07 15 2006

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Where the Washington area's poor and homeless earn and give their two cents July 15, 2006 -- August 14, 2006

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Volume 3, Issue 9

www.streetsense.org

Regional Homelessness Total Count: 12,085

Prince William: 498 Loudoun: 184

Frederick: 212

Fairfax, Falls Church: 1,766 Arlington: 477

DC: 6,157

Alexandria: 336 Prince George: 1,291 Montgomery: 1,164

Homelesssness on the Rise in DC Area

By John Stauffer

See

COUNT, page 5

By Katharine Zambon In Washington, D.C., there are just 48 beds, in two confidential shelters, for women and children fleeing domestic violence. And in any given month these shelters may turn away 350 families due to lack of space. Often times these women simply return to their abusive relationships, according to Women Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE) executive director Thia Hamilton.

“We know that fear of an inability to find housing” is the biggest reason women stay in violent relationships, Hamilton said.

Many of the other women and families simply end up on the streets, in a similarly vulnerable situation, because they do not have the means to find housing on their own. In fact, more than 1,300 homeless individuals in D.C. reported be-

ing victims of domestic violence in a 2005 survey.

These staggering numbers have prompted advocates to challenge laws that unfairly penalize victims, and demand that the City Council increase the number of confidential shelter spaces available to domestic violence survivors.

“Domestic violence victims in D.C. continue to be trapped in violent relationships because they have no other options for shelter or housing … . For an individual who is in a violent relationship and already living in poverty, this harsh reality often means that she literally must choose between life with her abuser or life on the streets,” said Naomi Stern, a staff attorney with the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP), at a recent D.C. City Council Judiciary Committee hearing.

Stern manages NLCHP’s national domestic violence program and heads up the D.C. Working Group on Domestic Violence and Housing. She has advocated for the past several years for changes in the city to help survivors, and said that the three most necessary changes are funding to increase confidential shelter space, affordable housing opportunities for victims, and legal protections for victims facing eviction or breaking a lease.

Local legal and social services providers have reported that domestic violence victims “are often evicted or expelled from their homes or shelters, or denied or turned away from housing or shelter, because of domestic abuse committed against them,” according to the NLCHP. Additionally, domestic

See

VIOLENCE, page 7

Affordably Zoned

Linda Wang

The homeless population in the D.C. region surpassed the 12,000 mark in 2006, and while the number of homeless families dropped 5%, the number of individuals increased more than 20% across the region, compared to 2004.

These numbers come from the recently released 2006 Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Homeless Enumeration Report, prepared by the Homeless Services Planning and Coordinating Committee and based on a one-day count on Jan. 25, 2006.

Despite the increases, some find hope in these numbers. “As large as the number in this report is, it is not so daunting when we consider that it means less than 3 in 1,000 of all people living in the region are homeless, and this is a problem we can solve,” said Stephen Cleghorn, an author of the report and member of the Homeless Services Planning and Coordinating Committee.

Still, in the District alone the number of homeless people totals 6,157, or more than 1 in 100, compared with the city’s entire population. Outside of the District, Fairfax

County had the largest homeless population, with 1,766 individuals.

And despite improvements made in many of the Northern Virginia jurisdictions, Loundon County reported a full 100% increase from two years ago. The Maryland suburbs likewise saw a troubling rise, with double-digit percentage increases in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

An increase in the suburban counties shows that people can become unemployed in the suburbs just as easily as they do in the District, said Michael Ferrell, executive director for the D.C. Coalition for the Homeless. “Homeless persons in the suburbs face the same set of circumstances as the homeless in the city,” he added.

Across the region when it came to homeless individuals versus families, the trends were notably divergent. In the District alone, individual homelessness increased 14% over the past two years, while persons in families had decreased by 8% over the same time period. In Montgomery County, the inequality proved even more extreme: individual homelessness increased

Huge Shelter Shortage for Domestic Violence Victims

If the D.C. Zoning Commission has its way, new condo buildings, like this one at 14th and V streets, NW, will soon be required to include a certain percentage of affordable housing. Story on page 7.

Inside This Issue

LOCAL

REVIEWS

ONE DC looks to build 92 units of affordable housing, page 5

Vendor Francine Triplett eats at 21P in Dupont Circle, page 12

INTERVIEW

LOCAL

EDITORIAL

Candidates voice opinions on economic development, page 6

A look at how nonprofits are using their budgets, page 4

Franklin residents voice their concerns and plans, page 16

Mayoral Candidates

Housing in Shaw

Nonprofit Efficiency

Yum, Yum, 21P

Shelter Speak Out

Street Sense . July/August 2006

2 ALL AbOuT uS

Our Mission 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 347-2006 Fax: (202) 347-2166 info@streetsense.org www.streetsense.org

bOARD Of DIRECTORS James Davis Robert Egger Ted Henson Barbara Kagan August Mallory David Pike John Snellgrove Michael Stoops Kathy Whelpley

EXECuTIVE DIRECTOR Laura Thompson Osuri SENIOR EDITOR Ted Henson ASSOCIATE EDITOR David S. Hammond EDITORIAL INTERN Meredith Mishkin AD SALES MANAGERS Jake Ashford James Davis Alvin Dixon El Muriel Dixon Allen Jones Mark Jones August Mallory Brenda Wilson Wendell Williams VOLuNTEERS/WRITERS Jake Ashford, Gwen Arnold, Ari Bornstein, Karen Brooks, Michelle Cheek, Cliff Carle, Amy Detteriech, Michelle Gaudet, Jake Geissinger, Joann Goodwin, David Harris, Enoka Herat, Annie Hill, Maurice King, Felicia Kung, Jessica LeGarde, Brad McCormick, Jill Merselis, Ben Merritt, Mark Nabong, Amy Orndorff, Susan Pearce, Jen Pearl, David Pike, Diane Rusignola, Patty Smith, Trish Savage, Rebecca Schlessinger, Jesse Smith, Desiree Stephens, Isabel Toolan, Francine Triplett, Robert Trautman, Linda Wang, Jessica Weiss, Marian Wiseman, Mhairi Whitton, Mark Youssef, Katharine Zambon

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Street Sense aims to serve as a vehicle for elevating voices and public debate on issues relating to poverty while also creating economic opportunities for people who are experiencing homelessness in our community.

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Editorials and features in Street Sense reflect the perspectives of the authors. We invite the submission of journalism, opinion, fiction and poetry, hoping to create a means where a multitude of perspectives on poverty and homelessness can find expression.

Street Sense reserves the right to edit any material.

The Story of Street Sense Street Sense began in August 2003 after two volunteers, Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions about starting a street newspaper in Washington, D.C. A street paper is defined as a newspaper about poverty, homelessness and other social issues that provides an income to the homeless men and women who sell it. About 25 street papers operate in the United States and Canada in places like Seattle, Chicago, Montreal and Boston, and there are dozens more throughout the world.

After bringing together a core of dedicated volunteers and vendors,

Street Sense came out with its first issue in November 2003, printing 5,000 copies. Since then, the paper has published consistently on a monthly basis and has greatly expanded its circulation and vendor network. For the first year, Street Sense operated as a project of the National Coalition for the Homeless, but in October 2004, the organization incorporated and moved into its own office space.

In March 2005, Street Sense received 501(c)3 status, becoming an independent nonprofit organization.

In October 2005 Street Sense formed a full board of directors and in November the organization hired its first employee, a fulltime executive director.

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Street Sense . July/August 2006

Let’s Talk About Homelessness

By Brenda Donald Walker Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families and Elders

W

hile this is a monthly column, I can assure you that we are dealing with homeless issues and related matters for a significant portion of time every day of the week. The District government is committed to preventing and ending homelessness one person and one family at a time by taking creative steps guided by a clear vision and with sustained leadership and effort.

This month, I want to do a brief update on the Interagency Council on Homelessness, share some good news about a new housing opportunity for families, and review a number of other items of interest with you. First, however, I want to say that I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday.

POLICY

Most importantly, city administrator Robert Bobb convened the first meeting of the Interagency Council on June 13. This group of government and citizen stakeholders will confer and advise on matters affecting the District’s homeless population. The Interagency Council has been established with strong support throughout the government since City Council enacted a legal mandate for it as part of the Homeless Services Reform Act of 2005.

Among the stakeholders are Cheryl Barnes, Darryl Belcher, and Jackie Lee Chandler, all formerly homeless individuals who will ensure that the voice of the homeless community is heard clearly in matters that affect it. In an interview published in the May–June issue of Street Sense, Barnes said that she will “always listen, and maintain a fair voice at the table” as a member of the Interagency Council while Belcher expressed a concern about the lack of affordable housing in the District. Chandler, who works as a donation aide for So Others Might Eat, wants to address the root causes of homelessness and is concerned with the availability of shelters in D.C. In addition to the formerly homeless members, others in attendance at this inaugural session included directors and senior staff from 10 D.C. agencies, representatives from eight service providers, members of the advocacy community, the executive director of the Community Partnership for Prevention of Homelessness, and a representative from the office of councilmember Adrian Fenty.

The Interagency Council plans to hold a public hearing later this summer to take testimony and solicit ideas about homelessness from interested citizens. Also, committees were established to develop a winter plan for 2007 and to draft operating rules for the group. The next meeting of the Interagency Council is on July 20.

Last month we also celebrated a positive step toward providing more affordable housing for families at the ribbon cutting ceremony for Hope Apartments at 3715 Second Street, SE on June 6. This is a 10-apartment building

managed by the Community of Hope in which families are able to remain intact while receiving a range of services, including help with substance abuse issues. This project complements the Community of Hope facility at 1413 Girard Street, NW that houses 20 families in individual apartments.

I want to conclude by reviewing a number of items of interest with you. One ongoing project is the renovation of the former Gales School at Massachusetts Avenue and G Street, NW. The interior demolition has started on this local historic landmark, which is slated to receive modern plumbing and mechanical systems, new windows, and other enhancements to make it a model for homeless services and living accommodations. When completed in 2007, Gales will serve as a homeless shelter with central air conditioning, space for group activities, individual storage, and a full range of resident services. Gales represents our commitment to serve our citizens who are homeless with appropriate living space, amenities, and services in a central location.

Also, the Emery Shelter at 1725 Lincoln Road, NE is being converted to the Emery Work Bed Program, a housing facility with services for working men. This new program will serve male residents of the District who are homeless and who are employed for at least 20 hours per week or are in a job training program. Participants will have an assigned bed, 24-hour access to the facility, storage for personal belongings, and an array of services, including various types of counseling and housing placement assistance. I am confident that this forward looking program will produce many success stories, and I will share these with you in future columns.

I hope that this month’s column has increased your understanding of the efforts that are being made on a daily basis in the District to serve our homeless population. See you next month when we can “talk about homelessness” again.

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POLITICS

Street Sense . July/August 2006

Budget Scrutiny Improves Nonprofit Efficiency, Raises Concerns

By Trish Savage When billionaire Warren Buffet recently decided to pledge more than $30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, it’s a sure bet he checked out the foundation’s efficiency beforehand.

These days charitable donors from Buffet to the average minimum wage worker want to know that their money will be used efficiently and will not be wasted on fat salaries, plush offices, or expensive fundraising parties. Donors often demand that their funds be restricted to work serving the charity’s purpose, what the Internal Revenue Service calls “program services,” and not used for administrative costs.

“Savvy donors know that the most efficient charities spend at least 75% of their budgets on their programs and services and less than 25% on fundraising and administrative overhead,” said Trent Stamp of the charity-monitoring organization, Charity Navigator.

This focus on efficiency has sharpened as more data has become available on charities’ budgets and as nonprofits have begun to compete more with private businesses in the services arena.

Still, nonprofits’ executives, accountants and donors view this new focus with mixed reactions. For one thing, it makes nonprofits take a serious look at how they are spending their money, prompting them to direct more funds to the services they offer. But at the same time it has led to questionable accounting practices and an overreliance on the program services breakdown.

Nationally, seven out of 10 charities spend less than 10% of their budget on fundraising costs, less than 15% on administration costs, and at least 75% on the programs and services they exist to provide, according to Charity Navigator’s annual reviews of 20,000 charities’ tax records.

In Washington, D.C., nonprofits serving the homeless rank even higher in efficiency compared with all charities nationwide. The 57 local groups serving the homeless spend an average of 84.3% of their budgets on mission-directed program services and activities, a Street Sense review found. Only four nonprofits (7%) spend less than 70% on their program’s mission.

Local charities also are well below the national average on spending for overhead, and only two charities spend more than 20% on fundraising.

Accounting Disputes For a nonprofit to retain its tax-exempt status, it must file an annual Form 990 with the IRS stating how much of its budget goes for each of three functions: program services, which includes mission services and activities; administration, which covers salaries, meetings, legal services, accounting, insurance, office management, auditing, publications, and distribution of an annual report; and fundraising, which covers costs of soliciting contributions and gifts, writing grant proposals, and publicizing and conducting fundraising campaigns and events.

However, many items span one or more of these categories, which raises various questions: How do you handle costs for space or a copier used for both administration and fundraising? What do you do with a mailer

containing both educational material and an appeal for donations?

“Savvy nonprofits know they are judged on their program expenses and often classify most crossover expenses as program-related,” said Mark A. Hager, a research associate in the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute.

“They know that donors want to believe that a minimum of their contributions is being used for administration and fundraising,’’ he said. “So they find ways, some legitimate and some not, to represent as many of their expenses as programmatic expenses as they can.”

Thomas J. Raffa, who heads the firm Raffa P.C., which performs accounting services for D.C. nonprofits, said that categorizing expenses is an issue of considerable dispute, and that there is little precise guidance on how to do it.

“The rules are not consistent, and organizations face competitive pressures to look good,” Raffa said. “Even the IRS, the United Way, and the Better Business Bureau differ in their accounting instructions to nonprofits.

Without standards, we can’t tell which charities are truly efficient.’’

In addition, Michael D. Ward, an accountant with Walker & Co. LLP , said a nonprofit’s overhead allocation will vary with the kind of charitable work it does. .

“A human services provider frequently has more employees with screening requirements for staff serving clients and thus needs more rigorous and complex human resources systems and personnel,’’ he said. “An advocacy organization, on the other hand, may have a small staff and a few key grants that support their work, so the ‘back office’ for human resources and accounting could be much smaller and less complex.”

At the same time, many organizations have no choice but to take the costly steps of building a database of donors and communicating with those donors.

“Organizations that provide a service that governments don’t fund may have disproportionately higher fundraising costs because it is the only way they can raise the money to support the work,” Ward said.

Why the new focus?

Attention to program expenses versus overhead has become more intense since services such as GuideStar (www.guidestar.org) started scanning IRS Form 990s and making them available to the public.

“The growing transparency of 990 data allows potential donors to examine a nonprofit’s efficiency ratio,’’ Raffa said. “This has simply raised the stakes around these ratios and made them harder for nonprofits to ignore.”

Further scrutiny stems from the competition between businesses and nonprofits for performing the functions of schools, prisons, and human services.

This competition creates a problem for nonprofits, said Peter Frumkin, assistant professor of public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a senior fellow of the New America Foundation. “If the prime criterion used by public and private funders turns out to be efficiency, nonprofits are in for a lot of trouble.”

Frumkin argued that cost efficiency alone

Budget Breakdowns

Average Perecent of Budget for Major Spending Categories 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

Program Services

Administration National Average

is a poor criterion for judging a charity. Donors also need to look at the more difficult issue of the quality of a nonprofit’s services, as judged by its clients and the community.

In the article, “Going beyond Efficiency” in The Nonprofit Quarterly, Frumkin wrote: “To be successful in the future, nonprofit managers will need to move the performance conversation consciously away from narrow process measures of efficiency to broader measures of program outcomes and impact, where nonprofits may have some distinctive

Fundraising D.C. Average

advantages.”

In the competition for lower overhead percentages, cost cutting alone will not work, according to several experts. Frumkin, for one, noted that increasing efficiency is not a formula for sustained success in the nonprofit sector because cost-cutting moves are always easily matched by other nonprofits.

“There will always be providers willing to cut more corners, exclude difficult clients, and do what is needed to drive down costs,” he said.

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Street Sense . July/August 2006

COUNT, from p.1

opment have required that the COG now use the federally mandated Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). The result of this new tool, Mathews added, may show increases in homelessness across the board because of improved counting methods and increased cohesion among the region’s agencies, not necessarily because of an increase in the number of actual homeless persons.

The HMIS system has been at different stages of development, but 2006 is the first year it has been fully implemented. “We have more cohesion with other agencies as well as improved counting methods,” said Mathews.

“We worked with HUD to develop [HMIS], and D.C. was one of the first agencies to implement it.”

In 2003, in an effort to obtain more reliable collection methods, HUD required that all publicly funded shelters use this system in the creation of homelessness enumeration reports.

Ferrell added that the numbers may simply reflect and increase level of resources and not necessarily an increase in homelessness. Essentially, more available beds equates to more persons recorded in the yearly count.

The report is more than a yearly snapshot of the region’s homeless population. It also serves as a guide for HUD in determining where federal resources are allocated. “The reports are a good guide for HUD, and it’s easier for us to make a stronger argument in terms of the resources we need,” said Ferrell.

“They [HUD] do pay attention to enumeration reports. It does have a bearing on how the federal government allocates resources.”

Nationally, as more American cities fully adopt the HMIS, the numbers will become more comparable among regions.

“These reports all have a shelf life of less than a year,” cautioned Stoops, who also conceded, “at least now there’s a coordinated attempt to quantify the problem.”

“Generally, services are better and more professional for families than single individuals.”

In Brief

Living Wage Proposed for Big Retailers The Large Retailer Accountability Act of 2005, which aims to provide living wages of $11.75 per hour, health benefits of at least $3 per hour and labor rights to workers, has finally gotten attention from the District government. And in mid-June, the Government Operation Committee held a hearing on the bill.

Introduced last year by councilmember Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), the bill would provide all workers with wages no less than 115% of the poverty level for a family of four, plus benefits.

The bill will also require stores to sign an agreement with the city, promising to give hiring preference to D.C. residents.

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400, DC ACORN, The Metro Washington Council AFL-CIO, and DC Jobs with Justice and the 16,000 retail workers that they represent within the District support the act.

Business leaders, on the other hand, fear that companies who cannot handle the required wages will cease to invest in the District. The act states, “No large retailer may fund wage or benefits increases required by this chapter, or otherwise respond to the requirements of this chapter, by reducing the health insurance, pension, vacation or other non-wage benefits of any of its employees.”

The D.C. Chamber of Commerce and the Washington D.C. Economic Partnership said that, if instituted, the new restrictions would affect at least a dozen local companies such as WalMart, Wegmans and Target. Businesses targeted include those with retailers making over $1 million revenue and thost that have a facility of 75,000 square feet or more.

Still, those in favor of the bill fear that if council pushes the discussion past mid-July, the bill will wait until after the September 12 democratic primary for mayor

-- Meredith Mishkin

ONE DC to Build In Shaw

Linda Wang

individual homelessness increased 14% over the past two years, while persons in families had decreased by 8% over the same time period. In Montgomery County, the inequality proved even more extreme: individual homelessness increased 38.6% while the number of homeless families in the region decreased by 12.1%.

“There is always more empathy for families than there is for single adults,” said Michael Stoops, Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “Generally, services are better and more professional for families than single individuals.”

Homeless families also work their way through a “centralized and coordinated system of resources,” Ferrell said. The first question that agencies will ask families on the verge of homelessness is “What can we do to prevent this?” he explained. “Is there an outstanding bill, a late rent check or something else?”

Those types of preventative resources are offered less to individuals, which may explain the disparities in the numbers, he added.

Additionally, all homeless families are directed to one organization, the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center located in the District. It serves as the central intake office for all families requesting emergency housing and assistance in the region. There, families receive unified resources and attention. Individuals, on the other hand, face a decentralized system of agencies threaded throughout the region’s nine jurisdictions.

The apparent disparity between the level of care for persons in families and the type offered to individuals, however, may stem in part from the methodology of the enumeration report, according to Darlene Mathews, policy analyst for the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness.

She said that recent policy changes within the Department of Housing and Urban Devel-

LOCAL NEWS

Ninety-two new affordable housing units are planned for the corner of 7th and Rhode Island.

By Meredith Mishkin Jada Seigers grew up, settled down, and raised her children in D.C. Now in her mid 60’s, she works full time as a massage technician and is an active member of her local Shaw community. One day, her landlord of 12 years announced that she could make more money selling the property than maintaining it, and that Ms. Seigers would have to move out as soon as possible.

“Unless you make an awful lot of money, you cannot afford to rent in D.C. anymore,” said Seigers. “We all wish we could make more money, but just because we don’t doesn’t mean we don’t deserve to live here.”

Seigers, now renting on S Steet NW, fears that her new landlord will also sell at any minute, and force her to move yet again. Many low-income renters in D.C., specifically in the Shaw area, are facing the same problem or have the same fears.

ONE DC and the National Capital Revitalization Corporation (NCRC) have responded to the cries of Seigers and other low-income residents in the Shaw community and are currently developing an affordable solution. This marks one of a handful of affordable housing projects in the city and the largest one in the Shaw neighborhood in 40 years.

“I’m really seeking affordable housing so I don’t have to keep moving around,” Seigers said. “No one’s asking for handouts, just something reasonable. I would appreciate a place to call my own.”

NCRC and ONE DC are in the process of developing Parcel 42, a 17,000 square foot property that they own at 7 Street and Rhode Island Avenue in Shaw. Virginia Lee, a ONE DC community volunteer, said this project is in direct response to community speak-outs and forums where members expressed the need for more affordable housing units.

Their plan is to construct 92 units which will be marketed at $425 to $1,250 per month for one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. Residents for these new units must be earning 30% to 60% of the Average Median Income or $25,000.

So far, the project has received $7.5 million in grants but still needs another $8 million before they can break ground.

ONE DC is looking to the District’s Housing Production Trust Fund for funding. Lee

said that she is confident the funding will come but will not give a time frame for when she expects the project to begin.

“The market will not let [fair prices] happen. We need these projects, and we needed them yesterday,” she said.

D.C. has seen a 23% growth rate in just three years, which has increased rental prices by 13.7%. This leads to losses of public facilities, a decrease in affordable housing units, and an increase in homelessness, according to the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

With a mean household income of around $200,000 per year according to ONE DC, the Shaw area has some of the most expensive properties to make affordable.

“Affordability is virtually unheard of in Shaw,” said Anika Trahan, a former Shaw resident and member of ONE DC’s Equitable Development Initiative.. Like Seigers, Trahan was forced to leave her home in Shaw.

The ONE DC project is just one of a handful of affordable housing developments in the city. The Marshall Heights Community Development Organization is building affordable apartments, townhouses, and detached houses in the Hilltop Terrace, Banneker Ridge, Chaplin Woods, and Meadow Green Courts.

Additionally, Community Preservation and Development Corporation willingly sold the 1337 7th Street Immaculate Conception Building to local tenants.

Catholic Community Services, along with D.C. Housing Authority, is looking to develop St. Martin’s Apartments, east of North Capitol, as affordable housing.

Still, nonprofit and community groups are struggling with innovative ways to combat high housing prices in the District. Some are trying to raise housing trust funds which are grants given by the government to start affordable housing units. Others suggest implementing inclusionary zones that requires private developers to set aside a certain percentage of new housing units for moderate- and low-income residents. Some organizations simply invest in public facilities such as schools and community centers.

“People need to be in their own communities, near the people they care about and who care about them,” said Seigers. She added that crime is caused by stress and depression that would be eliminated if everyone had their basic needs met.

INTERVIEW

Street Sense . July/August 2006

Mayoral Forum

Addressing Low Wages, Economic Development D.C.’s minimum hourly wage for private-sector workers presently stands at $7 (the federal baseline is $5.15). Is that high enough? What should the minimum wage be?

Michael Brown: Clearly it’s not high enough if you want to live in D.C. And it’s not just the minimum wage, it’s whether the minimum wage is keeping up with inflation. Let’s say it’s $10 an hour – how much does it cost to live in this city? Is $10 even enough? Part of answering that is to make sure that government is providing services. For example, are there some instances where the city should provide child care for some folks? There are a host of different things to look at.

Linda Cropp: Our workers must be able to support themselves and their families, and the minimum wage should reflect the higher cost of living in D.C. That’s why I worked to increase the minimum hourly wage for public employees to $11.75.

The government used our resources to set a higher wage for our employees and demand it for employees of companies who do business with the city. A Cropp administration will advocate for the public sector to pay a fair wage, and I will push to put people to work. I will not accept the high unemployment in some of our neighborhoods. The District’s minimum wage now is higher than Virginia and Maryland, which is an incentive for businesses to locate there to save labor costs. While we don’t want to lose jobs to surrounding jurisdictions, particularly entry level jobs that lead to better paying jobs, I would consider an annual adjustment of the minimum wage that reflects the cost of living increase.

Adrian Fenty: I voted for the District’s $7 minimum wage in 2004. I co-sponsored the living wage for D.C. government employees and employees of D.C. government contractors. I am co-sponsoring legislation that will require large retailers to pay a higher minimum wage plus benefits. I am open to further discussion. Of course, the minimum wage must be adjusted as the cost of living increases.

Marie Johns: No, it is not.

People who work full-time should be able to live above the poverty line. They should have decent housing and be able to buy groceries. They should have access to medical care. Through a combination of minimum wage laws and other programs, we must absolutely ensure that work is rewarded and that the District is a welcome home to hardworking people of all income levels.

Vincent Orange: I secured funding for the living wage, which is $11.75 per hour, so I would like to see the minimum wage be the same. And even that $11.75 an hour is not really adequate for a family to have a good quality of life, but we’re making progress and we know that we’ve got to keep raising the bar.

D.C. has a large day-laborer economy, in which laborers are sometimes treated badly or even cheated out of their pay. What are your plans to address these problems? Should the city support a day center for day laborers, as is done in Herndon, Va.?

Brown: Absolutely. I would love to see that happen. And we have to erase the stigmas, like that there’s starting to be an adversarial relationship between Latino day laborers and African-American day laborers, and questions about who’s getting those jobs, and how they get the jobs, and how they’re getting paid. We cannot continue to have this adversarial environment. In the day laborer centers, I think you can do more than just have a place for people to sit down and wait for somebody to hire them. Folks could learn English as a second language or take GED courses.

Cropp: As mayor, I will make sure the Department of Employment Services aggressively enforces the law so workers are paid all earned and promised wages and paid on time. This is particularly a problem for day laborers for whom English is a second language. That’s why I put money in next year’s budget to fully implement the Language Access Act so that workers who need the protection of the government can access that support. And, I will hire bilingual employees at all levels of government. I would support a day labor center at an appropriate location that ensures the safety and security of District residents and day laborers.

Fenty: I will not let our city contractors get away with such practices. Recently, it came to my attention that a landscape contractor employed by the Department of Parks and Recreation was requiring his workers to pay him for rooms he made them use. The same contractor had numerous disagreements with his workers about money owed. I ensured that the contractor was taken off the roll of qualified contractors and that firm no longer works for the District. My administration will employ this approach and level of detail as we closely watch and determine how we work with day laborers.

Johns: A day laborer center with wrap around services is a good idea if it is needed. Most day laborers cannot afford to live in D.C. anymore. We need to work on affordable housing for laborers.

Orange: I think the city needs to have a task force to really examine the issue and come up with a policy. The Department of Employment Services should take the lead on that.

Neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River have been struggling to attract businesses like supermarkets, larger retailers, and sitdown restaurants, as well as better-paying jobs. What will you do to help this happen when other approaches have fallen short?

Brown: There’s nothing wrong with development. The issue is, how responsible is it? It’s one thing to have development – it’s another thing to have senior citizens, long-time District residents and small businesses displaced, and displaced so hard that they either become homeless, or they have to move to Prince George’s County, or northern Virginia, or they have to move in with a relative.

Folks from communities where development is growing should get those jobs, and that is not happening. At any construction site anywhere in this city, you’ll find license tags from all over the eastern seaboard except for D.C. It’s almost like everyone’s getting to reap the benefits except for our folks.

I want to make sure that we have a mayor – which will be me – that’s going to stand up and say to developers, “I want you to make money, I want you to be successful, but we’re going to do it responsibly.”

Cropp: As mayor, one of my goals is to expand the economic development that has occurred downtown to District neighborhoods that are underserved. I will boldly use incentives to encourage businesses to locate in underserved neighborhoods to bring jobs and needed services to the residents. For example, I supported a special tax incentive, which helped bring the Giant Supermarket to the former Camp Simms site. I will make sure that the two new Government Center projects-the Anacostia Government Center and the Minnesota-Benning Government Center--are completed so that they will be a catalyst for economic development in these neighborhoods.

Downtown has seen tremendous growth. Now it is time to take that development into our neighborhoods to attract small businesses that employ local residents like the new Giant in Columbia Heights. I will focus on revitalizing our neighborhood shopping and retail corridors, including Pennsylvania Avenue SE; Benning Road NE; Martin Luther King Avenue, SE, and South Capitol Street; Minnesota Avenue; and Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, NE. Fenty: From H Street to the Anacostia Waterfront and beyond, much of the District will be undergoing massive revitalization, work that looks to continue for several years. As mayor, I will ensure that these developments serve communities east of the river. I will negotiate the best deals for the District and will direct the Office of Planning to work closely with NCRC, the Department of Transportation and other city agencies to ensure that residents are informed and involved as the developments are planned and implemented.

Johns: One of my ideas is to use tax breaks and other incentives that would encourage retailers to locate in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. I would also use my relationships with people in the business world to encourage businesses, especially grocery stores, to move to the communities that need and want them. I also will use incentives to encourage farmers’ markets and other fresh produce to anchor in neighborhoods east of the River. In regard to better-paying jobs, I have proposed creating a UDC/Southeast Career and Technology campus that provides training for higher-paying jobs in the fields of health care, technology and the construction trades.

Orange: I will approach it the same way I approached it in Ward 5 when I came into office. We basically had no retail or restaurants, and I attended the shopping center conference for five years and made Ward 5 a player at the table.

Now I am committed to securing high-quality economic development east of the river.

And that’s why I am running on a platform of connecting the 3 E’s – connecting education, to employment, to economic development.

Complied by David S. Hammond, Diane Rusignola, Trish Savage and Michelle Gaudet.

Next Month: Getting the vote from low-income residents.

Street Sense . July/August 2006

VIOLENCE, from p. 1 violence victims frequently have problems with housing because of poor credit and lack of employment and housing history, which typically stem from the abuse.

Many domestic violence survivors have to deal with the same marginalization faced by all homeless populations , additionally “complicated by the safety issues … and the gender implications,” Hamilton explained.

Domestic violence “overwhelmingly” affects women and children, she added. In fact, the NLCHP found that 85% of protective orders granted by D.C. Superior Court in 2001 were filed by women.

And many advocates believe that the number of homeless domestic violence victims is likely underreported. House of Ruth executive director Christel Nichols explained that obtaining such information is challenging because it largely depends on victims identifying themselves. Hamilton noted that the reason there aren’t good numbers on homelessness and domestic violence is because “many, many victims do not seek assistance in the police and court system.”

To address the housing and financial difficulties that confront many domestic violence survivors, Council members Adrian Fenty (Ward 4) and Jim Graham (Ward 1) introduced a pair of bills this spring.

The Housing Authority Rent Supplement Act of 2006 (B16-0661) would provide housing subsidies to private and nonprofit housing providers, to house low-income populations at affordable rates and help them find decent and affordable housing options.

The other bill, the Protection from Discriminatory Eviction for Victims of Domestic Violence Amendments Act of 2006 (B16-0703), would protect victims from eviction, release victims from their leases should their safety be compromised, and prohibit discrimination against victims.

“We’re excited about some current prospects with the administration in D.C.,” Hamilton said.

Stern said that outside D.C., public awareness of domestic violence issues is increasing, especially with reauthorization of the federal Violence Against Women Act in January.

“Things addressing domestic violence have become politically popular,” she said. “There’s been an emerging trend around the country to adopt these kinds of legal protections.”

Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington state all have laws similar to those that the D.C. Council is considering, according to the NLCHP. Additionally, housing anti-discrimination and early lease termination by battered tenant laws have been proposed in California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, and Massachusetts.

Still, advocates agree that domestic violence victims need more than temporary shelter. Nichols explained that there also needs to be an increase in affordable housing and services for domestic violence victims. “Having someone go to a shelter is not the solution,” she said. “The shelter is just a place where” providers can address the underlying issues.

Hamilton agreed and added that all parties need to work together to increase housing in a way so it does not become “additional warehousing.”

“There have been some encouraging gestures made,” Hamilton said. “But it’s not anywhere near where we need to be.”

LOCAL NEWS

DC May Soon Require Affordable Housing

By Mark Nabong The D.C. Zoning Commission recently took steps to require developers to include a percentage of affordable units in nearly all new apartment and condominium buildings in the District. However, this inclusionary zoning requirement still has a long way to go before it becomes law.

Housing advocates are encouraged by the proposal. “We’re pretty pleased with it,” said Cheryl Corte, Executive Director for the Washington Regional Network for Livable Communities, who expects the new guidelines to produce an additional 150 to 300 affordable units per year in the District.

In the past, affordable units were not required, but developers were offered incentives, such as waivers on certain zoning restrictions, if they included such units.

Inclusive zoning has been used successfully to increase affordable housing units in other cities, most notably Boston, Denver, and San Francisco. A major victory for District affordable housing advocates is the requirement for on-site affordable housing. In similar programs in other cities, developers could build the inclusionary units in a location other than the development site.

The D.C. Zoning Commission’s plan would require developers who are building or substantially renovating a building with more than 10 units to set aside 7.5% to 15% of units for people below certain income thresholds.

Some units must be designated for people earning less than 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI), which is currently about $84,000 for a family of four. The balance of the affordable units must be available to those who

earn less than 80% of the AMI. If builders set aside 20% of the units as affordable housing, the zoning program includes an incentive, allowing them to increase the density of housing units in certain areas.

The zoning proposal also specifies quality requirements for the affordable units. They must be at least 95% of the square footage of regular units and have fixtures similar to those in unregulated units. Amenities in inclusionary units must also be comparable.

The number of affordable housing units in the city dropped by 12,000 in 2004, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. D.C. housing costs have escalated to some of the highest in the nation, making affordable housing all the more vital for the health of the District and its citizenry. According to the National Association of Realtors, Washington, D.C., has had the sixth highest jump in housing prices among U.S. cities. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight tabs the increase in home prices at 127%.

A major innovation of the D.C. inclusionary zoning plan is permanence of the affordable housing. Under the proposal, property developers and all later purchasers must agree to the creation and maintenance of inclusionary units for 99 years. The zoning commission learned from experiences and successes of other inclusionary zoning plans: In many other systems, affordable housing requirements were temporary, and housing reverted to market prices over time.

According to Art Rodgers, Senior Housing Planner for the District, “The Zoning Commission felt that since the benefits [granted to developers] would be permanent, the affordable housing should be, as well.”

However, developers were hoping for a more incentive-based plan, rather than a compulsory one. “The mandatory inclusionary zoning plan does not match subsidy with burden,” said Jeffrey Gelman, chair of the housing committee of the D.C. Building Industry Association. “The plan does not take into account the market pressures developers face, [nor] the uniqueness of each property.”

Gelman added, “We are all on the same side, but [the DCBIA] feels that there were better ways to create a sustainable affordable housing market than the current plan.”

Several steps are still required before the inclusionary zoning rules can take effect.

First, the Zoning Commission must still formally approve both the new regulations and the final map of the affected areas. Public meetings will be held this fall for public comment on the map.

Second, the City Council has to pass legislation to administer the program. The Zoning Commission is independent of the City Council, but the city must administer the day-today applications, eligibility, and supervision of the housing applicants. A bill providing for such administration has been crafted by the office of chairman Linda Cropp but has not yet been sent to committee. A vote on the bill could come as early as December, according to Rodgers.

Whatever the timing, when the program comes to fruition, Rodgers believes it will significantly improve the quantity and quality of affordable housing in the city. He concluded, “This will enable us to have affordable housing in areas where we would not have been able to before. It allows us to create diverse neighborhoods.”

POLITICS

StreetPolitics

Street Sense . July/August 2006

By David S. Hammond

On the Hill

More Housing, Services for Vets The Bill Homes for Heroes Act of 2006 (S.3475)

A Foot in the Door? WTOP recently reported that homeless people were hired to gather ballot signatures for D.C. mayoral candidate Linda Cropp. The news raised eyebrows; four years ago, as so many of Mayor Williams’ paid signatures were disqualified that he ended up running as a write-in in the primary.

But campaign work can be a dignified and meaningful way for homeless people to earn money, if the effort is well run. That raises some interesting questions: would other area campaigns hire homeless people? Will candidates listen to homeless people now and after election day?

Andy Miscuk, who is mounting a primary challenge to D.C.’s Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, has hired several homeless people on his campaign and reports positive experiences. It sounds like a good deal for all concerned.

A Place at the Table! Some local homeless people want to be heard this campaign season, “anywhere we can talk to the candidates, and see if they’re concerned about the poor and homeless,” said Eric Sheptock, who lives at Franklin Shelter. Gentrification is a top issue, he said: “Let’s see if they can help people, and not just pull the rug out from under them.” He’d like to see shelters stay open downtown, and also “get more services, like employment, and helping those with long-term physical and mental issues.” Sheptock said that political activism is “a necessary thing – you have to try.”

Over at 2nd and D, Taz wants to bring more attention to the struggles and achievements of homeless people. So he and James Cunningham, of the group Copper Rose, staged the HAVE-NOT Festival, a gathering of independent musicians to raise awareness about “Homelessness, AIDS, Violence, and Empowerment.” Taz is eager to “raise my voice,” and said “we’re definitely going to be doing it up through election day, using the voice of the people through poetry and music – and if any of the candidates want to come and speak to us, they’re welcome to.” Taz can be reached at 202-957-4098.

And a Spotlight on Your Concerns. Development, high housing costs, and gridlocked traffic are what they’re talking about in the race for Montgomery County Executive. And Bob Fustero, who is running for the Democratic nomination, has also been naming homelessness as one of the county’s biggest problems. He says it’s directly linked to housing costs and low wages, and the county should go beyond the shelter, housing, and services already in place. Many homeless people, he said, “are willing and able to work,” and that should be enough to keep a roof over your head. Fustero knows what he’s talking about – several homeless people volunteer to keep his shoestring campaign going. And in 2002, his running mate in the Democratic primary for governor was a formerly homeless woman.

Fustero, although an unknown, won 20% of the vote in that race.

“Street Sense is a Grassroots Paper for Grassroots People.” That’s according to Rommel McBride, whose editorial ap-

pears in this issue. And Michael Brown, who is running for mayor of D.C., said at a recent candidate forum that Street Sense readers can gain “an awareness of what ‘homeless’ means in this city. Because homelessness does not just touch what you think a person that is homeless looks like.”

They’re both right. And if you want to express your insights and opinions about homelessness, we are here to help. Contact Street Politics at the e-mail below, or call Street Sense, 202-347-2006.

What’s on your mind? E-mail StreetPoliticsDC@aol.com.

Purpose Introduced in the Senate on June 7, 2006, the Homes for Heroes Act seeks to give veterans greater access to the housing and homeless assistance services offered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The bill focuses on increasing the amount of permanent housing that is available to “very low-income” veterans and their families.

Background If signed into law, this bill would amend HUD to create a Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs. This Assistant would coordinate all HUD programs that relate to veterans — while also acting as a liaison between HUD and

the Department of Veterans Affairs — and would be responsible for researching the effectiveness of HUD programs that provide housing assistance to veterans.

The bill would authorize $25 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2007.

In following years, funds would be allocated as deemed necessary.

The Secretary of HUD would provide assistance to private, nonprofit organizations to increase the amount of housing available to impoverished veterans. Funding would be used for constructing, reconstructing, or fixing up any housing structure for veterans in need of housing assistance; with the possibility of an allocation to assist very lowincome level veterans with rent payments.

In addition, the bill would ensure extra assistance to the veteran population; services to include: outreach, physical and

mental health care (including substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder treatment); case management; personal finance planning; employment training and education; and childcare. Veterans would also be advised on benefits, income support and health insurance, all with the end goal of promoting independent living.

Sponsors Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) Co-sponsors Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) Sen. E. Charles Schumer (DN.Y.) Status The bill was forwarded to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs on June 7, 2006.

--Jill Merselis

I am Homeless and I Want to Vote Easy Steps to Being an Active Citizen 1. I need to register to vote. Pick up a form at post offices, libraries, fire stations, DMV’s, welfare departments, election offices, and social service agencies. After mailing in your registration, you must receive a voter registration card in order to vote the first time.

2. But I don’t have an address. Not a problem. You may use a shelter, nonprofit, or other consenting organization’s address. Just make sure to ask if it’s O.K. so you can return to pick up your card before voting.

3. I’m all registered, now what? You will vote in your neighborhood at a specifically designated polling place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (D.C. hours). Your name will only be on the roster at one location, but you may vote by absentee ballot by an earlier deadline.

For more information on registering to vote, call 1-800-222-8683 in Maryland, 1-800-552-9745 in Virginia and 202-727-1000 in the District. Deadline to register to vote in the D.C. primaries is Aug.14, and for the Maryland primaries, the deadline is Aug. 22.

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Street Sense . July/August 2006

Guest Editorial

NATIONAL

By Mark Youssef

Providing Temporary Housing for the Homeless The last two segments (running in the February and March issues) examined how homeless housing is taking shape across America and other nations. In this final installment of the series, I will look at possible answers to the question of how to house the homeless.

T

he issue of housing homeless men and women raises a number of different questions and concerns but it is my belief that all can be addressed to satisfy both the needs of the homeless and the concerns of the public.

Housing can be in the form of either temporary or permanent structures. Temporary housing would likely be in the form of tent cities, or lightweight portable shelters. They may be seasonal as to provide protection for the homeless only during times of extreme weather. Cities may make use of public lands; city parks, for instance, are much less busy in the winter, and temporary shelters will be less of a disturbance to the city’s park goers than they would be in the summer. Temporary housing is appealing for two reasons. First, it may act as an intermediate step on the path to a permanent housing. Second, it may be an option where there are not enough resources to build permanent housing.

Permanent housing can be either a micro -apartment, with a bed, desk, and shared bath

and kitchen facilities or a regular apartment with several bunks.

There are a number of potential roadblocks to a homeless development. First there will likely be an objection based on safety, both the safety of the non-homeless locals, and the safety of the homeless people in the development. Second, there is sure to be an objection that the homeless housing is an eyesore, bringing down real estate values and slowing business.

However, I believe that overall crime by the homeless against the non-homeless exists at a certain rate, and that rate is unlikely to increase if the homeless were brought together within a small location.

Moreover, a concentrated homeless community would be easier to monitor than a spread out patchwork of individuals. Additionally, it is plausible that having secure housing would result in a drop in crime.

Any homeless housing can be developed not to be an eyesore. An orderly, well designed temporary winter shelter in a city park would highlight the city’s progressive

and compassionate character. A permanent housing development may be coordinated in conjunction with an architecture competition or a local college’s design school. Businesses are never hurt by well kept buildings and developments, and I haven’t seen any business closings around any of the city’s parks due to homeless presence.

Finding funding for the homeless housing will be the next hurdle. Three options include public financing, private financing, and homeless financing.

Some in the public will surely cry out – “not with my tax dollars,” but I would remind them that their tax dollars are routinely wasted on less valuable projects including hundreds of millions are spent on a new stadium for speculative positive benefits. Additionally, a homeless housing program does not benefit only homeless people. If you happen to become homeless, you will benefit and be glad you supported such an initiative.

Public financing would not have to fund

“Any homeless housing can be developed not to be an eyesore.”

the venture alone; many private individuals and organizations would likely be happy to donate money to such a charity.

Finally, it may be possible to charge the homeless a subsidized rent. The benefits of having a key and a secure bed are sure to justify the payment of a small rent.

Once the housing has been built, it will be necessary to decide who will be eligible for the free or inexpensive housing. It may be necessary to perform income and employment checks, or perhaps the housing should be offered only in conjunction with a public work or educational program. Alternatively, it could be opened up to elderly people or families only - sections of the homeless community that are less likely to be involved in violence and crime. Finally, another section of the homeless that should be eligible for a housing program are homeless vets. Do we take care of our heroes by using them up in times of war and letting them fend for themselves when they return?

It is obvious that such an initiative as housing the homeless demands creativity, determination, and action in the face of dissent.

Mark has been working in housing construction with Habitat for Humanity for the last two years and is also a volunteer at Street Sense.

10 PHOTOS & POETRY

Street Sense . July/August 2006

For Jason: I’m hungry not all the time. just at school, home, or sitting in the alley on a cloudy day watching the sun excuse itself for trying to break the rain…

I try to be good. I really do.

...and my mom said she is going to learn English soon. first grade next year. again.

damn.

I just want to play.

Can I take that extra sandwich, for later? cause if the sun can break the rain, then so can I. right?

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.

I just wanted to try.

I’m hungry.

-- Meredith Mishkin

A perfect moment in the sky. I love the light and dark contrast the disappearing sun creates.

Cliff’s Pics

Religion It’s a sorry excuse for religion, I know, we light the crucifix of gasoline and climb into the flames we charge admission to our immolation We use to think we were dangerous youth with frightening ideas, huffing the glory of our ageless wisdom.

At twenty-three and twenty-four you’re the withered hag, I, the wizened geezerteens on inline skates laugh at our daring to think we’re cool

Alone this spider looks huge, like the one that gave Spiderman special powers. Maybe I should have let him bite me to find out.

Washington is often thought of as concrete jungle of government offices and monuments, but vendor Cliff “the Moose” Carle sees a different Washington through his camera lense.

In this series he sets out to show the beauty of nature that exists between the buildings.

The sixteen-year-old suicidal poet was in vogue one year I played my role with great panacheyou were stunning as my muse decked-out in gothic threads; but our moment in the sun flickered like a butane spark and now, we live lives of therapy recovery reality and bills.

It’s a sorry excuse for religion but on our Sunday mornings we trudge to our church of melancholy on our knees among our towers of “modern rock” CD’s I, the toothless soothsayer, you, the skeletal crone, we relive the thirty seconds of meaning in our lives

-- David Harris

It looks like I am on the ocean, doesn’t it? But it’s really just water in a beautiful fountain near the Capitol.

I lov

PHOTOS & POETRY 11

Street Sense . July/August 2006

1974 It comes from roadside stands, pickup trucks, the corner store, packaged in voluptuous green-striped bundles.

It provides a succulent prelude and aftermath to afternoons of splashing along black steamy pavement drenched by open hydrants, it’s a companion for cooling sips from garden hoses.

We kids shriek, laugh, and dunk each other in hydrants’ gush, counting the countless shades of brown of our skin, while stirring soul voices waft from the windows of a battered Pinto.

This flower is in an ordinary planter downtown, looks extraordinary close up. I like how you can see every little piece of pollen on the pistil. (Do you like that alliteration? Say that ten times fast.)

ve how you can see the sun hitting every drop of water. It looks like time is standing still at this Union Station fountain.

Our favorite colors: bands of lime & forest green, until a big knife carves our treasure open revealing rich red flesh studded with jet-black seeds, sweating sticky-sweet drops of cool comfort.

We grab, we bite and crunch, we spit the seeds into rain-starved grass; Uncle Clarence barks, “Go easy on it- dinner’s on the grill!”

Greasy scents of ribs and burgers sizzling float teasingly past us, to confirm his warning.

Untitled

The day is over; spent wedges of rind like small boats are discarded- in the backyard, Aunt Annie May turns the hose on us, washing sticky comfort from our skin.

-- David Harris

I awoke to see Before me on TV, A car rolling end-to-end Over and over to begin Spontaneous combustion: About love’s explosion.

The energy-field stops burning, Turns to ice, ever churning.

As the cold temperature Brings fires healing cure Then the burning matter Causes the mad-hatter Of rewind rendition The camera’s composition Rewind cinematography With melted glass physiology Materializes the class action Promotes general satisfaction Yet too many castles Lead to other hassles, So the memory montage Of ground-zero collage As the scenes overlap Street Sense rap.

-- Lynn Davis

Street Sense . July/August 2006

12 FOOD/MONEY

My Turn At the Table By Francine Triplett

Two Thumbs Up for 21P Finally it’s my time to do the restaurant review, and I choose 21P because I like the area — I walk past it a lot and see all the people eating outside.

I took Michael O’Neill with me to eat lunch.

He is the Speakers’ Bureau Coordinator for the National Coalition for the Homeless. We travel to speak a lot but have never had a real luncheon date before. You could say this was our first date!

We sat inside because it was too humid outside and the atmosphere at 21P was calming and peaceful, with jazz music playing in the background (which even I liked). Each table had a blue vase with three red carnations as a centerpiece.

I didn’t have any starters as they weren’t too appealing to me, but they offered Seafood Gumbo, Tuna Tartare, Sweet Corn and Green Chilies Soup among others. I did enjoy the bread Francine and Mike enjoy some tasty bread pudding at 21P. and olive oil they gave us before the meal. They were delicious. I had never had olive oil with my which was charbroiled; he said it had the kind of bread before — I usually have butter with my bread, tangy, tasty flavor that he thoroughly craved. He ate but now I have another alternative. that chicken up in a jiffy! He didn’t eat the goat cheese Michael and I were the only ones sitting inside, so it (he is lactose intolerant) and he didn’t eat all the letwas quiet and gave us time to talk. Suddenly, I noticed tuce because there was too much. But he said for any that the music changed to “oldie but goodie” music lover of chicken salad he recommends this course!

— my kind of music — “Knock on Wood,” “Chang Other dishes include Shrimp Club, Vegetable PaniChang Chang!” and others. ni, Jerk Pork Loin, Cajun BBQ Shrimp, and Sea Scallop Then came the main course! I had the Turkey and Pasta, priced from $9 to $25.

Brie Focaccia with honey mustard, lettuce and tomaFor dessert I had the most tasty bread pudding. I toes for the price of $9. It was a change of pace, but it thought my mother could make some bread pudding, was really tasty. I will definitely order it the next time but honey, this bread pudding I had was so hmmmI am back at 21P, and have already recommended it hmmm-hmm! It had a sauce and Heath Bar candy on to others. I took a chance on it as initially there was top, bound with eggs and brown sugar. nothing on the menu that caught my attention, but it So, if you are looking for a place to take your parwas worth me taking a chance! ents when they visit, or a nice but affordable place to I must say 21P was not what I had expected. I en- take a first date, I recommend 21P. And as Michael is joyed my meal, the atmosphere, music, and service. single and available, if you would like to go there with The manager of 21P even came over to see how we him, you can contact Street Sense. I also want to thank were doing. When I told him why we were there, he sat our waiter, Bruce, who was very nice and respectful, down with us and I talked about Street Sense. I asked and even took our pictures! him does he play this music all the time, and he said “yeah, we try to keep the customers happy.”

Francine Triplett is formerly homeless and has been Michael had the herbed Vermont Goat Cheese and a vendor for Street Sense since it started in November Chicken with bib lettuce, balsamic and micro greens 2003. You can often find her selling at Archives-Navy for a price of $10. He enjoyed the grilled chicken, Memorial. .

Saving for Change

Cook’s Corner

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • •

1 skinless and boneless chicken breast, cubed 1 small carrot, diced 1 small potato, diced 1/2 red onion, diced 1/2 green pepper, chopped 1/3 c. diced pineapple 1/3 c. broccoli florets 1/4 c. chopped baby corn 1 c. sesame ginger marinade 1/2 c. rice 1 c. coconut milk 1 Tbls. coconut flakes

Preparation • • • • • • •

Marinate chicken in 1/2 c. of sesame ginger sauce Place vegetables and chicken on kabob skewers Coat vegetables on skewers in remaining marinade Put skewers on grill or in broiler on low for 15 minutes Cook rice in coconut milk for about 20 minutes Stir coconut flakes into rice Serve with skewers on top of rice This Recipe was created and prepared by Dawn Bowen. The runner-up was Deborah Lyles with her vegetable and cheese stuffed chicken. Dawn and Deborah are students at Community Family Life Services culinary arts training program.

These students work at Third and Eats Restaurant and at the U.S. Tax Court cafeteria. Many also work for New Course Catering.

New Course caters all events from corporate lunches to weddings to 500-person galas. For more info visit www.newcoursecatering.com or call (202) 347-7035.

Decoding Credit Unions

Is a credit union right for you?

Having a good relationship with a financial institution is necessary for everything from buying a house to saving for education. Competitive loan and interest rates, as well as service availability, are important factors to keep in mind when shopping for the right financial partner. But what many people don’t realize is that banks are not their only option.

Credit unions provide an alternative outlet for a wide range of financial transactions.

So, what are the perks of being involved in credit unions, and is a credit union the right path for you? Here are a few facts to keep in mind as you shop around for the right financial institution.

How are credit unions different from banks?

Credit unions are actually very similar to banks; both provide checking and savings accounts and loans. The major difference is that banks are owned by shareholders and, therefore, are concerned with making a profit. On the other hand, credit unions are owned by their members and are notfor-profit institutions.

Because credit unions aren’t focused on maximizing profit and because they do not have to pay taxes, members are likely to get better interest rates on their savings and lower interest

rates on loans. However, because they are owned by individual members, credit unions typically offer many more consumeroriented products and services and are limited in what they can offer business clients.

In addition, credit unions traditionally consider character and personal circumstances more thoroughly when determining interest rates on loans instead of simply basing decisions on a person’s credit score, as many large banks do. This means credit unions often give higher-risk clients better options.

Who can join a credit union?

While anyone in the general population can become a bank customer, credit union membership depends on various requirements, such as belonging to a certain community, workplace or place of worship. However, several credit unions in Washington recently expanded their memberships to include any individual living in the city or a particular area of the city.

Once you become a member of a credit union, you can retain that membership even if you move or change jobs.

Will my money be safe in a credit union?

Yes, your money will be just as safe as it is in a bank. Like banks, credit unions insure deposits up to $100,000, and re-

tirement accounts can be insured for up to $250,000. The major difference is that banks and credit unions are insured by two different organizations: banks by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and credit unions by National Credit Union Administration. Despite this difference, both types of insurance are equally reliable.

Is a credit union right for me?

That’s something you have to decide for yourself. But if you prefer small institutions that emphasize personal attention and would appreciate having a more direct role in the decisions made by your financial institution, then a credit union may be a good choice.

To find a credit union in the Washington area, contact the Maryland and D.C. Credit Union Association at 1-800-4924206 (toll free) or 410-290-6858, or visit www.mddccua.org.

-- Michelle A. Cheek The regular financial column is presented by Capital Area Asset Building Corporation (www.caab.org). Send your questions or thoughts on this topic to saving@caab.org and we’ll publish a few of the best.

LITERATURE

Street Sense . July/August 2006

Marvin Hammerman A mystery novel in parts BOOK 3, PART 6

By August Mallory It is now early morning and the Atlanta Police Department is busy with bookings for all sorts of arrests and interrogations. As Jamison and Hammerman walk in to speak with the desk sergeant, they are greeted by Patrol Sergeant Brian Henderson.

“May I help?” Henderson asks.

“Yes. I am P.I. Russell Jamison, and this is District Attorney Marvin Hammerman. We were summoned to Atlanta to handle a missing persons case. Is your Duty Watch Commander available?”

“That would be Captain Chadwell,” Henderson says. “One moment, please.” Henderson rings Chadwell.

“This is Chadwell,” is the answer, and Henderson says, “there is a P.I. Russell Jamison and a District Attorney Marvin Hammerman to see you.”

“Very good,” he responds, adding “send them in.”

“Good morning, gentlemen, please be seated,” Chadwell says. “Let me get this straight. You are in Atlanta to investigate a missing persons case.”

“That’s correct, captain, at the request of the law office of D. Morgan Slater, Esquire.”

“D. Morgan Slater, huh?”

“It appears, captain, that one of Slater’s clients is missing. We were called in to investigate because a person by the name of William Joseph Biddle had a business card of Mr. Hammerman’s and now Mr. Biddle has somehow disappeared.

“This Biddle guy, can you give me some more information on him?”

“Certainly, captain. We had a talk with his brother, Robert Biddle, who came to Atlanta at the request of D. Morgan Slater. From what Robert Biddle tells us, his brother said that he did some time in federal prison, but his sentence was cut short on a plea deal. We have reason to believe that William Biddle maybe living somewhere on the streets of Atlanta. Whether or not he is alive we don’t know. We can only hope he is, but we need to know where he is and why he was in need of our help.”

“Alright. I will check on this William Biddle and see what I can come up with. But keep me informed on what’s going on and what you are doing. If you need any kind of backup, get on the horn pronto. Got it?

“We got it, captain, and thanks. We’ll be talking to you soon.”

As Jamison and Hammerman leave the police station they are discussing a plan to work the streets of Atlanta.

“Well, Hammerman, it looks like we will have to find some hand-me-down clothes to fit into the role of homeless men. What do you say we find a thrift store somewhere?”

“Sounds good to me, Jamison.”

But unbeknownst to Jamison and Hammerman Biddle was already dead.

Meanwhile, the person who killed Biddle is awakening from a night of heavy drinking, and as he tries to focus his vision on which way he wants to go, he has a recollection of the conversation he had with someone the night before. As he attempts to head towards the MARTA train station, he suddenly hears his name being called “Hey, Dan, where you heading, bro? Back into Atlanta.”

Daniel James Smith is a fugitive from the law, wanted for strong-arm robbery and housebreaking. There is also has a warrant out for his arrest for molestation of a minor.

Smith and his companion get on the MARTA train back into Atlanta.

“Hey, man, about that dude you whacked, the police might find you. We got to stay low for a while. Maybe this thing might blow over. And you got to be careful about what you do from here on out. I got to get to one of the shelters that won’t ask me for ID. I think I know a place where we can go.”

The two soon reach a shelter in the far east section of Atlanta.

There, Daniel Smith decides to take a nap and his companion watches television.

There is a news report of an unidentified body found in downtown Atlanta, and there is a request for information to help in the capture of the person responsible. Smith’s companion remembers the conversation they had about Biddle, and he awakens him and tells him about the newsflash. Smith gets nervous and immediately packs up to leave the shelter, and the two head for downtown and find a hiding place.

Meanwhile, Jamison and Hammerman are on the street, working soup kitchens and local parks where the homeless are fed. As they sit and keep their ears open for possible information on the whereabouts of Biddle, both Jamison and Hammerman are unaware about the newsflash about the unidentified body just found.

Jamison says “I just wonder who might know anything about Biddle, and tell us.”

Hammerman says, “don’t count on these people talking. That’s how it is on the streets of any city. Yet, there is always somebody with a big mouth who is going to talk.

Some street people are known to talk a little too much. Let’s just sit back and wait.”

Jamison and Hammerman are now in the mix of homeless men and women and waiting patiently for somebody to talk about Biddle.

Now Daniel James Smith and his companion are running scared, and confused as to what move to make next. Find out what they decide in the next installment.

13

bOOK rEVIEWs

The Unescapable Life of Poverty If you are a policy maker, or are interested in what perpetuates poverty, consider reading Poverty Traps. This book challenges the popular belief that those born into poverty have the power to escape, arguing instead that many poor are trapped by systemic conditions.

The book’s chapters, each by a different author, walk through the theory of poverty traps, the roles that institutions play in causing and perpetuating poverty, and neighborhood effects on poverty. Written mostly by economists and a few sociologists, Poverty Traps blends social and economic theory, surveys of poverty literature, and quantitative economic and social research.

One of the most interesting cases in Poverty Traps is that different levels of poverty across the Americas are rooted in colonial differences in agriculture and population.

Authors argue that this caused institutions (government, schools, banks, etc) to develop differently, creating various poverty traps that still persist today.

The book also examines economic parasites, or institutions like organized crime, that drain producers in an economy. Additionally, it looks at kin systems as institutions that can perpetuate poverty. The final part of Poverty Traps examines neighborhood characteristics, largely in the United States, that are shared amongst poor communities and that seem to feed poverty.

Many of the arguments in Poverty Traps are common sense, but side by side they provide an interesting overview. What’s

Poverty Traps

By Bowles, Hoff, and Durlauf (Princeton University Press, 2006)

helpful is that the book examines both international and domestic poverty.

Both a major strength and drawback of Poverty Traps is that it was written largely by economists. So, to understand about 30% of the book, you need to have some background in statistical analysis and economics. But even with a limited background in these studies, you can follow a majority of the arguments that the authors make – just hang in there until the chapter conclusions and it will become clearer.

While Poverty Traps leaves readers with more questions than answers, I would recommend it to anyone looking for ideas to consider about the persistence of systemic poverty. It’s a good introduction for further study.

-- Jen Pearl

A Memoir, Homelessness and Dad This memoir by Nick Flynn centers largely around his relationship with his absentee father, Jonathan, who is homeless, an alcoholic, and an ex-con. Flynn crosses paths with his father when he goes to work in Boston’s Pine Street shelter. The relationship between Flynn and his father weaves in and out of the narrative, as Flynn turns to alcohol and drugs himself and comes close to meeting the same fate as his father.

Jonathan continually speaks of his own writing talent and the book that he plans to write, but it is Flynn who produces the memorable work that offers a smorgasbord of styles.

The memoir skips around somewhat, citing dates to guide the reader throughout the story. The book begins in 1989, jumps back to 1956, and moves forward again to 1984, leaving the reader to piece together the chronology. Through flashbacks, he tells of how his parents came to know one another, how his mother came to decide that it was better that he never know his father, and how his paternal grandfather died without his father attending his funeral. By doing so, Flynn is gives the necessary background information that makes the memoir comprehensible.

At times, the book breaks into some very innovative modes. One chapter, “Same Again,” is four pages of expressions describing drunkenness. Another chapter, “Santa Lear,” contains a play involving three daughters, one businessman and five Santas outside an urban donut shop during the Christmas season. Flynn ends the book with

Another Bullshit Night in Suck City

By Nick Flynn (W.W. Norton and Company, 2004)

questions he has been asked and some answers he has proposed to them. All make for entertaining reading.

The book deals with depressing subjects and is hardly a cheery story, but Flynn has broken it into short chapters, which makes it easier to digest. The language of the book is sharp, terse and evocative, and the writing is vivid.

As an outsider who has dealt with the homeless closely, rather than as a person who was homeless himself, Flynn deals with the subject of homelessness in a very matterof-fact manner.

For the reader who wants a good, thoughtful introduction to the world of homelessness, Another Bullshit Night in Suck City is highly recommended reading.

-- Maurice King

14 PUZZLES

Street Sense . July/August 2006

Cryptogram

Street Su-Do-Ku

Solve the message below to discover a famous, meaningful quote on poverty and homelessness.

Since vendor Leo Gnawa was not around in the two weeks before production, he was unable to make his usual Planetary Puzzler.

So we have decided to just run your run-of-the-mill SuDo-Ku puzzle. Just fill in the numbers 1 through 9 without repeating a number in any column, row or box.

MWUASVK WHVAL GAMSNUAI X

Good luck!

TXL WH XZZ IMNSNV XLG UNSVCA; NV NI BXSG HWS XL ATMVK

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Last Month’s Solution:

8

People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are people without homes.  -- Sheila McKechnie

3 4

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www.CrosswordWeaver.com

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www.TeamChao.com

DOWN 1 Hertz Real estate is one of the best investments you can make, and buying or selling a home should be a fun and 2 Lavatory rewarding experience. I want to provide you with all 3 Shade tree the resources you'll need to buy or sell a home at 4 What birds’ wings www.TeamChao.com. do It is my goal to provide you superior service and excellent 5 Some time resources every step of the way, so please contact me 6 MGM’s Lion with any questions and let me help you when you are ready to sell your house or buy your next home.

7 Dalai __ 8 Tied I have been a Washington, DC resident my entire life 9 Bird’s home and I am heavily involved in my community. I feel that homelessness is a concern in our community and I 10 Arrange want to do my part. I will donate 5% of all of my business systematically profits to DC Central Kitchen (www.dccentralkitchen.org).

11 Disinterested Please contact me for all of your real estate needs: 12 __ cotta (clay) Mobile: 202-258-9112 15 Ethical Office: 202-882-2121 20 Turf 22 Canal 23 Expired 24 S.A. Indian 25 Flat-bottomed boat 27 Delight in Licensed in Washington, DC & Maryland 30 Lodge 31 American state 32 Drug 35 August’s 2nd We care. We help. We heal. stop 37 __ voyage Quality Primary Care Services for D.C. Medically 38 Mountain Time Underserved and homeless Individuals……

39 Hawaiian island 40 Svelte 41 Ooze 42 Sled 44 Very old age 45 Group building Shaw housing 47 Hawk 48 Choose 49 Infra’s opposite 50 Yankee side 54 Bowl For information on medical services in homeless shelters call 55 Repeat 202-255-3469. For an appointment at any of our community 56 Call health centers call 1-866-388-6489 58 Hairstyle 61 Annex We want to help. We want to help you.

63 Wipe 64 Dined 65 Scriptural your

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FEATURES 15

Street Sense . July/August 2006

Local Bands to Rock for Street Sense, Aug. 19 The Hard Tomorrows Washington, DC Members: Rob Pierangeli, Rishi Chakrabarty, Mike Tasevoli, Kyle Downs, Casey Danielson

By Meredith Miskhin Below are brief profiles of the three bands featured in the second annual Street Sense Benefit Concert, to be held Saturday, August 19, at the Black Cat (1811 14 Street, NW), sponsored by Keller Williams. For more info on the concert, please visit www. streetsense.org. And for tickets visit www.blakccatdc.com.

“We hope not only to raise money, but even more awareness for this unique publication. This organization allows the homeless community to speak out and earn money for themselves; it’s an honor to be a part of such an amazing cause.”

Joe Lally Washington, DC Solo Artist: Joe Lally Joe is a bass guitarist and singer/songwriter known mostly for his work with the legendary D.C. punk band Fugazi in the 1980s and 1990s. He has also released an album, Automatic Writing, with the group, Ataxia, and is releasing an EP with the band, Decahedron. In January 2006, Joe decided to go solo with only a laptop and his vocals to accompany his bass guitar performances. He frequents college towns and small venues with his politically/socially slanted themes.

After spending this past winter and spring working on it, Joe plans to release soon his first solo album entitled Joe Lally: There to Here. This 13-song debut features artists such as Jerry Busher, Amy Farina, Danny Frankel, Eddie Janney, Jason Kourkounis, Ian MacKaye, Guy Picciotto and Scott Weinrich.

For more info, visit www.joelally.com.

This band formed in late 2003 and self-released the EP, Five Songs, in May 2004, prompting The Washington Post to name them “DC’s Indie Darlings.” They recorded and co-produced their debut album, Lights Out, with Engineer/Producer Uncle Punchy (Mary Timony, Clutch, The Apes) in Washington D.C. An eclectic collection of rock music, the record plays like a mix-tape, reflecting the band’s diverse tastes and interests. But the beautifully noisy guitars, the sweet and sturdy melodic vocals, and the unique percussive instinct blend everything together seamlessly.

Their new record is set for release in September 2006. Recently they played shows at the Black Cat, DC9, The Wonderland Ball Room, Fort Reno, and The Galaxy Hut. For more info, please write to robbybobby@gmail.com or visit www.hardtomorrows.com.

Homeless Awareness Art and Poetry Contest

Jinxed at Twelve Fairfax, VA Members: Tim Bean, Andrew Kranstover, Binh Ngo, Adam Wheeler, and Dan Buescher on trombone and keys.

“We’re very intrigued by Street Sense and the fact that there’s a newspaper out there by the homeless and for the homeless. It gives a human value that the general public chooses to ignore. The newspaper helps not only bring profit to the vendors, but because it’s about them it raises awareness. We’re just glad Street Sense exists.”

In 2000, three high school boys set up a Tascam four-track with a series of microphones hovering over the drum set. Plugging their guitars directly into a PA, the newly-formed band produced their first song, “Jinxed at Twelve.”

Since then, the group has performed over 200 shows, taken two East Coast tours, produced a slew of self-released EPs and a full-length album, and built a growing fan base that has led to headlining shows in their hometown and the District.

Look out for Jinxed at Twelve during the next six months at various locations in the Washington D.C. area as they work on their latest album, Aiming for a Better Tomorrow, a seven-song depiction of growing up and confronting love, loss, ignorance, confusion, redemption, and hope.

For more info, please visit www.jinxedattwelve.com.

What our REaders are Saying...

Attention Artists, Doodlers, Photographers, Poets!

Twenty-one youths and young adults will receive cash prizes and special recognition during a special 20th Anniversary display and program at the Washington National Cathedral on October 14, 2006.

There are no religious requirements for participation.

The Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington is searching for artwork and poetry that are unique, original and capture the essence of our mission or the biblical story of the Good Samaritan. We are looking for art and poetry that says even in the most difficult of circumstances, there are people and places of hope.

Categories

Drawing: non-canvas depictions with pencil, graphite, charcoal, ink and crayon depictions.

Painting: depictions in acrylic, oil, watercolor, ink depictions on canvas Sculpture: any three dimensional depiction Media/Digital/ Computer Arts: anything drawn, illustrated, painted, or photographed, that is primarily produced using a computer.

Photography: any untouched photographic image, analog or digital but not combined with any other media.

Mixed Media: any depiction that combines the mediums described above.

Written Word: a written depiction of contest themes in the form of poetry

Age Limit: Those from ages 8 to 25 are eligible to submit

Dr. Mr. Mallory: Mayor Shirley Franklin received your letter regarding your homeless experience in the City of Atlanta and asked that I respond to you personally.

I regret that your experience in Atlanta was anything other than enjoyable. It is our every intent that all of our citizens are treated with the utmost respect and dignity.

Mayor Franklin has been very instrumental in addressing the needs of persons that find themselves homeless in Atlanta. Through her efforts and the Regional Commission on Homelessness, approximately $40 million has been raised to support programs to end chronic homelessness within the past two years. You may find more information on these programs by visiting the city’s website, www.atlantaga.gov and clicking on the Commissions on Homelessness link.

We recognize that there is still work to do, but please realize that we will continue to work on making certain that all homeless individuals have decent accommodations and avail themselves to services that will enable them to find housing.

-- Sincerely, Bonni Ware **This was sent to vendor August Mallory in response to his front-page article about Atlanta in the April issue.

artwork

Deadline: 4:00 pm on September 22, 2006.

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Prizes:

First Place: $500 Cash Prize Second Place: $250 Cash Prize Third Place: $100 Gift Certificate (Three prizes for each category) Winners will be notified by phone on October 2, 2006 For more information about the contest contact Chuck James at 202-722-2280 or visit the guidelines on our website at www.samaritanministry.org.

**Sponsored by The Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington**

I just want to thank you for publishing Street Sense. As a proposal writer for a nonprofit that works with the homeless families, Street Sense has been a good reference for up-to-date information and statistics regarding homelessness. I am especially pleased to learn in the July 14 issue that there is a collective global movement with regard to the plight of homelessness.

Thanks again for so much good information. I just wish more people would put $1 where their mouth and $4 cappuccinos are and stop walking past the men (where are the women?) who are showing some responsibility and trying to make a living by selling Street Sense.

-- Willette Coleman

16 EDITORIALS

On the Road By August Mallory

Marching On In Montgomery

A

s late Saturday approaches in Montgomery, Ala., I arrive in the city just before everything closes for the day. I ask a local store clerk if there are buses available to board for downtown, being that I am several miles just outside the Montgomery downtown area. The clerk informs me that there is no public transportation on Saturday or Sunday, and I would have to take a taxi, though taxi service is rather high priced in Montgomery.

I only had enough money to last me for the four days that I had planned for, so I had to hoof it into downtown—and talk about a walk into downtown. The roads in Montgomery are very long and wide and winding, but I didn’t have much to carry so it wasn’t a big problem for me.

As I make my way down Rosa Parks Avenue, I walk at least seven miles to Fairview Lane, down Oak Street, past the Interstate-295 exit ramp, and onto Bell Street, past the Overlook Park leading to the Salvation Army Center of Hope. Located at 900 Bell Street, I check in for a night’s stay as I am directed to a dorm of 14 beds with top and bottom bunks available.

I was awakened at 4:45 a.m. and offered a continental breakfast of coffee and donuts, then a sack lunch for later.

As I am still trying wake up to focus on my assignment, I notice all the security cameras around the property. I have no problem with a facility protecting its property but sometimes this security thing just goes too far—especially with uniformed security people. However, at least in Montgomery no one is subjected to a police search the way one can be in the Washington D.C. area.

I spend my day visiting shelters, looking at landmarks and retracing history. I came upon Montgomery and Commerce streets in downtown Montgomery, the corner where civil rights icon Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person. During those days it was against the law for blacks to sit at the front of a public bus, to enter at the front door of a restaurant, and to drink from a public drinking fountain that did not say, “Colored Only.”

Montgomery, like many other cities across the United States, has a severe problem with homelessness. I decided to pay a visit to the Friendship Gospel Rescue Mission to see how they operate at mealtime. It is a total zoo in that facility. As one man put it, “This place is off the chain!”

While many people claim that homelessness is caused by laziness, in Montgomery, I did not see that. Instead, I noticed a lot of willingness and ability in the men and women there and they would jump at just about any job to earn a living. But employment is very scarce in Alabama, and unemployment is very high.

I then left Montgomery for Selma, Ala., to visit the Edmund Pettus Bridge, made famous when civil rights marchers crossed it to protest for voting rights and were met by Alabama state troopers by orders of then -Governor George Wallace. His orders were to not let those marchers cross no matter what, so troops viciously clubbed and beat them with nightsticks.

As I look back on all the struggles that went on during the civil rights era, why hasn’t more change taken place for those that are homeless?

Those who may wish to donate to my travel fund for future stories, please send your checks or money orders to “ August Mallory’s Travel Fund c/o Street Sense.” Your support will be greatly appreciated.

August Mallory has been selling Street Sense since it first appeared in November 2003, and he now serves on the board of directors. Please e-mail August Mallory comments at carriergroup2009@yahho.com, and please tune into the More Betterman Show on WOL-AM 1450.

Street Sense . July/August 2006

In Our Opinion

By Jesse Smith and Rommel McBride

Saving Franklin, Just The First Step

Jesse and Rommel in front of the Wilson Building.

W

e represent residents of the Franklin School Shelter in downtown D.C. and have formed a group, the Committee to Save Franklin Shelter (CSFS). (To protect members’ anonymity, and for fear of reprisal, members’ names will normally be withheld.)

This month we will look at the possible closing of Franklin, which is located at 13th and K streets, NW, and might be turned into a “hip hotel.” Firstly, we believe this issue is not limited to only this shelter, but is part of a larger plan to eliminate all such facilities within the city of Washington. There is a ripple effect through D.C. as the poor and lower-middle class are eliminated, through the construction of high-income housing, condominiums and high-rise apartments. This forces shelters and low-income persons to move to the outskirts of the city or the suburbs.

And here is what we have done so far to save the Franklin Shelter. In June a group of us went to the offices of the D.C. City Council seeking support against the closing of the shelter. We formulated six statements:

their assistants as opposed to the Council members themselves, with the exception of Council member Jim Graham, who received us warmly and gave us every reason to expect his support. Council member Adrian Fenty has long given support to the homeless community, and his assistant informed us that this would not change. In a subsequent meeting with Mr. Fenty we were again assured of his commitment. In our opinion through this encounter the member least likely to support us is Carol Schwartz.

On June 28 we attended a public forum where we were able to meet and pose questions to mayoral candidates Michael Brown, Linda Cropp, Adrian Fenty, Marie Johns, and Vincent Orange. The forum focused mostly on affordable low- and moderateincome housing.

In our opinion Fenty, Brown, and Johns gave the most promising statements on housing and homelessness. Fenty has been consistent in saying that D.C. funds can be diverted to address the problem.

Brown and Johns, not being on the City Council, could only formulate hypothetical plans. But to their credit they seemed to be earnest in their commitments to find workable solutions.

Many of Orange’s answers seemed to center on aspects of lawmaking best understood by the Council themselves, but he did give the impression that he will seriously address housing.

On the proposed closing of Franklin, he said the City Council has the authority to say if it’s “surplus property” – and could claim that authority through whatever legal means are at their disposal.

Cropp seemed to give boxed, political, noncommittal answers.

We think it is worth noting that as representatives from the Committee to Save Franklin Shelter came to the microphones, Cropp announced that she had a prior engagement of such importance that she had to depart immediately – before we could pose our questions. We believe that because the current mayor is supporting her, answering our questions would jeopardize her relationship with the mayor and/or his backers.

Also Marie Johns mentioned one typical stereotype of homeless people. When we corrected her, she might have been a little embarassed. When the forum ended she sought us out and asked for an invitation to visit Franklin Shelter, to get a better understanding of our situation and how she could contribute to a solution. As far as we know, this is the first mayoral candidate to take such a bold step.

Win or lose, she should be admired for this.

It is also important to us to dispel the stereotype of homeless people as jobless, uneducated addicts.

We have a first-hand understanding of who these individuals are. Many have a high school education or GED, and some have college or graduate degrees. Many are employed – or underemployed – for minimum wage, and just cannot afford much of the housing in the D.C. area. Therefore their only option is to enter the shelter, where the cost of housing can be offset.

“We believe this issue is not limited to only this shelter, but is part of a larger plan to eliminate all such facilities within the city of Washington. ”

1) Franklin Shelter provides beds for 240 to 275 men each night.

2) Seventy percent of the men residing at the shelter work at least part-time.

3) Franklin’s location in the downtown area is accessible to employment sites, dining programs and social services all within a reasonable walking distance.

4) The Deputy Mayor for Economic Development has stated that the Franklin School would continue to shelter the men until alternative capacity was developed (Washington Post March 11, 2005).

5) The City Administrator has stated that the Franklin School will be available to shelter men until the end of hypothermia season March 31, 2007 (Washington Post June 10, 2006).

6) There is no alternative plan and the current shelter system cannot accommodate any additional men.

We also asked the Council to articulate in a resolution that it never declared the Franklin School “surplus property,” and that the building continues to serve a public purpose.

We visited the offices of all 13 Council members.

In 12 of the 13 offices we voiced our concerns to

EDITORIALS 17

Street Sense . July/August 2006

MAuRICE SPEAkS

Beware of False Friends

F

rom the moment a person becomes homeless, trusting others becomes extremely difficult. The vulnerability of being homeless leaves a person in a state of constant distrust of everything and everybody.

Whenever assistance is offered, it has to be accepted with a certain amount of hesitation. Sometimes the assistance is not really assistance, but a trap or perhaps a sick joke meant to humiliate the homeless even further. Other times the assistance comes with conditions that are more than suspect. Still other times the assistance is so ill directed as to do more harm than good. It is for that reason that the homeless have to be on guard all the time against false friends, as they seem to

VENDOR VOICES

be everywhere.

It is accurate to say that true friendships are a rarity in the homeless world.

Friendships require a certain level of security in order to thrive, and that security is absent among the homeless.

When people are fighting for their very survival, friendships are often a commodity that is unaffordable, one that gets discarded when needs become too great.

False friendships, on the other hand, are a dime a dozen in any society. Among the homeless, desperation often makes these false friendships look very attractive.

These friendships may manifest themselves in the form of persons who are willing to offer help in exchange for sexual favors or for the social benefits a homeless person may receive. Food and drink offered by a “friend” may be laced with drugs or other substances intended to cause harm. These bogus do-gooders manage to do these nefarious deeds without getting caught. Were anyone to try to file a police report, it would be one homeless person’s word against the word of someone who was allegedly trying to do a favor, and who would be believed in the end?

Organized charities sometimes are to blame in the way they administer their help. Charities are, after all, organizations run by human beings with human

failings; it is quite possible for a group to do wrong just as one person would do wrong. The homeless cannot necessarily let their guard down just because a charitable organization sponsors assistance.

Before you accept help from someone, stop and consider the implications of your actions. Trusting the occasional Good Samaritan who comes along has considerable risks that cannot be ignored.

Is the person truly to be trusted or is the person just another false friend? The risk is entirely yours.

Yes, my words sound very cynical.

Cynicism goes with the territory once a person becomes homeless. Altruism is a word in a dictionary that has no practical meaning when it comes to homelessness.

Referring to the proverb that says that a pessimist is an optimist with experience, I can state that bitterest experience has taught me that when it comes to friendships among the homeless, more often than most, alliances prove to be too costly to sustain for very long.

Maurice King has been writing for Street Sense since Januray 2004 and is also in the process of publishing his own book. If you have any question or comments,e-mail him at benadam@cyberdude.com.

Raising Dollars and Sense An Benefit Reception and Silent Auction to Support Street Sense

Thursday Sept.28, 2006 7pm to 10pm Josephine Butler Park Center 2437 15th St, NW $20 minimum Silent Auction, Food, Drink, Entertainment and Much, Much More!

To purchase tickets, please visit www.streetsense.org or send a check by mail.

By Jake Ashford

(Mis)Treating Those That Have Served The Country

F

or the past five years, I have been going to the VA Medical Center in Northwest D.C. for health care, and I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly there. After the recent treatment they gave me, I am disturbed by the lack of respect and care they show to us former servicemen.

In January 2001, I arrived in Washington to get a claim through the Veterans Administration due to my deteriorating physical health.

My doctor’s diagnoses were neuropathy in my feet, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

His recommendation was to enroll in a partial hospitalization program (PHP) so that I could get treatment while at the same time becoming employable.

Trying to get a grip on my situation, I followed his orders and began attending this program for the next three months. The PHP consisted of five classes in which I had to voice my opinion on life experiences and avoiding depression. Hospital staff directed the classes, and we were assigned psychiatrists who assessed our mental conditions.

After two and a half months, I was offered a job with a government contractor. I would work as a warehouse supervisor in Iraq for an annual salary of $105,000 with several weeks of paid vacation for the year. After I got my passport, the psychiatrist was to provide a statement confirming that I understood that

I was going to a war and that I was mentally stable. The astonishing thing was that the psychiatrist would not comply.

I took my situation to the hospital director, whom the psychiatrist told that I had missed my appointment, but this was a lie. At this time, patient advocates were also involved, and they said the hospital would provide me with another psychiatrist and re s c h e d u l e a n a p pointment. This took place in December 2002, and I was told by the director and the patient advocate that the earliest I would be able to see the psychiatrist would be May 2003, and the greatest opportunity of my lifetime would be over.

I could not believe that people in a position to help another person better himself could be this dirty. My three-month treatment was over, and I was told by the PHP director that if I wanted to continue the program I would be welcome to, but I saw it as pointless because my situation drove me into depression.

After continuing to use the veterans’ hos-

pital for treatment over the last three years, I finally saw it at its worst. Two months ago, my back went out, and I was taken to the same hospital after having someone call the rescue squad. When I arrived, my treatment was a shot of Demerol, and after 15 minutes I was able to walk out of there.

The next day, I was unable to get up after a night of rest and had to call the rescue squad again. I was in greater pain than the day before, so I was taken back to the hospital. I was given another Demerol shot and was told after 15 minutes that I must leave the hospital, because since I had been treated for various illnesses over the last five years, I could no longer be admitted.

Thirty minutes later, I was not confident that this shot would do the job, so I asked the doctor for some painkillers. He called six policemen to throw me out, and I broke down in tears while asking, “Is this the treatment you get for serving your country?”

I crawled out of the hospital, and another

I broke down in tears while asking, “Is this the treatment you get for serving your country?”

veteran asked if there was anything he could do to help me. I explained my situation of being homeless, so he paid for a hotel room for two days.

After that, I had to call the rescue squad again because I could not get up, and they took me back to the hospital. I was told to go to my primary-care team. The nurse practitioner that I was assigned to got a doctor to admit me to the hospital. I was given a hot water bag to relieve pain. Over the next two days, I was also given Flexeril, and I began to see improvement, and after a day and half of being in the hospital I was told that I was going to be discharged.

A doctor came to ask how I was feeling. I explained to him that I did not have a lot of strength, but he confirmed what the nurse had already told me. After I got into a confrontation regarding the partial treatment I had been receiving, I told him about the fear that I have for the veterans coming out of Iraq.

I truly hope they will not receive the same harsh treatment and be cheated at the hospitals after risking their lives and fighting for their country.

Jake has been a Street Sense vendor for nearly two years and now works in the office. He was just featured in The Wall Street Journal.

Street Sense . July/August 2006

18 COMMUNITY PAGE

Provider Profile

Vendor Notes

Bethesda Cares, Still Living Up to Its Name

By Desiree Stephens

with reliable organizations like ‘A Wider Circle’ and we receive funding from the county, food from local businesses and space for meals from the churches.” A Wider Circle, an organization dedicated to educate and empower the homeless and working poor, is a Bethesda Cares reference point; and their alliance is strong and utilized to great avail by their clients.

This October, the two organizations will host their annual silent auction.

Other fundraising efforts for Bethesda Cares include participation in the Fannie Mae Walk-A-Thon and quarterly breakfast roundtables where personalities such as Cokie Roberts and The New York Times’ Tom Friedman have been speakers.

And funding to help fill prescriptions is a high priority for Bethesda Cares.

Kirk is also committed to promoting a realistic awareness about panhandling and she advocates for a more effective way to help them. She urges people to consider buying food or coffee instead of giving change to panhandlers.

With great compassion, she has written articles acknowledging the risk panhandlers face of merely prolonging their problems with money. She also assures supporters that Bethesda Cares is committed to long-term resolution. “[Here] we work together with the homeless to address their problems and seek solutions to move them toward stability,” she explains.

A client identifying himself as Billy Jack provided testament to this assertion when he stated, bashfully but with great pride, “if you want to get yourself together, come to Bethesda Cares.”

Street Sense and vendor Jake Ashford were recognized in the business world recently with a front-page article in The Wall Street Journal.

The column-four article

by Michael Phillips outlined how Jake, Executive Director Laura Thompson Osuri, volunteer Mark Youssef and vendor James Davis put together the April front-page story, “Homeless Hired to Evict Tenants.”

The article also exposed the eviction companies’ seeming minimum wage violations and the irony of their practices. The June 30 article highlighted other stories in which Street Sense was breaking and making news, explained the basic concept of the street paper and emphasized vendor involvement in the editorial process.

All agree that it was a great article for the organization. Jake, whose ink-dot drawing graced the front page of The Wall Street Journal, was astounded. He was in North Carolina visiting family when the article ran. He said, “I told my mama and she could hardly believe it. Me, one of the brokest men in America was on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. Who’d have ever thought that would happen?”

If you have not yet read the article you can see it on our website at www.streetsense.org under “What’s New.” Jake’s 15 minutes of fame continued on Monday, July 3, when he was featured on the National Public Radio show Day-To-Day. In a three-minute piece, Madeline Brandt interviewed Jake about his involvement in an eviction and in helping to expose the unorthodox eviction companies. Jake was eloquent and represented Street Sense extremely well.

COurtesy of The Wallstreet Journal

Created in 1988 by area clergy, Bethesda Cares continues to thrive as a successful community outreach program for the homeless and working poor. Located in an office space provided by Montgomery County, the center serves as a point of contact and a referral resource to clients living on the margin.

“People come in off the street and we give them some direction,” says Joan Harris, a licensed social worker who is one of two full-time employees at Bethesda Cares.

With five part-time workers, two interns, more than 450 volunteers, 57 congregations and countless donations from area businesses and local government, the center effectively provides unique resources such as obtaining identification cards and assisting with immigration services for its clients.

On a given day, the center will see 15 to 20 people who seek anything from a place to rest to a pair of socks.

Clients can give the center’s address to receive mail and to use the phone to make calls and get messages as they pursue job opportunities and housing leads.

Computers and printers line the walls of the center and a table in the middle of the room welcomes them with snacks.

As Harris explains how clients come into the center for things like toothpaste and deodorant, she begins to share some unique requests she receives. Then, as if on cue, a client enters her office and asks for exactly two cups of bleach. “See, you never know what people need!” she

chuckles after debating whether or not to grant the request.

Still very much affiliated with local churches, many have written their volunteering commitment to Bethesda Cares into their bylaws.

Uniquely, congregations of all denominations continue to ensure the success of Bethesda Cares.

Daily lunches are served during the work week at the The Church in Bethesda for the first half of the month and for the last half at Christ Evangelical Lutheran. On Saturdays, lunch is served at Bethesda Presbyterian Church and on Sundays an early dinner is served at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church from 5-6 PM. On Monday and Thursday mornings, a Clothing Closet at St. John’s Episcopal Church is open to clients. Additionally, the organization works closely with Suburban Hospital, United Way and a Mobile Medical Care team that recognizes Mondays as “Bethesda Cares Day.” “We have our own community and we know all the clients which make us a great network with an effective urban partnership,” comments Laura Sauder, an intern at Bethesda Cares.

At the heart of Bethesda Cares is fearless leader Sue Kirk. For 10 years Kirk has served as executive director, but has been with the organization since its inception 18 years ago. She finds her job at Bethesda Cares uses both her social work background and business experience which she thinks strikes a healthy balance between keeping her humbly compassionate and personally challenged.

Kirk says, with genuine gratefulness, that “We have partnerships

Subscribe to Street Sense!

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High school students and vendors after a hard day of selling.

___ YES! I want to subscribe to Street Sense. That means I get 12 issues for $25 a year. ___ YES! I want to give half of the cost of a subscription to my favorite vendor: ________________ ______.

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Please make checks payable to Street Sense. Street Sense is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization.

Mail to: Street Sense, 1317 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20005. Thanks for your support!

If you were out and about on June 28 and wondered why a bunch of high school students were selling Street Sense, it is because they were part of the “Vendor for a Day” program. The group of 12 students were all part of Northwestern University’s Civic Education Project, a field study program that offers young people from across the country opportunities to learn and serve. During their day at Street Sense, the students learned about the paper and got trained as vendors. Next, groups of students went with vendors Allen Jones, Bobby Buggs and Cliff Carle to sell papers in different parts of the city.

Both the vendors and students reported that they had a great time and learned a lot. Cliff said that he was most impressed with student vendor Tyler Crew, who sold 23 papers in two hours and got a $100 tip from one customer!

If you are interested in having a group of high school or college students participate in “Vendor for a Day,” please contact Laura Thompson Osuri at 202-347-2006 or laura@streetsense.org.

Street Sense . July/August 2006

Community Service Index SHELTERS

SOUP KITCHENS

Calvary Women’s Services 928 5th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 783-6651

10th Street Baptist Church 1000 R Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 232-1685

Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 745-7118

Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-3066

CCNV (Men and Women) 425 2nd Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-1909

Church of the Pilgrims 2201 P Street, NW Washington, DC 20037 (202) 387-6612

Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-7356

Dinner Program for Homeless Women 945 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 737-9311

Dorothy Day Catholic Worker (Family) 503 Rock Creek Church Road, NW Washington, DC 20010 (202) 882-9649

Eofula-Spanish Senior Center 1842 Calvert Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 483-5800

Franklin School (Men) 13th and K streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 638-7424

McKenna’s Wagon 2114 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-6608

Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 842-1731

Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Ave, NW Washington, DC 20037 (202) 452-8926

House of Imagene Shelters 214 P Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 518-8488

So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 797-8806

House of Ruth: Madison Emergency Shelter (Women) 651 10th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 547-2600

Washington City Church of the Brethren 337 North Carolina Ave, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 547-5924

John Young Center (Women) 117 D Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 639-8469 La Casa Bilingual Shelter (Men) 1436 Irving Street, NW Washington, DC 20010 (202) 673-3592 N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 939-2060 New Endeavors by Women 611 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 682-5825 New York Ave Shelter (Men) 1355-57 New York Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 832-2359 Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 639-8093

The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-2635 Zacchaeus Community Kitchen (“9:30 Club”) 10th and G Streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-9144

SERVICE PROVIDERS & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 19

Shelter Hotline for Cooling Centers: 1-800-535-7252 Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE Washington, DC 20011 (202) 269-2277

Capital Area Food Bank 645 Taylor Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 (202) 526-5344 x223

The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-2635

Catholic Community Services Homeless Services of Washington, DC 924 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 772-4300

MEDICAL RESOURCES

Catholic Comm. Services Emergency Center 1438 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 526-4100

Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-1100 Community of Hope 2250 Champlain Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-9022 Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 745-4300 Whitman-Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 797-3500 OUTREACH CENTERS Downtown Services Center 945 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 737-9311 Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 939-2060 Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20007 (202) 338-8301 Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-6608 Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 682-1005

EMERGENCY FOOD Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 265-2400AND 1640 Good Hope Road, SE Washington, DC 20020 (202) 561-8587 Covenant House of Washington 2001Mississippi Ave, SE Washington, DC 20020 (202) 610-9630 Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 842-1112

Sasha Bruce Youth Work 741 8th Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 675-9340 Friendship House 619 D Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 675-9050

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Byte Back (computer training) 815 Monroe Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 (202) 529-3395

Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-8870 Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 543-5298 Downtown Services Center 945 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-5400 Catholic Charities NE Community Services 1438 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 526-4100 Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 347-0511 Hermano Pedro DC Center 1501 Park Road, NW Washington, DC 20010 (202) 332-2874 JHP, Inc. (Jobs and Housing) 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 544-5300 Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 667-8970 Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE Washington, DC 20020 AND 1516 Hamilton Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 202-889-7702 Travelers Aid, Union Station (train level) 50 Mass. Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 371-1937 Virginia Williams Family Resource Center 25 M Street, SW Washington, DC 20024 (202) 724-3932 Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW Washington, DC 20009

PHOTO FINISH

Fighting for Franklin

By Michael O’Neill Jr. Volunteer Photographer

VENDOR PROFILE Phillip Howard Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Phillip said, “Ain’t nobody can tell me nothin’ about the street.” He had a difficult time accepting the death of his legal guardian when he was 14, which led him to run away at the age of 18 and stay in a youth center for a time after that. Over the years, he has worked at movie theater concession stands, as a hotel chef, and in construction.

Since being diagnosed with diabetes, he has not been able to stay on his feet for too long, but loves selling Street Sense for a few hours at a time.

Phillip also enjoys going to the movies, cooking, playing sports, going to church, and writing stories.

How did you become homeless?

I had my own place until 2001, when my landlord failed to announce the closing of the building after collecting future rent payments. We took her to court, but haven’t gotten notification of the rescheduled date yet. Now I live at Franklin Shelter.

Why do you work at Street Sense?

I like doing something constructive. I can buy my own breakfast, sell some papers, get some lunch, and then talk to people about the paper. I like that.

Advocates and residents held several protests last month in hopes of stopping the District government from shutting down Franklin Shelter (K and 14th streets, NW), set to close next spring.

What advice would you give to other people facing homelessness?

I would encourage them to sell Street Sense. Stay out of trouble and maintain personal hygiene. Get involved, and go to church. People make excuses and do drugs or alcohol, but that’s only hurting themselves.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I hope to be in my own place—long before then, though. If I keep working at Street Sense and my housing and social security come through, then I’ll be able to. I pray that things work out.

StreetFact Families make up 41% of the total homeless population in the D.C. metropolitan area.

Source: Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

July/August 2006 • Volume 3 • Issue 9

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Mail To:

Interested in a subscription? Go to page 18 for more information.

Favorite Music?

Jazz mostly, but all music. I don’t understand opera, but I like something about the way those instruments are played, so I listen to that too.

Favorite Food?

Fish has always been my favorite. I love seafood.

Favorite Movie?

“Tombstone” Favorite Book?

The Holy Bible—The only book I’m in love with.

Phillip reminds customers to only buy from badged vendors and not to give to those panhandling with one paper.