08 26 2020

VOL. 17 ISSUE 22

$2

AUG. 26 - SEPT. 8, 2020

Real Stories

Marchers bring demands for better homeless services to Bowser’s home STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

@ STREETSENSEDC

Real People

suggested donation goes directly to your vendor

Real Change

2 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / A U G . 2 6 - S E P T. 8, 2020

BUSINESS MODEL

© STREET SENSE MEDIA 2003 - 2020 1317 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347 - 2006

streetsensemedia.org

info@streetsensemedia.org

How It Works

VENDORS

Street Sense Media publishes the newspaper

Each vendor functions as an independent contractor for Street Sense Media, managing their own business to earn an income and increase stability in their life.

Ayub Abdul, Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Gerald Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Daniel Ball, Phillip Black, Reginald Black, Debora Brantley, Laticia Brock, Brianna Butler, Melody Byrd, Anthony Carney, Nysir Carter, Conrad Cheek, Curtis Clark, Benjamin Coleman, Anthony Crawford, James Davis, David Denny, Reginald Denny, Patricia Donaldson, Ron

$2.00

YOUR SUGGESTED

$.50 Vendors pay

DONATION

per newspaper copy

goes directly to your vendor, empowering them to overcome homelessness and poverty

Dudley, Joshua Faison, Queenie Featherstone, Jemel Fleming, Samuel Fullwood, Chon Gotti, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Ibn Hipps, Dan Hooks, Joseph Jackson, Chad Jackson, Leslie Jacobson, Fredrick Jewell, Carlton Johnson, Henry Johnson, Carlton Johnson, Mark Jones, Darlesha Joyner, Juliene Kengnie, Carleton Levert, Jewel Lewis, John Littlejohn, Michael Lyons, Marcus McCall, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jeffery McNeil, Ricardo Meriedy, Amy Modica, Richard Mooney, L. Morrow, Collins Mukasa, Earl Parker, Aida Peery, Jacquelyn Portee, Corey Sanders, Patty Smith, David Snyder, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Eric Thompson-Bey, Robert Warren, Wendell Williams BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NO CASH? NO PROBLEM.

Mary Coller Albert, Blake Androff, Jeremy Bratt, Jennifer

Pay vendors with the Street Sense Media app!

S TREET S ENSE M EDIA . ORG /A PP

Park, Michael Phillips, Dan Schwartz, John Senn, Aaron Stetter, Daniel Webber, Shari Wilson, Corrine Yu AVA I L A B L E

As self-employed contractors, our vendors follow this code of conduct: 1.

2.

3.

Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $2.00. I agree not to ask for more than $2.00 or solicit donations for Street Sense Media by any other means.

I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense Media staff and volunteers and will not sell papers to other vendors.

I agree to treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and other vendors, respectfully at all times. I will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making a donation, or in engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices.

4.

I agree not to distribute copies of Street Sense on metro trains and buses or on private property.

5.

I agree to abide by the Street Sense Media vendor territorial policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes I have with other vendors in a professional manner.

6.

I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense Media, but an independent contractor.

7.

I agree to sell no additional goods or products when distributing Street Sense.

8.

I will not distribute Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

9.

I understand that my badge and (if applicable) vest are property of Street Sense Media, and will not deface them. I will present my badge when purchasing Street Sense. I will always display my badge when distributing Street Sense.

10. I agree to support Street Sense Media’s mission statement. In doing so I will work to support the Street Sense community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity.

11. I understand that until further notice, all Street Sense Media Vendors are required to wear a face mask and gloves while vending to the public. This Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be provided and replaced as needed.

INTERESTED IN BEING A VENDOR? New vendor training: every Tuesday and Thursday // 2 p.m. // 1317 G St., NW

The Cover

The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper

Activist Jewel Stroman holds a megaphone as she and others march, chant, and carry signs to protest the quality of service provided to unhoused District residents.

Originally founded as a street newspaper in 2003, Street Sense Media has evolved into a multimedia center using a range of creative platforms to spotlight solutions to homelessness and empower people in need. The men and women who work with us do much more than sell this paper: They use film, photography, theatre, illustration, and more to share their stories with our community.

Our media channels elevate voices, our newspaper vendor and digital marketing programs provide economic independence. And our in-house case-management services move people forward along the path toward permanent supportive housing.

At Street Sense Media, we define ourselves through our work, talents, and character, not through our housing situation.

PHOTO BY WILL LENNON

@WillKosh

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Brian Carome

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Eric Falquero

DEPUTY EDITOR Jake Maher

DIRECTOR OF VENDOR EMPLOYMENT Eva McNabney

DIRECTOR OF CASE MANAGEMENT Lissa Ramsepaul

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Maddie Cunnigham

WRITERS GROUP ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE Willie Schatz, Thomas Ratliff

OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER) Rachel Brody, Arthur Delaney, Britt Peterson

EDITORIAL INTERNS Avi Bajpai, Alicia Clanton, Lana Green, Asia Rollins, Eunice Sung, Callie Tansill-Suddath, Maria Trovato

DESIGN INTERN Camille Rood

ADVISORY BOARD John McGlasson

EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS Ryan Bacic, Katie Bemb, Lilah Burke, Lenika Cruz, Kelsey Falquero, Jacqueline Groskaufmanis, Roberta Haber, Moira McAvoy, Nick Shedd, Andrew Siddons, Jenny-lin Smith, Orion Donovan-Smith

OFFICE SALES VOLUNTEERS Bill Butz, Jane Cave, Roberta Haber, Ann Herzog, Lynn Mandujano, Leonie Peterkin, Eugene Versluysen

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

EVENTS

// 3

NEWS IN BRIEF Landlord that discriminated against housing voucher recipients will pay DC $25K penalty

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK

“Get Your Knee Off Our Necks” March on Washington Friday, Aug. 28 // The Lincoln Memorial Gather 7 a.m. // Pre-Program 8 a.m. // Program 11 a.m. // March 1 p.m. // Conclude 3 p.m.

A modern continuation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 March on Washington, as announced by the Rev. Al Sharpton during his eulogy for George Floyd. A ticket will be needed to enter the area surrounding the Reflecting Pool. You can register in advance at tinyurl.com/sharpton-march-2020 or request a ticket on-site. Masks will be required (and provided to those who need one) and there will be a temperature check at the entrance.

THURSDAY, AUG. 27

UPDATES ONLINE AT ICH.DC.GOV

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings

Covenant House Greater Washington: 2020 Virtual Town Hall

Shelter Operations Committee Aug. 26, 1 p.m.

7 p.m. // Online Insight on the impact COVID-19 has had on our youth experiencing homelessness, and an opportunity to address important topics concerning our community.

Youth Committee Aug. 27, 10 a.m.

REGISTER: tinyurl.com/chgw-2020-town-hall

***For call-in information, as well as meeting info for unlisted working groups, contact: ich.info@dc.gov.

Full Council quarterly meeting Sept. 8, 2 p.m.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 1

Shut Out or Shut Down?:

Challenges in ensuring public access during COVID 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. // Online This panel will bring together a public official, judge, lawyer, and journalist for a discourse on how local and federal institutions have reacted in the face of COVID-19, specifically in regards to keeping the public informed of their activities. REGISTER: tinyurl.com/CCE-public-access

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

No WiFi? No problem.

Our new text-based messaging system gives you a direct line to our reporters.

If we don’t have the information you’re seeking, we’ll find it.

You’ve got questions,

we’ll get you answers.

Text

“street street sense” to 73224

A local real estate company the District sued in 2018 for housing discrimination against potential tenants will have to pay a $250,000 penalty to resolve the lawsuit, Attorney General Karl Racine announced on Aug. 11. The company, Evolve, LLC, was sued by Racine’s office for discriminating against housing voucher recipients by denying them opportunities to view properties and stating in advertisements that it did not accept vouchers as payment for rent.

Under the D.C. Human Rights Act, discrimination based on source of income is illegal, prohibiting landlords from refusing to lease to tenants who plan to use housing vouchers. “This victory reaffirms that landlords will face consequences for discriminating against vulnerable District residents who use housing assistance to pay their rent,” Racine said in a release. “The Office of the Attorney General will enforce the District’s consumer protection and anti-discrimination laws to ensure landlords treat all tenants fairly, regardless of their source of income.”

A September 2018 study published by the Urban Institute found that approximately 15% of D.C. landlords that were surveyed denied housing voucher recipients. Though the rate of voucher denials was far lower than in other cities, such as 31% in Newark and 67% in Philadelphia, the study found that the District could “improve enforcement of its laws and provide better incentives to landlords to participate in the voucher program.” In February 2020, the D.C. Superior Court ruled that Evolve had violated both the D.C. Human Rights Act and the Consumer Protection Procedures Act, since the first violation had occurred “in the context of a consumer transaction.”

As part of the terms agreed to by Evolve, the company will have to conduct anti-discrimination training for all employees or contractors involved in leasing its properties to tenants and implement written policies for employees about complying with D.C. law. Evolve must also cease any advertisements that indicate the company does not accept housing vouchers and must now include language clarifying that it does lease to voucher recipients on all advertisements, notices, and its website.

District residents who wish to report housing discrimination can submit a tip to the Office of the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Section online or call the office at (202) 727-3400.

—avi.bajpai@streetsensemedia.org

DCHA families to receive furniture donations Families who receive housing through the D.C. Housing Authority will soon have new and gently used furniture in their homes thanks to a donation from the short-term rental startup Sonder.

DCHA will provide its residents with home furnishings like couches, bedroom sets, and more from dozens of Sonder’s rental spaces. DCHA has partnerships with other community organizations that provide a variety of things to their customers, including furniture. But this is the first time the authority has a direct link to a company donating such goods to be distributed as needed.

“This generous donation from Sonder is a first for DCHA and will be distributed to families that could benefit from new furniture,” said Tyrone Garrett, executive director of DCHA, in a press release. “We hope that these donated items will ease some of the stress our residents are feeling, so they will be able to focus on staying healthy and being safe.”

Unlike AirBnb, Sonder leases and manages the apartments it rents out, according to Business Insider. The company has 37 locations worldwide, including one in D.C. at Barracks Row and one in Alexandria at Del Ray. “As a hospitality company focused on creating spaces that feel like home, we hope these new additions will create a more welcoming place for these families,” said Patrick Weeks, Sonder’s general manager for D.C., in the press release. “We look forward to partnering with DCHA for years to come.”

—jake@streetsensemedia.org

4 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / A U G . 2 6 - S E P T. 8, 2020

NEWS

How educators and local organizations plan to help homeless students navigate virtual learning

BY ASIA ROLLINS Editorial Intern

H

omeless K-12 students need more than just a device and access to an internet hotspot to succeed in the upcoming fall semester. They face a unique set of challenges that not only make in-person learning hard, but make virtual learning almost impossible. There were 7,728 homeless students in D.C. public and public charter schools during the 2018-19 school year, according to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

District officials have resources in place to help homeless students, but local organizations and teachers are pushing for more support services to help students successfully navigate virtual learning. D.C. Public Schools will do entirely virtual learning for the Aug. 31 - Nov. 6. term, Mayor Bowser announced on July 30.

“Online teaching is an art form, and you can’t just thrust a population of people into online teaching,” said Cliff Rogers, the programs director at The Covenant House Greater Washington, which provides short-term housing, workforce training, and wrap-around services for homeless youth ages 18-24. “We’re gonna be prepared to help the young people regardless.”

In a D.C. Public Schools technology survey with over 13,125 responses, the largest segment of parents, 44%, said their student did not have access to a device. The District plans to give internet access and devices to all students in need. Only 9% of parents said their student had access to a DCPS-issued device at the time of the survey.

At one school, the Takoma Education Campus, parents concerned about DCPS’s ability to provide for students, raised money to buy remote learning devices on their own, reported Washington City Paper.

For students experiencing homelessness, having access to a digital device is only one small step to seeing success while taking an online class, according to Rogers. He said homeless students need access to mental health support and a quiet environment. Without those things, it is difficult for learning to take place.

“I tell people to try to do an online class on the phone and tell me how effective that can be,” Rogers said. “Try to do an online class in the middle of being outside in the 90 degree weather; tell me how that’s going to help your concentration and your sound.”

Rogers and his team is working to create a balanced learning environment for all students who live at Covenant House, including an art program. This fall, Rogers hopes that he will be able to get more volunteers to help with mental health support, meal options, and employment.

Other organizations, like The Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, strive to create fun and safe places for children so that they can cope with some of the stress that comes along with homelessness.

The Playtime Project partners with local homeless shelters to set up playtime programs, preteen programs, or field trip programs for children. Trained volunteers provide children with snacks, toys, and activities so that they can recover from the stress of homelessness.

“Every three weeks or so, we distribute Playtime-to-Go kits to more than 125 children living in our four partner shelter sites,” said Jamila Larson, the executive director of The Homeless Children’s Playtime Project. “Parents also receive

The labels have been moved, and a line added, to help each key be understood without color. DATA AND GRAPHICS COURTESY OF DCPS

a ‘Parent Survival Guide’ with online resources and activities that can be done in their rooms with few or no materials.”

There are reusable toys, books, and art activities inside the kits, Larson said. Despite efforts to keep children engaged, she acknowledges that the environments in shelters make learning difficult.

“The traditional shelter system does not see children as people experiencing homelessness worthy of their own services and supports,” Larson said. “Instead, they typically see them more like luggage their parents bring into shelter.”

DCPS teachers are also getting involved in the push to accommodate homeless students in the upcoming school year. Two hundred and seventy members of the Washington Teachers’ Union published a report in June that outlined support tools to help students dealing with unique living situations. The 20-page document includes recommendations for schools on how to properly deal with parents who are afraid to ask for a device, homeless students, students who are immigrants, and various cultural differences. It also includes guidelines on support structures for all grade levels and for students with children.

“We need to have a social and emotional support structure set up in the beginning of the school year for all students, especially for those students that are homeless,” said Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union. Before taking the reins of WTU in 2014, Davis taught for 40 years in seven different schools across the District. “Some of these students were experiencing trauma before COVID-19 and we have no idea what some of them have experienced, so for us to jump into instruction and teaching in the beginning of the year would be absolutely insensitive.”

Within the report, WTU members asked for “socioemotional programming and resources” for students, teachers, and staff. The union would like DCPS to allow teachers to be flexible with scheduling so they may checkin with families. Since students will not be in the classroom, WTU asks that there be a center for technology support and a place where families can pick up supplies such as paper and crayons.

Members of WTU would also like DCPS to provide families with technology support guides in multiple languages, “accelerate” its Empowered Learners Initiative to provide devices to students, and invest in Wi-Fi access for at-risk communities. “As the DCPS closed schools in

March, DCPS estimated that approximately 30% of all students needed a device. WTU estimates indicated a higher need as we began distance learning,” the report says. Surveys of WTU members in April and again in June showed that less than half of students were regularly logging into their classes.

The WTU report suggests many families struggled to access “adequate and appropriate” devices and that many do not have and cannot afford Wi-Fi. Others struggle with understanding how to use the technology, including websites and apps for learning, according to WTU. DCPS did not respond to an interview request. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education said they are giving homeless students the proper sources to succeed.

According to the DCPS technology survey, 2,405 parents said their student did not have access to a hotspot or reliable high-speed internet and needed additional support and 657 reported already having access to a DCPS-issued hotspot.

Seventy-seven percent of respondents said their student had reliable high-speed internet without a DCPS hotspot.

“OSSE’s Homeless Education Program helps connect local education agency (LEA) and school-based homeless liaisons to resources within the District to support students experiencing homelessness,” Fred Lewis, a spokesperson for OSSE, wrote in an email to Street Sense Media. “The McKinney-Vento Act requires LEAs to ensure that students experiencing homelessness have equal access to such opportunities and remove barriers for these students in accessing academic activities.”

Teachers who work with students who are homeless and need extra assistance in the classroom are under more pressure to get the proper resources to students as they try to engage in distance learning. Kader Nsiri, a special education teacher at Takoma Education Campus, called it a “transportation issue,” saying that the food and services children used to be able to access in school must still be provided.

Nsiri, who is also a WTU member, said DCPS should make an effort to visit students where they live to ask parents what they need help with for their children to succeed in school. He criticized the gap in resources for students in wealthier school districts and those in poorer school districts.

“We should be doing the right thing,” Nsiri said.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

Why privatization became the fashionable solution to public housing

BY NENA PERRY-BROWN Greater Greater Washington @prrybrwn

P

ublic housing started as a government-led system of razing slums and replacing them with housing affordable to people in the lowest-earning households across the US. But after decades of federal disinvestment created slums out of public housing, policy has turned toward privatization of public housing, from subsidizing privatelyowned units to razing-and-replacing public housing with mixed-income redevelopments.

Here is how the public sector shifted responsibility for offering “a decent home and a suitable living environment” for low-income families back to the private sector.

Disinvestment and deterioration cast doubt on the public sector’s competence The privatization of public housing did not become the solution du jour overnight, but has become widely accepted as the right thing to do, particularly as many public housing developments have been allowed to decline.

Between inconsistently-applied standards and insufficiently-funded maintenance, public housing authorities (PHAs), the local agencies that own and oversee development of public housing portfolios, enabled slumlord behavior from community managers and those communities steadily deteriorated.

While deferred maintenance and federal disinvestment make it clear that public housing did not necessarily have to be a failed experiment, it has been written off as such by government officials and most of the American public, and attention is turning back toward the private sector to compensate for yawning financial gaps and facilitate better outcomes for low-income households.

The push to deconcentrate poverty Within the first decade of the public housing system, the need for reform was apparent.

Before waiting lists were shut down, public housing had become the poster child for concentrated poverty and both residents and non-residents were questioning whether public housing was worsening outcomes for its residents. A geographical area is described as having concentrated poverty when a high proportion of households are lower-income or are below the poverty line.

Along with creating the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Housing Act of 1965 launched a new era

of public housing where federal and local authorities began trying new approaches to housing, much of it justified under the guise of deconcentrating low-income households.

This Act included one of the earliest iterations of direct housing subsidies with the Rent Supplement Program, which created a way for would-be public housing residents to instead have their rent partially covered in privatelyowned units. (The D.C. Housing Authority created a local version of this program in 2007.)

Chicago became an early testing ground for this push for housing subsidies, as settlement of a series of lawsuits in 1966 against the city’s housing authority and HUD led to creation of the Gautreaux Assisted Housing Program ten years later, which awarded housing vouchers to thousands of families. Prior to the settlement, HUD began testing the concept of housing allowances via the 1970’s Experimental Housing Allowance Program (EHAP).

Before EHAP was complete, and without any proper assessment, the system was implemented nationwide in 1974 with creation of Section 8, which subsidized construction and rehabilitation of low-income housing and also offered households certificates to find privately-owned units, priced at HUD’s accepted market rates, and subsidized the difference above 25% of household income.

The momentum toward Section 8 accelerated during Richard Nixon’s presidential administration, as he lambasted the federal government’s performance as a housing provider and advocated for voucher assistance as a means to provide low-income households with options. “This plan would give the poor the freedom and responsibility to make their own choices about housing—and it would eventually get the Federal Government out of the housing business,” Nixon said in a 1973 address to Congress.

After Section 8 was established, more scholarship came out on the ills of concentrated poverty. A lot of this work was inspired by the introduction of “ecological systems theory” by Urie Bronfenbrenner in 1979, which considers how the psychological development of children is influenced by their environment and community.

Resulting studies in the 1980s through the early 2000s and beyond zeroed in on how children are negatively impacted by growing up in impoverished neighborhoods, pushing the conversation toward deconcentrating poverty and encouraging mixed-income communities.

The construction and rehabilitation provisions of Section 8 were ended in 1983 and the voucher system was expanded, limiting tenants’ rental payments to 30% of income moving forward. These were

// 5

Demolition of the Pruitt–Igoe public housing project in Missouri.

PHOTO COURTESY OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

consolidated into the voucher system most are familiar with as Section 8, or the Housing Choice Voucher Program, in 1998 as part of the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act (QHWRA).

The Act was, in some ways, a federal admission of guilt for the failures of public housing, and the final nail in the coffin of pivoting away from that system.

“Congress finds that there 1) is a need for affordable housing; 2) the government has invested over $90 billion in rental housing for low-income persons; 3) public housing is plagued with problems; 4) the Federal method of oversight of public housing has aggravated the problems; and 5) public housing reform is in the best interests of low-income persons,” a summary of the Act reads.

With increased investment in vouchers also came deliberate efforts to divest completely from public housing. These efforts were codified in 1995 when Congress rescinded the requirement to replace any demolished or disposed units one-for-one, and with passage of the QHWRA came the Faircloth Amendment, which prohibited HUD from funding construction of any new public housing units. (A bill passed in the House of Representatives in June including a provision to repeal the Faircloth Amendment, although the bill has not been introduced in the Senate.)

However, the attempts to deconcentrate poverty by giving public housing residents vouchers did not necessarily succeed in moving those residents into mixed-income buildings and communities. For households that had received voucher assistance, in 2010, 15% of households in public housing with children had moved to low-poverty neighborhoods compared to 18% who moved to extreme-poverty neighborhoods.

New HUD programs offered alternatives The QHWRA included much more ambitious public housing reform measures than consolidation and expansion of the voucher program; it also granted more freedom to PHAs, required PHAs to take a “mixed-income” approach to admitting residents to each community, established time limits for federal funding to be spent on rehabilitation or construction, and created more avenues for disposition of public housing units and conversion of public housing into subsidized housing.

But perhaps the most well-known experiment was HOPE VI (Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere), which allowed PHAs to pursue demolition of “severely distressed”

public housing and replacement with new mixed-income developments, giving existing households vouchers in the meantime.

Established in 1992, the program has had more success in getting rid of public housing than in creating improved living conditions for public housing residents. Urban Institute reported in 2004 that 49,828 households had been displaced, but only 21,000 replacement units were built for those households.

The push to privatize On a federal level, the aforementioned programs laid the foundation for the public funding of privatization initiatives, and have signaled a shift in responsibility toward housing society’s most vulnerable from the public sector and back to the private sector that has only accelerated in recent years. Between 1989 and 2017, the number of HUD-assisted households increased from 4.07 million to 4.54 million, but the share of households in public housing decreased from 33.4 to 21.3%.

Part of this decrease was due to repositioning, which had long been a HUD strategy to convert public housing units via voucher subsidies, most recently with 2011’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD).

Repositioning typically redefines the use or class of a particular development, but where public housing is concerned, it essentially involves removing units from traditional public housing stock.

RAD allows PHAs to leverage funding from the private sector to rehabilitate or replace existing units and boils federal funding down to long-term subsidies. By 2018, RAD had converted over 100,000 public housing units into Section 8-subsidized housing.

This has only snowballed: in 2018, HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing informed PHAs that HUD wanted to “reposition” 105,000 public housing units by October 2019, noting that “in 2010, HUD conservatively estimated the public housing capital needs backlog at almost $26 billion, and we believe this figure continues to grow at around $3.5 billion every year.”

Although many have criticized whether privatization of public housing is an acceptable solution, decades of deferred or patchwork maintenance along with chronic underfunding have left some communities with few options. In our next article we will discuss how privatization of public housing played out in the District.

This article was first published by Greater Greater Washington on Aug. 12. (ggwash.org)

6 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / A U G . 2 6 - S E P T. 8, 2020

NEWS

Homelessness, most often, is a product of systemic racism, advocates say

BY CHRISTIAN ZAPATA DCist / @c_zapato

I

ndia Frazier spent a weekend in early June watching hundreds of demonstrators in the District protest police brutality and systemic racism from outside her temporary housing complex near 14th Street.

Frazier is currently enrolled at N Street Village, a local organization that provides housing and supportive services for homeless and low-income women in D.C. She’s a strong supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and the work activists are doing to reform policing.

“It was something for you to see,” she said. “I saw so many young people protesting, and it wasn’t violent at all, it was like everybody was together, everybody was arm-in-arm and marching and letting them know ‘look, we’re serious about changing this police brutality situation.’”

Following the killing of George Floyd, thousands of people have called for police departments across the country and in D.C. to be defunded and the money reallocated toward mental health services, housing, schools, and other social programs, many of which impact the homeless community. The city has increased funding for homeless services, like permanent housing, in the past, but activists say it’s not enough. Many of them, as well as local nonprofits, want to see the city allocate more toward ending homelessness, because homelessness, too, is a symptom of systemic racism.

Frazier said she experienced police brutality when she was about 33. She said a police officer tackled her to the ground and broke her front tooth in the process. The experience made her fearful of law enforcement. She wants to see big changes come to policing and the system at large, especially now, as her 9-year-old grandson says he wants to be a police officer when he grows up.

Fraizer spoke to him after the protests.

“I asked him what did he learn, and he said that ‘Black lives matter.’ He said that ‘Black lives matter,’ that he wants to grow up and don’t feel like he has to look over his shoulder,” she said.

Nationally, Black people comprise 40% of the homeless population, despite being only 13% of the general public. In the District, Black residents make up nearly 48% of the general population, but 88% of people experiencing homelessness. To many working to end homelessness, systemic racism is part and parcel to chronic homelessness.

“Homelessness is caused by racism. Full stop,” says Jesse Rabinowitz, Advocacy Campaign Manager at Miriam’s Kitchen. According to Rabinowitz, racism not only forces people into homelessness, but keeps them trapped there longer by making it harder to find a place to live, secure a job, or gain access to supportive services.

“We will not end homelessness without addressing racial equity,” Rabinowitz said. “They are two sides of the same coin.”

For example, it’s well documented that Black Americans are still more likely than their Hispanic and white counterparts to be imprisoned. In part, this is attributed to systemic inequality in policing. People with criminal records often have a harder time securing a job to pay their rent and fall into homelessness.

The connections between imprisonment and homelessness then continue through ticketing, arrest, and jailing under laws that criminalize sleeping or sitting outside, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.

Frazier was incarcerated for three years and homeless for five before arriving at N Street Village. Her transition out of prison was riddled with housing insecurity, and it took her five years to find temporary housing. She wants to see more done about situations like hers and for prisons to offer additional help with resume building and job applications for Black people exiting jail.

“Homelessness is caused by racism. Full stop.”

Jesse Rabinowitz “There’s a lot of people that are coming home from prison that really don’t have any programs,” she said. “If they’re not going through a halfway house they’re coming straight out to the street, and when they come straight out to the street they don’t have any programs helping them with housing, helping them with a job.”

The D.C. Jail, where Frazier was incarcerated, does offer inmates help with resume building and interviewing through outside organizations, but those services have been found to lack sufficient resources. Black women have also been found to face additional challenges while attempting to secure work after release, such as managing child care arrangements, custody requirements, large gaps in their work histories, and mental and physical health issues.

Though the city has allocated some resources for just that, she said it needs to do more.

Miriam’s Kitchen does not collect data from its guests regularly, but Pukatch estimates that it overwhelmingly works with older Black males between 50 and 60 years old. She said one of the organization’s biggest advocacy priorities is securing more local funding for housing for individuals and families experiencing chronic homelessness, specifically permanent supportive housing. It also pushes for policies that help prevent homelessness and reduce barriers to exiting homelessness, such as more affordable housing.

Pukatch said about five years ago the organization took a hard look at racial equity and racism as a root cause for homelessness.

Those conversations inspired changes within Miriam’s Kitchen like Black-only spaces, where people can process ongoing events and talk about changes they want to see within the organization; racial equality impact analysis, that ensures policies the organization advocates for promote racially equitable outcomes; and an advocacy fellowship that employs the knowledge and experiences of someone who has lived homelessness.

“Housing ends homelessness and over 1,400 individuals, most of whom are Black, are currently in need of life-saving housing,” she wrote in an email.

Qaadir El-Amin was homeless for 15 years. During part of that time, he worked as a street vendor. Now, working with the People for Fairness Coalition and other groups, he’s helping ensure vendors can pay their bills during the pandemic.

El-Amin was previously an advocacy fellow with Miriam’s

Addressing homelessness and racial equity In the District, several organizations working to end homelessness find themselves grappling with racial equity as well.

N Street Village CEO Schroeder Stribling said the organization is trying to be mindful of the needs of Black women in particular during the protests and pandemic.

Stribling wants N Street Village to prioritize its first available housing opportunities for its most vulnerable clients, who are overwhelmingly older African American women. She said the organization is already well-practiced at mental health work, but it’s important that it stands in solidarity with Black women.

“That’s part of trauma recovery for any individual — until you feel safe you can’t really focus on anything else, you can’t really focus on housing or vocation or getting clean or getting the health issue taken care of that you’ve ignored,” she said.

“You have to feel safe before you can do anything else, housing is a part of that, but also the messages that you’re getting from the world around you.”

Since nearly 90% of people experiencing homelessness in the District are Black adults, ending homelessness in Black communities is a matter of ending homelessness altogether, said Lara Pukatch, director of advocacy for Miriam’s Kitchen.

Qaadir El-Amin poses for a photo at Miriam’s Kitchen.

PROVIDED BY MIRIAM'S KITCHEN

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 7

SSM FAMILY CELEBRATIONS!

Members of the People for Fairness Coalition, the Ward 6 Mutual Aid Network, and students from Gonzaga University pass out toiletries, socks, snacks, water, and other supplies while conducting outreach at the NoMa encampments on L Street.

PHOTO COURTESY OF QAADIR EL-AMIN

Kitchen, working with the organization on its mission to end chronic homelessness as someone who lived the experience.

He secured permanent housing about five years ago through Miriam’s Kitchen and considers himself “one of the lucky ones” who was able to find housing.

The racial equity groups and community organizers he works with have discussed defunding the police before the conversation garnered national interest, he said. Part of that work starts with looking at government systems and addressing decisions and laws based on racism, like redlining.

During the 1930s, Black families were systemically denied housing mortgages that, in part, prevented them from generating wealth through homeownership. And though it was outlawed with the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, its ripple effects continue to perpetuate wealth inequalities across Black and other communities of color.

“Keeping Black people poor, personally, is a way of keeping Black people here,” he said. “And to me, the racism stands out to me in the way of ‘F’ Black people.”

For El-Amin, big change starts with using vacant apartments to house the homeless and allocating more funding toward current District services working to end homelessness, while ensuring that people who are passionate about helping others are applying and being hired for jobs working to end chronic homelessness.

“That will eliminate a big chunk of homelessness, of chronic homelessness,” he said.

Ending homelessness through the city’s budget While nonprofits have made an impact on reducing homelessness, many advocates say the city’s budget needs to do more. The city’s budget is the number one policy tool for ending homelessness, said Jesse Rabinowitz, advocacy campaign manager at Miriam’s Kitchen. The D.C. Council held its first fiscal year 2021 budget vote last month and allocated approximately $28 million for permanent supportive housing, homeless outreach services, and more. Nearly $10 million will go toward permanent housing for individuals and families in the District — about half as much as last year.

Part of that revenue was taken from a tax break program for tech companies, which the council partially cut last year to fund permanent supportive housing, homeless outreach, and other supportive services. Advocates at the time supported the cuts, like Joanna Blotner, D.C. campaign manager with Jews United for Justice, who said boosting funding for such programs would “advance socially just spending priorities.”

Rabinowitz echoed these sentiments, but said even with this reallocation of funding, from corporate tax breaks to housing, there is still a disconnect between how the city says it wants to end homelessness and how much it’s investing. He said the money the council has so far allocated toward ending

homelessness is not enough.

Rabinowitz added that putting money toward specific other initiatives, like building a streetcar, is part of the problem.

“I think in order for us to live into our progressive values and live into our commitment to racial equity, we have to make some hard decisions. To me, those decisions mean prioritizing people’s basic needs over things like the streetcar,” he said.

Earlier this month, lawmakers did not move forward with an amendment to transfer $35 million from a streetcar expansion plan along Benning Rd. NE to public housing repairs. At-large Councilmember Robert White, who proposed the amendment and has heard these discussions on the council for three years, said at the time “there are other ways to get around,” while stressing the dire conditions of public housing in the city.

“The fact that the council wasn’t able to get the majority to say ‘you know what, urgent public housing repairs should be prioritized above a streetcar most people don’t support’ to me is just another example of how far we have to go,” Rabinowitz said.

Some still support the expansion work that’s gone into the streetcar project so far. Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray told the council his ward is anxious to see the project finished, according to Washington Business Journal, and further delays would slow “all the economic development work we’ve been doing along that corridor.” Ultimately, Councilmember White fell short of the necessary votes to transfer the funds from the streetcar project to public housing.

The council did allocate nearly $23 million toward housing to end homelessness last fiscal year, the “highest funding level ever for homeless services,” according to the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. Still, some activists felt it didn’t go far enough.

Recent protests to defund D.C.’s police department resulted in a reduction of the mayor’s proposed police budget increase of 3% to about 1.6%. Some lawmakers said this a big step in a years-long effort to reduce police funding, while activists maintained the council didn’t do enough.

The Way Home, a campaign to end chronic homelessness in D.C., recommended the council add nearly $21 million to the $15.5 million Mayor Muriel Bowser initially allocated for housing in her budget proposal last year. With help from the tech company tax incentive, the council’s final budget allocated nearly $23 million toward housing, but still fell short of the organization’s recommendations by about 40% and funded around 36% of what it estimates is needed to end chronic homelessness in the city.

Rabinowitz wants not just to see more money put toward housing and supportive services, but for lawmakers to grasp how racism pushes people into homelessness, and then work to upend the system and its root causes.

“To me, that’s really where this conversation about racism and racial equity is important. Because until we stop the flow of people into homelessness we’re just going to keep treading water,” he said.

The article was first published by DCist on Aug. 6.

Levester Green

BIRTHDAYS Levester Green Aug. 27 AUTHOR/VENDOR

Derian Hickman Aug. 28 ARTIST/VENDOR

Louise Davenport Aug. 31 ARTIST/VENDOR

Gerald Anderson Sept. 7 ARTIST/VENDOR

Angie Whitehurst Sept. 8 ARTIST/VENDOR

Our stories, straight to your inbox Street Sense Media provides a vehicle through which all of us can learn about homelessness from those who have experienced it. Sign up for our newsletter to get our vendors' stories in your inbox.

www.StreetSenseMedia.org/newsletter

8 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // A U G . 2 6 - S E P T. 8 , 2 0 2 0

NEWS

Protesters to Bowser: Reform the department of human services

BY WILL LENNON @WillKosh

A

ctivists marched to the home of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on a recent Saturday to protest the quality of services provided to homeless people in the District. Protesters singled out the District’s Department of Human Services and a contractor it has used for nearly three decades as the sources of their dissatisfaction.

The Aug. 15 event was organized by a coalition of groups, including Grassroots CUA, Ward 5 Mutual Aid and Black Lives Matter D.C. They first gathered at Shepherd Elementary School and were followed from there by members of the Metropolitan Police Department, which monitored the demonstration for over three hours.

The protest in the northern tip of Ward 4 was organized in part to bring attention to the poor experiences of families who have been sheltered by D.C.’s Department of Human Services in motels and hotels, especially the Quality Inn and Days Inn on New York Avenue NE. Activists say they fear that DHS’s withdrawal from these hotels as of this month will put an end to investigations into conditions faced by people staying there. While the shift away from the use of hotels to shelter families experiencing homelessness has been planned for more than a year, projections of homelessness increasing by as much as 45% in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic also have advocates worried the city will not be providing enough shelter space.

Protest organizers specifically called attention to the death in February of a baby who had been staying at the Quality Inn. Makenzie Anderson was taken to the hospital suffering trauma to her head, according to The Washington Post. She succumbed to her injuries and her death was ruled a homicide, with police continuing their investigation. Makenzie was just under 1 year old.

Advocates also provided photos of rats and collapsed ceilings, which they said they took at DHS rapid rehousing units this summer. Rapid rehousing is a type of subsidized housing the District offers, in which people experiencing homelessness are placed in market-rate apartments and receive rental assistance for several months to a year. After that time, they are responsible for taking over the full payment of rent. In 2016, the DHS rapid rehousing program paid for 170 families and 235 individuals to live in properties managed by Sanford Capital, according to The Washington Post. Due to the poor conditions of many of its 1,300 housing units, Sanford was later forced to divest ownership of its D.C. properties, repay $1.1 million to former tenants and cease operating in the District.

D.C.’s contract with Quality Inn ended in July, and its contract with Days Inn is slated to end on Aug. 31. There were 43 families residing at the Days Inn as of Aug. 25, and the District government is working to help them transition into permanent housing or transfer to other placements within the city’s network of services, according a D.C. government spokesperson.

The spokesperson said some of the families remaining at Days Inn will be transferred to rapid rehousing units. Families in the District primarily exit shelter through this program “and are assessed for long-term housing support,” they said.

When asked about the activists’ claims regarding rats and a collapsed ceiling in rapid rehousing units, the spokesperson said the D.C. government cannot comment on a specific case but that it works to ensure families are residing in safe housing.

Units must receive and pass an inspection conducted by the D.C. Housing Authority before a family signs their lease agreement. And families can initiate a “complaint inspection,”

Jewel Stroman spoke through a megaphone at Mayor Muriel Bowser’s house. PHOTO BY WILL LENNON.

also conducted by DCHA, by sharing concerns about the unit with their case manager.

“DHS works closely with families, [rapid rehousing] providers and DCHA to resolve unit concerns as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.

If a unit is deemed uninhabitable, the city offers temporary shelter while the landlord works on repairs. If a permanent relocation is required, a case manager helps the family search for housing, according to the District government.

...

Astrid Lundberg, one of the founders of Grassroots CUA, said she used social media to get the word out about the demonstration. She said that Grassroots CUA, which was founded at Catholic University but has no formal ties to the school, first attracted attention when the group’s leaders planned what ended up as one of the first among the major protests that swept D.C. in early June.

“We basically lucked out into doing some of the earliest protests,” said Kim Sims, another of Grassroots CUA’s founders.

Although Grassroots CUA was founded primarily to aid people experiencing homelessness in the District, its involvement in the George Floyd protests is one of the major reasons for the group’s prominence.

“We knew we were providing the community with an outlet for its fear and concerns,” Lundberg added. “We didn’t know how strong those feelings were.”

At this month’s protest, MPD squad cars arrived as protesters gathered at Shepherd Elementary School, about a 15-minute walk from the mayor’s house in Colonial Village. An officer approached a group of protesters congregating on the sidewalk near the school, working on signs and distributing fliers with demands. The officer told the protesters that MPD would escort their march. While some protesters refused to speak with the police, others said they did not want an escort. Police responded that they would receive one all the same.

“I guess that’s their protocol,” said Pchas (pronounced Peaches), a woman who biked over to Shepherd to join the demonstration after hearing about it through the Black Lives

Matter D.C. Instagram page. “To make sure things go smoothly.

Hopefully that’s what they’re here for.”

Once signs were completed and the list of demands distributed, an activist spoke through a megaphone, identifying herself as a member of Ward 5 Mutual Aid, a group that has routinely set up a table of resources for shelter residents outside of the Days Inn. “We are a small but mighty group,” she said, addressing around 20 protesters. She demonstrated several chants that participants would repeat on their march to Bowser’s house, including “Safe housing is a human right” and “Safe housing saves lives.” A TV crew from the local NBC affiliate arrived to film the demonstration.

Around 3:45 p.m., the march began. Protesters walked down the middle of Kalmia Road NW, shutting down traffic. Leaders of Black Lives Matter D.C. followed the marchers in a black van.

“We protect the rest. We stay at the back,” said Black Lives Matter D.C.’s Anthony Lorenzo Green, a Ward 7 advisory neighborhood commissioner.

Black Lives Matter D.C. has been supporting demonstrations like this one because of the stark racial demographics of homelessness in the District. Ninety-five percent of D.C. families experiencing homelessness identify as Black or African American, according to the 2020 point-in-time count.

Green said the city’s leaders have been “missing in action” for Black communities, funding policing and incentivizing developments without investing adequately in homes in wards 4, 5, 7 and 8. He said deeply affordable housing in units large enough for a whole family must be a priority for the city’s $8.5 billion local budget.

“We’re trying to make sure that we’re taking stabs at this system from every access point possible to try to tear down white supremacy and to make sure that we’re treating housing as a human right,” Green said. “And we’re holding our leaders accountable for the conditions that they’re allowing their citizens to survive in.”

A 2017 analysis by Georgetown University professor Maurice Jackson, who chaired the D.C. Commission on African American Affairs, found the area median income for the District’s Black residents was $41,000 but $120,000 for white residents.

MPD snaked behind the march in a caravan of at least half

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

a dozen squad cars. When the protesters arrived at Bowser’s home, more police officers were standing watch. At times participants addressed individual police officers directly.

“It could happen to you,” one protester told a cop. “It could be you, officer. That pension could go away.”

Protesters stood outside Bowser’s home chanting and giving speeches for several hours. When the mayor received a package from Amazon, protesters jeered at the delivery.

“Amazon was the last company trying to gentrify D.C. even more,” said Green, referring to the internet shipping giant’s interest in setting up a new headquarters in the District prior to deciding on Arlington instead. Bowser did not exit her home or interact with the protesters. Her office did not respond to requests for comment or to confirm whether she was home during the demonstration. The government spokesperson did confirm DHS had received the list of demands and said the department responded directly to advocates.

According to Green, lack of affordable, quality housing affects everything from public health to the murder rate.

“All of this is a chain reaction to bad policies,” Green said.

“So it’s on our mayor to be bold and progressive. Not fake progressive. … We’re the nation’s capital. Why can’t we lead the way on how we care for our own people?”

He specifically called out the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness (TCP), the nonprofit DHS has used to run its shelters since 1993, often through “sole source” non-competitive contracts. District officials do not provide the level of oversight appropriate for an entity operating a key government program, Green said.

“We give them our money to operate even though they’re a ‘nonprofit entity,’” he said. “So you can’t say that, ‘Oh, because they’re this separate entity from the government there’s not much that we can do, other than give them our tax dollars.’ It doesn’t make sense. They’re not working in the best interest of the city.”

In recent years, D.C. has spent $5 million annually for each motel used for sheltering families through subcontracts overseen by TCP. In 2015, the Office of the D.C. Auditor found that TCP had overbilled the District by $5 million the previous year.

According to tax documents, TCP received over $96 million in contributions and grants in 2014. That same year, Sue Marshall, TCP’s executive director, made over $200,000 working for the nonprofit.

Less than three years later, a report from D.C.’s Office of the Inspector General said the existing arrangement — in which DHS managed Days Inn and Quality Inn through TCP — amounted to “vague oversight.”

“DHS personnel believe TCP is responsible for monitoring requirements defined in the hotel contracts but do not receive inspection reports, and assume both hotels are performing in accordance with contractual requirements,” the report says.

“As a result of not clearly assigning inspection responsibilities, hotel accommodation inspections could go unfulfilled and result in conditions that jeopardize the health, safety, and wellbeing of families living at the hotels.”

The most recent tax records available for TCP are for the fiscal year ending September 2018. They show Marshall’s salary shooting up by over $50,000, to $256,147, plus an estimated $26,453 in “other compensation from the organization and other related organizations.” TCP’s $79 million annual contract with the city was passively approved by the D.C. Council on Feb. 6.

A list of demands from the protesters.

shelter for a few days with her daughter after her house flooded in 2018. They also spent two months at a Motel 6 previously used by DHS to house people experiencing homelessness.

“Being there is what led to me advocating,” said Stroman, who also worked with Black Lives Matter on a June 18 protest at the Days Inn. “We have people who have been in here for two, three, four, five years, just languishing in the system.”

Several speakers invoked Relisha Rudd, an 8-year-old girl who disappeared from a DHS-run shelter in 2014. Security footage showing Relisha with a janitor who worked at the shelter is the last known image of Relisha, who remains missing. The janitor, Kahlil Tatum, killed his wife and himself soon after Relisha was reported missing. His body was found in Kenilworth Park.

The staff at D.C. General, the shelter Relisha disappeared from, knew Tatum had been showing an interest in Relisha but did not

speak up about his unusual behavior, according to activists. D.C. General, previously the city’s only family shelter, closed in 2018 to be replaced by seven “short-term family housing” facilities, two of which are still being built.

Midway through the speeches, protesters faced off with police after an MPD official told the Black Lives Matter D.C. representatives in the van that they would get a ticket for having their vehicle parked in the middle of the street.

In response, protesters vented their anger at the police, accusing them of “escalating” and making “threats.” After demanding that one of the officers give his badge number, one protester screamed for him to repeat it several times. Another officer wore his mask under his nose and ignored demands from protesters to pull it up. The NBC affiliate filming the protest left as the police and protesters argued. Around 15 minutes later, BLM-DC moved its vehicle to the side of the road and the speeches resumed.

One of the final speakers was Chaand Ohri, who identified himself as a physician in D.C. Ohri told a story about an asthmatic patient who stayed in a D.C. shelter with low air quality. According to Ohri, the man eventually died of rightsided heart failure (also known as pulmonary heart disease) at the age of 32.

“This is what we mean,” Ohri said. “Housing is health.”

Around 6:20 p.m., the protesters marched back to Shepherd Elementary. Partway through the return march, they were joined by Perry Redd, a member of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B. Redd shouted encouragement to the protesters and held up a sign of his own that read “If it ain’t legislation it ain’t sh**!” and “End police violence against Black Americans.” Redd, the D.C. Statehood Green Party nominee for the Ward 4 D.C. Council seat, said he saw the protests on the news and decided to head out and join them.

Though Redd thinks that TCP needs reform, he said he’d prefer that DHS divest from the nonprofit and start from scratch.

“Reform often leaves remnants of the poisons that even brought about the need for a protest and resistance,” Redd said.

“I’m more in favor of a total defunding and starting over from the ground. Now that does take some planning, and it takes a lot of implementation of moving folks so that they are safe in the meantime. But the structural elements right now are poison.”

Roughly 10 minutes later, Redd and the protesters arrived back at Shepherd. Jewel Stroman’s daughter picked up the megaphone for the last word of the night before the crowd dispersed.

“We’re not done, OK?” Stroman’s daughter said. “We’re gonna fight until Mayor Bowser decides to help these homeless people and stop these racist cops out here.”

This article was co-published with TheDCLine.org.

...

Green said that BLM got involved with the protest in part because of Jewel Stroman, a housing activist who has experienced homelessness directly.

Stroman, who also spoke at the protest, lived at the Days Inn

// 9

Some protesters travelled in cars to and brought megaphones to the protest. PHOTO BY WILL LENNON.

1 0 // S T REET SENSE ME DI A / / A UG . 2 6 - S E P T. 8, 2020

OPINION

Being antiracist requires education and action in your own neighborhood

BY AYUB ABDUL

BY PATTY STONESIFER

This column was first published by TheDCLine.org on Aug. 11.

It is early evening in the midst of a historic time: a pandemic paired with a long-overdue push for racial justice. We are sitting in a beautiful Northwest D.C. public playground. The swingset, the climbing hill, and the nearby benches are occupied by families of every race and background, and children’s voices are lifted in glee.

Most are speaking English, although there’s a smattering of Spanish mixed in. Some adults exchange greetings with extended family members as they arrive to share what little fresh air is moving on this hot summer day. Social distancing is in place, more or less, and the scene could easily be pictured on the front page of a newspaper as an example of the best of D.C. Beautiful, no?

No. This playground has, for the past few weeks, been a focal point of neighborhood tensions over the new short-term housing facility, The Brooks, which opened just one block away to 50 families this past spring.

Friendship Place, which operates The Brooks under contract from the city, is quick to share the families’ progress: Already four families have exited The Brooks to new apartments, and families will spend, on average, just 90 days there while putting future plans together.

The city has opened eight of these new programs, one in each ward, to ensure that every family experiencing homelessness in D.C. has a safe, supportive place to get back on their feet.

[Editor’s note: The Brooks is named after former Street Sense Media vendor Donald Brooks, who went on to work for the D.C. Department of Human Services and died in July 2019.]

Hundreds of Ward 3 residents have responded with open arms to the arrival of The Brooks and the families being supported there, including the creation of a Friends and Neighbors of The Brooks group and website. They know that privilege, which is apparent not just in beautiful homes and streets but in our neighborhood’s resources of great schools, parks, shopping and safety, should not be hoarded but instead shared. They applaud Mayor Muriel Bowser’s efforts to ensure better facilities and strong programs to help D.C. families reach the stability we all want for ourselves and our children. The pandemic has made grand celebrations impossible, but neighbors have raised funds to support families’ unexpected expenses.

They’ve sent more than 1,000 books to The Brooks, as well as new games and toys, and made welcome baskets for every family. Still others have placed yard signs in the area to underscore their own beliefs: “Black Lives Matter,” “All Are Welcome Here,” “No Justice, No Peace.” This is the best of my neighborhood. We need to keep it up.

But to my great dismay, others have continued the pushback that the city met when this structure was first proposed on Idaho Avenue NW in the Cleveland

Finding compassion for homeless people during the pandemic

Park/Cathedral Heights area. Zoning and court appeals brought against the city to resist building the facility in this location didn’t stop the project, but the ugliness has taken a more personal and undeniably racist turn.

Local listservs have posts about children “playing rough” in “our playground.” Focus on “out-of-town cars” has increased (it is a sad fact that many D.C. residents’ extended families have left the District due to the price of housing). Residents of The Brooks have been stopped on the street and asked, “Where do you live?” Complaints pour in to the facilities director about the residents on a range of things from smoking in public (still allowed in D.C., whether we like it or not) to children playing on the sidewalk after 9 p.m.

For any who are reading listserv posts, or even this commentary, and are of the impression that this is not about race but instead about “behaviors,” it is time to look deeper. We need not look further than the nightly news for the dangerous consequences for Black people when those with power and privilege interpret “their behaviors.” It is past time to realize that the behaviors and biases we should focus on are our own.

What can we do to ensure these families are safe and welcome? Individually and collectively, neighbors and local congregations are banding together to learn and do more — and to ensure visible signs of our support. Our efforts include ensuring The Brooks has the resources its residents need, educating our neighbors about the work being done there, and posting anti-racist signage. It only takes a small number of outrageous actors and racist actions to create a climate of distrust and fear. We need to ensure that those being targeted can see and feel our support—and that the haters see a cost to their actions.

We need to continue what we have already been doing to provide funds and resources that are needed, but take our efforts up a level, too.

First is education, for ourselves and others. Bias exists in all of us, and close introspection and learning are essential. Consider reading Ibram X. Kendi’s “How To Be an Antiracist,” and then consider reading more.

But knowledge alone is insufficient—and silence is dangerous. Marches and calls for justice are one way to move the needle, but they require hyperlocal action.

We must all commit to being wise and active bystanders anytime we see actions that are unfair. The Quakers have bystander intervention training as part of their sanctuary commitment, and you can watch online. Friendship Place is planning to present more targeted offerings online and in our neighborhood soon. Plan to attend.

I hope all of us in Ward 3 will band together with our new neighbors at The Brooks and recognize our responsibility in this moment to use our privilege to build a more just community.

Patty Stonesifer, a Cleveland Park resident, retired last year as president and CEO of the D.C.-based nonprofit Martha’s Table.

Recently the coronavirus has spotlighted the homelessness condition. For years it has been ignored. My question is when are the politicians going to do something to abolish homelessness?

Wi t h a l l t h e d e m o n s t r a t i o n s a n d t h e marches that have occurred, this is the time to do a lot of social adjustments. We the people must get our government to redirect our taxes to end homelessness.

I had a friend that died under Key Bridge, so this is personal to me. I’ll keep advocating in the hopes that we can end homelessness.

Once again, the homeless have been pushed to the curb and this time it’s because of the virus.

So many people are out of work and can’t afford to pay their rent. Stop looking over the homeless population because it could be you. If you want to see people in homes, you have to take action. We have to get the government involved on local levels. This is the 21st century. So ask yourself, why are we so far behind?

Wake up, America, and end the homeless crisis.

Homelessness is not just going away and needs to be addressed. In every major city in America, homelessness seems to be growing. The question now is, how are we—as a society—going to end homelessness? As civil unrest grows, homeless people are caught in the middle. When the police teargas the demonstrators on the streets and parks, once again the homeless population is caught in the middle. In my experience, it’s time for the government to step up and help out to end homelessness.

If the government wanted to end homelessness, they could do it tomorrow. Ask yourself: Can it happen to me?

Unfortunately, this virus is going to leave an abundant number of people unemployed and they won’t be able to pay their rent. Many recovering drug addicts will be depressed, and that is not good; they won’t have support groups or meetings, and these are the things that keep them sober. Until we find a vaccination for the virus, local governments should stop all evictions, too.

The next time you see a homeless person or persons, say “Hi.” We all can be down on our luck and no one is better than anyone else. A little thing like “Hi.” Or give them water. We can be better to those that have less.

I had a friend that died under the Key Bridge, so this is personal to me.

Ayub Abdul is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

/ / 11

Covid-19 fears at kidney dialysis centers

BY JOSEPH YOUNG

I am a senior citizen who is experiencing chronic kidney disease. I receive a strict regimen of having my blood cleansed three times a week, four hours per session. I also have underlying health problems, including high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

I’m concerned about patient and health care worker safety at the dialysis center where I receive my treatment in Washington, D.C., especially now when the coronavirus is spreading like wildfire.

Experts warn that those most vulnerable to dying from the coronavirus are the elderly and those with chronic diseases.

Patients experiencing kidney failure also have a weakened immune system and an inability to fight infections in general.

The dialysis center takes precautions to prevent coronavirus infections. When patients enter the intake area of the center we are examined for fevers, coughs, and breathing problems.

If a patient has a high temperature, at three consecutive visits to the center, you are referred to the local hospital for testing for the coronavirus. Patients are also required to wear a face mask at the center.

Staff at the center are required to take similar precautions. Health care technicians are equipped with gowns, visors, and face

masks to help prevent the spread of the virus. Telehealth exams are now routine at the center.

Despite the precautions, there are still coronavirus infections among patients and staff members. A few of my fellow patients recently contracted the virus and died, according to a source at the center.

I remain on heightened alert since patients are packed together and sit in a group-like setting.

Since self-quarantine at home is out of the question for dialysis patients, those infected with the coronavirus continue to get their treatment at the center. This practice puts noninfected patients at risk of contracting the virus.

And there is no transparency about the number of patients and staff who have contracted the virus at the center. Transparency can help prevent the virus from spreading.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the primary mode of transmission of the coronavirus is person-toperson between people who are in close contact with one another. The infection is spread through respiratory droplets when a person coughs or sneezes. It also may be possible to get coronavirus by touching surfaces and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

There’s more. Some of the health care

employees at the center also work at other medical facilities, such as hospitals and clinics. Those who may have been exposed to the virus can take it with them to other facilities, opening new pathways of infection.

There is also a shortage of supplies, like at other health care facilities, such as face masks and hand sanitizer. Patients use the same face mask all week long before we are given another one at the start of a new week.

There also should be a focus on the mental and physical health of patients and heath care workers. These times are stressful.

Dialysis centers face significant challenges in protecting patients from the coronavirus.

The lives of hundreds of thousands of dialysis patients are at risk of contracting the virus.

Of the 743,624 Americans with kidney failure as of 2017, 468,000 individuals are on dialysis, with 98% of them undergoing the treatment inside dialysis facilities, according to the US Renal Data System.

Each year, kidney disease kills more people than breast or prostate cancer. In 2013, more than 47,000 Americans died from kidney disease.

I’m African American and more at risk for kidney failure than any other race. African Americans are also dying in disproportionate numbers from the coronavirus. In Washington.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSEPH YOUNG

D.C., African Americans make up less than half of D.C.’s population, but 80% of coronavirus deaths.

Compared to white people, end-stage renal disease prevalence is about 3.7 times greater in African Americans, 1.4 times greater in Native Americans, and 1.5 times greater in Asian Americans, according to the National Institute of Health’s website.

The coronavirus highlights the inequity in our health care system. We must rethink health care policy. If the plight of underserved communities continues to be ignored that will spell hardship for us all.

Joseph Young is a photographer living in Washington, D.C. His work has been accepted into the Smithsonian collections and has also appeared in the Washington Post Magazine, Washington Times, Washington Afro Newspaper, and The Washington Informer.

Homeless people were left out of the conversation about homelessness in NoMa

BY REGINALD BLACK

My name is Reginald Black. I wish to share publicly my concerns about neighbors who are living in NoMa, and the conditions and sentiments they have to endure.

In August of 2019, the NoMa Business Improvement District published an “open letter” about the many people living in tents on K, L, and M Streets. We haven’t actually heard members of this community specifically respond to the letter, They’re still stuck there, they’re still disconnected from services, and now they’re being criminalized.

The BID said they were responding to “complaints” from neighbors. Most of these neighbors are not natives to the District of Columbia. I believe that their complaints are misguided and are not offering solutions.

The only “solution” mentioned was creating “pedestrian safepassage zones,” So far, there has been no legislation proposed or changes made to the city’s encampment protocol. With such a vague policy, implementation will no doubt be a misguided process.

I grew up in an underserved community in D.C. I’m a lifelong resident. I attended its schools, I worshipped in its churches, and I voted for its leaders. I also spent months on a porch, a boiler room, outside unprotected, under blankets, in a coat, or in a cardboard box. I also spent time in shelters. This makes me an expert on homelessness and a proponent for long-lasting solutions that will promote health and wellness in the community overall.

The Interagency Council on Homelessness mandates

by D.C. law that people with lived experience advise the council on the best strategies to move forward the mission of ending homleessness in D.C. The ICH’s strategic plan calls for comprehensive engagement with consumers of homeless services, and I support that stance wholeheartedly.

I am appalled that people that are suffering on our streets are scheduled to be evicted. If housed residents have a problem with cleanliness, maybe their minds need to be cleaned first.

I want to pose a question to the more than 100,000 people who pass through the neighborhood: Could you spare one dollar? What is your answer? “No?” Then expect unfavorable conditions.

How many of you are opening your homes to those who are hungry, who are thirsty, and who are naked? I ask you to demonstrate concern for the least of thee.

I recommend that these residents get more involved in their community. I further recommend that businesses in the area hire people from the encampment community. I ask you to join me in advocating for them to have the right to living in a favorable setting—a fully furnished apartment like yours, a three- to fourbedroom house like yours. You are wrong to assume these people are here by choice. All homeless people came from a former home setting. Listen to them, they want to be free.

My advocacy is to correct the problems that exist in this

community. You are misguided to assume us advocates don’t fight for solutions.

It’s really about our judgments of one another. Wellintentioned racism and bigotry won’t solve encampments. In an affluent neighborhood like yours, people should not have to live on the sidewalk. Call out landlords and businesses that break the law. Go after big business in the same way that you targeted my peers.I advise you to look up ABC News special segment “D.C./Divided City” that aired in 1989.

Listen to yourself in the previous epidemic. How much has changed? People experiencing poverty have always had to fight for a seat at the table. Your one-sided dialogue does not give proper input to those who are also neighbors.

If you are interested in recommending a solution, I would love to hear it (reggieblackich@gmail.com). I am committed to my peers experiencing homelessness, and I will admit that I am biased towards them. They don’t deserve to be harassed because they don’t have an apartment or a house like you.

I look forward to having a better dialogue than what has taken place up until now.

Reginald Black is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media, a formerly homeless native Washingtonian, and an appointed member of the D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness.

1 2 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // A U G . 2 5 - S E P T. 8, 2020

ART

I’m scared of DC’s emergency health services

BY MARCELLUS PHILLIPS Artist/Vendor

I

have a seizure disorder and have been having issues in the month of July 2020, and Washington D.C.’s emergency system did not take the threat of me losing my life seriously. I have been dealing with this issue for over 20 years, and have never been scared for my life like I was during a two week period when I had to deal with two lifethreatening experiences.

On July 2 I lost all movement in my body from the waist down after I had taken my seizure medication. I was sitting at my desk and when I got up to get some papers I hit the ground instead of walking. I got back in the chair and tried again with the same results, as my guest in the other room asked me if everything was okay. I finally replied no and told him I lost all stability and could not walk and that I would have to call 911.

Now, at this time I was scared for my life because I had never experienced anything like this. After dialing 911 I was asked what my emergency was and I explained the situation to the operator. She then had me speak to someone else about the severity of my issue and what type of health insurance I had. After speaking to her for a couple of minutes she acted like she did not want to have anyone sent out but finally said we are sending someone now. Me and my guest waited several minutes and called back to find out what was taking so long and was told no one had actually been sent as if my call wasn’t urgent or important. They arrived about 30 minutes later and took another 30 minutes of questions just to have me wait for a private ambulance to take me to the hospital instead of doing it themselves.

My experience with the private ambulance was horrible. After I was loaded up in the back the paramedic closed the door but did not lock it, and actually told me that I was faking and did not need help once they got me to the emergency room.

The same thing occurred again after I was released from the hospital, but this time I was home alone. When I got up to walk once again I lost control of my body and fell to the ground. After that first experience, I chose to call my neighbor to rush me to the hospital because I had lost all trust in D.C.’s emergency system. He had to come and pick me up and assist me to his vehicle. Once we arrived at the hospital he tried to find a wheelchair so that I could get into the hospital and get assistance and find out why this keeps happening. He couldn’t find a wheelchair so we got out of the car and he assisted me in the emergency room and I fell in front of the registration desk. There were other people in front of me so I just asked a nurse for help with finding a wheelchair and he looked at me and said with an attitude, “No, I’m not helping you until you ask me nicely, because I don’t have to do anything you say or anything for you.” I replied to him, “Actually you do, because it’s your job,” and we

then got into a back-and-forth argument. So I dragged myself to the waiting room and got in the first chair I could see. Now, everyone in the waiting room had the thought, “Well, he is lying and he keeps throwing himself to the floor on purpose.” I was becoming stressed and scared because I wasn’t sure what my body would allow me to do once I got up.

Their main focus, once I was in the chair, was what type of insurance I had and how I was going to pay the bill they were preparing for me. Times have changed to the point where people don’t take emergencies seriously unless they meet certain standards.

I could have lost my life by harming myself when I tried to walk or destroyed my house or tried to harm someone else since I did not know what my body would do. It took over 20 minutes each time I called for an ambulance. I have no trust in the emergency system and fear that other people can not trust the system as well.

I dealt with homeless issues for many years in life and did not come this far to put my life in danger dealing with a system that is meant to help save my life. Every day is a fight and battle to make sure I stay as calm and stress-free as possible, being that stress is something that triggers my disorder.

Something has to be done about this before others start losing their lives as some have already done in the past. I would like for the emergency system to take all calls as if the person that called could be losing their lives. Once they were notified I had a seizure disorder and could not walk, that should have been enough to tell them I needed to be at a hospital.

Instead, they took their time with the test just to have a private ambulance come and take me. I’m scared of D.C.’s emergency services and don’t know what to do when my life is in danger because of my seizure disorder.

Their main focus once...was what type of insurance I had and how I was going to pay the bill they were preparing for me.

A D.C. Fire and EMS ambulance responds to a car accident. PHOTO COURTESY OF ELVERT BARNES / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

Dreams

Time of trouble

BY AYUB ABDUL Artist/Vendor

BY MARCUS MCCALL // Artist/Vendor

Africa’s time of tragedy and decline started both in Europe and Africa itself. For more than a thousand years Africa has been bringing into being empire after empire. But the opening of Europe’s era of exploration, Africa’s own internal strife, and the slave trade turned what had been Africa’s Golden Age into a time of troubles.

The Crusades may be called the beginning of European awakening. A religious fervor, not unrelated to politics, stirred Europeans out of their lethargy and their indifference to the larger world.

The First Crusade, begun in 1095, was precipitated by the Seljuk Turks, whose persecution of Christians had placed even Constantinople in jeopardy. The Eastern heads of the Church appealed to Pope Urban II for help. At a Church council in

// 1 3

France the Pope pointed out that if Constantinople fell to the Turks, Western Europe would soon be overrun. He made an eloquent plea to the kings and princes gathered, and to all Western European Christendom, to rally to the aid of the Christians in the East and to drive the “infidels” from the Holy Land.

This religious crisis gave Europe a semblance of unity; and although it can be said that the Crusades were military and religious failures, they did provide the opportunity to bring new information to Europe.

The religious wars also had a profound effect on the political development of Europe. The Western monarchs were able to strengthen their authority and develop a strong central government while many members of their turbulent aristocracies were fighting in the Holy Land.

Praying for God’s guidance

As the day becomes Night and the sounds of The evening begin, Now is the time to Rest and as the eyes Close, the mind Goes to a world of its own.

There’s something new About to be born.

The haze of a Shadow appears With astonishing light, And my dreams Become a Reality.

BY JOHN LITTLEJOHN // Artist/Vendor

First of all, what is guidance? One definition is: to assist a person to travel through, or reach a destination.

With today’s technology, we can get our guidance from our phones, iPads, and computers; from our cars, trucks, and buses; and from our trains, airplanes, and boats. GPS systems can map a path through land, air, and sea GPS. But Scripture tells of God’s guiding His people through all kinds of circumstances.

The Holy Bible says in Exodus 13:21,“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.”

Both David and Isaiah describe God affectionately as a shepherd (Psalms 23, Isaiah 40:11), and Micah prophesied about Jesus, “He will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength” (Micah 5:1).

The Bible’s message is comforting and clear: Our heavenly Father cares deeply about the intimate details of our lives.

The Holy Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:7:“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Yet with all of the instances of God leading in scripture, the prayers for guidance and direction are relatively few.

The Holy Bible talks about guidance once again, and it says in the Book of John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.”

Haddon Robinson writes, “It’s surprising to note that nowhere in the Old Testament, the teachings of Jesus or the New Testament epistles do we see any description of a step-by-step process by which we can determine God’s will.” There’s a reason for this.

God’s guidance stems from our relationship with Him. Our shepherd wants to feed us, carry us in His arms, hold us close to His heart, and gently lead us.

We are to pray continually because it’s impossible to discern God’s leading in our lives without prayer.

As with prayers about everyday needs, the Bible’s prayers for guidance and direction are relational prayers. Relational prayer doesn’t just seek God’s will — it seeks His face as well.

Relational prayer puts us in a place where the Lord can help us discover His leading with deep obedience and love.

God reminded his people through Isaiah, “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength” (30:15).

Fresh strength flows into us as we pray and wait before Him in His Word.

Our Shepherd wants us near Him, especially when we don’t know which road to take. Amen!

As I close: The Holy Bible talks about guiding again and it says in the Book of Psalm 43:3-4, “Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.

There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!” The Holy Bible talks about guiding and directing once again in the Book of Proverbs 3:5-7 and it says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.” Amen!

A Hole in the Sky Spaces leien, eac pane broken (everything falls à part) as oft sawen, whow theȝȝ open.

BY FRANKLIN STERLING Artist/Vendor

1 4 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // A U G . 2 5 - S E P T. 8, 2020

FUN & GAMES

Challenging Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 20, Book 45

Sudoku #2 4 1

4 1 9 3 9

6 7 8 6 1 9 8 2 3 Answers

© 2019 KrazyDad.com

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each Sudoku 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9.#1

LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE SOLUTION >>

1 2 8 9

5 9 7 6 1 4 2 9 8 5 7 8 3 2 4 3 5 2 1 6 6 1 4BY 7PIERRE 8 JOHNSON Artist/Vendor 8 4 5 9 3 9 3 8Uncle 4 Willie’s 2 character is inspired by many people I have known over the years.

3 a 7Happy Labor Day! Peace, love, and good health to all of my readers.

2 6 1Have 1 7 6 5 9

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

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

8 1 4 3 6

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

8 2 3 7 4 5 9 1 6

7 6

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

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

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

5

2

7 4 8 1 9 3

3 1 8

Sudoku #7 4 8 1 5 3 9 5 7

6 3 7

1 4 2

5 3 9

8

1 3 6 7 5 8 9 2 4

9 1

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

9

6 9 2 4 8 7

2

1

8

3

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

6 3 2 8

2 4

Challenging Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 20, Book 45

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

SUDOKU: Fill in 7 9 6 the blank squares so that Need a littleeach help? row, The hints page a logical 7 shows 9 6 2 order 4 8to solve 3 the 5 puzzle.

1 Use it to identify next square you should solve. Or use the answers page each columntheand if you really get stuck.

3 5 1 9 7 6 8 4 2 each 3-by-3 block contain all of the 5 2 8 6 9 7 4 1 3 digits 1-9.

If you use logic you can solve the 4puzzle 8 without 2 5 guesswork.

3 1

6

You will gain money by a speculation or lottery.

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

5 9

7

3

6 4 2 9

5

7

1 6 8 2 3

8 9 1

5 4

4

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

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

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

COMMUNITY SERVICES

SHELTER HOTLINE Línea directa de alojamiento

(202) 399-7093

YOUTH HOTLINE Línea de juventud

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE Línea directa de violencia doméstica

(202) 547-7777

1-800-799-7233

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

Education Educación

Health Care Seguro

Clothing Ropa

Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal

Case Management Coordinación de Servicios

Food Comida

Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo

Transportation Transportación

Showers Duchas

All services listed are referral-free Academy of Hope Public Charter School 202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Place NE aohdc.org

Bread for the City - 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 - 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org

Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Good Hope Rd., SE calvaryservices.org

Food and Friends // 202-269-2277 (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc) 219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org

Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th St., NW ID (Friday 9am–12pm only) foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities

Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org

Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org

Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org

Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9128 425 2nd St., NW jobshavepriority.org

Charlie’s Place // 202-232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org

Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org

Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd., NW christhouse.org

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org

Church of the Pilgrims // 202-387-6612 2201 P St., NW food (1-1:30 on Sundays only) churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach

Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW cflsdc.org

Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org

D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org

Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 Eye St., NW fathermckennacenter.org

2375 Elvans Road SE 2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE

Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org

My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

N Street Village // 202-939-2060 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org

New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE

Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW

Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org

// 1 5

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-888-793-4357

Laundry Lavandería

Samaritan Ministry 202-722-2280 // 1516 Hamilton St., NW 202-889-7702 // 1345 U St., SE samaritanministry.org

Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org

So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org

St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-333-4949 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org

Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org

JOB BOARD Coordinator DC Initiative on Racial Equity and Local Government Part-time / Consultant (up to approximately 30 hours per month) Advance the DC Initiative’s short-term and long-term goals, grow it’s membership, support strategy development and manage meeting logistics.

REQUIRED: Knowledge and understanding of DC government; Facility with computers, including online software platforms such as Google Suite, Zoom, and Office.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/DC-initiative-coordinator

Farmers market stand operator Number 1 Sons Part-time As we make our way back to markets, we are looking for some new faces to join the Pickle Stand crew in Northeast and Northwest D.C. (Saturdays and Sundays); Bethesda and Rockville (Saturdays or Sundays); Loudan County (Saturdays), Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church (Saturdays or Sundays); and for various weekday markets.

Unity Health Care 3020 14th St., NW // unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699

REQUIRED: Must be able to drive to work weekday markets.

1500 Galen Street SE, 1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 555 L Street SE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place, NE, 810 5th Street NW

Election Day Worker D.C. Board of Elections

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

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

Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org

APPLY: tinyurl.com/dc-pickle-stand-2020

Part-time We encourage interested workers to register to vote in the District prior to submitting their Election Day Worker applications. Election Day Worker training will begin in September 2020.

REQUIRED: Be a District resident; Complete a training class prior to the election (typically about two-four hours in length); Assist in setting up the polling place for a few hours the day before the election; Work at the polling place on Election Day from approximately 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/dc-poll-work-2020 Operations Coordinator Calvary Women’s Services Full-time with benefits Organize and manage the reception area, manage in-kind giving program, provide resources and support to residents, ensure safe entry/exit from the building, assist with meal preparation and distribution, and more.

REQUIRED: Two years’ experience working in human services.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/calvary-operations-coordinator

For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide

Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org

We need results

BY ANTHONY CARNEY Artist/Vendor

Al Sharpton is an iconic leader of the Civil Rights Movement. As far as George Floyd is concerned, announcing a national March on Washington at his funeral is a good thing. Every night a George Floyd dies in the United States due to hate and aggression.

Man has killed each other since the time of Adam and Eve; “thou shall not kill.” It’s sad but that is how it goes.

As far as the actual march is concerned, we must be safe marching together due to coronavirus.

The march is good for Black people. We still need to be free and get reparations. Black lives matter. It’s an ongoing thing, this movement. Rome was not built in a day, but the Black Lives Matter group needs results now.

No justice, no peace. We will not apologize because of our skin color. Don’t hate because you fear who we are. Spread love.

More to Rev. Sharpton’s legacy

BY MARCUS GREEN Artist/vendor

I would say he is in the Top 5 far as doing God’s work all over the world. The best thing about him is his consistency.

Wherever there is an injustice done, he’s there, and he makes things happen for the greater good of humanity.

This is not all about Rev. Al Sharpton. Everyone can contribute physically, spiritually and financially. Ask yourself, Have you helped anyone, say, in the last 10 years?

If the answer is no, then you have a lot of work to do. If it's yes, then keep the good work up.

It's no doubt that Rev. Al Sharpton is going to pull it off. It’s history in the making. God willing I'll be there. It's plenty of work for all of us to do. God bless.

The Rev. Al Sharpton delivering a speech in 2016. PHOTO COURTESY OF JORDAN UHL / FLICKR

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

Life’s Protest

From your vendor

BY ROBERT WARREN Artist/Vendor

This summer of protests along with the heat, the cry of “Black Lives Matter” to the police, working their beats.

How many times must a Black man die unjustifiably before justice being denied will be no more?

Lies, lies, lies right before our eyes, being told.

For those who hunger for justice and a piece of the American Dream.

What does that really mean, for a Black man or woman with nowhere to go, no place to call home?

Homeless in America.

“Do Black homes matter too?”

Is the question I will put to you.

In this summer of protest if we don’t remember anything else in 2020 Black men were set free.

AUG. 26 - SEPT. 8, 2020 | VOLUME 17 ISSUE 22 My life must matter to me.

Us Black men can no longer kill each other in the streets.

I hear the sounds of babies cry out in pain.

This world will never be the same for me.

My brother to love, my mother who died from COVID-19 and took a big piece of my heart, how do I start to love again, to live again, make America great again?

Somebody tell me God’s not a liar again.

Why oh why, life in protest.

Again just another lie he told you.

He would make you great again.

Time to laugh at life’s protest again even when you only laugh to keep from crying.

My people are dying in the street again and again Life’s protest in the end, is there forgiveness?

WWW.INSP.NGO

4 million READERS

9,000 VENDORS

100+

STREET PAPERS

35

COUNTRIES

24

LANGUAGES