I awaken to bombs, loud, frightening, terrifying bombs. I hear people screaming and running; chaos is everywhere. I can't believe this is real. I look at the dismantled, gutted buildings and watch my people gather what few belongings they still possess so they can keep living. Everyone shakes their head.

I say, “push through the rubble.”

I see the Palestinian flag is draped over a child thousands of miles away. I hear

the news reports that about 70 children died from Israeli air strikes. How many more survived but are psychologically and emotionally scarred for life? So many people dying from this senseless fighting. As always, the innocent are considered "collateral damage." And a Palestinian economy devastated by high unemployment and rampant hunger must now contend with thousands of displaced and homeless people.

The killing needs to stop now. I'm glad President Biden is addressing these issues.

Here's a simple solution: Channel the energy put into the bombs and the missiles into developing a more just society — possibly two separate states — between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Think how much safer the world would be. And think how pleasant it would be to turn on the news and find out this actually happened.

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2 1 9 3 5 8 solutions/82517 8 9 1 5 3 4 9 5 8 2 1 7 6 6 2 7 9 8 2 1 6 4 7 5 9 3 5 3 4 2 6 5 7 1 9 3 8 2 4 << LAST 4 3 5 7 2 8 9 6 1 3 7 5 4 EDITION’S 9 1 8 7 2 1 8 9 5 6 4 3 7 PUZZLE SOLUTION 4 6 2 8 9 7 6 4 3 1 2 8 5

2 5

3 8 7 1 4 9

6

4 8 2 9

5 1

3 7 6

8 9

4 6

1 7

Across Across 1. Nurse ____ Barton 1. Nurse ____ Barton 6. Psychic's phrase (2 wds.)

8 6.Besides 4Psychic’s 9 1 phrase (2 wds.)

10.

14.

Track 9 10.

8 Besides 3 events 6 Trackon events 15.14.

Chew 6 7 5 2 Chew on neighbor 16.15.

Thailand's 4 1 Thailand’s 5 neighbor 2 destroy 17.16.

Totally 19.

Calf's 9 Totally 8destroy 3 17.

4 father 20.19.

Existed Calf’s father 2 6 7 3 21.20.

Ship's diaries Existed 7 21.

2 Ship’s 8feature 9 22.

MTV diaries 23.

Fodder towers 4 1 22.

5 MTV 6 feature 25.23.

Eat Fodder towers 5 Groups 3 1 7 26.25.

Eat of eight 29.26.

Vacation spots Groups of eight 32.29.

Animals' Vacationhomes spots 33.32.

Scent Animals’ homes 5 33.

1 Scent 3 (Willis film) 8 Hard" 35. "____ 36.

Music for 2 “____ 4 Hard” 7 two (Willis film) 3 35.

37.36.

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Knitting string 37.

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Newark time 4 Knitting 6 38.

3 1 stringzone (abbr.)

2 8time zone (abbr.)

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7 Newark 40. Adolescents 40.

Adolescents 7 Turned 6 5 9 41.

41. Turnedwhite white 42.

Microwaves 9 42.8 Microwaves 1 4 again again 44. Accent 3 Accent 6 2 8 44.

45. She, in Marseille in Marseille 2 45.

9 She, 7 5 46.

Lettuce dish 46. Lettuce dish 48. Sprain site 48. Sprain site 50. Tramp 50. Tramp 51. Eastern garment 51. Eastern garment 55.

Over 2 55.

6 Over 4 3 56. Engaged in festivities 5 56.

1 Engaged 8 7 in festivities 58. Shakespeare's river 58.

Shakespeare’s 7 Englishman, 5 2 9 forriver 59. short 59.

Englishman, for short 60.

Unaccompanied 7 2 3 4 Unaccompanied 61.60.

Wrestling pads 61.

Wrestling pads 5 4 3 62. Repairs 8 lawns 62.

Repairs lawns 63.

8 Office 6 9 1 notes 63. Office notes

2 9 8 6 1 Down 5 6 2 3 4 3 1 1.7Crustacean 9 5

2. Country road

3. Teen’s woe 4. Put in again 1.Fire Crustacean 5. residue 2.Arctic Country road 6. shelter 3.

Teen's woe 7. Glitches 4.Has Putsupper in again 8.

5.

Fire 9. Mamaresidue sheep 6. Arctic 10.

Lackingshelter pigment 7. Fort Glitches 11. ____, FL 8. Has supper 12.

Food fish 9. Mama sheep 13. Norwegian capital 10. Lacking pigment 18.

Troubles 11. Fort ____, FL 22. Passport endorsement 12. Food fish 24. That thing’s 13. Norwegian capital 25. Floor model 18. Troubles 26. More aged 27. Bring about 28. Get married (3 wds.)

29. Deteriorates 30. Grows weary

Down

Find the solution at https://onlinecrosswords.net/82517

31. Mails 33. Pub beverages 41. School group (abbr.

22. Passport 34. Sprint endorsement 43. Burstyn and 37. Tennis’s ____ Sampras DeGeneres 24. That thing's 38. Bargain hunter’s stop (2 wds.)

44. Messy fellow 25. Floor 40. model “A ____ of Two Cities” 46.

26. More 41. aged School group (abbr.) Firm 47. Helps a crook 27. Bring about 43. Burstyn and DeGeneres 28. Get married (3 wds.) 48. Eden man 44. Messy fellow 49. Flaring star 29. Deteriorates 46. Firm 50. Submarine sandwich 30. Grows weary 47. Helps a crook 52. Tiny particle 31. Mails 48. Eden man 53. Gambling city 33. Pub beverages 49. Flaring star 54. 15th of March 34. Sprint 50. Submarine sandwich 56. TV network 37. Tennis's ____ 52. Tiny particle Sampras 57. Male sheep 53. Gambling city 38. Bargain hunter's 54. 15th of March stop (2 wds.)

56.ofTV network 40. "A ____ Two 57. Male sheep Cities"

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

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David Denny is missed

BY ANGIE WHITEHURST Artist/Vendor

We miss him for vendor training, motivation, inspiration, wisdom and his inclusion of and respect for all.

We remember him for his heartfelt sincerity and his melodic poetry that he recited with passionate beauty.

He led by example: never complaining about his personal battles, obstacles, or gripes. We performed together many times at Georgetown University’s student and community outreach programs.

He is one of my heroes. He understood the war to survive without open, designated, immediately available housing, healthcare, and comprehensive wraparound services. David carried a lot of trauma and emotional and physical pain no human being

should have to carry. But he did not let that agony carry him. He steered his ship with the resilience of survival, the joy and happiness to be alive and free, a cool, calming humbleness, and a sharing, caring, nonjudgmental heart.

His ship, the U.S.S. Denny, will always be here and anchored within all of us at the port of Street Sense Media, housed and homed at Church of the Epiphany in Washington, D.C., capital of the United States of America.

May the winds and seas be ever peaceful for you, David Denny. Rest in peace, for you are with the Lord and free!

Clockwise from top right: a memorial for Dan Hooks, David Denny and Shernell Thomas, all Street Sense Media vendors who passed away recently, held at the Church of Epiphany on June 3; Church of the Epiphany rector Reverend Glenna Huber speaking; Street Sense Media Vendor John Littlejohn speaking; Street Sense Media Vendor Queenie Featherstone speaking. ALL PHOTOS BY SAGE LEVY

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