11 15 2006 by Street Sense Media

ANNIVERSARY ISSUE: Street Sense Turns Three, Hires Vendor Manager, page 3

$1.00

Suggested Donation

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

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Volume 4, Issue 1

www.streetsense.org

On The Road

Woman Accused of Housing Locator Scam A Farewell DCRA said she did not deliver on apartment but kept homeless people’s money. By Daniel Horner

Laura Thompson Osuri

In February 2006, Alexis Twyman, looking for help in finding a place to live, went to the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center, the District’s central intake office for families requesting emergency shelter assistance. From a flyer at the center, she learned about a woman named Jasmine Worthy who claimed she could find housing for homeless families. Twyman met with an associate of Worthy’s and soon turned over $600 plus a $25 application fee with the promise that the company would find an apartment for her in about two to four weeks. After that Twyman said Worthy “gave me the runaround.” She said Worthy showed her a number of apartments, but it turned out that

Bennie Freeman and Sarah Bennett paid $1,000 in April after calling the number on these flyers. But they still do not have housing or their money back. all of them were occupied or some- asked for the money back. one else was ready to move in. After Worthy did not return the “I kept asking her what she was money, Twyman said she eventugoing to do,” but Worthy didn’t ally sought help from the Washinggive an explanation, Twyman said. ton Legal Clinic for the Homeless, “Then I got tired of it,” she said. a nonprofit that provides free legal Around the beginning of April, she services to homeless individuals.

According to documents from the Legal Clinic and the D.C. government Worthy has taken thousands of dollars from homeless people such as Twyman and failed to deliver on her promises. Worthy denies that she has done anything wrong. A February 2006 report from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), said that Worthy “targets her services to persons with HIV/AIDS, ex-offenders and shelter populations.” “Unfortunately, for her clients, Ms. Worthy did not find them an apartment and kept their money,” the report said. Worthy was “unresponsive” when they asked for their money back, according to the DCRA. However, the recorded message at Worthy’s office number says, “We’ve been fighting the war on homelessness, and I think we’ve been winning.” In an interview, Worthy said she was “serving the community” by finding affordable

See

HOUSING, page 5

Homeless Youth “Sofa Surfing” for Shelter By Peter D. Cohn The average age in Washington, D.C., shelters is in the low 30s, area service providers say. As a result, most services there are aimed at adults who have an employment history, chronic health issues and family problems involving their own children and partners. However, there is a growing population well below this age, with little experience on the streets and little help available for its specific needs. These are the adolescents, “sofa surfing” through Washington. “We have young people who are

homeless [in other areas], but not the multitudes that we have here in DC,” said Darryl Sanders, director of outreach at Sasha Bruce Youthwork. “It has a lot to do with the medical system here, the school system, the lack of services that are available to young people. It’s really a tough situation to be homeless, and to be an adolescent is even worse.” Millicent Ugo, the program coordinator for Latin American Youth Center’s (LAYC) Transitional Living Program, has also seen this adolescent phenomenon. She moved here from New York, and said the youth homeless problem is “more noticeable.”

Inside This Issue LOCAL

Jobs and Clean Streets A program at Central Union Mission is keeping the streets of DC clean and giving jobs to homeless people, page 7

According to experts at a 2006 Community Summit on Youth and Homelessness sponsored by Stand Up for Kids, the primary cause of homelessness among youth is family issues, including sexuality issues, physical and mental abuse, and the lack of a stable family. Experts at the Summit said the current foster care program in Washington is unreliable, and does not offer children the social services they need. They cited a study showing that more than half of the youths interviewed during shelter stays reported that their parents either told them to leave or knew they were leaving and did not care.

Just how many older youths are homeless? Members of all of the organizations represented at the Summit agreed that statistics on youth homelessness in Washington, DC are inaccurate, in part because many of them drift from one place to another and often stay with others. “Young people in the Washington metro area are not sleeping under bridges or in bus stations, they are sleeping on someone’s couch” said Joseph Williams, director of street and community outreach at Cov-

See

FEATURES

The first ever Nonprofit Congress brought together the sector to plan ahead, page 9

Vendor Wendell Williams examines the Skins in this first-ever sports column, page 15

REVIEWS

PROFILE

Vendor Chris Sellman enjoys some tasty Italian food, page 12

A profile of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, page 18

Sorriso Sensation

By August Mallory

want to start off by saying thank you to everyone who has supported Street Sense and who has supported me as a vendor. This is my last edition of On The Road. As much as it hurts to leave all of my loyal readers, I must bid you farewell. I will be leaving for Seattle, Wash., and I will probably be there for quite some time. This story comes from Pittsburgh, Pa. As I arrive I check into the very beautiful Hilton Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. Late Saturday evening I set out to interview some of Pittsburgh’s homeless and check out some of the local service providers here. I found

See

IRON CITY, page 16

Street Sense Twice a Month? $22,500 $20,000

$15,000

YOUTHS, page 7

NATIONAL

Nonprofits Join Forces

in Iron City

What’s Wrong with the Redskins

Legal Aid for Homeless

$10,000

$5,000

Support 2 by 2/2! For more details see page three.

Street Sense . November/December 2006

2 ALL AbOUT US

Our Mission 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 347-2006 Fax: (202) 347-2166 info@streetsense.org www.streetsense.org bOARd OF dIRECTORS Robert Egger Ted Henson Barbara Kagan August Mallory David Pike John Snellgrove Michael Stoops Kathy Whelpley EXECUTIVE dIRECTOR Laura Thompson Osuri VENdOR MANAgER Jesse Smith Jr. SENIOR EdITOR Ted Henson ASSOCIATE EdITOR David S. Hammond EdITORIAL INTERN Peter D. Cohn Ad SALES MANAgERS Jake Ashford Muriel Dixon Allen Jones Mark Jones August Mallory Brenda Lee Wilson VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Jake Ashford, Robert Bassler, Conrad Cheek Jr., Cliff Carle, Sarah Carkuff, Ben Crosbie, Ralph Dantley, Carolyn Daley, James Davis, Amy Detteriech, Michelle Gaudet, Jake Geissinger, Alex Hiniker, Dan Horner, Jennifer Jett, Maurice King, Jessica LeGarde, Joann Goodwin, Enoka Herat, Jo Knight, Brad Lehman, David Lohr, P. H. Madore, Claire Markgraf, Mike Melia, Jill Merselis, Tessa Moran, Mike O’Neill, Amy Orndorff, Jen Pearl, David Pike, Nate Reynolds, Diane Rusignola, Eric Sheptock, Sara Schoolcraft, Jennifer Singleton, Katie Smith, Patty Smith, Desiree Stephens, Francine Triplett, Robert Trautman, Linda Wang, Marian Wiseman, Irene Wu VENdORS Willie Alexander, Jake Ashford, Robert Beecher, Tommy Bennett, Corey Bridges, Grayling Brown El, Kanon Brown, Bobby Buggs, Cliff Carle, Conrad Cheek Jr., Muriel Dixon, Alvin Dixon El, David Harris, John Harrison, Jennifer Henderson, Patricia Henry, Phillip Howard, Agula Hunter, Patricia Jefferson, Antwan Candy Johnson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, Lee Mayse, Michelle McCullough, Jennifer McLaughlin, August Mallory, Carl Morris, Rodney Morris, Charles Nelson, Nokie, Larry Olds, Therese Onyemenam, Jimmy Pitts, Tracey Powell, Chris Sellman, Patty Smith, Tom Taylor, Francine Triplett, Amia Walker, Martin Walker, Wendell Williams, Brenda Lee Wilson

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

Our Editorial Policy

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

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

Street Sense came out with its first issue in November 2003, printing 5,000 copies. Since then, the paper has published consistently on a monthly basis and has greatly expanded its circulation and vendor network. For the first year, Street Sense operated as a project of the National Coalition for the Homeless, but in October 2004, the organization incorporated and moved into its own office space. In March 2005, Street Sense received 501(c)3 status, becoming an independent nonprofit organization. In October 2005 Street Sense formed a full board of directors and in November the organization hired its first employee, a fulltime executive director.

We are proud members of:

north american street newspaper association

international network of street papers

Street Sense Vendor Code of Conduct 1.

November donors rose harper-elder rabbi mindy portnoy Jennifer e. park anonymous audrey hoffer James W. Zimmer shirani & ian Chand reginia Liwnicz michelle manz

sanjeev & pamela osuri Benoy & irene pandit michael Fox & sharmini marshall shalinda Tennakoon sunderan & evan moses michael & swinitha osuri harrison & Finnie John adrian pressley

Thank You!

4. 5.

6. 7. 8.

WANNA HELP?

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please contact Laura Thompson Osuri at 202-347-2006. If you are interested in becoming a vendor, contact Jesse Smith Jr. at the same number.

OUR NEXT EdITORIAL MEETINg

December 13th at 6:00 p.m. 1317 G Street, NW (near Metro Center)

10.

Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $1. I agree not to ask for more than a dollar or solicit donations for Street Sense by any other means. I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense staff and will not sell papers to other vendors (outside of the office volunteers). I agree to treat all others – customers, staff, other vendors – respectfully, and I will not “hard sell,” threaten or pressure customers. I agree to stay off private property when selling Street Sense. I understand that I am not a legal employee of Street Sense but a contracted worker responsible for my own well-being and income. I agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling the paper. I will not sell Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol. There are no territories among vendors. I will respect the space of other vendors, particularly the space of vendors who have been at a spot longer. I understand that my badge is the property of Street Sense and will not deface it. I will present my badge when purchasing the papers and display my badge when selling papers. I understand that Street Sense strives to be a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the homeless. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word.

Street Sense . November/December 2006

EDITOR’S LETTER

Three Years of Street Sense: More Successes, Changes Dear Street Sense Readers, Nov. 15 marks the three-year anniversary of the first issue of Street Sense. As we turn the ripe old age of three, I officially can say that the terrible twos were not terrible at all. In fact they were wonderful and very prosperous. In the last year, 93 men and women have sold Street Sense as permanent “badged” vendors and we currently have 44 active vendors, 25% more than this time last year. This is due in part to better word of mouth recruiting from our existing vendors and a vastly improved vendor training process, which includes a formalized vendor training packet and 10-minute video. Advertising in the paper has significantly increased, although we still could do more. Our advertising income so far this year is about 15 times more than last year at this time. This increase was aided by the fantastic results from our readers’ survey in June and our new information pamphlets. Editorially, there have been quite a few positive results. We changed the paper’s layout twice, and have also seen some direct impact from our articles. A story about homeless people being hired well below minimum wage to evict tenants spurred a class action lawsuit against the eviction companies.

Also, our intense coverage of the closing of the Franklin School Shelter and the backlash from residents that followed played a role in the city’s recent decision to keep the shelter open. All of this comes during a year that was markedly different from the first two; a year ago I was hired as the executive director, Street Sense’s first fulltime employee, and it was also the first year we applied for – and received – grants from private foundations. Besides these obvious increases to the checkbook and staffing, there were also many unassuming improvements that made a huge difference in the success of Street Sense these past twelve months. First of all, there was the increased professionalism and poise among our vendors. Among the hundreds of responses from our readers’ survey were comments like, “The vendors are always warm and kind,” “Our contact with vendors has been meaningful and a growth opportunity,” and “The vendors are doing an excellent job. Very friendly and professional.” Additionally, volunteers are more dedicated and skilled than ever. This comes through in a more up-to-date website, improved pictures and graphics, many more in-depth and investigative stories, and near mistake-free copy. Also, the commitment from donors and readers grew last year. This was clear the night of Raising Dollars and Sense - our first formal fundraiser - when about 140 people came out to show their support. The September event was a huge success, raising more than $9,000 and, more importantly, raising awareness about what we do. With all this success and change behind us, we move into our fourth year of operations anticipating even more positive

growth. Most importantly, we just hired a new vendor manager, Jesse Smith Jr. He is formerly homeless, and comes from our volunteer and writer ranks. I am thrilled to have Jesse on board, and I am confident that his skills and expertise will help to increase the number of vendors and improve the opportunities and training for existing vendors. In the next few months, we also hope to hire a fulltime editor, tripling our staff from last year! This will allow the paper to start publishing twice a month, and will also help to further develop our editorial content and layout. So, it is safe to say that we have come a long way in three years. When Ted Henson and I released the first issue of Street Sense on Nov. 15, 2003 (pictured on the top of this issue’s front page), we barely could fathom getting out the next issue and rounding up a dozen vendors, let alone becoming the professional operation we are today. We have gone from a small project with handful of vendors and 5,000 copies to an independent nonprofit with two employees, nearly 50 vendors and dozens of volunteers, printing 13,500 issues a month with plans to soon print semi-monthly. Thank you to all who have helped us along the way to reach this level. Whether it was giving money, donating your time, selling the paper, or simply reading Street Sense and spreading the word, your contribution helped further our success and is very much appreciated. Please continue to support Street Sense and its vendors during this next year. We have big plans for Year Four but they cannot be fulfilled without your involvement and help. Laura Thompson Osuri Executive Director

Would you like to see twice as much Street Sense each month? Then donate to Street Sense’s new campaign: 2 by 2/2! With support from readers like you, we hope to raise $22,500 in the next two months and to publish our first semi-monthly issue on Feb. 2, 2006 (2/2/06).

Why publish two issues a month? For VENDORS, it would mean a 30% to 50% increase in income to help them get off the street. Currently, vendors sell two-thirds of all papers each month in the first two weeks an issue is out, and on average they earn $30 a day. With two issues, we are estimating that average sales will easily go up by 30%. And with 45% of readers regularly buying one copy a month (according to our June readers’ survey), the sales increase could top 50%. For READERS, it would mean more up-to-date news and more features from vendors. For better or worse, we have more than enough to write about when it comes to poverty. So two issues a month will nearly double the space we have to cover these issues and to do more investigative and revealing pieces each month. And we also could expand our coverage to other social issues. In addition, we plan to expand our features to give vendors more room to express their views. For the ORGANIZATION, it would mean more income from ad sales. While we plan to lower our ad rates slightly when we go semi-monthly, we also will have nearly double the space for advertisements. So one more issue a month would mean much more income for Street Sense to help its vendors get off the street and to improve the paper’s quality and reach.

What can you do to make this happen? We need every regular reader to DONATE AT LEAST $5 to Street Sense. Based on the results from our June readers’ survey, and October sales, we have about 5,000 readers who buy the paper regularly each month. And if each of these readers gave just $5 to Street Sense, we would top our goal of $22,500. Of course, any donation over $5 would be most appreciated.

What will all this money pay for? It will allow us to hire a fulltime EDITOR and pay for the inital PRINTING. To successfully pull off two editorial cycles each month, we need a fulltime editor dedicated to overseeing production. And we also need to pay for the first semi-monthly printing as all the paper sales income to cover it will not be in. We already have $7,500 earmarked for going semi-monthly, but we need support from readers like you to make it happen! **And just to say thanks, those who contribute $100 or more will get a Street Sense T-shirt. And all individual who contribute $500 or more, as well as businesses that contribute $1,000 or more, will get to sponsor a page (complete with a photo) in our first bi-monthly issue.**

I Support 2 by 2/2! I will donate: ___ $5, regular reader’s minimum ___ $22, because it looks like 2/2 ___ $55, $5 for for each extra issue in 2007 ___ $100, minimum for T-shirt gift ___ $222, because I really like the 2’s theme (and want a t-shirt) ___ $500, minimum to sponsor a page and get your face or the face of a loved one in the inagural semi-monthly issue (and a T-shirt) ___ Another amount of $________ My Information Name:_______________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________________ City/State/Zip:_______________________________________________ Phone:_______________________E-mail:_________________________ T-Shirt Size (if donating $100 or more): __________________________ (If you are donating $500 or more make sure to include your e-mail so we can contact you about getting a sponsorship photo/image.) Please make checks payable to Street Sense Mail to: Street Sense, 1317 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20005. You can also donate online at www.streetsense.org Street Sense is a 501(c)(3). All donations are tax deductible.

LOCAL NEWS

Street Sense . November/December 2006

Let’s TalK About Homelessness By Brenda Donald Walker

Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families and Elders

Dep. Mayor Resigns, Updates Renovations and Winter Plan

nce again it is time for my monthly column with insights and news about homelessness and homeless services from the viewpoint of the District Government. This is always an excellent opportunity to talk about our commitment to the goals of preventing and ending homelessness through sustained, meaningful efforts guided by clear vision and strong leadership. Hypothermia season started on Nov. 1, 2006, extending through March 31, 2007. I have written about this very important topic in the past two columns because it can be a challenging time of the year for our citizens who are homeless. In our current winter plan, we have budgeted for 110 days and nights on which we expect hypothermia alerts, an increase over last season when there were 85 such episodes. We have already had two hypothermia alerts at the beginning of November. An alert is called when the air temperature falls below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or the wind chill factor creates the effect of 32 degrees or below. The District’s Emergency Management Agency monitors weather conditions, notifying the agencies involved when the hypothermia alert is to become effective. Providers then open shelters and keep them open until the temperature rises above 32 degrees. We have a network of shelters offering warm places for those seeking relief from the cold. Also, outreach workers trained to recognize hypothermia symptoms provide blankets, food, and supplies. A toll–free number, 1–800–535–7252, is available for those who are homeless to seek assistance and for the public to report emergency situations involving homeless citizens. Our objective is to save lives during cold weather while being sensitive to the preferences and rights of those who are homeless. Turning to another important subject, the Interagency Council on Homelessness held four public meetings recently, the first one on October 19 at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Subsequent meetings were held at Kennedy Recreation Center (Oct. 24), THEARC on Mississippi Avenue (October 30), and at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Columbia Heights (November 2). During these sessions, many citizens testified, sharing their ideas with us about homelessness and homeless services. These were very rewarding sessions during which interested citizens related their ideas, and gave us a great number of insights. We are now analyzing the testimony gathered at these sessions, and we will publish the findings by the end of the year. Our sincere thanks are extended to all who participated in these meetings. This outreach effort was a success. The Interagency Council on Homelessness held its fourth meeting on November 14, and a number of important topics were discussed. One item that is of interest to many is how to make available assistance for youth who are homeless. A subcommittee has started to generate ideas for programs to address the unique needs of this population, and more information will be available as their work progresses. I now want to review a number of construction projects that I have updated in previous articles. The improvements at the Community for Creative Non–Violence (CCNV) are underway on the south side of the third floor. We are upgrading plumbing, electrical, heating, and air conditioning systems. When finished, this floor will contain administrative offices, space for service providers, and accommodations for residents. The interior demolition has been completed at the former Gales School at Massachusetts Avenue and G Street, NW, and we are now in the process of determining a starting date for the renovations. When finished in the latter part of 2007, Gales will feature central air conditioning, space for group activities, individual storage, and a full range of services. This project represents our commitment to serve those who are homeless with appropriate living space, amenities, and services in a convenient, central location. I sincerely hope this column is informative and shows the high level of concern that exists for our fellow citizens who are homeless. Please continue to be alert for your own safety and also care for one another, especially during hypothermia season. I want to end this month’s column on a personal note: It is with mixed emotions that I must bid you farewell. I am leaving District government service to follow other career opportunities. While I am certainly excited about future professional endeavors, I will deeply miss all of you. We have done important and useful work together, and I am confident the excellent team in place now will continue to serve in the best interests of all of the citizens of the District.

Help Bring the Homeless in from the Cold

CALL THE

Shelter Hotline 1 800 535-7252 Anthony A. Williams, Mayor, Government of the District of Columbia

Homeless Welcome Early Winter Clothing Giveaways By Patricia Henry Cold weather often is upon us before those of us who are homeless or poor have warm clothes to wear. This year, on the October weekend before the beginning of the hypothermia season on Nov. 1, there were several winter clothes distributions in Northwest Washington, bringing homeless indivuals clothes just in time for the winter chill. I went to the ``Free Market,’’ an event held by the Clothing Room at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, because they had a shuttle bus making trips between N Street Village and the church. I didn’t find a suitcase to replace my broken bag, but I hope a long, pink, wash-and-wear, allweather Misty Harbor coat will prove to be my winter coat. Farther downtown, near the Convention Center, the Mount Carmel Baptist Church was also having a clothing distribution. (I attended their spring distribution last year.) I’m sure the clothing distribution at the Metropolitan Baptist Church also was good. Every Monday evening, church members bring bag lunches to the women of the Open Door Shelter. On that Friday, Bethany Women’s Center of N Street Village had its annual winter coat distribution, and that evening a new pink blanket was on the bed of every woman at the Open Door Shelter. On Saturday, About Our Father’s Business, an outreach ministry which brings the women a dinner once a month, told us there were still a few coats remaining from their coat drive. Through December there will be more distributions of hats, scarves, gloves, long winter underwear and blankets at churches and various service providers throughout the area. And there will be work to do in getting these goods to the women who need them, because the homeless communities don’t have much storage space. Last year, there was one hypothermia death of a homeless person on the street. Let’s hope with all the preparation this year there are none for the winter of 2006/07. Patricia has been a vendor for Street Sense for nearly two years. She works as the front desk person at the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Street Sense . November/December 2006

LOCAL NEWS

Walkathon to Raise Funds for Homeless

Linda Wang

By David Lohr Nearly 25,000 people will gather on the National Mall for the Fannie Mae Foundation Help the Homeless Walkathon Nov. 19. The Fannie Mae Foundation has sponsored the annual Walkathon for 19 years to raise awareness of and funds for the Washington area’s more than 12,000 homeless individuals. The foundation’s Help the Homeless Program culminates in a yearly Walkathon on the National Mall on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The first Help the Homeless Walkathon in 1988 included 150 Fannie Mae employees walking in Rock Creek Park to raise $90,000 for four local nonprofit agencies. The Help the Homeless Program has raised more than $54 million for the area’s homeless service providers since then, according to Stacey Stewart, president and CEO of the Fannie Mae Foundation. The fact that the program has grown so much “speaks to the compelling need to do something about the issue of homelessness,” she said. “I don’t think anyone imagined in 1988 that, 18 years later, we would have gotten to this point and raised $54 million, but we are pleased and proud to be a catalyst for it,” Stewart added. Last year the Help the Homeless Program raised more than $7.8 million for 178 homeless service providers, through corporate donations, the Walkathon and more than 600 mini-walks throughout the region, and it has become the nation’s largest funding collaborative focused on homelessness. The foundation is a separate charitable organization associated with Fannie Mae, a national, government-sponsored mortgage lender for low- and middle-income families. Stewart said that this year’s Walkathon is poised to be a tremendous success. “It would be great to meet or exceed what we raised last year,” she said. “This year over 100,000 will participate overall.” Singer and songwriter Jewel is the honorary chair of the event and will speak at the Walkathon, sharing her powerful and personal perspective on the issue of homelessness. This year, there are 180 certified beneficiary organizations, whose services fall into three main categories: direct services to homeless people, homelessness prevention programs for low-income individuals at risk of losing their housing, and the provision of permanent special needs housing. Participants in the Walkathon and mini-walks determine to which beneficiary organization they would like their funds to be directed. Organizations also receive awards for encouraging participation. The awards range from $2,000 for recruiting up to 249 walkers, to $25,000 for signing up more than 1,250 participants. Despite the foundation’s work, which has made a significant impact in the Washington area, Stewart said that the problem is not really getting better and that people need to be more aggressive in finding a solution to the problem of homelessness, the primary cause of which is a lack of affordable housing. “There has been some long-term progress for homeless families, but there is still a lot of pressure,” she said. “It almost feels like we’re on a treadmill, running against the tide and surges in housing pricing.” For more information visit www.helpthehomelessdc.org.

HOUSING, from p.1 for people who needed it, and keeps the money is escrow while they are waiting for housing. The DCRA prepared its report in response to complaints of neglect and mismanagement about Worthy from the owner of a property in Southeast. On the basis of its investigation the DCRA issued a February 28 order fining Worthy $2,000 for engaging in “property management” without a license. While there were no other charges, the DCRA recommended that the D.C. Office of the Attorney General (OAG) pursue criminal prosecution of Worthy for activities described in the report. But the OAG is not pursuing charges against Worthy, spokeswoman Traci Hughes said in early November. The office began an investigation but dropped it once the DCRA imposed its fine on Worthy, she said. The DCRA “has first crack at” cases like Worthy’s, Hughes said. If the fines are not paid, the OAG could get involved, she said. When asked why the fine for a property-management violation precluded charges for other activities, Hughes said the case “wasn’t parceled between charges.” The Legal Clinic started receiving complaints about Worthy one and a half years ago, according to Ann Marie Staudenmaier, a staff attorney for the clinic. Before that, there was a time “when we were on friendlier terms with her,” Staudenmaier said. The clinic wanted to get more information on how her business operates, and Worthy saw it as an opportunity to promote her business, Staudenmaier said. However Worthy was “very cagey” and proved to be “an incredibly elaborate liar,” Staudenmaier said. Worthy would agree to meetings and then break the agreements, Staudenmaier said. Once, Worthy said she had just gotten married; another time, she claimed to have a high-risk pregnancy,

Staudenmaier recalled. Cornell Chappelle, the chief of program operations for the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, said he was concerned by the complaints about Worthy. But he said the partnership, which oversees District homeless shelters for the D.C. government, had more positive experiences with her in the past. While Worthy sometimes was late in finding apartments for clients, she eventually did find them, he said. About six months ago, the partnership started hearing about problems with her “here and there,” and the Family Resource Center stopped dealing with her, Chappelle said. Still, Worthy continues to attract customers, Staudenmaier said. Sarah Bennett and her boyfriend, Bennie Freeman, also came to the Legal Clinic after their experiences with Worthy. Bennett said they were referred to Worthy in May, and they gave her $1,000. At one point, Worthy said she had found them an apartment but claimed it needed electrical work before the couple could move in, Bennett recalled. After a while she and Freeman got frustrated, Bennett said, and Freeman called Worthy to get the money back. But Worthy was “always giving him some false hope because she knew how bad we wanted an apartment,” Bennett said. She and Freeman are now living with Freeman’s mother, having been told multiple times by Worthy that the “check is in the mail.” As for Twyman, she is now going to school and working a temporary job while living at D.C. Village. In a brief follow-up interview Nov. 11, Twyman said Worthy had called “out of the blue” and left a message. Twyman said that she called back and left a message but has not heard back. Worthy said she had “just lost contact” with Twyman but was “supposed to be” meeting her soon. However, service providers are not convinced. “If [Worthy is] found to have taken folks’ money illegally, she should be prosecuted,” Chappelle said.

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Street Sense . November/December 2006

“I’d really like to make a difference.” WE’VE ALL TALKED THE TALK.

NOW LET’S WALK THE WALK. Exercise your good will and help end homelessness in your community. WHEN:

Saturday, November 18, 2006 7 a.m. registration, 9 a.m. start time

WHERE:

National Mall, Smithsonian Metro Station

HOW:

Help the Homeless WALKATHON

Saturday, November 18

Honorar y Chair: Jewel MILLENNIUM SPONSORS:

MEDIA SPONSORS:

Street Sense . November/December 2006

LOCAL NEWS

By Tessa Moran The Adams Morgan area, known for its raucous bar scene and ethnic restaurants has even greater appeal these days with the help of a crew of men in blue, who are also helping themselves get out of homelessness and into the job market. Since April, this band of four men donning blue T-shirts and dragging wheeled trash bins has been scouring 18th Street, Columbia Road and surrounding side streets in Northwest Washington for cigarette butts, greasy pizza plates and empty cans tossed aside by late-night visitors. One of the men, Isaac Davis, defines the work as “detailing,’’ a thorough daily cleaning the city can’t afford to provide. Davis comes from Ready to Work, a program of the D.C.area Gospel Rescue Ministries that employs homeless and formerly incarcerated men. The yearlong residential program gives the men an opportunity to work, save money, obtain a GED or other coursework and re-enter the community with a positive resume. “Their needs are taken care of,” said case manager Antonio Otero. Davis, who has been in and out of prison for nearly 25 years, said he has been offered financial and housing assistance by his family, but “I want my own.” The program gives him just that. After nine months, the men are encouraged, with the help of counselors and mentors, to begin looking for housing and employment. By then, they will have saved money to support themselves during their re-entry and will have been drug and alcohol-free. “Some of them are on a see-saw,’’ Otero said. ``This gives them the ability to do well.”

Ready to Work began in 2003 with help from a New York City-based group, Ready Willing and Able. The program teamed up with the D.C. Neighborhood Business Improvement Districts (BID), which now provide funding for the effort. The BID/Ready to Work partnership started on Capitol Hill where there are now 10 men working seven days a week. This was followed by Mount Vernon, which now has two men seven days a week, and most recently Adams Morgan. Last March, the partnership held its first graduation, at which six men re-entered the community, all with housing and employment. “You see the broken-hearted when they come in, and when they come out, they are healed,” Otero said. Otero has experienced drug addiction and homelessness himself, as have some of the on-site supervisors who are graduates of the program. “There’s a lot of stuff I can draw from,” Otero said. “It gives me a better understanding” of the men, and in turn “they feel they have a connection” with me, he added. Otero said his experience has enabled him to know when an addict is manipulating him. “I don’t accept nothing but the truth.” According to BID director Josh Gibson, the Ready to Work crew collected 8,991 bags of trash, or approximately 269,730 tons, between April and September. The workers’ contribution was especially visible one holiday when the crew wasn’t scheduled to work, Gibson said. The trash that accumulated that one day “made me realize how profound an impact” the men have. The response from business owners and community members alike has been “monumentally positive,” Gibson said,

YOUTHS, from p.1 enant House Washington. It is a phenomenon that Williams refers to as “sofa surfing,” moving from house to house and sleeping on friends’ couches. When a young person does seek traditional shelter space, options are quite limited. There are only around 85 beds for adolescents in all of the Washington area. Funding has been approved for another 80-plus beds, but still there are not enough. “That’s the main immediate crisis,” Sanders said. “[We need] more beds and more housing for a variety of young people.” Williams said these independent youths need shelter separate from the main adult shelters since they have different needs. He added that most people in these shelters have spent time on the street and are street savvy and often take advantage of younger people in shelters. “Adults have learned certain survival techniques that adolescents have not. So while homeless adults are still homeless, they, in my opinion, have a better support mechanism or better way of surviving simply because they are adults,” Sanders said. “Young people don’t have that. They don’t have any support. They don’t have any experience that they can fall back on.” This problem is particularly challenging for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, many of whom are kicked out of their homes. The Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL) is the only organization specifically for LGBTQ youth in the Washington area. Homeless LGBTQ youth typically experience more problems due to their sexual orientation. Many have faced harassment in schools and/or homes, and placing them in other shelters may not be safe. Experts from other Washington youth homeless organizations, including Sasha Bruce and Latin American Youth Center, agree that specialized housing is one aspect in need of great attention. Direct outreach is a key aspect of combating youth homelessness. Organizations like Covenant House Washington, Sasha Bruce Youthwork and Latin American Youth Center rely

Tessa moran

Ready to Work Program Provides Jobs and Clean Streets

A Ready to Work participant cleans up in Adams Morgan.

and he is pleased the collaboration can help both the community and the men who are seeking a second chance. “It’s really a win-win,” he added. “This program helps make the point that the bulk of the homeless population could become contributing members of society if they had access to the right services.”

Latin American Youth Center is the only shelter in Washington with a completely bilingual staff. It offers an emergency shelter and an independent living program. The programs run by each organization include counseling services to help residents find a more stable, permanent living situation, as well as training for jobs. Still, these organizations agree that more needs to be done for homeless youths. At the Summit the leaders of these providers and others called for more space in residential programs at all youth shelters. They also agreed that city funding is necessary to provide services for youth so that they can ultimately support themselves. They said that these changes will come as people become more aware of the homeless youth problem the area. “I think overall people don’t realize how serious the homeless issue is in D.C., particularly for adolescents,” Sanders said. Participants smile as they are part of the many programs for homeless and at-risk youths available at Sasha Bruce.

on outreach programs to target adolescents who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. They say it is crucial to work directly in the streets, on foot and with vans, to build a relationship with adolescents. There are currently a handful of organizations offering programs to homeless youth in Washington, ranging from emergency shelters to residential and independent living programs. Sasha Bruce Youthwork offers five residential programs that are always full - the Sasha Bruce House (Washington’s only 24 hour emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youth), an independent living program, a transitional living program and two programs for teenage mothers - in addition to other non-residential programs. Covenant House Washington works with youths through a short term crisis center and a transitional living program available for up to 18 months. Specialists work directly on the streets for 14 hours a day to develop relationships with adolescents on the street.

care.

help.

heal.

Quality Primary Care Services for D.C. Medically Underserved and homeless Individuals……

For information on medical services in homeless shelters call 202-255-3469. For an appointment at any of our community health centers call 1-866-388-6489

We want to help. We want to help you.

LOCAL POLITICS NEWS

StreetPolitics

Street Sense . November/December 2006

By David S. Hammond

Well Informed, Fully Engaged. Homeless people show the same range of political attitudes and engagement as everyone else – from indifference, to cynicism, to full engagement in the process. During this past election process it was inspiring to see how many have stepped forward to speak to the City Council, share their views in this paper, or join political campaigns they truly Michael Knight in action on Election Day. support, as volunteers or paid staff. Notably, Michael Knight, a CCNV resident profiled in the October Street Sense for his participation in the Homeless World Cup soccer tournament, took citizenship to the next level on Election Day. Knight oversaw operations at a District polling station near George Washington University, and took his responsibility seriously, saying “if anything goes wrong then it’s my fault.” But he reported no unusual excitement, besides getting to see Mayor Tony Williams and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fulfilling their own most basic civic duties by coming in to vote. “Actually voting does change some things.” This year has proved that idea wrong on many points. And one issue this paper has been following – calls for a hike in the federal minimum-wage baseline of $5.15 an hour, which has not been raised since 1997 – appeared on ballots in six states this year (Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and Ohio). Voters approved all six of these ballot questions to increase state minimum wage levels. Strategists described these ballot questions as a way either to pressure state legislatures to raise their states’ minimum wage rates, or to put the question directly to the voters. Some thought a minimum-wage ballot question might also bring out more liberal voters for the midterm congressional elections. With beefed-up Democratic and liberal field operations, and the more pressing issue of the war in Iraq catching voters’ attention, its hard to know whether that happened. Whatever the case, the incoming Democratic congressional leadership say they will take up the minimum wage early in 2007. That’s no surprise as the minimum wage issue showed up this year in stump speeches, campaign ads, candidate debates, and even one or two victory speeches. Health care, too, is very much on voters’ minds, and its cost and availability are also on the Democratic agenda for the new Congress. Since more ambitious reform failed a dozen years ago, advocates have followed a strategy of incremental expansion. That means providing lower costs, or greater access and coverage, to one group at a time. That’s partly a fiscal strategy, and partly a political one, and it’s been shown to work. The District, with its limited resources, has had little choice but to do the same in improving and expanding health and dental care for poor and homeless people – a little at a time. But it does add up, and observers say it moves the city and the country towards a day when everyone who needs to – even the poorest and the most lost – can find diabetes medicine, a dentist, or a hospital bed. “Opportunity” is a word politicians love to use. It signals support for economic innovation and job creation, sometimes through tax breaks and regulatory relief for businesses. And these things often run counter to labor laws, a minimum wage increases, welfare and other public benefits. There’s a rich irony here. While jobs opportunity, and wages a person can live on are often discussed separately, at Street Sense we hear that people want the opportunity to work at a job that pays wages they can live on. What’s on your mind? E-mail StreetPoliticsDC@aol.com.

On the Hill

Improving, Analyzing Trauma Care Title Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act of 2006 (H.R. 5555) Purpose Representative Michael Burgess (R-Texas) introduced this bill in June to amend the Public Health Service Act to increase the effectiveness of trauma care in the United States. This bill would standardize the way that data about trauma care is collected and categorized, so that researchers could better evaluate hospitals and how quickly they provide high quality trauma care. It would also allow trauma care grants to be given to states that coordinate their planning for a trauma system with their planning for bioterrorism, disaster emergencies and hospital preparedness.

Additionally, this bill would spur the implementation of a study by a medical research entity like the Institute of Medicine to evaluate the effectiveness of current trauma care systems by examining the impact of trauma care on a patiences long-term health. Research would also consider how well trauma centers are prepared for large-scale events that could lead to mass injuries and casualties.

lives, and as a result are more vulnerable to traumatic events, and in need of high quality emergency medical care. This bill was created to make trauma care more timely and effective, and to increase the accessibility of such care. It is also anticipated that these improvements in emergency medical services in the United States would reduce the number of deaths by trauma.

Background Congress found that trauma is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages one to 44 years, and is the third most likely cause of death for the rest of the population of the United States. In 1995, traumatic injuries cost the country $226 billion. Homeless men and women often lead particularly risky and physically and emotionally taxing

Sponsor Representative Michael Burgess (R-Texas). Co-sponsors Thirty-one Republicans and Democrats. Status Referred to the House Subcommittee on Health. -Jill Merselis

New Eviction Rules Proposed for District Currently, an eviction in Washington, D.C., results in all the evictee’s belongings leaving the residence and ending up on the street. And if no one stays to protect the items, they will likely be picked through by eviction workers and passersby, causing the former dweller a loss of precious property and housing the same day. In response to this growing citywide problem, Councilman Marion Barry, along with Councilman Jim Graham, introduced the Evictions With Dignity Act of 2006, cosponsored by Councilman Kwame Brown. Proposed in September, the bill would force the Washington, D.C., government to pay to have evicted people’s possessions put in storage. The bill amends the Rental Housing Act of 1985 to give evictees the option to place their effects at no cost in a storage facility for up to 90 days. After that period, unclaimed property may be auctioned off or disposed of. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Regulatory Affairs, but no action has been taken. Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty has backed related issues in City Council and will likely make the bill a priority when he takes office in January.

Council Calls for More Nonprofit Oversight Nonprofit groups in Washington, D.C., may soon face tougher scrutiny then ever before if a recently proposed reform bill gets approved The Nonprofit Organizations Oversight Improvement Act of 2006 focuses on looking into possible breaches of laws that govern nonprofit corporations and charitable solicitations, with the aim to ensure that nonprofits are created only for nonprofit purposes. It also does away with exemptions for nonprofits from the Consumer Protection Procedures Act. The bill in its current form concentrates only on shifting authority over nonprofit organizations from the Mayor’s office to attorney general. Washington, D.C. is the only area in the U.S. where anyone but the attorney general controls nonprofits, according to the Center for Nonprofit Advancement. The city council has discovered, however, that 57 areas of the D.C. Nonprofit Corporation Act require review or revision, and is hoping to add such revision to Oversight Improvement. The Nonprofit Corporation Act was passed in 1962 and has not significantly changed since then. “We really need to look at mending the code, and Mendelson has agreed,” said Lee Mason, Director of Public Policy and Community Relations for The Center for Nonprofit Advancement. Mason refers to Councilman Phil Mendelson, who held a public hearing on the bill on Oct. 19. The record was closed for written testimony on November 2, though there will likely be another hearing. - Compiled by Peter Cohn

Street Sense . November/December 2006

NATIONAL NEWS

Nonprofits Join Forces to Plan Regulation, Change Image By Laura Thompson Osuri “We have to recognize that regulation is coming and that we have to get out in front of it before it gets in front of us. Yes we need regulation, but not without full and active participation,” said Robert Egger, the co-chair of the Nonprofit Congress on its opening day. This need for full participation and activism with nonprofit regulation on the horizon is what prompted more than 400 nonprofit representatives to gather in mid-October for the first ever Nonprofit Congress. The nonprofits representatives from 47 states and the District of Columbia included all types of 501(c)3s, including human services, the arts and health care. After a series of working groups, guest speakers and panels, the Congress determined the top priorities of nonprofits. These goals should be to encourage advocacy and grassroots community activities, work on the organizational effectiveness of nonprofits and increase public awareness and support of the nonprofit sector. Some innovative plans were created to meet these goals. Those plans include changing the name “nonprofit” to reflect more of what these organizations do and creating a stock index of sorts to measure the effectiveness of nonprofits and show donors a return

on investments. Setting up donor conferences to encourage investment across a range of nonprofits and giving exposure to small nonprofits was also discussed. Betsy Johnson, the executive director of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, challenged those in a attendance to take bold steps like these and make sure that nonprofits get the respect and support they deserve. “The Nonprofit Congress is a social movement for the nonprofit sector,” she said. “The question is not will [we] be extremists but what kind of extremists will [we] be.” At the Congress, Egger pointed out that nonprofits are the next regulatory target as there have been calls for legislation that would require more oversight of nonprofits. He added that this legislation will likely be similar to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that required more oversight and disclosure of public companies, coming in the wake of corporate scandals like WorldCom and Enron. The first step in organizing the Congress was to engage state nonprofit groups to get their members on board and collect more than 3,000 signatures of support for the Congress. Then in 2005 and 2006, 117 town halls with more than 1,200 participants were held in 43 states and D.C. to determine the guiding principles of

the Congress. The top guiding principles, based on a vote taken just before the Congress are: “Catalyst for Change and Innovation,” “Commitment to Serve Others,” “Dedication to the Betterment of the Communities We Serve,” and “Ethics and Integrity.” At the end of the Congress all of the Robert Egger, co-chair of the first Nonprofit Congress, speaks to delegates. delegates and attendees gathered in a South Carolina participants announced plans political convention-type style announcing to create a public relations campaign to show what each state’s delegation promised to do residents the impact of nonprofits. in the next year to further the priorities of the “We need to communicate to the comCongress. Most states planned on meeting munity what we have: the net worth of the at a later date and many said they would get network and our double bottom line,” said more nonprofits – particularly small, grass- Charles C. Weathers, the chair of strategic roots-based ones—involved in the process. planning and community development with With more proactive plans, Connecticut AME Zion Church in Columbia, S.C. and Montana nonprofits promised to proOn the national level, organizers scheduled duce a best practices guide for nonprofit the next Nonprofit Congress for Spring 2008. managers. Thinking more creatively, North Carolina nonprofits said that they were going For more information on the Nonprofit to organize a state-wide nonprofit day, and Congress visit www.nonprofitcongress.org.

10 PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Street Sense . November/December 2006

In the last 8 years, over 500 homeless men, women and children have been attacked. 183 have died.

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WHAT CAN WE DO? 7E NEED TO EDUCATE LAWMAKERS ADVOCATES AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON THE PROBLEM OF VIOLENCE AGAINST HOMELESS PERSONS 9OUR SUPPORT WILL HELP THE .ATIONAL #OALITION FOR THE (OMELESS TAKE A STAND AGAINST VIOLENCE 0LEASE BECOME A MEMBER OF .#( BY SENDING IN YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY .ATIONAL #OALITION FOR THE (OMELESS 0 3TREET .7 7ASHINGTON $# 0H % INFO NATIONALHOMELESS ORG WWW NATIONALHOMELESS ORG

PHOTOS & POETRY 11

Street Sense . November/December 2006

Cliff’s Pics

Usually Cliff ’s Pics (and the poetry) get two full pages, but this time his work is squeezed into one. So we are displaying his “Best Of ” shots to celebrate our third anniversary.

Glorious Gloria’s Things Oh, the weight of it all! She carries it around From spring to fall, Electric blankets, Tiny gold trinkets, A big-screen TV, With home theater and accessories. Various oil rubs. A cedar wood hot tub. A Shakespeare library. A crystal box, A pair of roller skates From her brother, when She turned eight. A baby grand piano Full of all the songs she sings. These are all Gloria’s things.

This is my best statement photo. It has great composition but I like that it represents the “shattered lives of the homeless.”

Lonely she sits on the park bench Feeding the pigeons From a stale loaf of bread, As she carries around All her possessions Inside of her head. - James Davis

Into An Upscale Café (And Finding Street Sense) Again, homeless. Not hopeless. Could’ve had a bed With a college sexpot overnight, But didn’t seize the moment. This is my favorite because of how macro the image is and how close this puts you to nature. You can even see every speck of pollen.

Needed rest after much Wandering with stranger who Wrecked the moment with his sell-out laughter. Slept in a subway tunnel & outside the station on the ground to be awakened by some owner & then stumbled into an upscale café, Where despots & and racist professionals Are served by immigrants who Let me sleep another two hours, After which I caught up on Your contemporary news. - P. H. Madore

I love this picture because it takes me back and reminds me of Guam, my most memorable home among the many I had as military brat.

Street Sense . November/December 2006

12 FOOD/MONEY

My Turn At the Table By Chris Sellman

Sorriso: A Taste of Italy in DC a good appetizer should do, which is to awaken the taste buds. For the main course, I had the Spaghetti Carbonara, which is spaghetti with imported bacon, eggs, and parigiano. It did not have the traditional red sauce but had pieces of bacon. With just the noodles, it did not taste complete, but with a bit of the bacon it all came together perfectly. Jesse had Tagliatelle Con Ragu Di Cinghiale, which is homemade tagliatelle pasta with wild boar sausage ragu sauce. It had a light, gamey taste to it. Last of all, we shared a piece of dark chocolate cake. It had several layers and was very rich, but it melted in the mouth. Chris gives two thumbs up to the food at Sorriso in Cleveland Park. Another feature of Sorriso is its proxVendor manager Jesse Smith Jr. and I had a most imity to public transportation. Take the Red pleasant and rewarding experience at Sorriso. Line Metro to the Cleveland Park station. Pass the The atmosphere was emblematic of a small, met- kiosk and take the west tunnel at the top of the stairs. ropolitan European environment. By that I mean Look to the left and the restaurant is literally 20 feet there was bustling pedestrian traffic to be viewed from the exit from the Metro. through the picturesque seating area, and yet the The restaurant has two shifts, lunch and dinner. sounds of the city did not invade the peace and tran- The dinner shift opens at 5:30 pm, and the restauquility of the dining experience. rant is very prompt. Reservations are encouraged I would say that the staff was expertly trained, but not necessary. There was a constant influx of to the point that our waitress, Isabella, could pro- patrons while we were dining, so I would suggest nounce the Italian titles of the dishes that we were getting there early or making a reservation. To find ordering in fluent Italian. She was also very atten- out more about Sorriso, go to its website at www.sortive to our needs to the point that when one of us risoristorante.net. The website has a full lunch and dropped his butter knife she had a new one there in dinner menu along with the restaurant’s wine list. moments. The menu has Italian titles, but the deSo in conclusion, I would give Sorriso a very high scriptions are in English. rating. Great food! Great atmosphere! Great location! For starters we shared an appetizer that was An all-around pleasant place to dine. named Vitello Tonnato, which is thinly sliced veal with a tuna, mayonnaise, anchovy and capers sauce. Chris has been a vendor for Street Sense for three When asked, Isabella explained the proper way to set months, and now is a substitute office volunteer. He it up. The overall flavor was exquisite, and it did what is also quite handy with computers.

Cook’s Corner

Puff Pastry Pinwheels Ingredients • One sheet of store-bought puff pastry dough (thawed but still chilled) • 2 Tbls. Dijon mustard • 6 to 8 oz. thinly sliced ham • 6 to 8 oz. thinly sliced Gruyere cheese • 1 egg • 1 Tbls. milk

Preparation • Take puff pastry dough and roll it out to a 19 x 15 rectangle. • Spread the lower third of the 19-inch side of the sheet with Dijon mustard and top with ham and cheese • Roll up the sheet "jelly-roll" style • Beat egg and milk together and spread over open end of roll • Brush entire roll with egg and milk mixture • Chill roll until ready to use • When ready, heat oven to 400°F • Slice pinwheels about 1/4 inch thick • Place the slices on a baking sheet and bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown • Serve hot. They can be baked ahead and reheated for a few minutes when ready to serve. This is a recipe that is often made by New Course Catering for events and parties. Will Doscher, the director of New Course, says it is “an easy hors d’oeuvre for the holidays.” Many employees at New Course come from a culinary arts training program through Community Family Life Services, which trains low-income and homeless individuals as professional cooks. New Course caters all events from corporate lunches to 500-person galas. For more info call (202) 347-7035. or visit www.newcoursecatering.com.

Getting More for Less Shopping Online According to eMarketer magazine, 77% of the online population over age 13 —131.3 million people — will shop online in 2007. With more and more online shopping options and the Internet’s ease of use, it’s likely that you, too, will be going online to do your holiday shopping this year. Last month’s column talked about ways to protect yourself online, and this month, we’ll take a look at some strategies that can save you money as you do your shopping (carefully!) over the Internet. Comparison Shop The Internet offers great ways to sort through and find the best deals. Price aggregator sites abound for travel, but did you know that there are similar sites for just about anything you might want to buy online? Electronics, books, household items – you name it. Websites like bizrate.com are great resources for comparing prices of popular gifts across many different websites. A 1GB mp3 player will cost you $95 to $115 this week. Don’t forget to factor in additional costs. On an aggregator site, you can usually enter the zip code you want the item shipped to and get tax and shipping information from all the online stores that offer that item. Look for sites that offer free or postal rate shipping. It’s also a good idea to check out

the site you plan to purchase your product on to make sure that it’s reputable and that it has a return policy you can live with. Be aware that many aggregator sites will also pull prices on refurbished or “open-box” items that can cost even less. If you don’t want a refurbished product, always check the details on any item you search for: a deal is only a deal if you end up with what you actually wanted. Get a Discount on Top of a Deal Once you’ve decided where you want to buy your item, you may be able to get an additional discount with a coupon code. Many stores will send their customers special codes that they can enter at checkout on the store’s website to receive a free gift, discount, or free shipping. Even if you aren’t on a store’s mailing list, you can take advantage of these coupon codes—you just need to find them. Websites like dealcatcher.com or currentcodes.com will publish a searchable list of coupon codes for many different online stores. If you decide to use a code from one of these sites, make sure you check that the code hasn’t expired or been maxed out (some codes can only be used a certain number of times before they stop working). You can usually do this by typing in the code before you checkout of the site. It pays to have a couple of options in mind since a code might not work. Remember that, sometimes, a free shipping offer can end up saving you more than a percent-off coupon. Do the math and it might save you a few bucks, or even more!

Give a Gift, Get a Gift Giving a gift can be rewarding in more ways than one! Many airline mileage programs also offer bonuses (usually in the form of extra miles) if you shop for an item with one of their partners, and if you start your shopping process through the airline’s website. Some merchants will give a percentage of your purchase to a charity if you shop through a special site like igive.com. Other sites, like upromise.com, can earmark a percentage of purchases made through their site to fund your child’s 529 college savings plan. Do your research before signing up with an online charitable shopping site (also called charity malls). And, of course, if you really care about a cause, the best thing you can do to benefit a charitable organization is to make a donation to that organization directly; the Internet makes this easy, too, with charitable giving portals like networkforgood. org or, locally, touchdc.org. In the season of giving, the Internet can make your giftshopping convenient, thrifty, and even rewarding. As with all online transactions, however, read the fine print and know who you are dealing with. Then you can relax and enjoy the holidays! - By Donna V.S. Ortega This regular financial column is presented by Capital Area Asset Building Corporation (www.caab.org). Send your questions about shopping online or ideas for future topics to saving@caab.org.

LITERATURE

Street Sense . November/December 2006

bOOK rEVIEW

Marvin Hammerman A mystery novel in parts BOOK 3, PART 10

By August Mallory

As security personnel are working swiftly to control the situation with the shooting of Hammerman and Jamison, Atlanta police and EMS personnel arrive on the scene. Considering that both men are being treated for gunshot wounds, they are lucky to be alive. Fortunately, the three assailants were only able to get off a couple of rounds due to the fact that there were too many witnesses in the area. Both Jamison and Hammerman were very lucky. They are immediately rushed to the trauma center at Grady Memorial Hospital in downtown Atlanta. Captain Mick Chadwell is summoned to the hospital. He is outside of the trauma unit getting information on Hammerman and Jamison and what their condition is. Doctors and nurses swarm around Hammerman and Jamison to locate the bullet in Jamison’s leg and the bullet in Hammerman’s shoulder, working carefully to not cause the bullets to move from their respective positions in the men. Anna Jackson is contacted by Capt. Chadwell. “Hello, this is Anna Jackson,” she answers. “Hello Ms. Jackson, this is Capt. Mick Chadwell with the Atlanta Police Department. I have some disturbing news for you. Your boss and Mr. Jamison have been involved in a shooting,” he tells her. “WHAT? OH MY GOD! NO! Where are they?” she asks. “They are in the trauma unit at Grady Memorial Hospital.” “I am on my way. Thank you, Captain.” “Is there a problem?” Patricia Ramsey asks Anna as she hangs up the phone. “Yes. Marvin and Russell Jamison have been involved in a shooting.” “Oh, no. Is there anything I can do?” Patricia offers. “Yes. Can you take me to Grady Memorial Hospital?” “Certainly. I will get my coat.” As the three assailants continue to evade authorities, they now realize that their luck is about to run out. “Hey man,” says Williams, “we need to get rid of these guns. What are we going to do with them?” “We have to toss them somewhere.” “Yeah, but where? We can’t just toss them anywhere. This gun is hot and our pictures are probably flashing on every news report.” “You bowing out on us man?” asks Smith. “No, man. All I am saying is that we need to lay low for awhile.” “We are pushing this thing too hard. We need to back off for awhile.” “Don’t you see what I am saying man? Look, all three of us have been knowing each other for a long time. You are like brothers to me,” says Williams. “All I am asking is to just lay low for awhile. Maybe we should split up for a few months. It don’t have to be for a long time.” Handler and Smith ponder the thought. “Alright man, then we chill out for awhile, ok.” “So what now? “What we do now, is that we go our separate ways. And give me those guns,” says Smith. “I will figure out what to do with them.” The three men split up and go their separate ways. News reports are flashing across televisions areawide. Jeffery Handler is the first to leave the area. He makes a move to go south to Miami. Realizing that someone may recognize him, he wears a hat and dark shades to disguise himself. He finds a truck stop where truckers congregate and convinces a trucker to take him to Florida. While en route to Florida, the trucker has no idea that Handler is wanted for suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon. “So what’s your name, partner?” asks the trucker. “Michael Johnson,” says Handler, giving the trucker a false name. “So what’s your business in Miami?” asks the trucker. “It’s my younger brother. He got into some trouble with the law.” “Oh, I see,” says the trucker. “Well, I can get you as far as Jacksonville, Florida. There, maybe there’s another trucker headed to that area.” “Thanks, that will work for me.” Now that Handler is dropped off in Jacksonville, he tries to find a place to hide out. He asks around for the local rescue mission for homeless people and is directed downtown. Meanwhile, back in Atlanta, Smith and Williams See FICTION page 15 have separated themselves and gone onto other

A “Good News” Story About Aid in the Developing World

For too long, there have only been books about how overseas aid has failed, about how money has been spent or misspent, with little benefit to the needy, and little on the success of development. That is, until the books, “Millions Saved, Proven Successes in Global Health,” a report by Ruth Levine, along with Molly Kinder, published by the Center for Global Development. Nancy Birdsall, the Center’s president, points out in an introduction that AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis alone kill six million people in developing countries each year and another seven million children die of infectious diseases that have long been forgotten in the rich, developed world. She stresses, and rightly, that much of the world’s ability to achieve its full potential is dependant on good health and this realization should spur action by government officials, scientists, public health workers and others. Much is being done to attempt to raise health standards in the developing world, and much of it has been successful. But, she adds, to make a better case for health assistance, there must be rigorous evaluation of the programs to judge what works and what doesn’t. “Millions Saved” points out that numerous studies have shown that economic aid has produced improved income growth for the world’s poor, but it argues that this kind of aid accounts for less than half of the improvements in the health of the poor: Health programs - and better health - are key to reducing poverty. “Millions Saved” recounts 17 successful and rigorously evaluated assistance programs, that have tackled various issues – from fighting AIDS to chronic malnutrition, discusses how they were implemented and their degree of success. What factors lie behind these successes? The records show that successes can come in even the poorest of nations and that government in these nations can do the job and even become the chief funders by making certain the intended recipients of the assistance are actually reached. And this includes behavioral change. For instance, to help control the ravages of guinea worm in Africa, families had to learn to filter their water, and do it consistently. Without this behavioral change, the program would have failed. Levine and Kinder write that successes can also be credited to factors that include predictable and adequate funding, visible high-level commitment to a program’s success, technical innovation within an effective delivery system, and good management on the ground. “In some of these cases, the participation of the affected community and the involvement of NGOs (non-government organizations) are also central features. Combined in particular ways, these elements appear to be the main contributing factors to success.” Here are some of the examples that “Millions Saved” uses to back up its formula for

Millions Saved By Ruth Leviine (Center for Global Development 2004)

global health successes: Thailand - The government’s “100 Percent Condom Program” targeted sex workers and other high-risk groups. This prevented the spread of HIV early in the epidemic and the result was that Thailand has 80% fewer cases of HIV in 2001 than in 1991. Latin America and the Caribbean - In 1985, the Pan American Health Organization undertook a region-wide effort to eliminate polio, immunizing almost every young child in the region. The result - polio was eliminated as a threat to public health in 1991. Sri Lanka - Despite a relatively low national income and less-than-adequate health spending, the nation committed itself to a “safe motherhood” program. In four decades, the maternal mortality rate fell from 476 deaths for each 100,000 live births to 24 deaths. Sub-Saharan Africa - A regional program was started in 1974 to reduce the incidence and impact of the River Blindness. The result: 18 million children born in a 20-country area of West Africa are now free of the disease and the potential for the region’s economic development is greatly increased. Overall, “Millions Saves” says, “The examples documented show that with effective donor assistance and international cooperation, success is possible - big success, lasting success, world-changing success.” The examples also show that planning ahead is vital: before starting, it says, arrange for long-term funding, political support and available managerial skills. “Millions Saved” says it cannot be stressed too much that there must be rigorous evaluations of health aid efforts that clearly establish the causal link between program and impact. This, it asserts, is essential to secure continued funding. - Robert Trautman

14 PUZZLES

Street Sense . November/December 2006

Cryptogram

Street Su-Do-Ku This Su-Do-Ku puzzle was put together by vendor Chris Sellman who claims he is obessed with the game. He promises that the puzzle below is easy to solve, but warns it may get beginners hooked!

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

Just fill in the numbers 1 through 9 without repeating a number in any column, row or box.

“RITLT MLT NTQNFT GH RIT YQLFS JQ Last Month’s Solution IDHCLZ, RIMR CQS AMHHQR MNNTML RQ RITV TPATNR GH RIT EQLV QE BLTMS.” -- VMIMRVM CMHSIG Hint: E = F

Last Month’s Solution:

24 27

25 30

48 53

56 62

57 63

www.CrosswordWeaver.com

1 5 10 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 24 26 27 30 32 37 38 40

Bars Wood Wound seriously Bridge support Ready to Work case manager S.A. Indian Asian dress Tree product Tie Flat Above corporal Revolve __ Francisco Expression of surprise Afloat Wiped down Profit Hot embers George Bernard __

41 43 44 45 46 48 49 52 53 54 56 58 63 67 68 70 71 72

New Vendor manager What a nurse gives Bring food Tub spread Animal with Street Sense name Conger Operable Adolescent Eastern Standard Time Sweet potato Hornet Concealing one’s identity Prover Homeless person Decree Region First letter of the Arabic alphabet Equal

73 74 75 76

October’s Answer Key

ACROSS

8 4 2

5 6 8

9 5

6 9 2 4 8 8

44 47 50 51 55 57 58 59

Street ______ August’s destination Caustic substance Diners Doctor Sacred song Fellow Lounge

2 8

4 1 7

60 61 62 64 65 66 69

4 8

5 1

Off-Broadway award “____ surfing” youths Vocalist Triad Snaky fish Rodents Auto

1 Grating sound 2 Voiced 3 Dept. of Regulatory and Consumer Affairs (abbrv.) 4 Tibias 5 Italian restaurant reviewed 6 Southwest Indian 7 Disorder 8 Sign of the zodiac Do you need a new prescription drug plan? 9 Vendor with podcasts Find out if your Medicare drug plan might be changing 10 __ and Ike next year. (candy) Find out about help for low-income people to pay for 11 Hammerman prescriptions through the new plans. assistant 12 Computer picture button 13 Dull 21 Swiftly 23 African antelope 25 Under, THE LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF DC CAN HELP YOU. poetically 27 Green Get FREE information about your current plan and/or help skinned pear 28 Palm parts deciding on a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. 29 Afloat (2 wds.) Get FREE information and help applying for the Medicare 31 Mete Prescription Drug Plan’ s low-income subsidy. 33 South

Low-Income DC residents who get Medicare!

ATTENTION

43 46

32 39

southeast 34 Street Sense’s anniversary 35 Roof overhang 36 Lived 39 Turn 42 Cry

DOWN

Crossword 2

3 8 7 2

The modern poor are not pitied...but written off as trash. The twentieth-century consumer economy has produced the first culture for which a beggar is a reminder of nothing. ~John Berger

9 2 1 6

Gait Entreaty Dismay Green seedless plant

G A L A

A D E N

F R A N K A N T L P A R I S P E N E S E

B I N D

M A R I A

F O G O

A G O N Y

R U N E S

E E L

M A C E R A R O E R S C T A H A B E G I T I N E T A G T O E D

O S S M I A A R P N P I MO M D O R M A N O E R V E I T S B E S D I D G A B O N C L D D D Y S

O R A T E A E R O N A U T

R O S I N

A S S E T

L E N S

L I N E

I N S T

D Y E S

A N N E

B A C A

S L E D

Call us at 202-628-1161 or Come to Legal Aid at 666 11th Street NW, Suite 800 Washington D.C. 20001 Orange, Blue or Red Line to Metro Center (11th and G Streets) Mondays 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. When you come in or call, please have with you:

-Medicare Card and Medicaid Card (if you also receive Medicaid) -List of medications or bottles with prescriptions -Letters about Medicare drug benefits from the Social Security Administration, Medicare agency, District of Columbia government or private drug plan. -Medicare drug benefit card, if you have one.

FEATURES 15

Street Sense . November/December 2006

What our REaders are Saying...

An Eye on the Ball

By Wendell Williams

What’s Wrong With The Redskins, Part I: Leadership

uring the winter months in homeless shelters across the country, staff and clients spend their days there putting out emotional fires and defusing the emotional bombs of the shelters’ residents. Basically there’s always a lot of drama. Most of it is due to the anger and frustration felt by the shelters’ residents at being homeless. It leaves you with a lot of unidentifiable feelings. But that all seems to change on Sunday afternoons and evenings when local pro teams are playing and the shelter family gathers to watch the games. Individuals and groups who never seem to get along at any other time during the week suddenly become open and warm towards each other as they root for or against the home team. In the Washington area shelter residents fall into two distinct groups, the same as in any sports bar or pub around town: die-hard Redskins fans or those who root against the home team, or worse yet, Cowboys fans. There is always good-natured ribbing going on between the Skins and Cowboys fans there just like anywhere else fans gather to watch games. For those few hours the homeless residents react to the events and highs and lows of the game as any “normal” person would, meaning they get a chance to forget about their homelessness for a short while, which they don’t often have a chance to do. And like most anywhere in D.C., the talk amongst people on the street lately is what’s wrong with the Redskins. Well I’ll tell you. As a team they are just not that good, and it has less to do with talent than with the greatly altered team chemistry from all the off-season changes. I am not one to trash the Skins. I have lived and died with each Redskin win or loss. If you cut me, I’ll still bleed burgundy and gold. In fact, I grew up in the shadows of RFK Stadium sitting on my front porch where we could clearly hear the PA announcer announce the results of each play as if we were seated on the 50-yard line. We’d run out in the street to dance to the Redskins band playing “Hail to the Redskins” after every score and sneak into some games (all my friends did it) from time to time, until I was old enough to start working at the stadium. So I am definitely not a “hater” or worse than that, a freaking Cowboys fan. There are plenty in this town as well as in the shelters. All that said, let’s take an honest look at the team, particularly its leadership. (I’ll give

you a rundown on the player nonsense that is holding up the team next month.) Let’s start with Coach Gibbs. Any other coach with a 19-24 record in the NFL or Division I football would have been long fired by now. But “Saint Joe” has not only stuck around but has been allowed to bring in more underachieving, expensive free agents and has also added to the NFL’s largest, and based on the results, overpaid, coaching staff A big point is that the hiring of offensive guru Al Saunders was a mistake if Coach Gibbs is not going to let him choose his own triggerman. I can’t believe Mark Brunell is his choice just by looking at the quarterbacks he has worked with in his previous stops. Gibbs would have better served his team by just adding the new pieces and keeping the system that took them just two games shy of the Super Bowl last season. If it isn’t broke don’t fix it. Ever heard that before? I think they panicked. Sometimes in sports, like in life, too much change and too sudden is often difficult to handle. They missed the chance of having veterans from last year be the extra coaches needed in schooling the rookies as well as the new additions to the team. Had they done that, most of the players would be on the same page by now and would have been able to hit the ground running by the opening game of the season. Now let’s look at the very top of the Skins leadership: Dan Snyder. Here’s the real skinny from a life long fan, the Redskins will never win the Super Bowl with Dan Synder as the owner. Now I know I’ll receive all kinds of hate mail from the Redskins Nation but it’s time to look at this thing like a math problem. One plus one will always equal two. Do the same thing, get the same results (sounds like some 12 step stuff). It’s true. Just go back year after year since the Cooke family sold this proud franchise to “Richie Rich”. Now to his credit “Mr. Synder” has done a fine job running the business side of things. The Skins are a money-making machine on par with the New York Yankees, but unlike the Bronx Bombers, the Skins have had very little on-field success. Barring a miraculous change in Synder’s approach to doing business or a change in team ownership, look for the coming years to be like a broken record or the movie “Ground Hog Day”. In the off season we look great on paper only to fall way short of our goal of getting that 4th ring. It’s been 15 years since “92” folks. Wake up. All this leaves me to ponder the words of a old “Talking Heads” song: “How did I get here?” The answer, “Same as it ever was, same as it ever was”! Wendell has been a vendor for Street Sense for the last nine months. He has also sold Street Vibes, the street paper in Cincinnati. To contact him about the Redskins, e-mail wendell_williams@hotmail.com.

Dear Street Sense, I am a Catholic priest from South Dakota who is in Washington, D.C. for a sabbatical, living temporarily with the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Land in the Brookland area. One day, I was downtown and a man approached me with a Street Sense paper. Honestly, I did not want to engage with anyone at the moment, so I took one just to get him off my back. He followed me for a few steps, saying something about homeless people. I said, “No, thank you,’’ ignored him and walked on. When I read the paper, I was immediately interested. I found the articles well-written, articulate and thoughtful. The tone of the paper was respectful and dialogical. It’s a great idea and well-done. Congratulations! Afterward, I felt badly that I had not given the man a donation, but I am enclosing a check now. Blessings on your efforts. In Christ, Fr. James W. Zimmer

Greetings Staff of Street Sense, On Thursday, October 19, I purchased the October/November edition from a very nice vendor in front of the Whole Foods on P Street. I’ve purchased this paper on a number of occasions from different vendors and always it’s the same – the salesmen are charming and well-groomed. They wipe away whatever stereotype or misconception the public may have of the homeless. Also, the publication itself is rather well done and informative. I read it from cover-to-cover (I’ve never done that with the NY Times or the Washington Post.) I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to the staff of this well put together valuable contribution to the community. Thanks, Charlene Bush

Hi there, I’m writing to thank Cliff Carle (and your publication) for his fantastic photographs published in the August/September issue. I am the mom of the little girl he photographed featured in the 2-page spread. She (and my husband and I) were so thrilled to see the photo, after having a great conversation with Cliff that day on the street. I am a photographer as well, and I just wanted to send my compliments to Cliff and the paper for the great photos! All the best, Lely Constantinople

FICTION, from p.13 areas to hide out. Williams goes to a local soup kitchen to eat lunch. He overhears a conversation about three men who are wanted in a shooting. Fearing that someone may recognize him, he covers his head with his sweater’s hood and remains quiet. As soon as Williams finishes his lunch, he immediately flees the area. Williams goes to a local library to read a book. As he enters, a librarian focuses her attention on him. She follows him with her eyes. In her mind she thinks he looks familiar, but she is not sure, so she lets the thought go and continues about her work. Then, she opens a section of the Atlanta Constitution and the faces of Smith, Handler and Williams are spread across the page. The librarian looks at Williams and then looks at the photograph, and sure enough they both match. The librarian notifies the security officer on duty. The security officer gets on his phone and notifies the Atlanta police. The APD gets the call and contacts two plainclothes detectives. This deterrent is used in the event that the suspect should run. This way the suspect will not know these men are police. The two detectives enter the library and the security officer points them to Williams. He is immediately taken into custody and booked for suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Word gets back to Hammerman and Jamison, who are now out of the emergency room and into a ward room recovering from gunshot wounds. “Gentlemen,” says Capt. Chadwell, “I am happy to report that a one Daryl ‘Gutter’ Williams is now in custody. A very observant librarian recognized him and notified their security staff, security then notified us, and Williams was immediately apprehended.”

Coming next month: With Williams now arrested, the investigation process begins work on locating Smith and Handler. Captain Chadwell goes undercover to find the two men.

16 EDITORIALS

Street Sense . November/December 2006

In MY Opinion By Eric Sheptock IRON CITY, from p.1 the Light of Life Rescue Mission and had the good fortune to meet a gentleman by the name of Carl and his friend Robert. They showed me the ropes on how to check into the shelters and how to go about going to the soup kitchens to get meals and other services. Although Pittsburgh is a beautiful city, it doesn’t have much knowledge about how to help the homeless. I decided to have breakfast on Sunday at the Light of Life Rescue Mission, and as we were waiting for breakfast there was one individual whose name I later found out was Thomas. Thomas and another individual were arguing and suddenly things got ugly, and they were tearing up the mission chapel. The staff broke it up rather swiftly, but Thomas got the daylights pounded out of him. Later that day at a soup kitchen, Thomas got into a fight with another individual, and poor Thomas got the stuffing whipped out of him a second time. On Monday, as people are gathered around the diocese of Pittsburgh to get breakfast, lo and behold there is ole Thomas getting into another fight and, for the third time gets beat down like a bowl of pancake mix. The police arrested both Thomas and the other person. When Tuesday rolled around, I sat down with Thomas and said, “You know, there comes a time when you should learn to just keep quiet. All of this acting like a bully just gets you stomped down like mashed potatoes.” Thomas got into another argument on Wednesday and went too far, spitting in the face of a person who looked like he could pick up a semi-trailer with one arm. The person lifted Thomas about 12 inches off the ground and choke slammed him so hard I thought Thomas was dead at that instant. It took 12 staff people and five clients to pull him off Thomas, who ended up at Allegheny General Hospital. I finally got to talk with a local council member about services for the homeless. Many homeless people in Pittsburgh are concerned about the neglect that they have gotten from local politicians. As the Nov. 7 elections approach, many homeless are asking “What about us?”—a question concerning many needed services in Pittsburgh. For example, many of the homeless have no access to the computer other than the local library. Pittsburgh has a reasonably good economy, but more is needed in terms of helping the homeless. Why are services lacking in Pittsburgh? It’s politics upon politics, which equals more politics. As I promised last month when I was in Jackson, Miss., I found out more on the assassination of Medgar Evers. He staged sit-ins and organized many boycotts, and this disturbed the system. Evers was getting too much support and tearing down the walls of discrimination in Mississippi. He was getting a firm foothold in stopping discrimination and the Ku Klux Klan was not having it, and this is what led to his murder. Thank you, Washington, D.C. Thank you, Baltimore. It has been my pleasure to have called you my home. Thank you, Street Sense. Being your vendor and board member and office volunteer has been a real challenge. Thank you, WOL — both Mary and the More Betterman Show. To all of my fellow vendors, both current and former vendors— I can’t name all of you but you know who you are. And to all service providers, my suggestion to you is to stay on the Department of Human Services and stay on the backs of politicians if you want to get things done. Voice your concerns — that’s the only way things will change. And to the homeless, I say learn to challenge the system, not one another. Fighting among yourselves will get you nowhere. We send people to Washington to do a job. They are your representatives. Stay on them. And finally, to all of my faithful readers, thank you, thank you, and again I say thank you. Thank you a billion times. If you only knew the difference that you have made in my life. May God always bless you with a kind and giving heart. August has been a vendor for Street Sense since it started. Please tune into the More Betterman Show on WOL-AM 1450 as he says goodbye to all of his radio listeners. You may e-mail August at carriergroup2009@yahoo.com Please join Street Sense as we say good by to August Mallory on Nov. 29 from 5:30pm to 7pm at the Church of the Epiphany (where our offices are located.) For more info see page 18.

The Power of Our Shelter Victory

he success of the Committee to Save Franklin Shelter is quite amazing. We got an influential and affluent developer to renegotiate and back out of a deal that would have inconvenienced almost 300 homeless men. While this victory is reason to rejoice in and of itself, its implications are of much greater importance. It’s proof that we, the poor and homeless, can do whatever we put our minds to. It also shows that we really do have a stake in our government and our community. It demonstrates what can be done when people unite under a good and common cause. These are truths and traits with innumerable benefits. Not long ago, I read an article about New Orleans. It stated that blacks in the city had a tendency to not aggressively pursue their insurance claims and that they felt inconvenienced by their government. This is not good. All taxpayers should feel that they have a stake in their government. They should know that the government is there for them. Fortunately, I see the opposite trend unfolding in Washington, D.C. There is this recent victory at Franklin School Shelter. There is also the creation of the Inter-Agency Council on Homelessness (IACH). Deputy Mayor Brenda Donald Walker has promised that the Committee to Save

Franklin Shelter will have its own subcommittee on the IACH. Furthermore, I’ve been to meetings and hearings of the IACH, and I see an increasing involvement by the homeless. I also see that the D.C. government is genuinely concerned with our cause and is attentive to all that we have to say. Another plus is that, even without discussing our concerns with each other, men and women from various shelters are saying many of the same things. This helps to convince the government that our concerns are legitimate. These concerns include the following: little or no assistance for mental illness, unfriendly and unprofessional staff, early check-in times that don’t allow people to get jobs, and filth or lack of maintenance of the facilities. We have won a victory already, and the government remains attentive to what we have to say. However, I feel that it is urgent for me to advise the homeless community. They must get involved in solving the problems of their community. The government has taken steps to hear and to help. Some of the homeless have gotten involved. They’ve attended these hearings. That’s great; they should keep up the good work. Still, more is better. I hope that the rapport we’ve developed with the government is more than a fleeting moment or a passing trend. Maybe it will translate into a greater sense of self-worth and self-confidence. Maybe it will foster productivity and a sense of belonging to the community. Let’s hope that it does.

[Homeless people] must get involved in solving the problems of their community.

Eric Sheptock is a resident of the Franklin Shelter in downtown Washington and par t of the Committee to Save Franklin Shelter.

Timeless Beauty

In this photo, artist and Franklin Shelter resident Jean-Jean wanted to show not only the timeless beauty of religion through the images of Jesus Christ and Mother Theresa but also the beauty in comedy represented here by Groucho Marx. If you are interested in purchasing this or others of his photos you can e-mail him at lion.777@hotmail.com.

EDITORIALS 17

Street Sense . November/December 2006

MAURICE SPEAKS

A Writer’s Motivating Factor

t has not always been easy to churn out editorials for this column. There is always the risk of having the column sound like an endless series of complaints, because there are so many things that are obviously wrong which contribute to homelessness, a problem that should not exist at all. In fact, quite a few people have asked me to write about their personal problems in my column. Not only is that not so easy for me to do so, but it would also turn the column into a complaint department, which is not its purpose. So what is the purpose of this column? The answer is a lot simpler than it may seem. For the readers who are homeless people themselves, I doubt that I can tell them a lot they do not already know. They live the experience of being homeless day in and day out, and reading a treatise about what

it means to be homeless certainly offers them nothing. The key here is promoting awareness among the many people who are in the habit of walking past homeless people on the street and pretending that homelessness doesn’t exist, or that someone else is taking care of homeless people. These people need to be jostled from their dreams and brought into the reality that homeless people face – nobody cares what becomes of them, and nobody is taking care of them at all. That is the true reality of homelessness. As I said, I need not tell the homeless any of these things. They have already learned these lessons the hard way, and live with them every day. But what of the people who live comfortably in the suburbs, watching their plasma TVs and playing with their Play Stations, for whom a financial crisis is having to cut back on entertainment because the funds are needed for other expenses? To them, homelessness is an alien world, and the only way to bridge the gap is to explain the realities of the homeless world in terms that they can understand. It may not be easy to describe to these people the feelings of desperation and despair in homeless people, or the fear that comes with the struggle for survival on the streets. But an attempt must be made, if these people are ever to feel any empathy,

Vendor Inventor’s Hope Is Restored

and if they are to realize homelessness is not a chosen way of life for most people on the streets. Anybody can end up homeless. When the people who think it could never happen to them suddenly find themselves homeless, they will surely remember my words. My hope, of course, is that somehow my words will be able to generate some sort of reaction that might help in the long run. The only way I can see that happening is if the public is aware of what it means to be homeless. Am I being too optimistic? That’s an accusation that few people who know me well would level against me. Certainly others have written books about homelessness as a topic, but not a lot has been written about what it means to live the homeless experience, probably because the topic is not particularly attractive. Living it is definitely not attractive, as any homeless person can readily confirm. Generating awareness is the greatest hope the homeless have for resolving their plight, and my hope is that I will be able to draw attention to the realities that homeless people face every day. Awareness is ultimately the key to ending the problem.

Jake has been a vendor for Street Sense for two years and now works in the office and writes often.

Ralph is director of a new nonprofit called Good Success Servant Services, which provides street outreach and help to homeless people.

By Jake Ashford

thing from above because it shows me how blessed I am and that the time is now for me to make a better way of life for my kids and me. Anticipating all the things that will happen is the best things for my kids and me right now. First, there will be Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to preparing a seven-pound turkey for my kids. My son’s birthday is around Thanksgiving and I need to spend this one with him again for the sake of our relationship. In Germany I will also be able to see my best friend of 24 years. He has a daughter who is 15 and it will also be a pleasure to see them. The friend lives less than two miles away from my son’s home. My intuitions tells me that everything will work out in a time frame that I have planned and with luck I will find employment while in Europe. So for all the people in Germany who are in the market for a warehouse supervisor, contact Jake Ashford2001@ hotmail.com And to all I wish a pleasurable and safe holiday season.

My Christmas Wish List

would like to thank everyone for investing in Street Sense, the community’s paper, for the last three years. Now, I would also like to remind everyone that it is that time of the year to get your Christmas shopping out of the way! My Christmas list this year requires no shopping, just a lot of hoping. What I want most is my Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) to come through before the holidays. Hopefully, this should be resolved by the time you are reading this because I have worked so hard to see it through. One Christmas wish of mine will actually be coming true this season. I will be spending at least one week with my daughters and son who live in Wiesbaden, Germany. I know this is a good

By Ralph Dantley ith Washington, D.C., being pumped with $5 billion dollars, according to a recent economic survey, you wonder what tour ists do after seeing all the museums andattractions. What’s next? I’ve noticed how when tourmobiles, charter bus riders, and countless walking tourists see the homeless, they stare like the homeless are some exotic exhibit at the zoo or a wild kingdom. All you see is finger pointing and cameras clicking at all sorts of faces like “wait ‘til the people back home see this.” You wonder what tourists are thinking. From the expressions of some, you would think being homeless was some new disease. I guess being so well off has its benefits. Seeing people on benches, panhandling, pushing carts, and standing in soup lines is more than they can bear. If tourists find the homeless such a sight, let’s give them a treat. Maybe D.C. can add homelessness to the tourist scene for a fee. Washington, D.C., could develop a “Homeless Theme Park” complete with rides, games, homeless adventure set-ups, and all the trappings of a Disney World or Six Flags. The staff would be the homeless, because they know what homelessness is all about and will give tourists the realness of it. Just think, those that were unemployed become employed and do what they have been doing very well, surviving with homelessness. Let’s talk about salary here for a minute. With the money that will be coming in from the tourists, employees would get a pay higher than minimum wage: after all, everyone has bills to pay. Then let’s talk about health and dental coverage: you need healthy and smiling workers. Now let’s have that 401K and vacation time to take a trip. Now here is the answer to some major issues like housing. Let the theme park build housing for its now-working, ex-homeless staff. Throw in some shoes, banking, entertainment, other luxuries, and you have a mini-city. Think of it, solving a major problem by changing people. If it works in D.C., just think of it, other cities would do it too. Wow! The cities get paid, the ex-homeless get paid, with housing and other perks, and the tourists become broke and scared straight. The next time they see someone homeless, they may be looking at themselves.

Maurice King has been writing editorials for Street Sense since January 2004, and is also publishing his own book. You can email him at benadam@cyberdude.com.

n last month’s issue, you may recall I had my first article published. I called it “Homeless Man’s Hopes Devastated by Energizer Commercial,” but the editors wisely changed it to “Commercial Ruins Inventor.” I found myself explaining to my patrons that I’m a lot more optimistic than I am portrayed in that article. Recently, one of my customers gave me a great reason for my optimism. He told me that he had seen the Energizer cellular phone charger and that it cost about $10 for a one time use, and then you throw it away. This was great news. All was not lost. I have already applied for the “poor man’s patent” in the disposable battery version of the PUCCER. Now I will have them available through Street Sense for $20 to $30 depending on the cost of materials. The cost of the original PUCCER has increased to $60 for this limited edition product that will last a lifetime. Additionally, I have a copyright for my publication “10 Ways to Play and Win in the Lottery.” It illuminates trends and phenomena that occur in three- and four-digit winning lottery numbers. It will be available for $10. Both the lottery document and the PUCCER are available if you send money to P.O. Box 15879, Washington, D.C. 20003-0879. -- Conrad Cheek Jr.

Homeless Theme Park Tourist Attraction?

Street Sense . November/December 2006

18 COMMUNITY PAGE

Provider Profile

Wash. Legal Clinic: Justice for All By Desiree Stephens Last year alone, the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless donated $4.8 million of legal services to clients who otherwise could not afford to purchase a lawyer’s time. The clinic, with the help of more than 175 attorneys and paralegals, consults with and represents clients who suffer from the effects of poverty. “Affordable housing is being affected by the mass construction of new condo buildings,” explained executive director, Patty Fugere, who has been with the clinic in some capacity or another since its inception in 1986. “Many of the clients we serve just need basic representation and help with administrative appeals.” Volunteers meet with clients for a few hours each week at one of the eight sites around the District. They offer legal consultation and, if needed, representation and follow-up communication with individual clients about their unique needs. The clinic has seven full-time lawyers on staff that advise, mentor and provide case management counseling. The clinic’s volunteers and services can be found at the following sites: Church of the Brethren, Community for Creative Non-violence Shelter, Dinner Program for Homeless Women, Downtown Business Improvement District Drop-In Center, Miriam’s Kitchen, Rachael’s Women Day Center, S.O.M.E., and Virginia Williams Family Resource Center. “The biggest challenge facing the clinic is staffing the sites each week,” explained Fugere. “We consistently search for volunteers who can commit the time, including follow-up time, to individual cases.” The cases involve a broad range of issues including discrimination, shelter denial, affordable housing, accessible health care, veteran benefits, landlord/tenant disputes, subsidized housing and even consumer debt issues. The clinic has also pursued class action litigation in order to make justice available to more underprivileged people. Not surprisingly, the clinic is also dedicated to pursuing public policy initiatives. Welfare reform legislation and disability rights are among its top issues. The clinic has testified before Congress, the City Council and the Control Board on behalf of impoverished people. “We’ve challenged the city housing, food stamp and dis-

ability programs,” said Fugere. “We’ve worked to develop a protocol for District government officials when they confiscate the belongings of a homeless person.” Additionally, the clinic took the lead to rewrite the District’s shelter laws and reestablish a locally funded disability program. It challenged the closure of shelters for single adults and the unlawful operation of the family shelter intake system. It has continued to focus on improving current housing conditions and availability. The clinic successfully sought court intervention to improve the management of public housing facilities when local government needed to be held accountable for monitoring its contractors who breached their fiduciary duty to low-income residents. As a result, the DC Housing Authority has now made improving housing conditions for low-income families a priority. The clinic also focuses on educating the public about homelessness and the legal issues surrounding housing. Volunteers facilitate programs at law firms to train their legal colleagues about how to be effective advocates. They are also involved with grassroots advocacy and other providers like the Fair Budget Coalition and the Welfare Advocates Group. “We work closely with groups like Legal Aid Society, Rachael’s House and Bread for the City,” said Fugere. Entirely funded by the private sector, including foundations and law firms, the clinic keeps conflicts of interest at bay by avoiding any government funding whatsoever. For 20 years, the clinic has held its biggest fundraiser, “Home Court,” in the spring. At the event, members of Congress play a basketball game against the Georgetown University Law Center faculty. Last year, the event raised $250,000. Additionally, “Lawyers Pitch In” is a fundraiser where attorneys from over 20 law firms play against each other in a softball game. The clinic has overcome many barriers since it started. “We started with four pilot sites where we mostly referred people. Now there are eight sites and we represent individuals because we realized the issues needed systematic solutions,” said Fugere. “Our goal is to create a social safety net, and it’s important that we make the court available to everyone who needs it.”

“Many of the clients we serve just need basic representation and help with administrative appeals.”

Vendor Notes As we celebrate our third anniversary, we want to recognize those vendors that have been with us since the beginning (or darn close to it). While many vendors have come and gone, there are a handful that have stuck with Street Sense from the start, dedicated to selling the paper even after gaining new jobs and other commitments. These veteran vendors include Allen Jones, Conrad Cheek Jr., Bobby Buggs, Phillip Howard and most notably August Mallory, who will be leaving us at the end of November. Give an extra-special “thank you” to these dedicated men when you see them vending this month! In addition, long-time vendor Conrad Cheek Jr., who is regularly heard selling Street Sense at Eastern Market, will soon be heard regularly on an Internet podcast as well. Starting sometime in the next month, Conrad will have a regular spot on Talk Radio News Service’s Homeless Cast conducting interviews with homeless men and women – many of whom sell Street Sense – and highlighting the personal successes and struggles of these individuals. Go to www.homelesscast.com and have a listen (he will be on segments 9, 10 and 11.) There is more news on the employment front this month. Amia Walker, who was featured on the back page of last month’s issue, will soon be starting a new job. She finally got her security clearance and will be working weekends as a security guard here in D.C. We congratulate Amia and wish her success, but hope she still visits Street Sense on her days off. While we are all very sad to see August Mallory leave Street Sense, we don’t want to send him off with tears and frowns, but rather with smiles and celebrations (and a bit of roasting, too!). So please join us Wednesday Nov. 29 for an informal Good Bye Party for August. It will be held in the main hall of the Church of the Epiphany (where our offices are located), 1317 G Street, NW, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. There will be drinks, cookies, snacks and good memories and stories for all.

For more information visit www.legalclinic.org.

Subscribe to Street Sense! Want to continue to support Street Sense throughout the year? Order a subscription. When you do, not only will you receive 12 issues packed with all our latest news, poetry and photography, you will also contribute to raising awareness on poverty in Washington.

___ YES! I want to subscribe to Street Sense. That means I get 12 issues for $25 a year. ___ YES! I want to give half of the cost of a subscription to my favorite vendor: _____________________ Name: ______________________________________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________________________________ City: _________________________________________State:_______________ Zip: _______________ Phone: ______________________________________________________________________________ Email: ______________________________________________________________________________ Please make checks payable to Street Sense. Street Sense is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization. Mail to: Street Sense, 1317 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20005. Thanks for your support!

Street Sense -- the horse, not the paper -- wins big at the Breeders’ Cup.

And lastly, we at Street Sense - the Washington area’s street paper - would like to congratulate another “Street Sense” – the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile race. After a slow start and at 15-to-1 odds, this young horse won the race by 10 lengths, the second largest lead in all of Breeder’s Cup history. While there is no connection that we know of, we here at the paper know what it is like to be called Street Sense and beat the odds. And we wish the horse (and his trainer and jockey) the best of luck as they look forward to the Kentucky Derby.

Street Sense . November/December 2006

Community Service Index SHELTERS Calvary Women’s Services 928 5th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 783-6651 Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 745-7118 CCNV (Men and Women) 425 2nd Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-1909 Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-7356 DC Village (Family) 2-A DC Village Lane, SW Washington, DC 20032 (202) 561-8090 Franklin School (Men) 13th and K streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 638-7424 Gospel Rescue Ministries (Men) 810 5th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 842-1731 House of Imagene Shelters 214 P Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 518-8488 House of Ruth: Madison Emergency Shelter (Women) 651 10th Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 547-2600 John Young Center (Women) 117 D Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 639-8469 La Casa Bilingual Shelter (Men) 1436 Irving Street, NW Washington, DC 20010 (202) 673-3592

SERVICE PROVIdERS & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 19

Hypothermia Hotline: 1- 800-535-7252

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

Community of Hope 2250 Champlain Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 232-9022

Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-8870

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

Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 745-4300

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

Whitman-Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 797-3500

Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 543-5298

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

OUTREACH CENTERS

McKenna’s Wagon 2114 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-6608 Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Ave, NW Washington, DC 20037 (202) 452-8926 So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 797-8806 Wash. City Church of the Brethren 337 North Carolina Ave, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 547-5924 The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347-2635 Zacchaeus Community Kitchen, (“9:30 Club”) 10th and G Streets, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-9144 EMERGENCY FOOD

N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 939-2060

Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 265-2400 AND 1640 Good Hope Road, SE Washington, DC 20020 (202) 561-8587

801-East @ St. Elizabeth’s Hospital 2700 MLK Ave., SE Washington, DC (202) 561-4014

Covenant House of Washington 2001 Mississippi Ave, SE Washington, DC 20020 (202) 610-9630

New York Ave Shelter (Men) 1355-57 New York Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 832-2359

Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 842-1112

Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 639-8093

Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE Washington, DC 20011 (202) 269-2277

SOUP KITCHENS

MEDICAL RESOURCES

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

Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-1100

Downtown Services Center 945 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 393-5400 Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 939-2060 Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20007 (202) 338-8301 Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-6608 Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 682-1005 Sasha Bruce Youth Work 741 8th Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 675-9340 Friendship House 619 D Street, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 675-9050 Comm. Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Ave. NW Washington, DC 20016 (202) 364-1419 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Byte Back (computers) 815 Monroe Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 (202) 529-3395 Capital Area Food Bank 645 Taylor Street, NE Washington, DC 20017 (202) 526-5344 x223 Catholic Community Services of DC 924 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 772-4300 Catholic Comm. Services Emergency Center 1438 Rhode Island Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20018 (202) 526-4100

Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 347-0511 Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW 20036 (202) 332-4010 Hermano Pedro DC Center 3211 Sacred Heart Way Washington, DC 20010 (202) 332-2874 JHP, Inc. (Jobs and Housing) 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 544-5300 Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 667-8970

Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE Washington, DC 20020 AND 1516 Hamilton Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 (202)889-7702 St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 1514 15th Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 (202) 607-4394 Travelers Aid, Union Station 50 Mass. Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002 (202) 371-1937 Virginia Williams Family Resource Center 25 M Street, SW Washington, DC 20024 (202) 724-3932 Wash. Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 328-5500

Thank You Street Sense Vendors!!

August

Muriel

Phillip

Patty

Allen

John

Brenda

Willie

Antwan

Agula

Alvin

Jimmy

David

Amia

Jake

Patricia H.

Cliff

Mark

Corey

Tommy

Therese

James

Charles

Bobby

Chris

Patricia J.

Francine

Larry

Martin

Lee

Conrad

Michelle

Tom

Wendell

Jennifer

Carl

Kaynan

Robert

Nokie

Grayling

StreetFact In the last year 93 permanent vendors have sold more than 100,000 copies of Street Sense throught the Washington area. Source:Street SEnse

November/December 2006 • Volume 4 • Issue 1

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

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

All vendors remind customers to buy only from other badged vendors and not to give to those panhandling with one paper. Introducing Street Sense’s New Vendor Manager Jesse Smith Jr.

Tired of your office politics? Check out

The Office: Street Sense Style with regular updates about vendors and office chaos. Visit www.streetsense.org and click on “The Office Blog” link or go to www.streetsenseoffice.blogspot.com.