11 17 2021 by Street Sense Media

VOL. 19 ISSUE 1

NOV. 17 - 23, 2021

Real Stories

City prepares to permanently close second encampment without connecting all residents to housing

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

@ STREETSENSEDC

Real People

suggested donation goes directly to your vendor

Real Change

2 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / N O V. 1 7 - 2 3 , 2021

BUSINESS MODEL

How It Works

Street Sense Media publishes the newspaper

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

$2.00

YOUR SUGGESTED

$.50 Vendors pay

DONATION

per newspaper copy

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

NO CASH? NO PROBLEM.

Pay vendors with the Street Sense Media app! S earch “S treet S ense ” in your app store .

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

AVA I L A B L E

Brian Carome

As self-employed contractors, our vendors follow a code of conduct. 1. Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $2.00. I agree not to ask for more than $2.00 or solicit donations for Street Sense Media by any other means. 2. I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense Media staff and volunteers and will not sell papers to other vendors. 3. I agree to treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and other vendors, respectfully at all times. I will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making a donation, or in engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices. 4. I agree not to distribute copies of Street Sense on metro trains and buses or on private property. 5. I agree to abide by the Street Sense Media vendor territorial policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes I have with other vendors in a professional manner.

6. I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense Media, but an independent contractor. 7. I agree to sell no additional goods or products when distributing Street Sense.

PHOTO BY HANNAH SCHOENBAUM

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT

Doris Warrell

DIRECTOR OF VENDOR PROGRAMS

Darick Brown

CASE MANAGER

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

Leo Grayburn

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

Thomas Ratliff

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

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

Clarence, an unhoused Washington, D.C. resident living in the New Jersey Avenue and O Street NW encampment in Truxton Circle.

Mary Coller Albert, Blake Androff, Jeremy Bratt, David Cloe, Clare Krupin, Jennifer Park, Michael Phillips, Dan Schwartz, John Senn, Aaron Stetter, Daniel Webber, Shari Wilson, Corrine Yu

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT

The Cover

VENDORS Ayub Abdul, Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Alex AJ’ Donkin, Abraham Aly, Andrew Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Phillip Black, Reginald Black, Debora Brantley, Laticia Brock, Donald Brown, Brianna Butler, Melody Byrd, Reginald C. Denny, Anthony Carney, Carlos Carolina, Floyd Carter, Jeffrey Carter, Conrad Cheek, Curtis Clark, Jenkins Daltton, James Davis, Patricia Donaldson, Ron Dudley, Queenie Featherstone, Jet Flegette, Jemel Fleming, James Fuller, Samuel Fullwood, Julie Fullwood, Gracias Garcias, Don Gardner, Chon Gotti, Morris Graham, George Gray, Marcus Green, Levester Green, Dayonna Harris, Kunle Henderson, Derian Hickman, Vennie Hill, Carlton J.M. Johnson, Chad Jackson, Fredrick Jewell, Joseph Joe Jackson, Frederic John, Henry Johnson, Mark Jones, Morgan Jones, Reggie Jones, Darlesha Joyner, Larry Kelley, Juliene Kengnie, Jewel Lewis, John Littlejohn, Marcus McCall, Jermale McKnight, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jeffery McNeil, Ricardo Meriedy, Kenneth Middleton, Anton Mitchell, Collins Mukasa, Evelyn Nnam, Earl Parker, Kym Parker, Aida Peery, Marcellus Phillips, Jacquelyn Portee, Anthony Pratt, Abel Putu, Doris Robinson, Michele Rochon, Corey Sanders, Rita Sauls, Malcolm Scott Jr, Mary Sellman, Patty Smith, Ronald Smoot, David Snyder, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Archie Thomas, Eric Thompson-Bey, Jacqueline Turner, Joseph Walker, Rochelle Walker, Amia Walker, Michael Warner, Robert Warren, Sheila White, Angie Whitehurst, Sasha Williams, Wendell Williams, Charles Woods, Latishia Wynn

The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper Originally founded as a street newspaper in 2003, Street Sense Media has evolved into a multimedia center using a range of creative platforms to spotlight solutions to homelessness and empower people in need. The men and women who work with us do much more than sell this paper: They use film, photography, theatre, illustration, and more to share their stories with our community. Our media channels elevate voices, our newspaper vendor and digital marketing programs provide economic independence. And our in-house case-management services move people forward along the path toward permanent supportive housing. At Street Sense Media, we define ourselves through our work, talents, and character, not through our housing situation.

DIRECTOR OF VENDOR EMPLOYMENT VENDOR PROGRAM ASSOCIATES

Morris Graham, Aida Peery, Clifford Samuels

VENDOR PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS

Jeff Barger, Haley Gallagher, Roberta Haber, Ann Herzog, Kevin Jaatinen, Jacob Kuba, Eva Reeves, Mauricio Reyes

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Eric Falquero

DEPUTY EDITOR

Gordon Chaffin

STAFF REPORTER

Will Schick

WRITERS GROUP ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

Willie Schatz

OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER)

Claire Harvey, Rebecca Koenig, Emily Kopp, Lydia DePillis

INTERNS

Spencer Donovan, Jamaica Kalika, Michelle Levine, Maydeen Merino, Irene Si

EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS

Ryan Bacic, Katie Bemb, Megan Boyanton, Lilah Burke, Lenika Cruz, Kelsey Falquero, Roberta Haber, Allison Hageman, Alison Henry, Priya Rhoehit, Nick Shedd, Andrew Siddons, Jenny-lin Smith, Rebecca Stekol

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

EVENTS

// 3

NEWS IN BRIEF Talbert Street homeowners file a second lawsuit over new homes that crumbled BY WILL SCHICK will@streetsensemedia.org

Screening and Panel Discussion: Wednesday, Nov. 17 // 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. Georgetown Law Campus, Eric E. Hotung International Law Building // 600 New Jersey Ave NW Georgetown University will be hosting a screening of “Street Reporter,” a film that touches on homelessness and the impact of community journalism through a moving, powerful lens. Opportunities to discuss with activists will follow. Visitors must register before attending. INFO: tinyurl.com/gw-law-street-reporter THURSDAY, NOV. 18

UPDATES ONLINE AT ICH.DC.GOV

FRIDAY, NOV. 19

Just Homes: DC Housing 101

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings

A Chance to Thrive: “Coming Home to Where?”

7 to 8:30 p.m. Virtual via Zoom

Strategic Planning Committee Nov. 23, 2:30 - 4 p.m. // Webex

12 30 - 1:30 p.m. Virtual via Zoom

Interested in learning more about the affordable housing crisis in D.C.? Discuss the housing challenges D.C. faces and how to get involved in housing justice. Attendees must register to participate.

Shelter Operations Committee Nov. 24, 1 to 2:30 p.m. // Webex

Join this online panel hosted by Jubilee Housing and Thrive DC to explore housing challenges faced after incarceration. The panel will feature two returning citizens and one realtor.

MORE: tinyurl.com/jh-housing101

Youth Committee Nov. 25, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. // Webex ***For call-in information, as well as meeting info for unlisted working groups, contact: ich.dmhhs@dc.gov

MORE: tinyurl.com/home2where

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

A dozen homeowners who purchased properties in Southeast D.C. that fell apart soon after they were constructed filed a new lawsuit last month against the city, the developer, and a housing nonprofit. The lawsuit builds on claims made in an earlier court case initiated in January by another group of nine homeowners at 1262 Talbert St. SE. The first suit was a complaint against the city, the homeowners association, and the developer. In August, a District judge dismissed both the association and the city from the case, citing a lack of sufficient evidence and insufficient procedural grounds. Because the developer has filed for bankruptcy, the timeline for the courts to determine the firm’s liability in the initial case remains unclear. An attorney representing the nine Ward 8 homeowners filed a notice of appeal in September. In this new court filing, 12 plaintiffs — two of whom were also party to the first complaint — argue that the city and the developer are guilty of negligence and did not fulfill their responsibilities under the District’s Consumer Procedures Protection Act to ensure the homes were built properly. It also brings claims against the nonprofit Manna Inc., which offers housing counseling among its various services. While the previous court case included claims for breach of contract, emotional distress and violations of the consumer protection act, it did not bring forward specific claims for negligence against the city or Manna Inc. “Rather than admit failure of a key affordable housing development project, and suffer embarrassment, the District government looked away from red flags that should have stopped the program,” according to a statement prepared by Ari Theresa, the attorney representing the plaintiffs. Thanks to millions of dollars in subsidies from the city government, the developers — Stanton View Development LLC and River East at Anacostia LLC — built the homes as part of the District’s initiatives to help provide lowincome, first-time homebuyers with affordable housing. But in August, four years after the town houses were constructed on a hillside near the Anacostia Metro station, the homeowners were told by an engineering firm to evacuate their homes due to severe structural issues. Many of the displaced homeowners scattered to other parts of the city after the District gave them temporary one-year housing certificates and one-time cash payments of $7,000. In previous reporting from Street Sense Media and The DC Line, homeowners recounted their struggles in finding affordable accommodations and dealing with the damage to their properties. As part of the Talbert Street homebuyers’ participation in D.C.’s affordable housing programs, Manna Inc. provided homeownership training. The lawsuit claims that the nonprofit used “high-pressure sales tactics” despite knowledge that the properties the homeowners were purchasing had “serious defects.” The plaintiffs also allege that Manna discouraged them from getting independent home inspections prior to closing on their new properties. An initial hearing conference is scheduled for Jan. 28 with Judge William M. Jackson in D.C. Superior Court. This article was co-published with The DC Line.

4 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / N O V. 1 7 - 2 3 , 2021

NEWS

Where compassion meets the reality of dollars and cents:

Behind the multimillion dollar homeless services nonprofit that sometimes evicts people BY WILL SCHICK will@streetsensemedia.org

hen local activist Lindsey Jones-Renaud learned that her friend Yolanda Corbett received an eviction notice this fall, she was shocked. Jones-Renaud assumed her friend would always be safe in her home since Corbett was living in a property managed by So Others Might Eat (SOME), a local homeless services nonprofit that also provides affordable housing. A regular donor and volunteer at SOME since 2011, JonesRenaud has worked with nonprofits and has been involved with social justice advocacy for years. Her husband even applied for a job with the organization in the past, but neither of them ever knew that it evicted people from their programs from time to time. “I was just flabbergasted that it was part of their model,” she recalled during a recent interview. Disappointed and upset about what was happening to her friend, Jones-Renaud dashed off an email to SOME and canceled her recurring monthly donation. She also organized an online petition calling on the nonprofit to halt any pending evictions, and she spread the word about it via Twitter. Her petition, which had garnered about 60 signatures as of a few weeks ago, demanded the group publicly reveal the number of past evictions it pursued and explain how it had ever gotten in the business of evicting people. “It’s an issue of transparency,” she said. “Of course they don’t talk about their evictions because they don’t want people to know about that.” In the world of homeless service nonprofits operating in D.C., SOME is a behemoth. With more than $35 million in annual revenue, 400 full-time employees, and 9,000 volunteers, the organization provides tens of thousands of people every year with a range of services, including health care, job training, daily meals, and housing. In its strategic plan published in August, the nonprofit laid out ambitions to grow its current stock of about 1,300 affordable housing units to 2,000 units within the next five years. Though SOME’s housing portfolio is generally tailored

Yolanda Corbett. PHOTO BY WILL SCHICK

to people making less than 30% of the median family income for D.C., its strategic plan calls for the possibility of a much more diverse collection of properties to include those meant for people making up to 80% of the median family income. Despite all this, the nonprofit has occasionally evicted some people from its housing over the years — a practice that has proved contentious in the past for SOME and for comparable organizations elsewhere.

Behind the evictions process at SOME Despite the criticism in Jones-Renaud’s petition, SOME said it is not in the business of evicting people. In its annual report for 2020, the nonprofit reported providing housing to 1,449 people across its properties. Though evictions occur from time to time at the nonprofit’s properties, they are rare, according to a statement provided by the SOME. “Less than 10% of our resident base is entered into court-monitored payment plans or the correct-or-vacate process annually; executed evictions have not exceeded single digits in the past five years (2017-2021),” the statement says. According to Katara Coates, the senior vice president and chief administrative officer at SOME, most of these evictions have occurred when residents pose a threat to others in their community. She estimated that prior to the pandemic, SOME evicted less than 6% to 7% of its tenants annually due to nonpayment of rent. A 2020 study published by Georgetown University found that nearly 11 out of 100 renter households in the city had received an eviction filing in 2018. But the report also noted vast disparities in eviction filings that year, with 25% of renters in Ward 8 receiving one, compared to 3% in Ward 2. While Corbett received an eviction notice — an early step in the process — no one has been evicted from SOME properties during the pandemic even with the city’s moratorium no longer in effect. In a testament to SOME’s desire to help people secure stable

housing, Coates said, the nonprofit helped 450 of its residents secure a total of $730,000 from Stay D.C., the city’s emergency financial assistance program. “Our job is to support people in housing — our job is not to vilify and get rid of them,” Ralph Boyd, the president and CEO of SOME, said during a recent interview. Nonetheless, he defended the nonprofit’s policy of pursuing evictions when tenants owe large amounts of back rent. “Because there is so much support, and so much subsidy, there is an expectation that for what we're doing to work, people have to have an oar in the water for themselves and their families,” Boyd said. “And if they don't, it won't work.” If tenants fall behind on rent for several years, he said, then other participants might question whether they should pay rent either, putting the entire program’s success and model in jeopardy. Boyd also pointed to the housing nonprofit’s financial obligations as further reason it needs to be firm in the expectation that its tenants pay their rent on time. “At the end of the day, we are a business,” he said of the need to adhere to fiscally sound policies. “When you look at the size of our balance sheet, and all of the real estate, housing that we operate and the clinics that we operate, there's a certain amount of debt that's attached to those assets.” In Corbett’s case, she owed 2 1/2 years’ worth of back rent.

Finding help through SOME It was sometime in 2017 when Corbett, a native Washingtonian and single mother, first encountered SOME. She was at a job fair trying to find a better way to care for herself and her three children. Public assistance and a housing voucher just were not enough. She spoke to a representative from SOME and signed up to participate in a medical administration workforce training program that provides participants with a clear pathway to employment. In her assessment, the program was nearly perfect.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

“They remove all barriers for you to be able to successfully participate and be able to find a good outcome of employment,” she said. “You don't have to pay for anything. They help you get your scrubs because you have to wear scrubs while you're there. They pay for your books. They even pay for the certification and even pay for your transportation.” While Corbett did not find a job in medical administration at the end of the program, she became an administrative assistant at SOME in early 2018. The full-time job paid $17.23 an hour. She felt her life turning around. “When I connected with SOME, in a way, it was really … signifying a new beginning for me and my children,” Corbett said.

The challenge of keeping stable housing When Corbett first started work at SOME, she was sharing a federal housing voucher with her twin brother, renting a home in Southeast D.C. that she said was in horrible condition. The house was riddled with mold and lacking any heat or air-conditioning. What’s worse is that one of her sons has asthma, making her all the more desperate to get the family into a safer place. The house was simply uninhabitable. So, Corbett took her children and left. For a while, they couch-surfed. Then, one day, Corbett said, she reluctantly brought the issue up at work, despite misgivings. As a SOME employee, Corbett said, she felt like there might be an inherent “conflict of interest.” She knew all about SOME’s procedures for providing housing assistance and worried that she would be breaking the usual protocol by asking for immediate help. But to Corbett’s surprise, SOME agreed to help her. If not for the personal connection, Corbett doesn’t think she could’ve been connected with housing so quickly. “No one's going to walk off the street and be like, ‘Hey, I got these deplorable conditions. I need housing now.’ It’s not how the model is set up,” she explained. In 2018, Corbett moved into a three-bedroom, one-bath town house across the street from SOME’s main building. During this time, staff members told her that she needed to give up her housing voucher as a pre-condition of being able to move into the property. According to SOME, that’s because the D.C. Housing Authority would not process her application to move into the property if she was actively listed in their system on another voucher. She was hesitant at first. It was a voucher that was passed down from her mother. Once she gave it up, she knew it would be awhile before she could ever obtain another one. On the other hand, she needed a place for her family and her family’s lifestyle differed from that of her brother, who was single. “Even the young lady that I was speaking to, the specialist at D.C. Housing [Authority], was like ‘Are you sure?’ and reminded me, ‘Hey, you know, we can't put you back on this voucher,’” Corbett said. Ultimately, Corbett said she gave up the voucher, trusting that SOME’s housing program — which couples residents with intense “wraparound” counseling and career support services — would provide the security her family needed. She also thought that once she was accepted as a resident, her monthly rent burden of $899 would be reduced to 30% of her income, which at the time would have been around $640. “The majority of SOME’s housing programs are for residents who are at 30% [of the Area Median Income], but there is a range of rates depending on the property type and subsidy source,” the nonprofit said in a statement. “A few of our properties have flat fee rents and are subsidized by private

donors (not governmental sources).” Fair market rent for a three-bedroom in Corbett’s general neighborhood is about $3,800, according to the D.C. Housing Authority. Soon after she moved into her new home, Corbett learned that her income meant she was overqualified for SOME’s case management and coaching services and that she would not receive a discount on her monthly rent. Without a car, she said, she initially struggled with shuttling her three children to and from school and was spending hundreds each week on ride-hailing services. Before long, she fell behind on rent and worked out a payment plan with her property manager. Eventually, however, SOME asked her to pay the full amount she owed on her monthly rent. But Corbett continued to accumulate more and more pastdue amounts. A few months ago, she found an eviction notice tacked to her door.

Dealing with the threat of an eviction

// 5

organization’s president and CEO described what happened to Corbett as a “one-off incident” that is unlikely to recur, he said he can’t rule that out. For Boyd, the nonprofit’s decision to help Corbett during her time of need and provide her with housing was an act of compassion. But since she was not granted housing through the nonprofit’s normal admission procedures, her experiences differed significantly from those of other program participants. “Everybody wants her to be in our program and succeeding with our services,” Boyd said. “We're about housing and saving. We don't give up on people easily, and in most instances we don't give up on people at all.” As far as the online petition, Boyd said SOME is not planning on responding to it directly. “I haven't spent five minutes paying attention to what's going on online, or any petitions,” Boyd said in response to a question. “We think we do the best we can for our brand if we just lock down and do what we do really well.” From Boyd’s perspective, the nonprofit he oversees does a great job of providing a range of support — from housing and food to job training and health care — to the people who most need it. “It’s real simple,” he said. “We want to help more people and help them get better and better and more effective in sustainable ways.”

After learning of the eviction notice, Corbett said, she grappled with feelings of desperation, not knowing how she would be able to keep her family housed. She turned to social media and said she soon connected with the D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate. This article was co-published with The DC Line. That office introduced her to a lawyer who helped her apply for STAY D.C. and file an application with the District’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). She ended up receiving $9,000 in financial assistance from STAY DC and $26,000 from ERAP. She is now up to date on her rent. According to SOME’s vice president and chief administrative officer, the organization’s supportive services team also had a role in helping connect Rémy Cointreau and Magruder’s (a DC liquor and gourmet food store) are Corbett with the financial partnering with Street Sense Media. All November long, Rémy Cointreau will help she needed. donate $10 to Street Sense Media for each bottle purchased of select brands Today, she continues from Magruder’s of DC. These are: living at the same property and works as • The Botanist Gin a parent organizer at • Rémy Martin 1738 Cognac Advocates for Justice Inc. • Rémy Martin XO Cognac She said she is still a bit • Rémy Martin VSOP Cognac dazed by her experience. • Rémy Martin Tercet Cognac “It wasn't about family, • Cointreau Orange Liqueur it wasn't about seeing a • Mount Gay Barbados Rum colleague get sustainable, • Bruichladdich Classic Laddie Single Malt Scotch it was absolutely about • Port Charlotte 10 Year Peated Single Malt Scotch the dollar,” she said of the way SOME handled As our community moves into the holiday the situation. season, we hope customers will be able to For her part, Jonesshare some of their joy through supporting Renaud is relieved her the 120 Street Sense Media vendor/ friend wasn’t displaced. artists. While this partnership is new, But when she tweeted her Rémy Martin has produced exceptional thanks earlier this month spirits focused on craftsmanship and to those who signed the legacy since 1724. From their beginnings petition, she said the larger in Cognac, France, to the internationally concern remains that a recognized brands they produce today, nonprofit housing provider Rémy Cointreau has maintained their like SOME would evict emphasis on quality and luxury. any of its tenants. Though the

Magruder’s and Rémy Cointreau Team up to Support Street Sense Media

6 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / N O V. 1 7 - 2 3 , 2021

NEWS

Metro derailment brings transit equity issues to light BY MICHELLE LEVINE michelle.levine@streetsensemedia.org

Each morning before heading to a public charter school in A 7000 series train being run on the blue line to test its safety. southeast Washington, one teacher must decide if she’s going PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO to pay for an Uber, which can be up to $40 during surges, or wait for a Metrorail train. Liz Samball, who started teaching physical education at he said. “I think we’re seeing the fallout from that.” Excel Academy three years ago, perfected her commute WMATA has been working on a 10-year-plan to improve the routine before the pandemic. Required to be at school by 8 bus system, stating that bus riders are typically from low-income a.m., she rode the green line from her home in Waterfront neighborhoods. Part of the plan includes distributing bus service through two metro stops before getting off at the Anacostia throughout the city so there is equal access to the bus. stop and taking a short walk to the school, located on Martin Right now, many Black D.C. residents cannot afford to live Luther King Jr. Ave SE. within walking or biking distance of their workplace. Data She felt free to leave her house whenever she chose, knowing from the D.C. Policy Center found that those who biked to there an abundance of trains would come through at about work earned an average of $60,000 a year, while workers who 12-minute intervals. Now, however, due to delays and train took the bus earned an average of $32,000, the 2017 data found. reductions, Samball said she finds it nearly impossible to The difference in who was walking or biking to work versus predict what her commute will be like each morning. taking the bus showed major differences among races. The The derailment of a 7000 Series Metro car in early October same report found that in 2015, only 5,765 Black or African led the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority American workers walked to their jobs in D.C., while 29,000 (WMATA) to pull all cars of that model — more than 60% whites did. of the WMATA fleet — for individual inspection. With fewer This proves to be true based on who continued to commute trains running, commuters are experiencing longer wait times, most notably in underserved communities. In a city where 35% of the population relies on public transportation, many people are affected when part of that system fails. People of color and people from low-income backgrounds make up the majority of bus riders, according to WMATA data set to be presented at a board meeting on Nov. 18. With fewer trains running, there is an added demand for bus service. As of Nov. 8, red line trains operated every 12 minutes while the green and yellow line trains went about every 20 minutes. WMATA said the orange, silver and blue lines, which go through Ward 7, are also experiencing longer wait times and are expected to arrive every 30 minutes. With the delays and reductions in train numbers, workers must either stick out the wait or transfer to a Metrobus, said James Pizzurro, creator of the Metro Hero smartphone app. “There has been such a traditional reliance on Metrorail as the fastest transit mode, as the transit mode that enables the most transit-oriented development,” he said. When those systems fail is when equity issues come to light, Pizzurro said. Bus riders were already dealing with issues related to national driver shortages and delays due to traffic. Now, with train riders choosing to switch to the bus, there is more demand than the system can keep up with, Pizzurro said. Data collected by his app shows there was a 367% increase in ridership on Oct. 20. “This is what happens when we have such an overwhelming operational focus on the rail side of things,” Metrorail system map. COURTESY OF WMATA

during the pandemic. Data from WMATA show that train ridership was down 80%-90% during the early stages of the pandemic. However, bus ridership decreased by only about 50%. Not acknowledging these commuters is a huge equity issue, said Katherine Kortum, a former chair for the WMATA riders advisory committee who now works for the Transportation Research Board. “The idea that nobody continued to take transit during the pandemic was just rude, frankly,” She said. “It was overlooking a large population who are already overlooked in so many ways.” The data also suggest that bus riders were continuing to go into work because their jobs could not be done virtually. Workers who rely on public transportation are more likely to be in the position of not being able to afford alternative options. Data collected by the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor show that residents in Wards 7 and 8 had the lowest number of workers doing telework during the pandemic. Samball uses the green line, the only one with service to Ward 8, to get to work. She said she’s been having inconsistent experiences with the timing of incoming trains. “Five minutes here or there could mean I’m on time to work or I’m 35 minutes late to work,” Samball said. Sometimes she’ll get to the platform to see the next train won’t be coming for another 25 minutes, double the wait time she is used to. And there are few affordable alternatives available. “A normal Uber trip would be about $12 but sometimes they were asking for $30 to $40. I was literally having to decide between paying $40 for a 10 minute trip, or waiting and being late to work,” she said. Many other workers, however, do not even consider a $40 Uber. Investing more money and effort into making the bus system a reliable form of transportation would be beneficial not only when the rail system fails, but as a dependable choice for commuters everyday, Pizzurro said. He suggested this could be done by giving buses the right-of-way on roads and increasing bus frequency. Both efforts will help keep the routes on schedule, providing a dependable experience for commuters.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 7

AT A GLANCE

Eric Thompson-Bey

The bus shelter targeted for removal. PHOTO BY MAYDEEN MERINO

Verbal abuse and loitering motivated ANC 7F to vote in favor of removing a bus shelter on Minnesota Avenue BY MAYDEEN MERINO maydeen.merino@streetsensemedia.org

In September, loitering at a bus shelter along a busy stretch of Minnesota Ave. NE prompted a local Advisory Neighborhood Commission to recommend that the shelter be removed from the bus stop. Neighbors are waiting for a response from the city and are encouraging the provision of more outreach services for individuals experiencing homelessness in their ward. Residents and customers of nearby businesses reported harassment from individuals experiencing homelessness who were camping at the bus shelter at 3801 Minnesota Ave. NE, according to Tyrell Holcomb, the commissioner who chairs ANC 7F01. Street Sense emailed the dentist’s office located behind the bus stop about these claims but has not received a response. He said the loitering grew worse during the summer, as some of those camped started fires and verbally harassed or threw things at passersby. "We felt that it's incumbent upon the city, upon DDOT [District Department of Transportation] as an agency, to say ‘we were premature in placing benches down because we were only making an investment in aesthetics, and not in people,’" Holcomb said. Holcomb said that several years ago, the ANC asked the city, through the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), to provide additional support and engagement for individuals experiencing homelessness, but they have yet to see an improvement in outreach or services. "Being homeless is not a crime," Holcomb said. "We as a commission want to make it clear. We don't believe it's a crime to be homeless. But it is a crime for our city not to do all it can to provide the support and the services for those who need it." The ANC sent a follow-up letter to DBH and the Department of Human Services. "We want folks to understand that Minnesota Avenue matters as well," Holcomb said. "We feel like we don't get the same attention as other communities get, and it's not fair. We pay the same amount of taxes as everybody else, and we contribute in meaningful ways as everybody else." Minnesota Ave. NE is a busy thoroughfare, and its sidewalks are often dense with people, so there are questions

about whether removing one bus shelter will improve the loitering issue. Bus shelters are meant to provide waiting passengers with a place to sit and to protect them from severe weather. "Situations where a shelter is required include the following: neighborhoods where buses run infrequently; commercial areas with frequent service and high levels of ridership; areas where security is a problem; neighborhoods where there are many older or infirm people; and areas where inclement weather is common," according to Project for Public Spaces. Delia Houseal, a commissioner in nearby ANC 7E, believes in improving the number of bus shelters within the corridor because of their benefits in protecting residents from extreme weather and making public transit more suitable. "For many people, shelters are very important, particularly for our students, in which we have a large portion of them that go to school in other areas of the ward," Houseal said. Houseal began to get complaints from constituents when the D.C. The Department of Transportation attempted to remove a bus shelter in front of C.W. Harris Elementary School. DDOT wanted to remove the bus shelter because of new construction, but Houseal argued that they should work around the needs of people which they did. Houseal is aware that some bus shelters throughout the community are being misused. Still, instead of removing them, she favors enforcing their proper use.The idea of improving Minnesota Ave. is nothing new to ANC 7F. In 2020, the ANC created the Minnesota Ave. Improvement Summit Planning Committee, which held a meeting of more than 50 neighbors to discuss how to improve the corridor. The planning committee meeting was held in March. Community members recommended improvements such as organizing a neighborhood watch, having resources other than police respond to incidents, and creating safe spaces inside the ward. In May, the city announced a new project to redevelop the corridors along Benning Road and Minnesota Ave. to redevelop the Downtown Ward 7 area. The project includes construction of a new headquarters for the District’s Department of General Services and a new grocery store planned for 2022.

BIRTHDAYS Eric Thompson-Bey Nov. 22 ARTIST/VENDOR

VENDOR PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS • The Street Sense offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 25, and Friday, Nov. 26, for Thanksgiving. • The Street Sense Poetry Slam, including lunch, will be Wednesday, Dec. 1, at 1pm. • Take a Vendor Survey this week and get 10 papers. See Leo, Darick or Thomas. • Vendors can bring in a complete CDC vaccination card for 15 free papers.

8 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / N O V. 1 7 - 2 3 , 2021

NEWS

Glenda Bullock, 60, lives in Allen Park and is one of many individuals who did not receive a housing voucher through the city’s new pilot program to house homeless residents. PHOTO BY HANNAH SCHOENBAUM

Homeless Truxton Circle residents brace for December eviction amid pleas to halt encampment clearings BY HANNAH SCHOENBAUM @H_Schoenbaum

Fingers trembling on a 38-degree November morning, Glenda Bullock fumbled with the zipper of her shared tent at the New Jersey Avenue and O Street NW homeless encampment in Truxton Circle. The spiky-haired 60-year-old, who has experienced decades of homelessness on top of addiction and incarceration, slipped a pair of white tube socks over her hands and clutched the folds of her faux leather jacket. Perched on a flimsy folding chair outside her tent, she flagged down every passerby for the next half hour, seeking information about the city’s plan to evict her encampment on Nov. 18. Several pedestrians crossed to the other side of the street when they spotted Bullock, who routinely secured her face covering before she approached anyone. “Once the eviction happens, I’ll be displaced and in the streets,” said Bullock, who previously lived beneath the L Street NE underpass in NoMa before it was cleared in late October. “Nobody from the city’s been down here to tell us anything.” The closure was pushed back two weeks and is now scheduled for Dec. 2. Allen Park, where Bullock and an increasing number of people

have pitched their tents, is the next of five longstanding homeless encampments scheduled for permanent closure through a pilot program to house D.C. residents experiencing homelessness. The city first cleared two underpasses in NoMa and plans to evict two additional sites in Foggy Bottom and East End after the Truxton Circle clearing. Outreach coordinators visited the encampments over a 90-day period to compile a “by-name list” of residents whom the city could fast-track for temporary housing accommodations, according to the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS). Though the District plans to fund one-year apartment leases for 106 residents on the by-name list, according to DMHHS, many unhoused individuals, including Bullock, said they were not approached by city workers and were left off the list. “The pilot program only selected a few people from down here,” Bullock said. “The same way we didn’t make it on the list down there [on L Street], probably won’t make it down here either.” Housing advocates, encampment residents and several councilmembers have criticized the pilot program since it was announced in August, arguing that encampment evictions are counterproductive to the rehousing initiative and are especially

dangerous now that hypothermia season has begun. Jesse Rabinowitz, the senior manager of policy and advocacy at Miriam’s Kitchen, is calling on the D.C. Council to enact emergency legislation halting evictions until every person living in the encampment has been housed. He has testified at several recent D.C. Council hearings and is leading a letter writing campaign to urge immediate action from the councilmembers. “Displacing people from encampments and from parks doesn’t do anything to end homelessness,” Rabinowitz said. “We know that housing is the only thing that ends homelessness in D.C. and are concerned to see the mayor responding to the wishes of housed neighbors who don’t want to see the reality of D.C.’s homelessness crisis.” Rabinowitz said the pilot program also excludes unhoused residents living outside the city’s major encampments, some of whom have waited years to get off the waitlist for housing assistance. About 45% of unhoused residents living in Truxton Circle are not on the by-name list and will not receive a housing voucher through the pilot program, according to The Way Home Campaign, a coalition of more than 100 organizations and businesses that Rabionwitz helps organize. Some individuals

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 9

were not present when outreach coordinators surveyed the encampment, and others moved in after the by-name list had already been finalized, Rabinowitz said. [Disclosure: Street Sense Media, our publisher, is a member of the Way Home Campaign. The organization’s advocacy efforts do not influence our reporting or infringe on our editorial independence.] Other Allen Park residents, like 25-year-old Ezekiel Hernandez, are working through paperwork or obtaining identification documents before they can be placed into housing. Hernandez shared his optimism about the pilot program and said the District has done more to help him get his life on track than any other city. “The people out here are way, way, way more involved with the community than I’ve ever seen anywhere else,” Hernandez said of the case workers, government employees and volunteers who visited the encampment. “And I’ve been through a lot of states.” After a case worker from Pathways to Housing D.C. told Hernandez he and his wife will be placed in a motel once they receive their government IDs this week, he bounced from tent to tent, checking on his neighbors. Hernandez said he was “heartbroken” to hear that some of his friends had not been offered the same accommodations. The D.C. Council held a 7-hour virtual roundtable on Nov. 9 to hear from community members and gather information before the Truxton Circle clearing. After five

A resident of the Allen Park homeless encampment in Truxton Circle died in a tent fire on Oct. 4, 2021. Encampment residents held a candlelit vigil after the fire was extinguishedw. PHOTO BY HANNAH SCHOENBAUM

hours of community testimony, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage, who developed the pilot program, faced a barrage of questions and criticisms from councilmembers. Turnage defended the program, criticizing housing advocates, like Rabinowitz, who openly opposed the encampment clearings. "We want to see if we can close encampments humanely by offering people housing,” Turnage said at the roundtable. “If we [close an encampment] by offer of housing, that is humane.” Questioned by Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau about residents who had not been offered a housing accommodation, Turnage said the by-name list was necessary because unhoused people from Maryland and Virginia might otherwise come to town and Calling all gift-givers! take advantage of the pilot program. Nadeau pressed We are asking for new hats, gloves, scarves, socks and hand-warmers to Turnage for data showing this provide 125 gift bags to our vendor/artists. Street Sense Media will also be was a significant problem, including a gift certificate for 25 newspapers! which he said he was unable to present on the spot. All gifts may be dropped-off Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM at our While most people offices at 1317 G Street NW, Washington DC 20005. If possible, call us at 202testified in opposition to 347-2006 before you come by. Please have gifts to us by December 3. the encampment clearings, some residents spoke It's hard work being a vendor. You can share the season's good cheer by at the roundtable about helping ensure they stay warm while working. unsuitable conditions in their neighborhoods. If you have any questions, please contact “Not only are there fires and Doris Warrell at doris@streetsensemedia.org. rats, there’s also death in the park,” said Rachelle Nigro, the advisory neighborhood

SHARING GOOD CHEER

commissioner who represents Truxton Circle. Nigro, who called the encampment “an open-air drug market,” shared a list of concerns from her constituents, including public defecation, daily fires, used needles on residents’ lawns, and five recorded deaths since the encampment popped up in December 2019. “The pilot program is just that — a pilot program that needs to be tried,” Nigro told the council. “The pilot program is not meant to end homelessness, but it will put an end to this dangerous situation for both residents inside and outside the park.” As Street Sense Media previously reported, portable toilets around the city, including at Allen Park, were not cleaned or emptied for a short period because the District failed to pay the contractor responsible for them. There are two toilets and a handwashing station — back in service and cleaned five days per week, according to DMHHS — available to the roughly 50 people living in the park. Bullock described her first week in the Truxton Circle encampment as “traumatic.” When she arrived in Allen Park in early October, she watched a tent catch fire and discovered charred human remains. Residents of the encampment gathered for a candlelit vigil, where Bullock said she bonded with Ezekiel and her other neighbors. Once she is evicted and estranged from her support network of neighbors and the case workers from Pathways to Housing D.C., Bullock worries that she will struggle to stay sober and find employment. “People look out for each other here,” Bullock said. “That’s what you lose when you lose an encampment — the community, the people who got your back, who you just don’t got anymore once we’re all scattered.”

Hear more from Glenda Bullock, Ezekiel Hernandez, and Jesse Rabinowitz in this video report: StreetSenseMedia.org/meet-glenda

1 0 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / N O V. 1 7 - 2 3 , 2021

OPINION

What high schoolers think about encampment evictions Recently, high school seniors in a Social Justice in Action class at Gonzaga College High School — which is located blocks from the tent communities that were removed from underpasses in NoMa — learned about the city’s Coordinated Access and Resources for Encampments program. Here are their thoughts about the approach.

AUSTIN ZIELLER As a senior at Gonzaga College High School, I have had nearly four years to familiarize myself with the community just beyond our school’s gates, which has recently experienced an influx in encampments. Although efforts by the government are providing a little hope to the issue, they are not being implemented in a just and effective manner. There are two components of the plan to rid the city of encampments. First is removing the residents, and second is providing them with housing. The actions currently being taken against encampments are failing to connect the two parts, and are in turn hurting the citizens of D.C. being removed from their homes. Throughout my 18 years on this planet, I have lived in three different houses. While in a literal sense they are all very different from each other, they are the same because of what they mean to me. They provide me with safety, comfort, stability, privacy, and a sense of belonging. Housing should not be something experienced by a majority of Americans; it should be experienced by all. Housing is a human right, not a commodity. So for the sake of these D.C. citizens, the government must solve the issue with housing before removing the encampments; not during or after. The inability to immediately place these people in homes is putting them in difficult situations, harming their well-being, and ultimately not doing anything to help move our city in a direction that will put an end to homelessness. We need to stop making efforts against encampments about cleaning public spaces and start making them about ensuring stability, safety, and well-being for human beings by means of one simple thing: a home.

WILL RICE The last few decades have ushered in major urban development in Washington D.C., accelerating gentrification and contributing to soaring property prices. With this drastic growth, we cannot forget about our neighbors experiencing homelessness, an issue with

major implications that has become far too common within our broader community. The government response to this has been to evict residents from their encampment shelters, sometimes even in an inhumane manner that neglects the intrinsic dignity of the human person. While the recently enacted Coordinated Assistance and Resources for Encampments pilot program does include necessary case management and health support for the unhoused, it fails to ensure that housing is guaranteed to the encampment residents before removing them. Housing is a human right, a basic building block that is foundational to life. It is an injustice to strip people of this right. Recently, my Social Justice in Action class at Gonzaga College High School visited the John and Jill Ker Conway Residence, which is a modern housing option for low-income and formerly chronically homeless residents, particularly veterans. For me, this experience revealed that dignified, yet affordable, housing for the most vulnerable of society is possible. The Conway Residence, which applies the Housing First model, represents a practical, sustainable, and just solution to a pressing issue. An important lesson can be learned from the success of this approach: The government must focus on housing the homeless before trying to frantically clear the streets of encampments.

PETER MILDREW Serving D.C.’s homeless population is life-giving. I volunteer at the Father McKenna Center, a homeless day shelter and food pantry on my high school’s campus, and there’s a reason why I can’t count how many times I’ve been there. I don’t serve to fulfill hours or meet requirements for my Social Justice in Action class. I serve because the love that I can give to the homeless is reflected back into my soul every time I’m there. Although getting to know some of the men who are guests at the McKenna Center has granted me alternate views of what homelessness really is, this love triumphs over anything I could get out of serving. This sensation, almost like

Join the conversation, share your views - Have an opinion about how homelessness is being addressed in our community? - Want to share firsthand experience? - Interested in responding to what someone else has written? Street Sense Media has maintained an open submission policy since our founding. We aim to elevate voices from across the housing spectrum and foster healthy debate. Please send submissions to opinion@streetsensemedia.org.

a warm embrace, is life-giving. The D.C. government obviously doesn’t know what this sensation is. While writing a letter to D.C. council members about my concerns over the oxymoronic CARE program, I detailed my experience as a servant of the homeless. I explained that, in order to amend all that is wrong with this program, like the backwardness of evicting encamped people before having available housing, or the dehumanizing manner of tearing down any semblance of housing left to a person, the D.C. government’s view of the homeless needs to be amended. This isn’t to say that the entire D.C. government is ignorant of the humanity of homeless people. The fact that a policy like this is even in place is a good sign and demonstrates that there is an awareness of the homelessness epidemic. I’m just frustrated that its implementation is so problematic and hurtful to people who are already so hurt.

TYLER KACZMAREK How can a public housing program destroy the housing of the very people it seeks to help? While the CARE program seems to be a step in the right direction – providing homeless residents with case managers and other resources – it has sparked a crisis regarding the encampments themselves. Currently, residents are being forced out of several encampments, forced to sleep on park benches or sidewalks while they wait for the badly delayed housing provided under CARE. In this way, the CARE initiative is accomplishing the exact opposite of what it set out to do. On its website, the D.C. Department of Health and Human Services says that its “protocol for cleaning public spaces is triggered when a site presents a security, health, or safety risk, and/or interferes with community use of such places.” We must ask ourselves: Who is part of the “community” that the department is protecting? Is it the upper- and middle-class businesspeople who travel past these encampments each day on their way to work? The “community” definitely doesn’t seem to include the residents of the encampments. If it did, the department would have to leave these homeless people alone, recognizing that they have an equally valid claim to the encampment spots as anyone else. The D.C. government’s new CARE policy has the potential to create positive change, but this policy is no reason to move forward with the destruction of the city’s homeless encampments. Instead of bulldozing people in their own homes/tents, we must instead focus on our efforts to house the people within them. By putting people first, we remind ourselves that we are all human and that each of us deserves to be treated with the infinite dignity we contain.

FEDERICO SILVANI D.C.’s approach to the encampments seems perfect. Besides cleaning parks and making them look nicer, it provides much-needed stability to the people experiencing homelessness. It would give them a place to stay where they’re safe from everything and can begin to rebuild their lives. This is exactly what D.C. needs to focus on — but we’ve been doing the opposite. By clearing the encampments before the people living there are housed, we are making their path forward much more difficult. Instead of searching for a job, they’ll need to look for somewhere to rest. And if they can’t stay in these established encampment communities, they’re forced to go to dangerous places alone. The way in which we treat these people experiencing

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

exemplified by D.C. machinery injuring a man in his tent. Perhaps my stance will change with a re-implementation of this program that follows through with the original intent.

RODRIGO BORJAS

Gonzaga Peace Club members offer bags of food and hygiene products to people experiencing homelessness in the area, Nov. 8, 2020. They are Gonzaga High School students or alumni. PHOTO BY ATHIYAH AZEEM

homelessness enforces the myth that they are worthless human beings with no place in society. We are bulldozing everything they own in front of their eyes while telling them to leave without offering enough support. If D.C. would stick to the planned method of clearing the encampments, our entire community would benefit and improve. However, they decided not to take care of the people who need it most and now we are worse off. It would’ve been better if they simply hadn’t done anything and let the friendships and relationships developed in the encampments continue to grow.

DANNY BARRÓN In order to help address homelessness, D.C. needs to focus on love rather than vanity. The CARE initiative, dedicated to helping those who are homeless find housing, has been carried out in all the wrong ways. Some were lucky and were present on the day an incomplete and inaccurate census was taken, and they were able to get housing. Some were not as lucky. We see now that those experiencing homelessness are kicked out of where they live without any place to go. Instead of working with those on the streets until every last one is housed, it was decided that the encampment sites would be cleared no matter the population. After hearing all of this, the question that radiated throughout my mind was, why? What rationale could explain how putting lives in danger fits with the message of a plan called CARE? The only answer I could come up with is that D.C. cares more about its streets looking pretty than anything else. Instead of rolling up its sleeves and doing the work, D.C. spends money on bulldozers to do it. I am a senior at Gonzaga College High School right in D.C., and if this is the only conclusion someone of my age can come up with, then you have a hell of a lot of work to do if you want to get it right.

We live in a society that emphasizes doing things faster, more efficiently, and more cost-effectively. Technological advancements accompanied by an ever-progressing society have created a mindset in which we, as humans, view the world as a platform to make more money and climb up the social ladder without taking into consideration our worldly community. This “go, go, go” mentality is directly seen in the stance the government of Washington D.C. has taken in regard to encampments for the unhoused. Homelessness is a state of being that affects millions nationwide and thousands in the District. The encampments that lined L, M, and K Streets (just to name a few) served as homes and communities for adults, children, NICHOLAS BOLLMAN and families alike. Just like you and I go home The D.C. government’s encampment policy is at the end of each day, these people do the a tale of polar opposites: A nearly-ideal policy same, only their homes are tents. In an attempt on paper and the dystopian implementation of to “make homlessness rare, brief, and nonit. The new CARE program entails providing recurring,” the D.C government has enacted housing for residents of certain encampments plans to remove encampments, guaranteeing while striving to eliminate said encampments members of these encampment communities entirely. From a logical standpoint, this is housing. In theory, this program, referred to entirely sensible. After all, ending homelessness as the CARE pilot program, seems excellent. would result in the absence of people to occupy However, encampments are being shut those encampments. However, the government down before the people living in them made multiple mistakes that are housed. The result: have made the program’s People are being displaced effects resoundingly further at the hands of negative. Primarily, evicting the government due to a encampment residents prior desire to hastily end the to guaranteeing them their problem of homelessness. own set of house keys has We m u s t r e m e m b e r been disastrous. Generally, that the unhoused are these evictions prompt not things or problems relocation, which severs that can be removed or any connections to social ignored; they are people workers and programs, thus with quirks, interests, exacerbating homelessness. and personalities. Serving When coupled with at the Father McKenna the downgrading of the Center weekly for the past housing offer to rapid several months, I have Federico Silvani rehousing, which often interacted with all kinds of places vulnerable families poor and vulnerable folks and individuals back on the streets after a year, in our community. They are not one-sided the CARE program is all but caring for those individuals. Their problems are multifaceted experiencing homelessness. and must be addressed now. I have served with Ward 6 Mutual Aid in the L and M encampments, and by doing so, Bobby Dingell I have observed what should be painfully obvious: Encampment residents want stability, autonomy, and agency. Their decision to We hear a lot about the tales of Jesus in abandon local shelters, which seemingly church. One attribute people often ascribe defies common sense, becomes much more to him is his love for the poor. This attribute reasonable for someone who desires control often gets misinterpreted as Jesus being in over their own life. The D.C. government favor of poverty. Jesus’s main goal was for has the opportunity to offer help that differs his followers to be compassionate for the poor. from the traditionally restrictive shelters, but Being compassionate and being in favor of it is currently squandering that chance by something may come across as similar, but jeopardizing the security of the men, women, they in no way share the same meaning. and children who reside in encampments, most For example, I can be in favor of giving all

“By clearing the encampments before the people living there are housed, we are making their path forward much more difficult.”

// 11

people experiencing homelessness homes, but that doesn’t mean I’ll do anything about it. Compassion, however, lives through our love and understanding to act appropriately. The government needs to proceed justly on this matter, and they have to act on it soon. While attempts have been made to “clean up” many of these encampments, the cost of rent has been rising at a staggering pace. From 2001 to 2017, the percentage of renter households paying more than 30% of their income on housing increased from 42% to 48% as wages lagged behind rent. This gap has to close. In D.C. specifically, there are around 5,000 people experiencing homelessness while 17,000 apartments are vacant. The city should either raise the minimum wage or regulate how much landlords are charging for their spaces. This city has the capability to do it. I’ve seen us come together through protests and public movements before. We just need to use the same energy to view the potential and beauty in our city’s low-income residents. They have been oppressed and unsheltered for too long and our government needs to take a look at Jesus Christ’s playbook of compassion and love for the most vulnerable in our community. Once we see, judge and act, justice will be kept. Amen.

GUYER KOPPLIN A man shuffles down the dark, lonely D.C. streets at night. After moving from overcrowded shelter to overcrowded shelter, he is left with nothing but the cold pavement to call his bed. However, on the horizon he sees some hope. A tent community. After scraping enough money and dignity to enter a store to buy a tent from folks with leering eyes, he joins the community. Right away, he feels like he is at home. Although it’s not where he wants to be, it’s a start. After a few months of living in this community, he is ready to take his next steps forward. His life has been difficult, but the new proposal from the mayor’s office gave him hope. Rapid Housing. After being on the housing registry for so long, it seemed almost too good to be true. Then came the day. Early one morning the man was met with shouting workers, the sound of water whipping the concrete, and the industrial churn of bulldozers. In a few moments, the man starts from square one again. This scenario is shocking and new to the people reading the news recently, but not to the people experiencing homelessness in the District. Between October 2015 and March 2016, D.C. spent roughly $172,000 in cleaning up homeless encampments. This new pilot program costs between $3 million and $4 million and includes support services as well as immediate housing. Although this sounds like the perfect solution for our nation’s capital, pitfalls are littered throughout. If the mayor’s office disbands encampments, they have effectively shuffled the people around and not solved the problem. If this plan is to be successful, the homeless people need to be guaranteed a home before their homes are destroyed.

1 2 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / N O V. 1 7 - 2 3 , 2021

ART

The world could be a better place Fear

BY KYM PARKER // Artist/Vendor

To give into it The undying feeling Something we all do We fear and hate Things we don’t understand That’s what fear is When God made us She said ”never fear anything “Because I am always with you” That’s why she made us in her image It didn’t come out “I’m only making Blacks I’m not making whites” Or “I’m not making Asians or Latinos” She made us all in her image Love is what fear should never be Fear and hate God loves us all

Good Days

BY CARLOS CAROLINA // Artist/Vendor

A good day for me is constant With love and peace, Free as a breeze With plenty to eat Family and friends Have music to dance Everyone happy Because everyone wins And everyone happy Because everyone wins And I can focus On only one plan And the one plan Is to end the day grand A good day for me Is ended with sleep. Peace...

BY MICHELE ROCHON // Artist/Vendor

If people took time to really listen and not focus on what they are going to say next, the world would be a better place. If children, mentally or physically disabled people, and the elderly were respected, the world would be a better place. If more people were pleasant or just congenial, the world would be a better place. If human talent was matched to the vision, mission, philosophy, core values, and goals of for-profits and nonprofits alike — organizations would be effective, efficient, productive, and able to attain outcomes that exceed market standards. If people really focused on themselves, the world would be a better place. Eagles are people who fly high, don’t carry a lot of weight, and stay focused on their goals. Everyone has plans, but to execute plans requires

discipline and steady action. There are several developed countries where many businesses close for more than an hour and a half in the middle of weekdays, such as Italy, France, and China. This shared break helps families maintain closeness and people have time to rest, even though most then work later. Maybe America needs to adopt this two-hour closure to bring back communication among people. Make time for those you care about. And listen! People can talk, but are you really being heard? Communication is listening, and listening is an art. So much communication is unspoken, such as body language, posture, and the positioning of the legs and hands. I don’t want to just talk in 2021. I want to be heard!!! Every human being brings their unique talents, gifts and abilities to the Earth. Babies arrive equipped to allow everyone to express themselves in one way or another.

STAY UP, PRAY UP: Find your family BY ANTHONY PRATT // Artist/Vendor

What God’s been teaching me is that you can’t trust nobody. I am staying in a hotel on New York Avenue that is for people who need shelter but are more at risk of serious complications with COVID-19. (The program is called PEP-V.) I came from the shelter across the street: Adam’s Place. When I think of Adam’s Place Shelter, the first thing I think of is “The Addams Family.” We all remember the TV show. It was a dysfunctional family but a loving one. Without going into too much detail about my own, I’ll say a lot of families are this way: dysfunctional but loving. And a lot of our families hold a lot of deep secrets. But secrets destroy families. As Black men and women, we need to express ourselves together. We need to learn how to talk to each other about how we feel and how hard we hurt, because it can sometimes feel like your own family doesn't really love you as much as you love them. I will be the first person to take full responsibility for how I hurt my family by being on drugs and getting

locked all the time. I was not there as a man for my family. I love my mother very much, for always. Especially for forgiving me for the lies that I told to her and my sister, and for stealing things out the house where my mother and father allowed me to live. I thank MBI Health and the hotel where I’m staying for giving me another chance to learn how to live around people. I have a lot of anger in me for not loving people the way I want to be loved. The hotel and Adam’s Place and MBI have become my family, too. The more I go to God in prayer, the more my thinking changes. Change started for me when I took a look at myself and prayed to God to change my way of thinking and take full responsibility for my own actions. I now try to lift my Black brothers and sisters up and promise to always be a family to them. Peace to those who don’t feel that they have a family. Love always. Prayed up.

Things were better BY ABEL PUTU Artist/Vendor

Before the pandemic shutdown, things were better. It was like a protest for change, protest for human rights. Jobs were available. Teams were better. People were having parties, clubs were open, restaurants were open. Lots of programs were available. You could get on the bus. People were sticking together, holding together, conversing with each other. More resources were being

provided to homeless people. There were more Street Sense Media vendors. It was better for me, too. I was keeping myself busy with Street Sense, helping people that were disabled, like me, and people that were not disabled, like me – I was still helping them. They would come to me for help and directions. Things were good. And they will be again.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

// 1 3

The Bridge BY ROBERT WARREN

Artist/Vendor

Save us BY DON GARDNER Artist/Vendor

While old D.C. is left to live under The Bridge and die Under The Bridge they lived For some 8, 9, 10 years Many of man and woman born and raised here They lived and died here The neighbors who walked by disengaged And never stopped to ask, “Why would one need to get away, from the cold, cold rain of those winter days?” To looking up to the lights and artfully designed raindrops of a space in time on L and M Street in NoMa The place they say no African American will stay. The past-buyers are getting lighter and lighter by the day The tall buildings beings built every day for which the middle class live, work, and play Looking down on that homeless man That poor pregnant woman with a child in hand Trying to stand up and have a home With no father or surely not a Black man That homeless woman living under The Bridge Now with her LGBTQ+ friend Always hanging around Only the Lord knows where they go at the wee hours of the night A safe place to hide to stay out of sight In the most powerful city in the world, How can this be the reality of some people’s day and those who pray for the end of days? To come out of the rain to take cover under The Bridge of opportunities On the other side of Grand Hotel All story, three black apartment buildings Standing high with experiences and one-bedroom opportunities in the sky For all these new people walking by

Nobody ask why are these the end of days The CDC says let people stay in their place There is no more cover under The Bridge today Concrete boulders and the city deputy mayor Has moved people away A new pilot program they say, “Housing is a human right” That will be the day Let us pray that mommas and they all have a place to be And let’s come together and work and make it today As we know tomorrow is not promised To anyone, as they saying goes Homeless no more A homecoming for a king and queen Let the bells of heaven ring for The Longest Night* We spend a day in rememberance of those who passed away Without the dignity of a home Not under a bridge all alone Looking out to no opportunities on the other side Only those new people walking by

If these walls could talk, you would be amazed and horrified at the stories of the prisoners’ lives... who have come across. For them to be hidden away, forgotten and left to non-existence, Is beyond me. If I had the power, authority, and money I would sit you down in the midst of these prison walls... So you could hear and witness these stories And untold experiences for yourself. But, unfortunately, I can’t provide That hands-on voyage for you. They’re so confused… hurt, pain, baffled, sympathetic, and loving. Struggling to survive this dark path chosen at the hands of justice. Magnified to ruin the very least of us In God we trust. As we serve time...some forever...we cry...we die… For we rely on a power much greater than ourselves, The courts, the people… And, yes, that’s you, Lord...save us!

And praise the Lord for these people Who give thought and wonder, “Why are there people living under bridges being left to die?” And how can I? *“The “Longest Night” refers to National Homeless Persons Memorial Day, for which vigils are held across the United States on or around the winter solstice, Dec. 21, to remember those who died while homeless the previous year. Robert Warren is a member of the People for Fairness Coalition, which organizes an annual vigil in D.C. PHOTO COURTESY OF TIM HÜFNER / UNSPLASH.COM

The “Lightweave” light installation as seen above tents on L Street NE in September. The neighboring underpass on M Street is titled “Rain.” PHOTO BY SPENCER DONOVAN

FUN & #4 Sudoku 1 9 3 GAMES 5 7 4 1

5 9 7 2 7 9 6 1 8 M E D I A // 3 4 5

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

9 Novice 3 Sudoku by KrazyDad, Volume 20, Book 50

1 3 7 8 4 2 6

7 4

6 2 9 1 5

5 6 5 6 3 7 8 2 Sudoku 5 #6 2 4 7 1 3 9 5 4 6 2 7 39 4 16 2 5 1 8 9 6 2 5 7 1 8 6 4 2 3 6 5 8 7 3 4 1 5 9 3 653 5 9 7 4 6 8 1 8 2 4 3 9 2 88 2 6 3 7 5 7 7 2 4 3 9 6 3 6 5 7 1 9 8 48 3 2

2 1

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each Sudoku #8 all of the digits 1 thru 9. 3-by-3 block contain

5 use 9 logic 1 you 6 can2solve 3 the4 puzzle 8 without 7 If you guesswork.

Need a logical order to solve the puzzle. 4 help? 8 9 The7hints1 page 6 shows 2 a little 5 3 Use it to identify the next square you should solve. Or use the answers page if you 3 really 6 get 7 stuck. 4 8 5 2 9 1 >> This crossword

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

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

2 4 6

9 8

puzzle’s answers: tinyurl.com/SSMcross-11-17-2021

<< LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE SOLUTION

1. Eyeball 5. Skeptic's grain 5. Skeptic’s grain 9. Mister's analogue 9. Mister’s analogue 14. Verifiable 14.15. Verifiable Lobster portion 15.16. Lobster Fightportion site 16.17. Fight site a busboy clears? What 17.20. What a busboy clears? "Intimations of 20.Immortality," “Intimations of Immortality,” e.g. e.g. 21.21. Orthopedist’s tool tool Orthopedist's 22.22. Initial startstart Initial 23.23. Does likewise Does likewise 24.24. Worst kindkind of loser Worst of loser 25.25. Didn’t merely growgrow Didn't merely 28.28. Mother follower follower Mother 29.29. Gallivant Gallivant 32.32. Pertaining to antoarm Pertaining an bone arm 33.bone Part of an old phone 34.33. What’s Partmore of an old phone 35.34. NotWhat's quite a more ten 38.35. HitsNot thequite road a ten 39.38. FineHits finish the road 40.39. Bert’s buddy Fine finish 41.40. More thanbuddy -er Bert's 42.41. Quarry More than -er 43.42. Handsome lad of myth Quarry 44.43. Bricklaying gear Handsome lad of myth 45.44. Semicircles Bricklaying gear 46.45. Reliquary, perhaps Semicircles 49.46. Icelandic literary work Reliquary, perhaps 50. Forbiddance 49. Icelandic literary work 53. Marshal’s duty 50. Forbiddance 56. Fit to be tied 53. Marshal's duty 57. Unnamed auth. 56. Fit to be tied 58. One is “Come here often?” 57. Unnamed auth. 59. Some shirts 58. One is "Come here 60. Warsaw, for one often?" 61. Skedaddled

It wasn't that she had a rose in her teeth, exactly. It was more like the rose and the teeth were in the same glass.

Find the solution at https://onlinecrosswords.net/2561

1. Eyeball

Sudoku #1 9 4

This is the Daily Crossword Puzzle #1 for Nov 17, 2021 Across Across

OnlineCrosswords.net

N O V. 1 7 - 2 3, 2021

59. Some shirts 60. Warsaw, for one Down 61. Skedaddled

1. Sgt. Snorkel’s dog 2. Deg. holder 3. Service-station service

2 3 8 4 6 1 6 5 4 1 3 8 3 7 2 5 9 4 // S T R E E T S E N S E 1 8 9 6 7 2

4. River in Northern California 30. PC character set 5. Reached home 31. Lavishes affection 1.Sporty Sgt. Snorkel's dog 42. to Deliverers of express 19. Noggin 33. Has the courage 6. cars, familiarly try mail? 2. Deg. holder 23. Build a reserve of 7. Like some petticoats 34. Spherical coifs 43. Zealous 3.AService-station 24. Wet bars? 8. quarter of eight 36. Set, as cement service 44. Aware of, slangily 25. 1944-45 battle 9. With little potential for further growth 37. Terminal figure? 4. River in ridge Northern Like mail? some 26. Bread spreads 10. Rugged 42. Deliverers of45. express California committees 27. Commencement 11. Iniquitous places 43. Zealous 5. Reached home 46. Pass over 28. Like a dryer's trapof, slangily 12. Pay to hold hands 44. Aware 6. Sporty cars, familiarly 29. 1962 and 1998 47. Apt lunch for 13. It holds a yard 45. Like some committees Superman 7. Like some petticoats orbiter 18. Maven 46. Pass over 48. Kind of number 8. A quarter of eight 30. PC character 19. Noggin 47. Aptset lunch for Superman 49. Sicilian mount 9. With little potential 31. Lavishes affection 23. Build a reserve of 48. Kind of number for further growth 50. It's often posted 33. Has the 49. courage 24. Wet bars? Siciliantomount 10. Rugged ridge 51. Embarrassing try 25. 1944-45 battle 50. It’s often posted problem to face? 11. Iniquitous places 34. Spherical 26. Bread spreads 51.coifs Embarrassing problem to face? 52. Have to have 12. Pay to hold hands 36. Set, as cement 27. Commencement 52. Have to have 54. It may be between 13. It holds a yard 37. Terminal figure? 28. Like a dryer’s trap 54. It may be between your teeth your teeth 18. Maven 29. 1962 and 1998 orbiter 55. Polar assistant

Down

55. Polar assistant

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

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

COMMUNITY SERVICES

SHELTER HOTLINE Línea directa de alojamiento

(202) 399-7093

YOUTH HOTLINE Línea de juventud

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE Línea directa de violencia doméstica

(202) 547-7777

1-800-799-7233

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento

Education Educación

Health Care Seguro

Clothing Ropa

Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal

Case Management Coordinación de Servicios

Food Comida

Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo

Transportation Transportación

Showers Duchas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 Elvans Road SE 2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE

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

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

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

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

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento

1-888-793-4357

Laundry Lavandería

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

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

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

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

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

Unity Health Care 3020 14th St., NW // unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699 1500 Galen Street SE, 1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 555 L Street SE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place, NE, 810 5th Street NW

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

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

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

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

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

// 1 5

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

HELP! WE’RE LOOKING FOR

volunteers Become a Street Sense Media volunteer and help further our mission to empower people experiencing homelessness by amplifying marginalized voices and meeting the information needs of people in poverty. Our editorial team seeks volunteers skilled in either Adobe InDesign or the WordPress CMS to help expand two teams for publishing our content in print and online, respectively. If interested, please contact our editors, Eric Falquero and Gordon Chaffin: editor@streetsensemedia.org 202-347-2006 (x 201) For more information about these opportunities and other volunter positions, visit StreetSenseMedia.org/volunteer

y p

p a H , l l a F ll! a ’ y

BY JACKIE TURNER Artist/Vendor

Fall is the best time of the year. The Earth is cooling off from summer and dressing up preparing for winter. The trees add wonderful oranges, reds, and yellow. The grass tones down. Its green becomes less bright because it’s covered up with more dirt. The rain falls and the wind blows the heat away. You can walk and talk in comfort. You can also sit under the moonlight while gazing at the stars. Comfort and a feeling of settling in takes the place of being hot and sweaty. People are more at peace being

BY SYBIL TAYLOR Artist/Vendor

With the summer heat gone, fall freshness is here. The leaves turn so beautiful and the sunshine is nice, as is the cool morning breeze. Many animals enjoy it, too. There are more crows out and about. More dogs enjoy their daily walks and cats tend to enjoy laying out in the sunshine. Squirrels come out more to find the nuts they have stored away. You may see different colors of squirrels: some black, some gray, some brown. They enjoy climbing trees and eating their nuts and watching people go past. Some even sit on the benches to join people for lunch and beg to be fed. People enjoy coming out walking, jogging, and exercising. They clean up the yards, too, by raking up tree leaves.

around each other with the wind blowing about. In this time of COVID-19, being able to do that is very reassuring. Then there is the fabulous fall fashion.The sweaters and the wraps that drape around us. The blending of light and dark colors, such as brown and green with a touch of yellow. Just like the season we are in! The food becomes a little heavier than in summer: sturdier soups, heartier stews, thicker sandwiches, and baking bread. Another thing: remember to put away the sandals and bring out the boots! All these are reasons I like fall the best. Enjoy it!

BY SASHA WILLIAMS Artist/Vendor

I had to take a photo of Eboni for the Fall season. We enjoy eating candy apples every year. What do you enjoy about this time of year?

After fall cleaning, some enjoy a fresh cup of coffee like pumpkin spiced or cinnamon flavors. More pumpkin flavors are sold in stores: pies, doughnuts and many pastries. Soups and many seasonal veggies and other Autumn food are popular at the farmers markets as they wind down for the year. No more hot days. It’s time to wear our comfortable sweaters and jackets and hats. Everyone enjoy Fall! Here are some of the songs I associate with the season and the ending of summer memories: 1. "Downtown” by Petulant Clark 2. “Dancing in the Streets” by Martha and the Vandellas 3. "Walking into Sunshine” by Central Line 4. “Hangin’ Downtown" by Cameo 5. “September" by Earth, Wind and Fire

PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO

Thank you for reading Street Sense!

Importance of prayer

Sweet nectar BY AYUB ABDUL Artist//Vendor

The sweeter the nectar is — and once bitten by the taste of the nectar — you will be smitten by love forever. Smitten like the bee who flies and labors all day to collect nectar from the flowers for his beloved queen. So shall I be like the bee and labor for my queen, nectar is all my days shall be.

BY JEFFERY CARTER Artist/Vendor

Every religion practices a way of praying to the god of their understanding. It’s a shame they took prayer out of the public schools. Now look at our school system: students bringing weapons to schools, other students can’t study in peace, not knowing how their day is going to turn out. I hope one day they put prayer back in the school system. I believe it will be a better place. May peace and blessings be with you.

From your vendor, NOV. 17 - 23, 2021 | VOLUME 19 ISSUE 1

Mourning my father BY CHAD JACKSON Artist/Vendor

My father was my best friend. He left me too short. He was the best man I’ve known. He cannot and will not be replaced. Some people have daddies, but I had a father. Rest in Peace.

NO CASH? NO PROBLEM. WE HAVE AN APP! SEARCH “STREET SENSE” IN THE APP STORE

WWW.INSP.NGO

4 million READERS

9,000 VENDORS

100+

STREET PAPERS

COUNTRIES

LANGUAGES