11 14 2018

VOL. 16 ISSUE 1

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NOV. 14 - 27, 2018

Real Stories

Real People

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Real Change

Prevention D.C. has helped many families avoid homeless shelters.

Will similar strategies help single adults?

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The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper 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 casemanagement 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.

VENDORS Shuhratjon Ahamadjonov, Wanda Alexander Gerald Anderson Charles Armstrong Katrina Arninge Lawrence Autry Daniel Ball Charlton Battle Lester Benjamin Reginald Black Phillip Black Jr. Clarence Branch Debora Brantley Andre Brinson Laticia Brock Donald Brown Lawrence Brown Elizabeth Bryant Brianna Butler Dwayne Butler Melody Byrd Anthony Carney Alice Carter Conrad Cheek Anthony Crawford Kwayera Dakari Michael Daniels Louise Davenport James Davis David Denny Reginald Denny Patricia Donaldson Nathaniel Donaldson Ron Dudley Jet Flegette Jemel Fleming Johnnie Ford Duane Foster James Gatrell Kidest Girma Chon Gotti Latishia Graham George Gray Marcus Green Levester Green Barron Hall Mildred Hall Dwight Harris Lorrie Hayes Patricia Henry Derian Hickman Ray Hicks Vennie Hill James Hughes Joseph Jackson Chad Jackson Fredrick Jewell Morgan Jones Linda Jones Reggie Jones Reggie Jones Darlesha Joyner Larry Kelley Jewel Lewis John Littlejohn Scott Lovell Michael Lyons William Mack Ken Martin Marcus McClan Jermale McKnight Jennifer McLaughlin Jeffery McNeil Ricardo Meriedy Kenneth Middleton Amy Modica Richard Mooney L. Morrow Collins Mukasa Evelyn Nnam Moyo Onibuje Earl Parker Aida Peery Hubert Pegues Marcellus Phillips Jacquelyn Portee Connie Porter Angela Pounds Robert Reed Robert Reed Henrieese Roberts Anthony Robinson Chris Shaw Gwynette Smith Patty Smith David Snyder Franklin Sterling Warren Stevens Beverly Sutton Sybil Taylor Archie Thomas Shernell Thomas Eric Thompson-Bey Harold Tisdale Sussie Trivette Carl Turner Jacqueline Turner Joseph Walker Martin Walker Robert Warren Sheila White Angie Whitehurst Sasha Williams Robert Williams Clarence Williams Wendell Williams Susan Wilshusan Ivory Wilson BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jeremy Bratt, Margaret Jenny, Brian Leonard, Jennifer Park, Reed Sandridge, Dan Schwartz, Jeremy Scott, John Senn, Kate Sheppard, Aaron Stetter, Annika Toenniessen, Martin Totaro, Daniel Webber, Shari Wilson

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Brian Carome

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eric Falquero

COMMUNICATIONS & SALES MANAGER Jeff Gray

VENDOR MANAGER Muhammad Ilyas

EVENTS & WORKSHOP MANAGER Leila Drici

CASE MANAGER Colleen Cosgriff

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OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER)

Rachel Brody, Arthur Delaney, Sara Reardon

ADVISORY BOARD John McGlasson

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Tatiana Brown, Olivia Zhang, Christian Zapata, Meredith Roaten

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EVENTS

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NEWS IN BRIEF Event to celebrate art where homeless people used to live coincided with a homeless camp cleanup

Many thanks to SCRAP B-More for donating supplies to make this project possible.

An interactive art installation in the “Women and Equality in Aotearoa” exhibit at the Aukland War Memorial Museum. Each gallery guest was www.scrapb-more.org invited to tie a single ribbon — of a color associated with the guest’s gender identity — to the “cause” of their choice, thus visually representing Facebook.com/SCRAPBMore PHOTO OF MAXPIXEL.COM whichCOURTESY issues mattered to who. Causes shown here: Affordable Housing, Clean Water Ways, Less Tax, Equal Pay. PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO

“Our Common Threads” interactive art installation The Church of the Epiphany // 1317 G Street NW Nov. 14 // Installation // 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting Nov. 15 & 16 // Poetry and awareness // 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

The project will be accessible through Nov. 19, we encourage participation outside of the listed times.

“Our Common Threads” is a project designed to call attention to the individual roles we play in ending homelessness.

Street Sense Media and the surrounding community will meet Nov. 14 for a morning of weaving, storytelling, and discussion of homelessness. As people join in to listen to poetry and debate, we will ask them to write down one thing they personally can do to end homelessness. Their card will then be tied to a piece of yarn or fabric and woven into the tapestry. This process will be repeated during the lunch hour on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 and for the last time on Nov. 19.

By the end of this project, we will have a work of art, but it is a living work whose completion is contingent upon every participant holding up their commitment to end homelessness. Community contributions will be shared on social media and the final tapestry will be de-installed at the end of the day Nov. 19 and we hope to display it at future events.

THURSDAY NOV 15 - SATURDAY NOV 17

UPDATES ONLINE AT ICH.DC.GOV

SATURDAY, DEC. 1

“Visions/Revisions” Anacostia Playhouse new works festival

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness meetings

Weekend inclusionary zoning orientation class

Youth Committee Nov 22, 10 a.m. // location TBD *likely 441 4th Street NW Strategic Planning Committee Nov 27, 2:30 p.m. // location TBD *likely 441 4th Street NW Emergency Response Committee Nov 28, 1 p.m. // location TBD *likely 441 4th Street NW *Only committees are listed here.

For issue-focused working groups, contact ich.info@dc.gov

10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

DHCD, 1800 MLK Jr. Ave. SE

Nov.15 and 16 // 8 p.m.

Nov. 17 // 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

2020 Shannon Place, SE Anacostia Playhouse’s first new play festival. Eight non-produced 10-minute plays address the themes of deterioration and renovation over Anacostia’s long history. Presented as staged readings with professional actors and directors.

Tickets/Info: tinurl.com/APH-visions

Through inclusionary zoning, residents can find safe and affordable housing in high cost areas of the city. But eligible households have to fulfill certain criteria — such as taking an IZ Orientation Class.

For more info, call 202-442-7221 or e-mail iz.adu@dc.gov.

Submit your event for publication by e-mailing editor@streetsensemedia.org

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For two hours on the morning of Nov. 8, the NoMa Business Improvement District provided free pancakes, coffee and orange juice on M Street NE. A local guitarist was hired to play during the festivities, which aimed to celebrate the new light installation in the underpass there, “Rain.” It is the first of three “Underpass Art Parks” undertaken by the NoMa Parks Foundation A block away, at least six people experiencing homelessness had been forced out of the L Street underpass. One of them was also a local musician. “The neighborhood dubbed me ‘The Sound of NoMa,’” said Melvin, who has been homeless in the District for five years. “Some people who live in the apartments where Harris Teeter is bought me my first trumpet.”

Once he was able to stash his belongings, Melvin planned to find a place to play until he earned enough to buy a meal.

The celebration on M Street coincided with a bi-weekly encampment “clean-up” coordinated by the Office of the D.C. Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services.

As Street Sense Media previously reported, NoMa BID often assigns a crew to follow behind city workers to powerwash the underpasses after a cleanup occurs. On Nov. 8, one of the sidewalks in the L Street underpass was scheduled to be closed to begin construction of the second art installation, “Light Weave.”

The third is planned for the Florida Ave., NE underpass.

All three artistic light installations aim to address security concerns for pedestrians. Security cameras were also installed as part of the M Street project. Two million dollars of grant funding was set aside to complete the projects.

“I understand though,” Melvin said of the clean-ups that have been held every two weeks for the past two months. “It could be an eyesore, with all these new buildings going up.”

The clean-ups started early. But everyone camping in the area and willing to talk was prepared to move. “You get used to it,” multiple campers said independently.

Camp residents here and elsewhere have become accustomed to moving off-site when city crews come around, and returning the same day after the clean-up effort.

This practice was called into question Thursday. People living on First St. NE next to Union Station had moved their belongings away from the cleanup signs. But federal officers informed them the place they usually move it to is federal property. Their belongings couldn’t be there either.

They moved across the street, back on city property and waited to move back to the initial tent sites. It is illegal to live in a tent, car or other “temporary abode” on public lands in D.C. without express permission of the mayor. Rather than criminalize this activity with tickets or arrests, the city adheres to its clean-up protocol, which includes providing two weeks’ notice.

“To me it just seems like a way to make people feel uncomfortable every two weeks,” said another musician who frequently plays in the area and is friends with some of the campers.

The Bowser administration ramped up encampment enforcement just ahead of Thanksgiving 2015, during her first year in office. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services says it is challenging because many campers refuse services they are offered, including city shelters.

Some campers said it is challenging to trust others, including service providers who require perosnal infomration to do their work.

“I don’t trust nothing out here,” said Monica, a camp resident who Street Sense Media also interviewed during an October clean-up. Monica described the murder of a man living in the camp, a close friend, who was shot four times Halloween night.

“Right in front of the Postal Museum with all those cameras. And nobody knows what happened?” Monica said rhetorically. “People ask, ‘Do I want their help?’ No, I don’t.

I don’t trust anyone.”

—ericf@streetsensemedia.org

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NEWS

20 District agencies and the D.C. Council failed on the “Domestic Violence Report Card”

BY KATIE BEMB katie.bemb@streetsensemedia.org

A

survey of city agencies and three focus groups of more than 50 victims of domestic violence revealed a lack of domestic violence policies. Such policies address agency response when staff or community members are experiencing domestic violence.

Councilmembers Allen, Gray, Grosso, McDuffie, Nadeau and Silverman signed a letter requesting 22 District agencies join the D.C. Council in participating in the survey. The D.C. Housing Authority was the only agency that did not respond.

“When I was denied shelter, I asked the workers where I should go,” one survivor shared. “[The Department of Human Services] told me, ‘I don’t know, figure it out.’”

An estimated 39 percent of female residents in D.C. have been physically or sexually assaulted by an intimate partner, according to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey published in 2017.

The D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence, who conducted the

The criteria DCCADV used to evaluate agencies who participated in their survey. MPD’s was one of only two that received favorable reviews.

COURTESY OF THE D.C. COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

survey, recommended every agency have a domestic violence policy and mandatory training for employees.

The coalition developed the survey and grading rubric to uniformly assess how local agencies address such requests and inquiries.

Residents trying to navigate abusive relationships often turn to District agencies for assistance, including for services such as housing, protection and medical care. The coalition conducted this survey to assess how these entities guide their staff to respond to issues of domestic violence and provide appropriate services. They hope the data can be used to inform better policy citywide.

As agencies were filling out surveys, the coalition partnered with Bread for the City and So Others Might Eat in September to host survivor focus groups.

They encouraged participants to share their experience with local agencies and discuss how that agency could better support victims of domestic violence — both for their staff and their clients.

Survivor feedback is included throughout the report and focused on five agencies that participants had the most interaction with: D.C. Housing Authority, Department of Human Services, Metropolitan Police Department, Office of Unified Communications and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

“We have had interest from some agencies in receiving assistance in developing a DV Policy for their agency,” said Dawn Dalton, policy director for the D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “and we are happy to have gotten some inquiries from nonprofit partners about implementing a DV Policy in their organizations — linked more to their staff experiencing domestic violence.”

Victims of domestic violence are especially at risk of becoming homeless.

The D.C. Council Judiciary Committee fought to include a little more than $15 million in this year’s budget to provide housing supports for residents experiencing homelessness who are fleeing domestic violence. As part of this funding, there are an extra 957 units of permanent and transitional housing vouchers and subsidies for those at risk. Organizations are currently applying for this funding for their transitional housing programs, and those awards are anticipated to be distributed by Jan. 1, according

to Michelle Garcia, director of the D.C. Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants. The applications will go through a peer review process as well as an internal review process by OVSJG. “We try to make sure we put the resources with the people and organizations that we trust,” Allen said at an Oct. 31 release event for the coalition's report card.

Garcia also announced at the event that a District-wide domestic violence policy will go into effect on Jan. 1 based on best practices and centered on the needs of survivors. The policy, which was in the works prior to the release of the report card, addresses at domestic violence, as well as sexual assault and stalking.

“We very much view this as an opportunity to enhance our work,” Garcia said. “We know we can always do more.”

An estimated 39 % of female residents in D.C. have been physically or sexually assaulted by an intimate partner.

A list of the D.C. offices and departments that participated in the survey along with the D.C. Council.

COURTESY OF THE D.C. COALITION AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

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Lyft lobbies against tax to fund shelter beds in San Francisco, offers low-income scooter discount in D.C.

BY KIRA BARRETT kira.barrett@streetsensemedia.org

Lyft recently added 250 scooters to D.C. streets and plans to bring the number up to 400 in the near future. This addition brings the district’s dockless scooter count up to 2,000. While the scooters cost $1 to unlock and an additional 15 cents per minute of use, Lyft is offering a cheaper option for low-income residents.

For just $5 per month, residents who can show proof of government financial assistance can receive unlimited rides of 30 minutes or less on Lyft scooters. With rising Metro costs and data that suggest longer Metro wait times for poorer neighborhoods, scooters are an attractive option.

The Lyft “Community Pass” program launched last month and is available to area residents over age 18. Residents can apply online by entering their information and uploading a photo of a document that proves they qualify for a federal or state assistance program, such as Medicaid, SNAP, or a discounted utility bill. Lyft is the first brand of scooter in D.C. to offer this type of program.

“Access to transportation is an everyday necessity,” Lyft says on its website. “These emissions-free modes of transportation offer a greener alternative to car ownership or ridesharing.”

Competing dockless vehicle companies Bird, Lime, Skip and Spin offer similar lowincome options, according to a spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Transportation.

WMATA offers reduced fares for certain populations, but not every low-income resident can qualify. Those with disabilities, a Medicare ID, a government-issued photo ID,

PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO

elderly residents, and students from ages 5 to 21 can ride the Metro at discounted rates or even free fares in the case of elementary and high school students. The Lyft scooter would provide a cheaper method of transportation for those who don’t qualify for reduced fares and who are physically able to ride.

Last year, Metro fares increased with a 10 cent hike on peak fares and a 25 cent hike on off-peak fares. Researchers at the Washington Post also found transit times were longer in low-income areas, despite shorter distances from inner D.C. For instance, residents in Gaithersburg or Bethesda, 20 miles outside of city limits, can make it to the White House in about an hour using public transit, whereas residents much closer in areas just across the Anacostia River or in the southernmost tip of the District have a commute just as long despite being 13 miles closer. According to districtmobility.org, Ward 8 residents have some of the longest transit times — roughly 46 minutes to the White House.

According to Google Maps, this is longer than it would take to bike there. The drive time from the Ward 8 Farmers Market to the White House is only 26 minutes, in heavy traffic.

While Lyft’s scooter program provides an alternative for low-income residents, in San Francisco, Lyft just spent $100,000 to oppose a ballot initiative that would tax corporations with gross receipts more than $50 million (roughly .5 percent more) to fund 4,000 beds for homeless residents in the city. Tech companies have mixed positions on Prop. C; Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff

came out in support of the initiative, while Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is spending money to topple it. Because of Lyft’s opposition to Prop. C, some San Francisco residents are boycotting Lyft, once thought of as the more ethical rideshare app compared to Uber. Prop C passed overwhelmingly, but the city has put spending on hold until legal disputes around the vote are settled.

According to the San Francisco Examiner, Lyft has responded saying “We support Mayor [London] Breed, Senator [Scott] Wiener, and Assemblymember [David] Chiu in implementing approaches that most effectively address homelessness,” referring to the elected officials’ stance against Prop.

C, who believe the ballot initiative will jeopardize job opportunities in the city.

Both Lyft and Uber, which owns the Jump dockless bike brand, have a record of systematic discrimination against Black users, according to a transportation equity study conducted by the University of California’s Institute of Transportation Studies.The study showed Uber and Lyft drivers had a roughly 4 percent higher cancellation rate for Black passengers. However, both Lyft and Uber have a “zero-tolerance” discrimination policy.

On Nov. 5, the District Department of Transportation released new regulations for its dockless vehicles pilot program. The new rules will require dockless transportation companies to offer low-income pricing plans like what Lyft has already done. In addition, companies will now be required to offer cash-payment and non-smartphone options.

The new regulations also require scooters and bikes to be deployed to all eight wards every day by 6 a.m.

All dockless transportation providers in the city will need to comply with these regulations in order to operate in the district in 2019. The new guidelines reflect the goals for the program and aim to address complaints the department received regarding safety and equity, according to a DDOT press release.

While the new rules require companies to help low-income residents, they also increase the number of vehicles companies may provide from 400 to 600 and also allow that many vehicles per type — bicycle and scooter each — instead of a comprehensive vehicle limit per company. Despite the increase, this limit has received some pushback from providers, according to Greater Greater Washington. David Estrada, Bird’s head of government partnerships, sent a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser saying the new regulations “would render it impossible for any provider to serve the D.C. community and truly advance the shared mission of reducing short car trips,” as reported by DCist.

“Our decision to require operators to provide equitable distribution and access to dockless vehicles is consistent with Mayor Bowser’s commitment to ensuring that all residents have access to mobility options,” said the DDOT spokesperson in an e-mail. “We support this effort through the Capital Bikeshare system by offering organizations deeply discounted memberships for their clients.

Zachary Headings contributed reporting.

If you become homeless, it’s hard to know your rights or what services are available.

This online guide could help D.C. youth.

BY ZACHARY HEADINGS zachary.headings@streetsensemedia.org

One of the largest obstacles in the way of homeless youth — teens and young adults — everywhere is the lack of information.

Youth often don’t know about the resources available to them, resulting in missed opportunities and a longer struggle.

To help bridge the gap between youth experiencing homelessness and much-needed legal advice, law firm Baker McKenzie has partnered with Disney and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty to write the Homeless Youth Handbook for Washington, D.C., a mobile-friendly online resource.

Kee Cooper, a social worker and formerly a homeless youth in the District, said she wishes there had been a resource like this when she was struggling.

“The Homeless Youth Handbook meets youth where they are,” she said at a launch party for the D.C. handbook on October 23. She went on to state how important state-

specific resources are, as no two places have exactly the same policies regarding homelessness issues.

The Homeless Youth Handbook provides information translated from legalese into plain English. It addresses issues such as the different laws that apply to youth when they turn 18 years old to LGBTQ+ rights. Search functionality and a word cloud in each chapter makes finding information easy.

Baker McKenzie is working with local service providers to make sure youth know about this handbook. Posters are going up in shelters and the law firm is working to produce paper copies that will be distributed to resource providers across D.C. The first handbook was written in 2013 when Baker McKenzie partnered with Starbucks and Columbia Legal Services to write the Homeless Youth Handbook for Washington state. Since then, the law firm has partnered with multiple organizations across the country to write handbooks for youth in five states.

There are three more handbooks on the way, and research has started on a handbook for homeless youth in Canada.

“It’s such an easy thing to convince people to do,” said Scott Justice, assistant chief counsel for the Walt Disney Company at the D.C. handbook launch party. This is Disney’s second partnership with Baker McKenzie. The media conglomerate also had a hand in writing the Florida Homeless Youth Handbook in early 2018.

The Washington, D.C. Homeless Youth Handbook is not complete. A few chapters have missing information and some are completely blank, with a message from Baker McKenzie asking for additional content suggestions. Those with suggestions can email them to probono@bakermckenzie. com. Pro bono lawyers at Baker McKenzie plan to work with local resources to ensure that the handbook stays up to date and accurate.

“To end youth homelessness, we must be proactive, not reactive,” Cooper said.

The guide is available at www.homelessyouth.org/us/washington-dc.

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NEWS

D.C. government looks to family and friends to help people facing homelessness avoid shelter KIRA BARRETT kira.barrett@streetsensemedia.org

T

he District government is aiming to prevent up to 1,000 individuals from needing to rely on the shelter system in 2019. The Department of Human Services is funding a program to divert single adults from homeless shelters by reconnecting them with past networks, such as a former employer or housing with family or friends.

Limited financial assistance will be distributed through partner nonprofit service providers to help make these arrangements possible. D.C. Council maintained the $875,000 Mayor Bowser proposed for “prevention and diversion services” for individuals in the FY2019 budget. Potential uses include recurring transportation assistance to a job, one-time transportation assistance to get to a relative’s home farther away, an automotive repair, first month’s rent, and support to a host household to help with utilities or rent.

An initial appointment will be required to determine what services could be helpful.

Similar services have been implemented for homeless families since 2015, which DHS cites as a large contributor to the 38 percent decrease in families experiencing homelessness over the past two years. But this is the first program of its kind for adults who are on their own. It will target people who show up at a low-barrier shelter for the first time, or the first time after a long absence, and have no previous documentation of receiving assistance — and who remain at the shelter for a week or more and are not expected to “self-correct” or get out of the shelter without some help, according to DHS Senior Advisor for Family and Homeless Services Carter Hewgley. This program will also serve individuals returning from incarceration or who are aging out of the foster care system.

“Most resources go to the most vulnerable people: people with a disability, mental illness, long-term homelessness, etc. This flips that model on its head,” Hewgley said.

D.C. government uses a system called “coordinated entry” to prioritize the most medically vulnerable people to be matched to appropriate housing placements first. But the city’s 5-year strategic plan to make homelessness “rare, brief and nonrecurring,” first published in 2015, also emphasizes that prevention efforts are essential to reduce homelessness and intervene early to prevent a person’s health from deteriorating and their situation from becoming increasingly complex to resolve.

The importance of this goal was driven home by data analysis from the 2018 Point-inTime Count of the local homeless community

INFOGRAPHIC FROM THE HOMEWARD D.C. STRATEGIC PLAN

that was presented at a July 3 full meeting of the full D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness “That’s a lot of information and we wanted to try and pull out the ‘so what,’ — what do we do with all of this information?” said ICH Director Kristy Greenwalt as the meeting came to a close.

“At the very highest level, the good news is the majority of people we house through our continuum of care programs are remaining stably housed,” Greenwalt said. “The notso-good news is that very few people are self-resolving … So, once people are in our system, they are pretty much in until we help them out with a resource.”

For families experiencing homelessness, this work is called “diversion.” All families seeking shelter apply for it through the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center and and are first referred to the prevention program to try and identify alternatives.

However, there is no application process for the low-barrier shelter system available to individuals because instead of a family receiving a secure room of their own that is available 24/7, individuals line up daily for bed space for a single night.

“And we’re not trying to change that or put up barriers to shetler.” Hewgley said.

“So, we’re calling it ‘rapid exit.’ It will target people that have been there for one week.”

The homeless prevention program for families works a lot on diversion and mediation, according to Tanisha Schlechtriem, who manages the family prevention program at Wheeler Creek Community Development Corporation. “We look at the broader aspect, rather than just put a band-aid over it,” Schlechtriem said. “What caused you to become homeless? Is this going to happen again in two months? We try to identify how we can prevent this from being recurring.”

Everything is case-by-case and financial assistance is not always offered. If it is, the payment is a one-time intervention.

Schlechtriem and the other program

managers focus on maximizing existing community resources — some that clients may not be aware of — and developing a strategy for how to achieve a more stable economic situation. This could include learning how to build credit and addressing an eviction record or outstanding debt that may be holding the family back.

The program treats staying in a shelter as a last resort. After the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center determines a family is eligible for services, the prevention program has gone as far as expediting Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds to deliver to a landlord on the day an eviction is scheduled — provided a plan can be developed for the family to keep up with the rent, and an agreement brokered with any third party that may be necessary to do so.

DHS is still drafting the final “rapid-exit” model for individuals. The current plan is that after a candidate for the program is identified at the shelter, they can schedule an appointment with a diversion expert at a DHS daytime service center and take a shuttle from the shelter to their appointment The diversion experts will be trained in the Cleveland Mediation Center model, which has been developed and tested by the center since it was founded in 1981. The organization now provides training nationwide, including for programs in Seattle and Los Angeles.

According to Hewgley, the conversations will help individuals “brainstorm creatively and be open to creative ideas to help get past survival mode.” The diversion experts will collaborate with participants to identify times when they supported others and networks or individuals that may be able to help with income or housing. The diversion expert will also inquire as to the client’s goals: do they want to permanently reunite with friends and family? Return to their own residence? Seek a safe place out of town? After identifying the desired outcome, DHS will intervene.

In every case, this financial aid will be small-denomination, and temporary. Any

recurring financial help for individuals will end after six months. In a meeting of the D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness, advocates expressed fear of individuals falling back into the shelter system after six months, when the aid ends.

According to the draft program, DHS would technically still consider a participant falling into homelessness after six months a “success.”

Any length of time between episodes of homelessness less than three months will be considered unsuccessful, while anything above three months would rank from “moderately” to “highly” successful. The program managers have yet to decide whether individuals can participate in the program twice.

One advocate in attendance at the meeting worried about placing additional economic strains on a host household that may already be struggling.

“We do understand that some people who have lived in deep poverty may be afraid of seeking help from friends or family members because they don’t want to become a burden or risk for those people,” said Jean-Michel Giraud, president and CEO of Friendship Place. Giraud has led the nonprofit housing provider since 2006. Friendship Place has embraced the Housing First model in partnership with DHS and provides an array of housing and employment solutions.

“There is often a pattern of people moving on instead of seeking help [from their friend or family member] if there are barely enough resources in the household,” Giraud said in an interview. A number of people experiencing homelessness, and more recently, trainers from the Supporting Partnerships for AntiRacist Communities initiative, have brought this path to homelessness to Giraud’s attention over the years.

In addition to financial assistance, Hewgley said D.C. will go much further than other jurisdictions in preparing a host household for a new member by requiring everyone involved to talk and sign a contract of expectations ahead of time, in hopes of avoiding problems later on.

The rapid exit program is expected to be rolled out in January. DHS is finalizing the model and is soliciting applications through Nov. 16 for nonprofit partners to provide the financial assistance.

“A diversion outcome could be an individual who is placed with their cousin and [Project Reconnect] is providing extra money for rent for the first three months. Or it could mean a person becomes a roommate with their friend and [the program] is providing gift cards for groceries and money for utilities,” Hewgley said. “We’re willing to be really creative.”

For more info on the DHS request for applications for program partners, visit bit.ly/ProjectReconnect (the capital “P” and “R” matter)

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

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AT A GLANCE

CELEBRATING SUCCESS

Marcus McCall, a mentor in the making

BY GREGORY ADAMS gregory@streetsensemedia.org

A

s a five-year-old, Marcus McCall often spent his nights wandering the streets of D.C. asking strangers for money. His mother, a drug addict who used while she was pregnant with him, would use the cash he collected to fund her habit.

“I was taught to panhandle before I even learned how to read or write,” he remembers. “Who is going to turn down a hungry child at two, three in the morning? To my surprise, I was just helping my mother get her next fix, not to feed me.”

The instability and trauma of Marcus’ early life sent him down a meandering path through the foster care system, drug addiction and homelessness. Now 29, he’s hoping his story can help young kids coming up in similar situations.

“I want to be a great mentor. I believe my voice can be heard in so many ways that can change young people’s lives. I needed a coach when I was a child. I found the wrong coach.”

The death of Marcus’ grandmother left him alone with his mother, ending any semblance of parental care. City authorities charged his mother with neglect and he was taken from her custody and placed in D.C.’s foster care system. After a period of living with a foster family, the city placed with an aunt, her young-adult children, and

her grandchildren. This environment brought a new element into his life—by age eight, he was using marijuana. His drug usage worsened in high school.

“I started using drugs more often on my own to deal with my little cousins teasing me,” Marcus remembers. “I became a loner. I used to write poetry and cut myself. Pain was my pleasure. My life was in shambles.”

It was during this period that the city initiated another neglect case on his behalf because his aunt was sent to prison on drug charges. From that point, he lived in a series of group-homes for boys age 14 to 18 who had become wards of the city.

Marcus’ last placement was in a program designed to provide youths in the city’s care with the tools needed for a smooth transition to adulthood. Yet, as happens to many youths in his situation, Marcus found himself with no material resources or family structure once he aged out of the system. He has been homeless ever since his emancipation.

“The streets were always in my face, before the school books,” he says, “so it was kind of hard for me to grab onto something productive, to try to switch over to something that was constructive in my life.”

“I was very rebellious. I didn’t take the opportunity to grasp the opportunities offered to my peers. I wasn’t aware of the programs that were out there for kids when they’re emancipated.”

At Street Sense Media, he found a platform to share his story and inspire those younger than him. Marcus, who grew up wanting to be a nurse, “always wanted to help people.”

“Right now, I believe it’s on me to get out there and share my story so that someone younger does not become homeless and a victim of the streets.”

As for now, he knows he also needs to help himself. He’s getting some assistance from a local social service agency that’s been attempting to establish his eligibility for Supplemental Security Income, income he hopes will help him get housing. From there he hopes to get his GED and go to college.

With panhandling behind him, Marcus looks back with clarity at his life. When asked what keeps him from being drawn back into the streets, he returns to his new role as a storyteller.

“I wanted an opportunity to share my craft. Now, I get a chance to do something positive, to actually share. I’m just glad to have Street Sense Media to give me the opportunity to change.”

Read more about Marcus,’s story, in his own words, in his essay on page 9.

Artist/Vendor Anthony Crawford, right, discusses his work with Street Sense Media board member Reed Sandridge, left.

SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF FACEBOOK.COM/HEARTTHREADSDOCS

Anthony Crawford’s work as a Second Story Cards card creator was featured in a HeartThreads documentary with company founder Reed Sandridge.

BIRTHDAYS Andre Brinson Nov. 9 ARTIST/VENDOR

Eric Thompson-Bey Nov. 22 ARTIST/VENDOR

ACCOMPLISHMENTS Dele Akerejah

Led a workshop for Art Enables ahead of an opening at Off-Rhode Gallery 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

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ART

COMBINED ILLUSTRATIONS BY ZAYLIN AND JAYLAN // CHILDREN’S STUDIO SCHOOL.

How do children comprehend homelessness?

T

his fall, Children’s Studio School teamed up with Housing On Merit at Fort Chaplin Park to provide after school sessions to young children in the community. Led by artist/ educator Courtney Dowe, the sessions were devoted to understanding homelessness and poverty through music, movement, visual and literary art forms.

Children’s Studio School was founded in 1977 as an experimental full-day school for very young children taught by highlydeveloped artists/educators. Having lost it’s home, Studio School has taken its programs “on the Go Go” to children with the greatest needs, wherever they are. Housing on Merit has been hosting Children’s Studio School’s programs. HOM is a nonprofit “co-developer” that aims to “connect vulnerable populations to permanent affordable housing” and “build communities where residents can access support services and growth opportunities,” according to the company’s website. Sixty-nine percent of the housing units at Fort Chaplin Park are designated as affordable.

Studio School’s programs at HOM have emphasized investigation, experimentation and social consciousness, according to founder/president, Marcia McDonell. This collection of thoughts and creative expressions combines the work of six students, ages 5-11, working with Ms. Dowe.

I will build you a house. Every day I’ll buy you fresh food. I will buy you anything you want if you don’t have nothing to eat.

— Jaylan

If somebody says “you’re homeless,” or laughs at you — just don’t listen to them. Just walk away.

— Zenay ILLUSTRATION BY ZAYLIN // CHILDREN’S STUDIO SCHOOL

When I see a homeless person, I will help. I will give them $1,000,000,000.

—Zaylin

Your heart is money and nobody can take that.

— Maynard

ILLUSTRATION BY ZAYLIN // CHILDREN’S STUDIO SCHOOL

Trying to get that grind up.

Trying to get that mind up.

Don’t let people take you down.

Love you all. ” — Raynard

How do I have no freedom?

I feel alone.

My heart is cracked with no freedom.

The freedom doesn’t remember me.

I am out of this world.

I believe in myself.

To find the freedom I’m always looking for, I’m not giving up.

— Solomon

ILLUSTRATION BY SOLOMON // CHILDREN’S STUDIO SCHOOL

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 9

Don't look so hard at my past, I don't live there anymore

BY MARCUS MCCALL Artist/Vendor

W

ho am I? I’m a 29-year-old African American born in Washington, D.C. I was taught to panhandle before I even learned how to read or write. Learned how to con a man or a woman out of their hard-earned dollars.

Who is going to turn down a hungry child at two or three in the morning? For me, it was easy, at the age of five, sticking your little hand out and asking for change. But to my surprise, I was just helping my mother get her next fix. Not to feed me, but to get her high.

I saw my mother do things for money like sell herself and sell her food stamps, while I stood there not knowing really what was going on. Even at a young age, seeing what my mom was doing, I felt it was wrong.

My grandmother and my mother used to argue to keep my young a** in the house after hours. But it was like I was my mom’s golden key to the streets, for her high and for her safety. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment around Mayfair Mansions. I shared the room with my grandmother and my mom slept in the living room on the couch. We were like families back in the day: broke and poor, living off of stamps.

Around 1995, the city was hooked on crack and most neighborhoods were selling crack to take care of their families. My mom was a smoker and a heavy alcoholic.

When I was born in ‘89, my mother was using while I was in her womb. It amazes me today. “Boy, I was high and drunk with you in my stomach,” she told me. “I had you on the curb of Minnesota Ave., between the gas station and the fire department.”

In ‘96, my grandmother passed away from cancer and my mother lost custody of me. I became a ward of the state due to a case of neglect.

I soon met my first foster parent, Mrs. Jumper. She was a crossing guard for Kimball Elementary School and had two kids of her own that attended the same school with me.

She was very abusive to me because I used to cry a lot for my mother and grandmother. I also caught her doing things I was not supposed to see at a young age. So she probably thought I was going to tell my social worker what I saw.

After I did guardianship with the Jumper family, I was placed in kinship care through Child and Family Services.

At the time, my caseworker got in contact with various family members and, to my surprise, no one wanted to take me in.

My uncles and aunts all said “no,” except for my mother’s oldest sister.

Aunt Evonne took me in and moved me to uptown, Georgia Ave., around Park Rd. There, I met my cousins LaKesha, Bernard and LaKendra.

They were all young adults,18 and older. LaKesha had two kids of her own at the time, both of whom are very successful in their young lives today. I still don’t know why my other family members turned away.

I ask myself, “What did my mother do to them that makes them not want her child?”

I was introduced to marijuana at the age of 6 or 8, after I met

my first cousins and my aunt’s son, KJ. That was my first introduction into the world of drugs.

We moved near North Capitol St. in ‘97. That’s where I learned how to read and write. Lakesha and my aunt found out I had an educational problem and a mental health problem due to my mother’s drug use. I also had dyslexia, asthma and a whole lof of issues that still need to be addressed today.

The next year, Aunt Evonne went to prison on drug charges and was sentenced to 20 years. Her apartment got raided and KJ moved in with his sister and us. My aunt told her kids to keep the family together. After that, things started to go downhill.

LaKesha did her best to raise me and her brother. But in 2005, during my sophomore year of high school, Child and Family Services opened up another case of neglect and abuse.

I started to use drugs more often on my own to deal with my little cousins teasing me for not being good at reading or math. They would tell their friends, “Oh, he can’t read and he don’t know eight times four.” So I used. I became a loner. I wrote poetry and cut myself. Pain was pleasure. My life was in shambles.

I started working for a nonprofit organization that helps kids in foster care, The Young Women’s Project. It was my first summer job, paying $7.50 an hour, part-time. And it turned into a real job during the winter. I was a part of the Allowance Campaign, where I met D.C. councilmembers who I believed approved of providing an allowance directly to youth in foster care, such as Tommy Wells, Vincent Orange and Vincent Gray. The foster care system provides money for youth in care, but it is/was very easy for their guardian to misuse that money for anything else.

As I got older, I realized I needed to give up the streets for a better education and a better me. As a young man, my goals are now to stop chasing fast money, complete school and go to college to become a nurse.

My goals motivate me to be greater than past situations.

I have experienced many setbacks and successes in my life.

I have had to repeat classes, which I eventually passed, as well as go to rehab at a young age so I could get over my own drug problem. My successes have led me to a better life and a smarter me. I contribute to my successes by trying to do something constructive every day. These constructive activities include doing chores, looking for a job and helping others.

My past has taught me how to be a stronger and wider man. I won a poetry contest, worked at my first job at The Young Women’s Project and worked with first-time youth offenders. I’m grateful for my progress because I used to always doubt myself about everything.

Now, I believe that any and everything is achievable.

I hope my story can show other people and foster youth that they are not the only ones struggling.

We foster youth have to believe that if there’s a will, there’s a way.

There’s a lot I still have to achieve. But at least I have made it this far in my life. If I can do it, so can you.

COLLAGE BY SYBIL TAYLOR

Happy Thanksgiving!

BY SYBIL TAYLOR // Artist/Vendor

This will be four years without my dad during the holidays.

My family keeps a reserved seat in his honor. Dad, we love you and miss you.

He will again be with us in spirit, enjoying the football games, the Macy’s parade and the smell of the turkey and stuffing baking in the oven.

But what if, this time, we joined Dad in Heaven for Thanksgiving? In his new home, mansion and paradise. What a beautiful place. We would all be invited: myself, my two sisters, my brother, sister-in-law, my niece, my mom, my best friend and her boyfriend. We would all dress up and be overjoyed about such a visit.

The Lord would arrive at Mom’s house around 6 a.m. I’m sure the flight to heaven would be really long. We would take the escalator up a beyond the clouds and the sky.

We would enter Heaven’s tall golden gates as two angels played beautiful songs on the flute. Songs like “I’ll Be Loving You Always” by Stevie Wonder, “Jesus Promised Me A Home Over There” by Jennifer Hudson and “I’m Going Away” by Walter Hawkins. And there would be an aroma of frankincense and myrrh.

Tears would fill our eyes with joy as we waited for Dad. And we’d see a lot of our loved ones that have passed on: Dad’s family, Mom’s family. My father would look good: young and fresh in a beautiful gold robe with a halo glowing bright over his head. With a peaceful smile and beautiful white angel wings, he would hug us all.

“I am free, and cancer-free,” he would say.

We would spend most of the day asking him questions and enjoying his company, before sharing in the the biggest Thanksgiving feast in the world.

There would be music, birds and water you could walk on that is as clear as glass. The beautiful sight would make us not want to come back. But when the day was done, we would walk back to the golden gates to kiss and hug and say farewell.

Dad, we love you, always, with tears. Peace to all on this day.

COLLAGE BY SYBIL TAYLOR

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OPINION

Action, No Action: Bathrooms should be public

BY ANONYMOUS

I’ve seen law enforcement officers more frequently compelling homeless people to leave Franklin Park and the Georgetown waterfront over public urination infractions. I’m sure those aren’t the only places where this is happening.

It’s hard to know if this is any one law enforcement agency in the most policed city in the country; we have the Secret Service, Metropolitan Police Department, Metro Transit Police, U.S. Park Police, Natural Resource Police and private security in “special police” uniforms and others. And it’s hard to tell if this is a department-wide directive that some are less stringent about enforcing, or if a couple individuals have taken it upon themselves to justify their presence in the parks.

While this kind of policing is a strain on the lives of people who have no alternatives of where to live and thus, where to relieve themselves, the problem is not law enforcement. It is the lack of alternatives for those in need.

It’s unfair for McDonalds and Starbucks to be the de facto solution for so many in need of a restroom. All fast food or fast casual restaurants, cafes, stores or service organizations should provide public restrooms during their operating hours. More port-a-potties could also help meet this need.

These changes aren’t specifically for people experiencing homelessness; they are for anyone that needs to relieve themselves. It’s a public health issue.

There are admittedly individuals who may disrupt an

A port-a-potty with a padlock on the door.

PHOTO BY GWYNETTE SMITH, ARTIST/VENDOR

establishment. But theft, vandalism, and intimidation or harassment are committed by people regardless of housing status. Those individuals should be addressed on a case-by-case basis, not with a blanket policy. And more health resources are needed for individuals who may struggle with severe mental illness.

Regulations stipulate that when parks and other public spaces are reserved for demonstrations and events, a certain number of port-a-potties must be provided. Restaurants and offices are also required to

provide a certain number of facilities, depending on their capacity. Why can’t this be done in places like Franklin Park? And why is this not required at places like the Georgetown waterfront? Tour buses dump loads of people by the fountains there at the bottom of Wisconsin Avenue daily. It’s nonstop. Elders, kids and everyone in between. Hundreds at a time, especially on warm days.

Should public restrooms be required there? Most of the businesses close early.

I’m on medication that makes me have to “go” more frequently. If I need to be a customer every time I need to use the facilities, we’re talking $40 or $50 a day. I’ll often avoid drinking liquids because they go right through me.

But that can lead to dehydration, which causes a whole other set of problems. This is an issue I face because of a medical condition, as do many other people. My homelessness just complicates the challenge.

I found myself near the Georgetown waterfront with no other options one day and had to find a concealed location in some bushes to relieve myself. I was lucky no officer saw me. Until better alternatives are made available, this basic bodily function should not be criminalized.

The preamble of the Constitution states that this country will “insure domestic tranquility” and “promote the general welfare” for its citizens. You can’t do that by telling someone they cannot use the bathroom.

The author is the an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

My friendly advice to house Democrats

BY JEFFERY MCNEIL

Congratulations, Democrats, on winning the House. I hope Democrats can expand their majority and reach out to those that haven’t supported them. I hope Democrats find areas where they can work with President Trump — such as criminal justice reform, lowering healthcare costs and infrastructure — rather then bogging down the nation with prolonged investigations and impeachment talks that will surely fail in the Senate.

Hopefully, Democrats realize that the “Blue Wave” ran into a Red Wall. Unprecedented amounts of money from New York and California was used to influence the will of the voters, yet the candidates who hugged the likes of Barack Obama and Hollywood celebrities lost.

U.S. Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke of Texas had the backing of Hollywood and was defeated. What won the day was local politics.

I believe America needs two healthy parties instead of the party of Trump. I will let sane, sober Democrats who are not on the far left in on a secret. There are many conservatives who care about the poor and healthcare and who want to fix our broken immigration system. I want poor people to get out of poverty instead of being mired in it. I believe healthcare should be treated as a product instead of pushing one-size-fits-all solutions.

Hopefully, Democrats will find their own President Trump: someone who thinks outside the system, takes on the media and isn’t beholden to big donors. I think Michael Moore, Alec Baldwin or Dwayne Johnson would

give Trump competition. If Democrats go with Cory Booker or Kamala Harris, Trump will win in a landslide.

As long as Democrats are slaves to Hollywood, George Soros and the Clinton/Obama machine, they will continue to lose. I hope the Democratic party heeds my warnings.

I would like them to control one branch of government.

However, it’s disheartening that some Democrats don’t know how to concede gracefully. Whenever Democrats lose elections, they blame everything except themselves.

It’s always Russian bots, voter suppression or racism.

My advice to Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum is to concede! You lost not because of racism or voter suppression, but because the people rejected your ideas.

While some will play the race card, facts are that Ron DeSantis, who ran against Gillum, won 44 percent of the Latino vote and 14 percent of the Black vote, despite the fact his opponent is Black. Brian Kemp ran against Abrams, who is also Black, yet won votes from 75 percent of White women, 37 percent of Latinos and an impressive 11 percent of Black men, according to CNN exit polls.

The people of Florida and Georgia were not impressed with Oprah and Barack Obama. Many Hispanics and other minorities realize that conservative policies work. Florida and Georgia have no state taxes, great economies and plenty of jobs. Many people who have great jobs and decent healthcare aren't interested in radical progressive policies that will turn their states into New York and California.

Waves crashing against a wall.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PUBLICDOMAINPICTURES.NET

Economist Thomas Sowell once said, “There are no solutions, only trade offs.” D.C. has many social programs, extensive regulations and extreme poverty rates, while the South has fewer services but a lower cost of living. The truth is that many Black, Hispanic and elderly people are fleeing high tax states such as New York and migrating to the South.

Hopefully, the influx of new Democrats elected in states such as Kansas and Oklahoma like winning elections instead of being beholden to the New York and California interests that have ran the Democrats into the ground.

Hopefully, these new Democrats move back to breadand-butter politics and centrist policies and diminish the power of California and New York.

Jeffery McNeil is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media who also writes for the Washington Examiner.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

/ / 11

“How High?”: Rules for homeless people miss the mark

BY JASON SAUNDERS

If you frequent Washington D.C.’s homeless services, you learn one lesson very, very quickly: The leadership has all the authority, and the clients have none of it. When the leadership yells “jump,” we have little choice but to respond “how high?”

Why? Because, unfortunately, our lives depend on it.

I’ve been dependent on the area’s homeless services for about six months now. During this time, I have been constantly amazed at the number of rules that I have to follow. There are rules that govern every little thing we do: rules about when we talk, how we talk, how we dress, when we wake up, when we go to sleep, when we take showers, when we use the bathroom, what bathrooms we can use, what bathrooms we can’t use, when we eat, what we eat, where to walk, where not to walk, where to sit and even how to sit.

I’m not exaggerating here when I say we are constantly — and, I mean, constantly — subject to somebody’s rules. We usually don’t know when the rules were made, who made them or even why they were made. But we do know this: You gotta follow them.

What kills me about the rules is they’re so often arbitrary.

Let me give you two examples.

1. At a low barrier shelter I frequent, there’s a “no smoking under the gazebo” rule. I always thought this rule didn’t make much sense because, well, smoke doesn’t know the difference between inside and outside of the gazebo.

If you’re standing outside the gazebo, your cigarette smoke can easily make its way inside the gazebo and vice-versa. If the goal of the rule was to protect people’s lungs inside the gazebo, then it has failed. Folks inside the gazebo are still exposed to cigarette smoke.

2. At this same low barrier shelter, there’s a 10 o’clock bedcheck rule. They check your bed at 10 p.m. and then every hour afterward. I’m not sure what makes 10 o’clock such a special hour, but the idea that you need to be in your bed over the course of the night in case someone checks is absurd. It’s not even about making sure you’re in your bed over the course of the night. It’s about making sure you’re in your bed when someone checks. What if I need to run outside for an hour or two?

Or what if I’m in the shower or need to pee when the guards tour my dorm? Why do I need to de-prioritize my own needs as a living thing in order to make room for the leadership’s authority over my life? Why is their ability to control my life more important than life itself?

Now, there are folks out there who will make the valid point that rules serve a purpose. And I understand the purpose of both examples I provided. The first rule wants to keep folks safe from secondhand smoke. The second one wants to make sure

that folks are actually using the beds they’ve been assigned.

These are important and noble goals. No doubt. Nobody is out here making rules for the sake of making rules. I mean, I guess there are those people out there, but I don’t think that’s the case for most leaders.

But here’s my issue: At the end of the day, the function of all rules should be to protect our humanity.

Just like federal law trumps state law, I would argue that the obligation to protect our humanity trumps all other functions of rules. If rules aren’t protecting our essential human rights, the right to live and thrive as human beings, then they aren’t rules worth keeping or following.

As it stands now, the rules turn those of us who depend on the city’s homeless services from human beings into something closer to slaves.

Each and every day, the city’s homeless are expected to follow rules that gives someone — or a group of someones — more and more control over our lives. This point becomes glaringly clear when you try to say “no” to a rule.

I’ve learned from personal experience that your options are pretty limited here: You either follow the rules or you leave. If you refuse to leave, than you’re banned. If you still refuse to leave, the police will be called and you’ll be charged with trespassing. You need to follow the rules each day — even if you disagree with them — or you can be banned and, if you’re banned, then it becomes a hell of a lot harder to get your human needs met.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have rules. I believe that rules are often an important and necessary way to solve problems. But, as James Baldwin writes, the “law is meant to be my servant, not my master, my torturer, and my murderer” I agree with this sentiment. The rules should be there to enable fuller expressions of our human will, they should be there to protect and preserve our humanity, not to force us into a slavelike existence. I should be able to say “no.” I should always be meaningfully able to say “no.”

How do we accomplish this goal? I think all homeless service providers should have a conflict-resolution process. By this I mean, there should be some process in place to allow clients to safely say “no.” For example, we could have clients who don’t agree with a rule schedule a sit-down with staff where they can discuss the disagreement and come to a just resolution.

The key here is that we shouldn’t have to submit to the rule before this discussion. It shouldn’t be the case that I have to submit to a rule before I can contest the value of that rule. If I

Pros and cons of Social Security

BY LEVESTER GREEN

My biggest help in my homeless state is Social Security. But it's a two-edged sword.

The income isn't quite enough to rent a traditional apartment, which can cause homelessness due to its high costs. The flipside is that once you're on the streets, you are kind of living like a king.

The Social Security system does help way more than it hurts. However, even if you budget well, it's still not enough to keep people off the street.

Levester Green is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media who also covers local sports for BallerTV.

have to submit to a rule in order to be heard, then we haven’t solved the problem of how the staff and leadership’s unilateral authority squashes our spirits. Another idea is to allow clients to call for a vote. If there’s a disagreement, the client could ask for a vote, even an impromptu vote depending on the issue, and the results of that vote could be used to resolve conflict.

These are just two examples, and I’m sure there are many, many more out there. The point is our homeless service providers need to create procedures that shift authority to the clients. I’m tired of being sent to suggestion boxes when I have an issue or disagreement. The providers are not obligated to listen to our suggestions or take them seriously. Like all suggestions, they can take ‘em or leave ‘em.

The leadership needs to constantly ask themselves “how can I shift authority back to the people who I serve? How can I make sure the consumers have a genuine, ongoing say in how things are run?” It shouldn’t be the case that I’m made to feel like “the rules are the rules, and that’s the way it goes.”

Now some of the folks reading this will say “but, wait can’t you vote in local elections and use those elections to hold the leadership accountable?” Well, yes and no. First of all, it would require us to have the ear of candidates and elected officials in order to get our issues on their radar. And, unfortunately, the homeless are not an influential voting bloc. There are people who are worried about the “homeless problem,” but it’s rarely the “homeless” themselves.

It’s generally powerful business interests or other constituents who want to “clean up our streets.” They don’t have the basic, day-to-day issues we face in the shelters in mind.

Second of all, it would mean that we would have to wait for another election cycle before we could get immediate issues addressed. It’s unreasonable to expect folks who have very complicated, very volatile lives to solve immediate issues through a process that wasn’t designed with our lifestyles in minds. I’m not worried about the next election cycle when I have to deal with not being able to eat because my shelter changed the feeding times without notice.

It’s time our providers stop creating rules to govern us and start making rules to empower us. If we’re truly committed to creating a safety net that protects our lives, then that safety net needs to have our ability to disagree in mind.

As it stands now, the rules turn those of us who depend on the city’s homeless services from human beings into something closer to slaves.

Jason Saunders is a Street Sense Media contributor.

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

- Want to share firsthand experience?

- Interested in responding to what someone else has written?

Street Sense Media has maintained an open submission policy since our founding. We aim to elevate voices from across the housing spectrum and foster healthy debate.

Please send submissions to opinion@streetsensemedia.org.

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ART REVIEW: Annie Finch’s work between the worlds

BY COURTNEY DOWE Artist/Vendor

We Can Make a Change

BY RON DUDLEY, A.K.A. “POOKANU” Artist/Vendor

We can make a difference, we can make a change I know it's hard girl, ‘cause I feel your pain Look into my eyes, I know you wanna cry Just lift your head up high, and baby you can fly You ain't gotta cry, just open your eyes ‘Cause this world is full of whos, whats, whens and whys Everyday life is like a sudden surprise and your three babies’ fathers always telling you lies Your best friend’s son and your daughter favor Now you stripping, use’ta be about the Lord and Savior Look at your neighbors — they even respect you more For a dollar, you got all the brothers calling you “whore” But I see something, a scared sister at birth Who really wants to change, for all it’s worth You can count on me — take my hand, let's pray The only man you depending on is God today Don't cry, lift your head up high All you gotta do is believe and you can fly I know he said that he always care Looked you in your eyes and said he'd always there Then he left you sister, just like the others Who’s the blame for this pain? Was it a punch from a brother?

I know you cold, here take this cover Wipe the tears from your eyes ‘cause there's no need to suffer You gotta stay strong ‘cause a change gonna come You a queen, what that means is you’re number one Always remember to remind yourself Iif you reach deep within, you can find yourself Don't cry, just lift your head up high Look into my eyes and baby you can fly Lift up your hand, sister, reach for a star And if you open your mind, you can reach for tommar’ Just remember, don't be scared to fail Take the good with the bad, go ahead, exhale No more watin’ — just follow the light Never give up on your dreams and always follow what's right It's a feeling that you can't deny ‘Cause it comes from the heart — go ahead, just try.

We can make a difference, we can make a change I know it’s hard girl, ‘cause I feel your pain Look into my eyes, I know you wanna cry Just lift your head up high, and baby you can fly

Many people believe the veil between the worlds is most thin around this time of year. Even if I did not already hold that view, I would have fully agreed with it by the time I left “Poems, Spells, Curses: A Halloween Poetry Performance with Annie Finch.”

The event’s power came as much from the talent of the acclaimed poet herself as from the context in which it took place. LaPop Cultural Salon in Adams Morgan is a hidden jewel of a venue — but the context of which I speak is broader still. Within the handful of days leading up to the performance, Annie Finch endured the loss of her sister, Dabney Finch, and the passing of her mentor and teacher, Ntozaki Shange. The latter, a world-renowned poet and visionary, had planned to attend Annie’s poetry reading Monday night.

It is unlikely anyone would have expected Annie to be able to perform in the wake of such recent and profound emotional devastation. Throughout the day I checked online for any sign of event cancellation.

But as I entered the candlelit atmosphere of the underground cultural salon, there she stood.

Annie Finch is described by the Dictionary of Literary Biography as “one of the central figures in Contemporary American poetry,” so as you might expect, the performance was brilliant. The self-described “poetry witch” invoked the presence of her most recent and honored ancestors and invited audience members to do the same. The five directions were acknowledged and, with ceremonial urgency, words of power emanated from the muchhonored poetess. Her regal, jade-colored cape cascaded to the floor as she enchanted us all, seen and unseen. We traveled between the worlds and the words, between verse and spell and womanprotecting curse. I was reminded that even if we cannot always have the reality we want, we can, at least, imagine it.

For all of the mystical elements of my experience that evening, the most miraculous part to me is that Annie Finch managed to be there at all. In a time when the world has so much cause to grieve, the most crucial lesson of all may be how to stand in the midst of our loss and dare to live creatively, even as we mourn.

Annie Finch is currently leading a six-week poetry workshop on Monday nights at LaPop Cultural Salon in Adams Morgan.

The Crane of Damocles

BY FREDERIC JOHN // Artist/Vendor

Over the heads of sleeping Georgetown Hangs the rusting crane of Damocles When will the engine start again?

A question pondered by many women and men.

This pendulum of doom Shadows our rooms Much as the huge elephant in the parlor Dressed in ill-fitting suit With such ghastly Pallor!

A crane has loomed over Georgetown’s low skyline since construction stopped where the Marbury Hotel and Citronelle used to be, near 30th and M Streets, NW. Maybe a more benevolent aura in the halls of post-election Congress will spill over and cause neighbors to be more charitable toward one another, including property owners and the people they build amongst.

Bathrooms for all

Restroom discrimination

BY MICHAEL DANIELS // Artist/Vendor

BY LATICIA BROCK // Artist/Vendor

It would help all our citizens if D.C. Council and Mayor Bowser established public bathrooms in the city. Many people are sick and cannot always control themselves. I am one of them.

I am a diabetic and I cannot hold my urine for very long. That means I have to get off the bus a lot. That also means I have to go between cars, on the side of trees, in alleys and in many other places where I don’t want to.

If we had public bathrooms, people in my situation would not have to urinate in the open, and thus would not have to feel embarrassed or ashamed because they are sick.

Public bathrooms will make the city cleaner and healthier. So, let’s build them now!

Showers should be an equal right.

Feeling and smelling good makes healthy decisions bright.

I’m bouncing and bobbing, while wearing gloves.

Why can’t my homeless people use Dove?

It would make me feel better, if I had a simple shower.

Then my mental state would be stronger.

Now, can I get a job cleaning the bathrooms?

Because I remember the day when I needed a wash-up.

And a lady was in the bathroom doing her makeup.

She complained to the Amtrak attendant.

I couldn’t even finish getting freshened up.

I felt bad and said, “Your makeup is messed up.”

Now, I got a legal bar notice attached to my chest!

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

Treading the Waters, Part 11

BY GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor

When we were last with Gerald, he was a young man hustling in the neighborhoods of New Orleans with his best friend, Gregory. Greg’s father was trying to keep the boys out of trouble, but they had other plans...

Greg’s dad was trying to stop us from hanging out. Even though he was supposed to be telling us to stop the thing he knew we was doing, me and Greg had been running together as best friends. We was hearing his father, but at the same time we wouldn’t want to hear that crap. We just think about us.

And then, most times, we’d just sit out and think about how he was beating us. So, if you want us to do something, you do something for us.

One time me and Greg went in the Garden District.

Like y’all in D.C. call Georgetown, we call it the Garden District. That’s where people like big movie stars come.

Peyton Manning, Angela Hill, Redd Foxx, any one of them big shots that come through there. It rich folks, rich folks, real real rich folks.

A big fancy restaurant called Commander’s Palace. I used to always be curious about that restaurant. One day I would like to go in there and eat.

My brother used to work at that restaurant, dishwashing.

I used to try to get in there, but never did.

Anytime you know a man is from there, you know he gotta be rich. At a certain time, you can go across that way. But you gotta make sure you know somebody on that side of town.

So, sometime me and Gregory might go out and steal a car with some sound in it. Pop the ignition. Steal it.

You know, if you look at Delta 88, Deuce 25, Regal, Cutlass — most have tilt steering. That’s what you looking for. You can pop ‘em. I learned that from being with some more of the rat pack that we run with.

One time we’s driving this car. It was a Cutlass.

I told Gregory, I said, “Let me get over. Get over there, let me drive.”

I ain’t gonna lie to you, I ain’t never did drove a car!

But I used to always watch the people put the car in.

So I got behind the wheel and the car start moving.

He say, “Go ahead, drive! Drive, baby Gerald, drive!”

I say, “Yeah, I got it. I got it.”

So, you know, I got to the red light. I hit the brake, the car shook.

But I turned. And when I turned, I didn’t use the blinker.

Next thing you know, a police car pop up going, “Wheeeooo!”

So he say, “Run ‘em, run ‘em!”

So I try to run ‘em. Vrmmmm!

To be continued. Gerald’s book, “Still Standing: How An Ex-Con Found Salvation In the Floodwaters of Katrina” is available on Amazon.com

// 13

My Name Is Moyo, Part 5:

007, For your eyes only

BY MOYO ONIBUJE Artist/Vendor

In the tradition of one of the greatest storytellers and historians America has ever produced, Alex Haley, I continue this series by popular demand...

It’s 2002, about a year after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

It is 4:20 a.m. on a Monday and I’ve just arrived at the back side of 300 Indiana Ave. NW — better known as the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Department.

It is here that every person charged with a crime and arrested by any MPD officer is brought for a check of the FBI’s biometric database before being taken to see the judges on the first three floors of the D.C. Superior Court building down the street. “Central Cell” is how the locals refer to 300 Indiana Ave. — it is notorious.

Why I’m sitting at MPD headquarters at four in the morning is simple. I work on a truck known as the Green Bandit, a massive hydraulic pump truck. It is my duty this morning, as it is every day of the week, to clear the loading dock of all the documents left there by the District police department and Superior Court. Some of the material on the dock has also come from judges’ quarters.

All material is to be divided into three categories: small trash, bulk recycle, and one other category which I care not to mention except to give a hint: it has blue rims. All materials are to be destroyed.

I was selected for this job because I am British, ignorant, have never been arrested, and am highly educated and trustworthy.

The MPD guard leading to the loading dock is sweating beads of water. This material has been sitting on the loading dock since Friday. Initially, flammable liquids and chemicals were included on the dock, so we’re now told to open all boxes and bags before loading them in the truck.

I found a lot of this material highly curious, such as budget requests, cases from previous investigations and presidential routes. This was the norm 16 years ago. We were constantly followed to see if I was using dead drops or concealed devices.

On this particular day, I’m thinking of my son, Laosedian Onibuje. He was seven at the time and is now in the U.S. Air Force. I’m also listening to the Black president, Fela Kuti, perform a hit called “Army Arrangement” on my headphones.

I’m staying at a shelter called Second and D. I’m thinking to myself the type of work I’m doing is called agbepo in Lagos, Nigeria — sh** carrier.

But it couldn’t be further from the truth. We’d spend more time at CIA headquarters, Walter Reed and various military installations than we would at the federal buildings on some days. And it was not uncommon for us to trash about $15 million worth of stuff on one trip alone. Donald Trump is right: there is massive waste in the U.S. federal government.

So, you’re probably wondering how on earth I became homeless and ended up on the Green Bandit. The truth is, this is a question I sometimes ask myself. *** When I left England in 2000, after my second four-year bout of college, I came back to D.C. and moved in with a friend to split the rent. I had two good jobs, one as a salesman for the eastern region of Sprint Communications and the other as a contract teacher for Holton-Arms, the college-prep school in Maryland. I was mostly teaching

the children how to use computer compilers. I also taught students from Georgetown Prep. Both schools have been in the news recently, the former was attended by Christine Blasey Ford and the latter by Brett Kavanaugh.

When Ronald Reagan said some people are homeless by choice, he made a huge mistake. People experience homelessness through tragedy, circumstance and ignorance.

It turned out the friend I was staying with had a gambling habit. Unbeknownst to me, he had not been paying our rent for nearly six months — even though I’d been giving him my portion. He couldn’t resist sports betting or the lottery.

Once, I got hit on the back of my head with the blunt end of a gun by someone I mistakenly let into our apartment who was asking for him, which led to my being robbed and my jaw being broken.

I was put on six weeks’ paid leave. By the time I got back to work, work wasn’t the same. Also, I was being introduced to a Studio 54 party lifestyle. These changes came at the same time my friend made it known he had a crush on me. This was before I became the LGBTQ advocate that I am now.

My friend had moved on because he had messed up financially and I had spurned his advances. I put my stuff in storage: computers, books from college, clothes, pots pans. At that point, I still had my green card and D.C. ID. *** Those feelings of the first day of homelessness I wish on nobody. I’d rather be boiled in hot, scalding water and cut my toes and fingers off. It was the darkest and most scary moment in my whole life.

I knew nothing of case management, drug programs, housing lists. I didn’t know where to eat or to bathe, nothing. I was a foreign alien in a climate of great hostility post-9/11.

Despite all this, the real nightmare did not start until I lost my green card and my D.C. ID at a Chuck Brown concert, stolen by the locals while I was watching the show.

I ended up at the Gales School shelter — which has since been renovated and is now operated by Central Union Mission — it was my first experience of homelessness in a foreign land.

A few months later, the shelter became synonymous with the snipers, John Allen Muhammad and his buddy Malvo, who terrorized the D.C. metro area that fall, killing at least 10 people, and were spotted at the shelter.

After the Gales School shelter, I found my way to Second and D, the blue and beige checked shelter in Judiciary Square.

And one day, a gentleman that I had met at our old place on Pennsylvania Ave. SE came looking for me there. His father was the biggest recycle carrier on the East Coast. And my acquaintance said, “Look, Moyo, I’m going to be taking a day off. I want you to fill in for me.”

He was on the Green Bandit and that’s how I got on the truck.

How I lost my passport, birth certificate, university credentials, and my British-American teaching certificates is for a different part of the series. It still causes me extreme emotional distress.

Thankfully, I did not lose my memories or my mind.

To be continued. In the next installment, I’ll be looking at how we were mistaken for intruders one day when picking up boxes at Veterans Affairs and thinking back to my early years in Africa, when my mother caught a hunter about to cook our pet monkey in a pot of pepper stew.

1 4 // ST REET SEN S E ME DI A / / NO V. 1 4 - 2 7 , 2018

FUN & GAMES

B rea

Novice Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 16, Book 1

the

Sudoku #3

2

3

5

1

8

5

4 2 7 9 9

6

6 8 1 4 3 7

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

7 3 6 8 9 7 3 2

4 1 6 2 9

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

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

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

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

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

3

5 8 7

2

BY JERMALE MCKNIGHT // Artist/Vendor

Love is illegal, as is living.

The world say’s “Yeah— how much more for heaven?!”

Are we in sync, linked, with prioritized preferability?

God’s blessings and love are for everyone, through me, to me.

No flows of my own.

Internal upsets.

My talent has waged campaigns, of booze and cigarettes.

Internal upsets. © 2017 KrazyDad.com etiquettes, Novice Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 16, BookConsumption 1 preferably blessed.

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each #2 3-by-3 block contain all of the Sudoku digits 1 thru 9.

To my past, now, and always partners in crime: SUDOKU: Fill in let's assure insure: stay in LAWS permissively.

If you use logic you can solve the 6 puzzle 7 without 5 4 2 3 8 1 9 guesswork. the blank squares No intentions should be sanitized or slow-walked.

Need a little help?row, The hints page 4 shows 9 8a logical 1 order 7 the 6 puzzle.

5 3 2to solve so that each Use it to identify the next square you should solve. Or use the answers page We deserve to watch and talk. column and ifeach you really get stuck.

3 2 5 7 8 6 1 9 4 Promise your soul’s taste, each 3-by-3 block prayerfully, carefully and sometimes not at all.

2 6 9 4 1 5 3 8 7 contain all of the For love admired is a never-ending hope, digits 1-9.

8 3 4 6 7 9 5 2 1 a secret affair of dreams.

1 5 7 8 2 3 9 4 6 Love reverently, be preferably, LAST and be what we want.

5 8 3 2 4 7 6 1 9 EDITION’S Twice the going rate is love.

7 4 6 3 9 1 8 5 2 PUZZLE Great, be careful.

SOLUTION >> 9 1 2 5 6 8 4 7 3 Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

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

6

Internal Upsets Nice guys can look themselves in the mirror.

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

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

9

7 6 8

8

1 3 9

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

3

9 7 1 2 3 4 8 4 6

5

3 1

7 9 5 8 2 6

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

ILLUSTRATION BY LEVESTER GREEN, ARTIST/VENDOR

The Potter and His Clay

BY KEDIST GIRMA Artist/Vendor

To be created from dirt...

Tell me what it is worth.

The potter knows the value of his clay...

Neither is the body free nor to be purchased any day.

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

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 202-265-2400 (NW) // 561-8587 (SE) 1525 7th St., NW // 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE breadforthecity.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 2114 14th St., NW marthastable.org

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

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

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-800-799-7233

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

1-888-793-4357 Laundry Lavandería

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unity Health Care // 202-745-4300 3020 14th St., NW unityhealthcare.org

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

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

// 15

JOB BOARD Advocacy Fellow

Miriam’s Ktichen // 2401 Virginia Ave NW Part-time, ~16 hrs per week, $17 per hour This position’s primary responsibilities include things like: Developing or improving leadership and advocacy skills; Increasing or supporting the participation of people experiencing homelessness in organizing and advocacy; Supporting the People for Fairness Coalition; Supporting The Way Home Campaign; Engaging in advocacy with the Mayor, D.C. Council and D.C. government agencies; Working in partnership with non-profit organizations advocating or organizing to end homelessness and housing instability in D.C. REQUIRED: Firsthand knowledge of homelessness or housing instability, ability to work well with others and as part of a team, ability to manage tasks and follow through on assignments. APPLY: Submit a resume and a cover letter answering the following questions to ashley.gorczyca@miriamskitchen. org. (Questions: Why do you want to be an Advocacy Fellow? What relevant experiences would you bring to this job? How do your personal interests relate to the job? What do you want to learn from the Fellowship?)

Facilities Assistant, Homeless Day Services Center

Downtown BID // 1313 New York Ave NW Full-time The facilities assistant will support the homeless day services center clients as well as assist other staff, including the program manager, center agency partners and visitors to the center. In addition to working with clients and partners, facility assistants will take primary responsibility for maintaining the cleanliness of the center during the time the center is open.

APPLY: Send rsume and cover letter to Parker@DowntownDC.org

Residential Aide

District Services Management // Washington, D.C. Part-time, $14.25/hour Provides a nurturing environment and close, intensive supervision and security for residents in the residential homeless facility. REQUIRED: GED or High School diploma; Prior experience working with the homeless population, families in need, and the at risk population; Must successfully complete a Criminal Background Check; Must maintain a current standard CPR/First Aid Certification; Must obtain Food Handler’s Certification within 30-days of hire.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/dsmdc-aide

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

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

Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 1022 Maryland Ave NE Full-time The first point of contact for our patients and a key part of ensuring that they receive exceptional service. REQUIRED: High School Diploma/GED; Exceptional customer service skills; Proficiency in written and oral communication; Minimum of two years of experience. APPLY: tinyurl.com/COHDC-dental Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org

Stranger Danger, Part 1

BY JET FLEGETTE Artist/Vendor

D

ue to a series of unfortunate events, my life threw me a curve ball that would take me completely out of my comfort zone. If anyone would have told me that I would become a severe diabetic, that my service dog Bella and I would be evicted, and that we’d rely on the kindness of strangers — I would have said that person had lost their ever-loving mind. But we did.

We ended up house-squatting, then sleeping in a hypothermia shelter and finally literally sleeping on a park bench. Sometimes things happen that are out of your control and there is nothing you can do but push through and survive.

In this situation, money has been the main factor because I have to feed myself and my service dog. Bella is trained to get someone to come to my aid when I go into a diabetic crash. But I am unable to hold a job unless I am working for myself because the combination of my illness and the pills I’m prescribed to treat it keep me either running to use the bathroom or dozing off like a heroin addict.

Since I’ve become homeless, I have done everything possible to survive short of selling my body. That’s just something I will not do, though I respect people that do it for survival.

I have relied on God and the kindness of strangers. I have done things that the housed, employed version of me would not do, like beg and steal. Basically, I was selling my morals just to survive.

I have relied on my food stamp benefits, but I don’t have a fixed address, so sometimes I don’t receive them.

Someone suggested that I take advantage of having a cute dog and panhandle, because people really love animals and don’t want harm to come to them. I have to say, it took me a long time to warm up to the idea of panhandling with my dog, but I sucked it up, swallowed my pride, and went for it.

I have learned the hard way that you cannot always accept what is offered. The very person that lifts you up off the ground may drag you right back down. However, through all of this, I have assessed that human beings have more compassion than there is evil in the world.

My next experience trying to keep money in my pockets to feed us forced me to leave my comfort zone once again.

I went to the house of a complete stranger, who Bella and I came across at a bus stop.

It was a very cold March evening and I was determined not to go into the shelter because, for me, it’s just a toxic environment. So Bella and I went to sit down at a bus stop to mope and fi gure out what to do. That’s where I encountered Bob.

NOV. 14 - 27, 2018 VOLUME 16 | ISSUE 1

He was very drunk, but he said something nice about my dog. Peering through his drunkenness, I could see he was a pretty nice guy. He asked me what I was up to and I proceeded to tell him about my situation. Bob offered to put me up for the night at his house because it was too cold for me and my dog to sleep outside.

In my mind, the first thing I made of his offer was “What’s the rub? I guess he thinks I will give him my body just to have a warm place to sleep.”

I told Bob that I would not be giving my body up for sex. I made it clear that I was not that type of girl and Bob assured me that if I crashed at his place he would be the perfect gentleman.

Needless to say, I was apprehensive. But not wanting me and my dog to be out in the cold trumped any reservations I had.

For some reason, while we waited for the bus, Bob opened up his wallet and showed me a wad of cash.

From my point of view he was loaded, I told him to please put his money away. I’m pretty sure if he was sober he would have kept his money to hisself.

The bus finally arrived and I prepared myself for the unknown. Bob stopped at a liquor store and offered to get me anything I wanted, but I was determined to stay clear-headed.

We finally arrived at his apartment, which was very cozy and warm. What happened next was inevitable.

Good old Bob was all hands. I had to keep in mind he was drunk. He had to be about 70 years old, and was a rascal.

He touched me inappropriately the whole time I was in his apartment. The only time Bob was not being fresh is when he fell asleep.

He left that wallet full of cash wide open on the table in his living room, right in front of me. This is where my morals were put to the test. Bob told me later that he left his wallet out on purpose to see what I would do. Well, I have to say, I failed the test.

It’s like I had an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other.

The angel was telling me, “Don’t take it. He was drunk and truly meant me no harm.”

While the devil said, “Take the money as payment for touching you inappropriately.”

The angel chimed in again saying, “Remember he gave you food to eat.”

But the devil whispered in my ear once more, saying, “Bob did not keep his word and was not a perfect gentleman.”

I am sad to say the devil won. I looked in Bob’s wallet and had a closer look at the wad of cash he’d shown me. I saw a bunch of twenties, some hundreds, and smaller bills.I guess a really bad person would have taken the whole wallet and bolted. That’s not who I am, so I took a $20 bill and that was that. I put the wallet back where it belonged.

In my mind, the money would be food for me and Bella and whatever I needed. When Bob came out of the bathroom he put his wallet away. I don’t know why, maybe he started to sober up and he saw I wasn’t going to sleep with him.

Daylight was approaching and I was ready to be on my way.

I don’t like to linger. Before I left, I had the nerve to ask Bob for a couple dollars. He was hesitant, but he gave me five bucks.

Before I left Bob’s home, I advised him to never invite a stranger to his home, whatever he does. I went on to say he should be glad I was just a normal decent woman with a service dog, down on her luck. Not everyone is that way.

I don’t like being needy and I don’t want to steal. But I took advantage of the situation. All I can do to make amends is pay it forward. But my story of surviving economically during my now roughly a year of being homeless is not over.

Stay tuned.

You cannot always accept what is offered.

The very person that lifts you up off the ground may drag you right back down.

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