11 18 2020 by Street Sense Media

VOL. 18 ISSUE 2

NOV. 18 - DEC. 1, 2020

Real Stories

Real People

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The Cover

The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper

People Power Action rallied during the week of Juneteenth to highlight the connection between economic violence and the disparities revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

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NEWS IN BRIEF DC Central Kitchen to run new cafe in MLK Library BY ANNEMARIE CUCCIA annemarie.cuccia@streetsense.org

Together We Rise, our virtual celebration December 3, 2020, 6 p.m. RSVP at www.tinyurl.com/SSM-celebration-2020 In normal times, the Street Sense Media community gathers together each year for an in-person celebration of our work and our vendors. This year has been anything but normal. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended all our lives, and it has placed an especially heavy burden on the women and men Street Sense Media works with. Yet, despite all the challenges of 2020, there have been bright spots. We have progress to celebrate, and every reason to come together virtually in an attempt to bridge some of the separation we all feel. Please join us on for a virtual video celebration of all things Street Sense Media. We truly believe that #TogetherWeRise.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19

Right to Housing Committee Meeting 6:30 p.m - 8 p.m. Zoom Info provided w/ RSVP ONE DC’s committee supports long-time DC residents to fight against displacement and for safe and affordable housing. We are focused on building up popular awareness, will, and power to to support and pass cancel rent legislation and funding. www.tinyurl.com/r2h-nov-19

UPDATES ONLINE AT ICH.DC.GOV

D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness Meetings Strategic Planning Committee Nov. 24, 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. Emergency Response and Shelter Operations Committee Dec. 2, 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ***For call-in information, as well as meeting info for unlisted working groups, contact: ich.info@dc.gov.

NOVEMBER 15 - 22

National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Designed to educate the public, draw attention to the problem of poverty, and build up the base of volunteers and supporters for local anti-poverty agencies. www.hhweek.org

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D.C. Central Kitchen (DCCK), a non-profit that trains individuals with high barriers to employment for culinary careers, will run a cafe in the newly renovated Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library that reopened in downtown D.C. on Sept. 24. The organization will work with Chef Jose Andrés, who sits on its board, and Occasions Caterers to provide food and catering for the library, according to a Nov. 9 press release. DCCK previously partnered with Occasions to build a large-scale grocery distribution network as the nonprofit adapted its model to face the coronavirus pandemic, according to its website. In addition to working to prepare food, D.C. Central Kitchen participants will be able to help manage the library’s cafe and any special events via hospitality-sector apprenticeships. Ninety-five adults with “histories of incarceration, addiction, homelessness, and trauma” graduated from DCCK’s main training site in fiscal year 2019 and 85% recieved job placements. “Giving cafe employees job training in customer service, hospitality, and in other areas to prepare them for success beyond their time at the Library, the cafe embodies Dr. King’s passion for economic self-determination,” wrote Richard Reyes-Gavilan, executive director of the D.C. Public Library, in the press release. The modernization of the library began with public meetings in 2013, and the building was closed for three and a half years starting in 2017. The library now includes a cafe patio at the building’s Northeast corner, event spaces — most notably a 14,900-square-foot rooftop — and a catering kitchen. The ground-floor cafe, now called “Marianne’s by D.C. Central Kitchen,” will be operated by the nonprofit. Occasions will manage catering services, and Andrés’ ThinkFoodGroup will consult on menu development. This new space will be the most high-profile DCCK location, according to D.C. Central Kitchen CEO Mike Curtin Jr. The organization provides catering through its website and runs another cafe on the campus of THEARC in Ward 8, though that location is currently only being used for food prep and distribution. In addition to the cafe, they provide farm-to-table meals in D.C. schools and deliver produce to corner stores in underserved neighborhoods. DCCK also cooks nearly 3,000 pounds of food each day that would have otherwise been wasted, collecting the extra items through partner agencies and turning them into meals for the community. “This cafe and catering partnership with D.C. Public Library will help transform how American cities imagine the role and combined power of libraries and nonprofits,” Curtin wrote in the press release. While the library is operating, the new cafe’s opening date and hours have not been determined. The D.C. Library and DCCK are monitoring city guidelines for the health crisis.

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NEWS

Omnibus legislation gets hearing with sharp divide between tenant advocates and housing providers BY AOIFE MAHER-RYAN aoife.maherryan@streetsensemedia.org

ver more than eight hours, 173 public witnesses — including members of tenant advocacy groups, landlords, housing provider organizations — testified at a Nov. 9 D.C. Council hearing for two bills: the “Rent Stabilization Program Reform and Expansion Amendment Act of 2020” — also known as the omnibus bill — and the “Hardship Petition Reform Amendment Act of 2020.” The omnibus bill has been championed by the Reclaim Rent Control coalition, a campaign to expand rent control to protect more District tenants, close existing loopholes that benefit landlords and keep rent-controlled housing a ordable. The committee has held multiple hearings on other sets of rent control related bills in 2020 to address possible solutions to loopholes and provide relief, but neither tenant advocates nor landlords were satisfied with the proposals. Landlords said the bills would hurt small housing providers who are already struggling and tenants said the proposed changes were insu cient. The omnibus bill would be a more comprehensive permanent e ort to help close loopholes by setting new guidelines for capital improvements, eliminate vacancy increases, limiting hardship petitions at 5% per year instead of the 12% return on investments that landlords are currently entitled to and banning the use of voluntary agreements by landlords to pressure residents into accepting improvements that result in future rent increases. Yesim Sayin Taylor, executive director of the D.C. Policy Center, said that “there are currently 72,900 rentcontrolled units in the District and if the Council enacts the bill today the number of rent-controlled units would immediately increase by 13,000.”

The legislation would also help those whose struggle with rent has been exacerbated by the public health emergency. “In mid-October, an estimated 34,000 D.C. tenants, 12%, were behind on rent,” said Eliana Golding, a policy analyst for the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute. “This bill under consideration would help disrupt displacement and evictions.” During the hearing, housing companies and individual landlords said the omnibus legislation would go too far and would hurt small landlords who are struggling to pay their mortgages right now. Dean Hunter, CEO of the Small Multifamily Owners Association, called the proposed legislation “reckless” and “radical” in his testimony, adding that tenant advocates have “practically intimidated members of this committee to hold hearings.” Reclaim Rent Control coalition had been encouraging tenants to testify before the hearing to show support for the Omnibus legislation. The campaign has held virtual workshops to give people advice on how to testify and why the legislation is necessary. They also joined forces with the Sunrise Movement and D.C. Jobs for Justice to hold a rally Oct. 27 at Freedom Plaza. Close to a hundred people turned out to bring awareness to the hearing. “About half of D.C. [residents] are renters and about a third of them last April said that they can’t a ord rent, which is ridiculous. No one should be worried about paying rent during a pandemic,” said Kush Kharod, a spokesperson for the Sunrise Movement, at the rally. “We believe that housing is a right, so this brings awareness to the Omnibus bill.” Property management companies in the District such as CIH Properties and Lenkin Company Management also came out to give statements. Fourteen representatives from Borger Management, Inc. spoke in opposition

A screenshot from the public hearing on the Rent Stabilization Program Reform and Amendment Act of 2020. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE D.C. COUNCIL

to the two proposed bills, saying it will make it more di cult to operate and maintain properties in the District. Borger Management has been responsible for pushing evictions in the District without properly notifying tenants of the eviction proceeding. A recent report led to the D.C. Council passing an amendment that requires photographic evidence that an eviction notice has been filed and delivered to the tenant. John Ritz, president of WC Smith, a property management company, testified on his opposition to the proposed legislation, saying the “negative economic impact will be enormous” and investment in the city will drop. WC Smith filed more evictions against tenants than any other company in the District from 2014-2019, most of which were against low-income residents in Ward 7 and 8. “With gentrification happening across the city, the government has catered to those with money and have pushed those like myself out,” said Beatrice Evans, president of the Triangle View Tenants Association. “We built this city, we run this city, and we maintain this city.” Public witness Catherine Heinhold said, “loopholes in the current rent control law accelerate the gentrification of our neighborhoods, break up communities and lead to a net loss of a ordable housing. We need laws which encourage landlords to remember they are not simply in a business venture but are providing a service that is a basic human need.” Last year, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition released a study that showed the e ects of gentrification in the District more than 20,000 lack residents were pushed out of the city from 2000-2013 as a result of displacement, and D.C. had the highest percentage of gentrification of the cities analyzed. The District remained one of the most-gentrified cities, dropping from first to thirteenth, in a second study NCRC released in June that analyzed the years 2012-2017. The hearing on the omnibus legislation was continued Nov. 16 for the testimony of government witnesses. DHCD Director Polly Donaldson agreed that rent control laws need to be revised. “While we recently supported the extension of the protections of the current rent control statute for another decade, we also recognize that the statute is long overdue to be updated and reformed for it to continue to e ectively meet its statutory purposes,” she said. Donaldson supported eliminating voluntary agreements and vacancy increases but did not fully support passing all measures included in the legislation. “If all of the provisions of the omnibus bill are put forth then we have really made it so that it is going to be very challenging in a normal economy [for the rental housing market],” Donaldson said. Chief Tenant Advocate Johanna Shreve, backed the proposals, “The District now has almost a half century of experience with rent control,” Shreve said. “In all those years we have yet to see evidence that, as a general matter, the District’s rent controlled properties fare poorly in terms of profitability or that the rent control law discourages investment in the District’s rental housing market.”

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Lawsuit alleges anti-trans discrimination at private DC shelter BY JAKE MAHER jake@streetsensemedia.org

eth Canada was living in one of D.C.’s congregate shelters in May, 2018, when he learned that he qualified for a private room in St. Luke’s shelter. The shelter is owned and operated by the National United Methodist Church, which says on its website that all referrals come from the nonprofit Friendship Place. Canada learned about the shelter opportunity during an intake session for Friendship Place’s AimHire Job Placement program, which helps people experiencing homelessness find employment and directs participants to other resources. Canada told his AimHire intake o cer that he was interested in applying for that room. But the next month, Canada, who is a transgender man, received an email from the intake o cer saying St. Luke’s told her they had never worked with a transgender person before and they would need time to “think about it.” Canada alleges that he was quietly rejected from St. Luke’s because he stopped receiving communications about the private room and was instead steered by AimHire towards other programs like rapid rehousing. That email and the subsequent e ort to find an alternative to St. Luke’s are at the crux of a lawsuit Canada filed in October against the National United Methodist Church and Friendship Place. Canada argues that he was twice discriminated against for being transgender — once when he was rejected from St. Luke’s and again when AimHire failed to push back against that rejection. “My response [to being turned down] was that I’m used to it,” Canada said. “I’ve been discriminated for employment. That’s what led me to homelessness to begin with, so I’ve known discrimination for quite a while.” Both the National United Methodist Church and Friendship Place declined to answer specific questions about the matter while the lawsuit is still pending. The National United Methodist Church, in a statement provided to Street Sense Media, denied that any discrimination took place, adding that “the Church has served and continues to serve members of the LGBTQ+ community and does not make housing determinations based on any protected status.” According to its website, the N MC voted in 2008 to join the Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization promoting inclusivity among United Methodist churches, and in doing so “[stated] explicitly that we are welcoming of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons.” Friendship Place also denied that any discrimination occurred, emphasizing that they do not own or operate St. Luke’s and that AimHire is primarily an employment program — not a housing program. The organization said in a statement that it has “a long and successful track record of serving the LGBTQ+ community and have a commitment to this important work at all levels of our organization.” The nonprofit’s executive director since 200 , Jean-Michel Giraud, is openly gay and describes himself as a lifelong advocate in the LGBTQ community. The organization has focused on serving LGBTQ youth since at least 2015 and at least one of its sta members is a formerly homeless transgender woman. Brook Hill, an attorney with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs who is representing Canada, compared the situation at St. Luke’s to the hypothetical of a shelter saying they’ll need to take stock before agreeing to house a Black person. “You wouldn’t say that, and it’s no di erent under D.C. law when you say, I’ve never housed a transgender person before, or a gay person before,’” Hill said. “It’s all protected.” The D.C. Human Rights

Act of 1977 includes protections based on gender identity. As for Friendship Place, Hill said they treated Canada di erently than they would have treated a non-transgender person in that case. Friendship Place, Hill said, “tried to give Canada housing according to di erent terms and conditions than they would have if he was cisgendered.”

The new face of homelessness According to Len Williams, operations director of the Wanda Alston Foundation and, like Canada, a formerly-homeless trans man of color, the case underscores systemic discrimination and a lack of resources for transgender people in homeless services. The consequences of that discrimination can be deeply harmful for transgender people. “It’s debilitating if you go [to a shelter and find the same thing you dealt with on the outside you’re dealing with in a space where the doors are closed,” Williams said. “Your living there, or your bed, is contingent upon if a sta member understands you or if they like you as a person or if they respect you.” Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, agreed that resources are limited for trans people experiencing homelessness. He attributed some of the discrimination to an overdue reckoning with the changing demographics of the homeless population.

“This is a lot of voices [Canada] has with him. There are a lot of trans men that have not had this gusto to get here.”

Len Williams “The adult shelter system has been slow to adapt, especially some of the faith-based shelter organizations, to the new face of homelessness,” Whitehead said. “It’s a Black and brown person of color’s face and it’s also with di erent sexual orientations. And because the federal government doesn’t provide enough shelter and that job has to be taken on by faith-based organizations, again with no oversight, this is what happens.” Friendship Place is partially funded through federal grants. The church does not disclose funding sources on its website. Part of the solution to the issues facing transgender men experiencing homelessness, Williams said, is spaces designed especially for them. Trans people in shelters often don’t have access to a strong support network. The Wanda Alston Foundation operates two transitional housing programs for homeless and at-risk LG T youth. Homeless services in D.C. would benefit from a system-wide standard action plan for handling instances of discrimination, Williams said, without having to turn to lawsuits. According to him, the most e ective measure to curb discrimination would be increased training to help the sta of service providers form connections with transgender people and become comfortable treating them the same as all other clients. “If there was a better understanding, a more genuine understanding that this person has a right to be here just as much as anybody else, this person in their body has a right to be protected,” Williams said, “then possibly that situation maybe wouldn’t have gotten to this level.”

Seth Canada, the plaintiff. PHOTO COURTESY OF SETH CANADA.

A personal crisis and a global crisis After learning that he’d been turned down from St. Luke’s, Canada began looking for other options. In March of 2019, he obtained several scholarships that enabled him to take classes at Georgetown University. He hopes to attend law school and become a civil rights attorney. Canada continued living in Adam’s Place shelter in Northeast D.C., where he’d lived while applying for AimHire, until his personal crisis coincided with the global CO ID-19 pandemic. He caught the novel coronavirus in April 2020. Since his illness was likely caused by living in the close quarters of Adam’s Place, Canada alleges that the hardship of developing CO ID-19 is attributable to the same twofold discrimination he faced from the NUMC and Friendship Place. Catholic Charities, which is contracted by the city to operate Adam’s Place, did not respond to a request for comment. Canada recovered and moved back to Adam’s Place temporarily before moving into Georgetown’s student housing in August of this year. He and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee filed their complaint against the N MC and Friendship Place on Oct. 1 . The first hearing in the case, a scheduling conference where the dates for much of the rest of the suit will be decided, will be Jan. 15, 2021, in D.C. Superior Court. The suit seeks declaratory relief — a ruling from the court that what happened constituted illegal discrimination — and damages. Canada said his intent with the lawsuit is to stop what happened to him from happening to other transgender people. “I understand that some individual organizations could still operate with their own established rules, and it could be a long struggle to have change and implement it system-wide in all of D.C., in all of the social services organizations and charitable foundations,” Canada said. “But I’m also hoping that this case may have some positive impact.” Williams said he was happy to see the case being brought because Canada is speaking for many other transgender men who Williams said have been bullied out of making complaints when they faced discrimination. “This is a lot of voices [Canada] has with him,” Williams said. “There are a lot of trans men that have not had this gusto to get here.”

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NEWS

The global coronavirus pandemic is a moment that could help people experiencing homelessness, or hurt them more BY REGINALD BLACK @Reggieblack227

This article was first-published by Law At The Margins on Nov. 11.

he coronavirus pandemic has affected every community in di erent ways. One population hit as hard as any are people experiencing homelessness. Before the pandemic struck the United States, some parts of the country like the District of Columbia were working to address the needs of the homeless. Those plans changed. Due to CO ID-19, homeless shelters in D.C. shifted to 24-hour service, and housing placements were suspended. In normal times, according to Point in Time (PIT) data that the D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) reports, the average length of stay for people experiencing homelssness in 2019 was 174 days for individuals and 281 days for families. But the vulnerable still get little to no help. More than ,000 of the nation s estimated 5 8,000 homeless people are in Washington, D.C., and they have not been spared from CO ID-19. Since March, according to the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, there have been at least 153 deaths of homeless people in just six areas with large homeless populations — San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City,

Members of the People for Fairness Coalition and other members of the unhoused community march during George Floyd unrest to highlight the overrepresentation of African Americans unhoused in D.C. and overrepresented in the amount of unhoused deaths in D.C. PHOTO COURTESY OF REGINALD BLACK.

Washington, D.C., Seattle and Phoenix — and at least 206 deaths nationwide by early August. The District of Columbia has not seen an emergency on this scale since the 1918 in uenza pandemic, which killed about 3,000 people in the region. Over 100 years later, Washington, D.C., is one of the most gentrified cities in the .S., according to a study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. The nation's capital also has the highest rate of homelessness. In 2019, Washington, D.C., reported the singles system only had one voucher per 10 people without dependent children, so it remains to be seen what the full ramifications of coronavirus will be for unhoused people. A Columbia University professor found that homelessness in the .S. could grow by 45 percent due to mass unemployment. The CO ID-19 public health crisis has put a tremendous strain on communities across the world. But some experiences remain untold. These stories of underserved communities could pave the way for better responses to the crisis and social issues as well. Those living in shelters during this pandemic are finding it hard to deal with certain conditions. Lowell Long, a 44-yearold former auto mechanic and stroke survivor from D.C., has been homeless since 2018. Social distancing is pretty much obsolete here, he said of the shelter where he lives. “Outside of here, you can pretty much isolate yourself if you want. I’ve met some good people, but there are some bad people out here especially. These security guards, they treat you like shit. My situation, that happened to me.” Long says he was assaulted by a guard while staying in a city-run shelter during the health emergency. “I complained that he bullied me, threatened me, and he was still able to work here, and I sustained injuries at his hands.” The only incident that Long saw result in disciplinary action was following another attack by security. “After I got injured, they fired him right away,” Long said. “Other than that, we have no say. ou gotta be hurt or something to be heard around here.” “I wish there was more oversight for these security guards and all these shelters really,” he added “They do what the hell they wanna do. ... We don't really have a voice as homeless folks.” In the early days of the pandemic, D.C. o cials reported to the community that they were providing rooms for selfisolation. When asked if Long got any of these other services and whether o cials considered him vulnerable to the disease, Long said, eah, they do, but they didn’t o er me nothing. The District of Columbia Department of Human Services (DHS) shares weekly updates on its operations and status of positive cases in the homeless community, even going as far as securing hotels for what the agencies calls isolation and quarantine and the Pandemic Emergency Program for Highly Vulnerable Individuals. As of Oct. 31, 353 individuals in Washington, D.C., shelters have tested positive with CO ID-19, and at least 21 people in the homeless service system have died from the virus. Homeless people have only been able to watch as this crisis has unfolded, forced to put their lives on hold. Some people who are homeless have had to remain in settings that are not suitable for preventing the spread of CO ID-19. Hearing more of their stories could encourage communities to come up with responses that can help.

Searching for solutions It has been over six months since the coronavirus seeped into the District of Columbia. In that time, the District government has had to come up with an array of strategies to ensure that the city has an e ective response to mitigate the spread of the highly contagious virus. Homeless people are in a state of constant ux, and each day brings new challenges for this often overlooked community. With CO ID, once again, they have been more ignored than most populations that received help from agencies, neighbors and local governments. While healthcare workers and shelter sta had access to free testing, many in the homeless community could not obtain a CO ID-19 test unless they displayed symptoms. Many people experiencing homelessness do not have access to a primary doctor to set appointments for CO ID tests as well. Long is hopeful about his plight, provided things get back to some kind of normal. He sees this crisis as a way to potentially end his homelessness for good. “If the city would open back up, I wanna go to school to learn how to become an IT [information technology] technician. With the city shut down and everything, it seems like it’ll never open back up.” The city began to reopen in July. While life still has not returned to the way things were before CO ID (and probably never will), Laura Zeilinger, the director of the D.C. Human Services, has seen some positive signs since early spring. DHS and our partners were just beginning to set up a number of protective interventions to support our residents who experience homelessness, especially those in shelter, eilinger said in July on the Kojo Nnamdi Show for American University Radio. And this continues to be a challenging situation. However, data shows that our e orts are working. So our trends have followed the rest of the city in terms of new infections, and we ve seen a sharp decline in cases in our emergency shelters. Zeilinger has been at the forefront of the city’s response to address both homelessness and CO ID-19. On the DHS website, they launched a storyboard to share key strategies about reducing the spread of CO ID in the community and show how D.C. is supporting those experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. One challenge has been getting an accurate count of how many people are experiencing homelessness. Homelessness is historically undercounted in the census, and the coronavirus likely will produce a bigger undercounting than usual. This could have a major impact on the homeless community since the 2020 Census will determine how federal dollars get allocated, including funding for housing assistance programs. The situation is really challenging to have done a comprehensive count, so no I don't think that we will have a full capture of people who are experiencing homelessness, eilinger told The Washington Post in early October. I think people did the best they could. As the District of Columbia continues to coordinate the best possible responses to this crisis, will its leaders listen to the voices and recommendations of the homeless community to address their needs?

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AT A GLANCE D.C. is one of many jurisdictions that has taken part in coordinated access to obtain housing. The process includes triage assessment of a person’s vulnerability, case management and coordination, as well as housing search and placement. The focus is making sure people are in a safe place. D.C’s Coordinated Assistance and Housing Placement system uses many factors to determine how a person who is homeless in the city can get housing, including age, history of homelessness, physical and mental health, and substance use information. After an evaluation, the program identifies who should get prioritized for the resources available at the time. The Department of Human Services and its providers have been using the same data to identify those most at-risk to serious e ects if they were exposed to CO ID-19. “We are using that data to identify people as well as understand medical information to prioritize for housing to ensure we are reaching out to provide opportunities for safe placement and isolate people who are most vulnerable should they be exposed to CO ID-19,” eilinger said. A number of factors determined those decisions, such as Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidance and direction from the community based on infection and spread. Zeilinger was optimistic, however, about when housing activities could occur. “If we understand that we may be in this state for a prolonged period beyond a matter of days, we will look to ways we can continue that key part of our work, she said.

‘All they wanna do is kill us and jail us’ Homeless communities in Washington, D.C., have faced hardships for a long time. Before the health crisis, some residents who live in encampments had to face a permanent eviction from a street that over 40 people called home. The NoMa neighborhood (North of Massachusetts Avenue) has had many debates about the issue. In January, those issues came to a head. The encamped residents of K Street, which has been at the center of dialogue about homelessness in the neighborhood, were to undergo a final cleanup and removal. The action by city o cials to permanently clear the encampments from K Street caught the attention of residents. Nancy Burkley, 37, visited the encampment the day of the eviction to support the people there and help them move their belongings and protest the city’s decision. Burkley was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and is the only member of her household born in the United States. Burkley has called the District of Columbia home since 1985. She feels that the removal of unhoused residents from K Street may have ties to prior racial issues that have a ected the country. “The word segregation has been upgraded to gentrification,” arkley said. “I’m homeless, too. I live with my mother. I don’t have a lease in my name.” Burkley is not shy about sharing her opinion. “We have the biggest hate in the White House,” she said, referring to President Donald Trump. “He don't come out here and walk the streets and see what we are dealing with. He has billions of dollars and used none of it for us.” Burkley feels the same about the current Washington, D.C., mayor, Muriel Bowser. “She’s not doing anything for us,” Burkley said. She is also skeptical about media outlets, and said she even got into a shouting match with a local reporter who seemed to refuse to interview her. “She’s a newcomer and she don’t know what’s going on,” Burkley said. “They are not really here for us.” Burkley’s strong connection to residents of the city was a prime motivation for her presence at the cleanup. “This is meaningful,” she said.“All they wanna do is kill us and jail us.”

Emergency health crisis hits close to homeless When the pandemic first reached the .S., many states and cities began to adopt policies that would help people experiencing homeless combat the virus. Congress was able to allocate about 4 million to help support people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. Congress also identified 5 billion for community development block grants, as well as $2 billion to states and local governments to aid them with a response to help the unhoused. Now there are new problems for marginalized people. Many fear that as the pandemic and economic crisis drag on, there will be a huge wave of evictions in the coming weeks. Shamus Roller, the executive director of the National Housing Law Project, explained that the eviction protections Congress passed in response to the health crisis only cover a 120-day moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent. Roller also said properties with federally backed loans were covered. This would mean that 42 percent of singlefamily home mortgages and 2.3 million multifamily properties under Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac were covered by the provision produced by the CARES Act. Roller laid out what did not qualify for provisions provided by prior eviction filings, nonpayment of rent, and evictions for other reasons. We may see people evicted for the end of the oneyear term, he said.

Where we go from here The challenges of the coronavirus pandemic have brought people together in some ways. Of course, that newfound unity has not come without a human cost in terms of positive cases and deaths. Although housing placements resumed in June, and we have slightly contained the spread of CO ID-19 among the homeless community, there is a lot more work to do in Washington, D.C. What is needed is the political will and budget to do it. Those who are experiencing homelessness have more ideas on how to move toward ending homelessness. One of the ideas involves using the city's more than 10,000 vacant apartments to protect its 6,500 homeless residents from the virus. The plan is called acant to irus-Reduction ( 2 R), and it takes a housing first approach. Housing is a human right and need. It is even more important now as a defense against the coronavirus. Housing also is physical, mental and emotional healthcare. And homelessness and incarceration are expensive. The V2VR plan would address all of these issues in a humane and viable way. We get there by making the financing work. Washington, D.C. routinely gives money and land to companies to finance development projects to stimulate economic development. Why not use this same tactic to spur economic development by providing housing stability, and thus healthcare, to people who are currently not housed or who are housing unstable? Policymakers need to encourage more public input, support ideas like V2VR that can help the homeless community, and turn these ideas into action. Then we can build on the successes and lead our community to better days ahead. Reginald Black is a native Washingtonian who experienced homelessness on and off from 2008 to mid-2019. He is a reporter and vendor for Street Sense Media and serves as a consumer representative appointed to the D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness. He’s also involved with several organizations founded by people experiencing homelessness. Community Based News Room publishes the stories of people impacted by injustice and aspiring for change. Do you have a story to tell? Please contact us at lawatthemargins.com/cbnr-contactus.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WENDELL WILLIAMS

On Saturday, Dec. 5, Artist/Vendor Wendell Williams will be celebrating his 70th birthday at the Del Ray farmer’s market, from 8 a.m. - noon. He’s been selling Street Sense there for 12 years. All supporters are invited! This will be his first birthday party in adulthood.

BIRTHDAYS Eric Thompson-Bey Nov 22 ARTIST/VENDOR

Shernell Thomas Dec. 2 ARTIST/VENDOR

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

www.StreetSenseMedia.org/newsletter

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ART

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Enjoy the holiday! BY DANIEL BALL // Artist/Vendor

I love Thanksgiving Day, every year! Eatin’, getting yourself a good soda or something to drink. Now, no alcohol now. Won’t happen with Daniel again. I got in trouble outside the church where the Street Sense Media o ce is. I learned my lesson, because Lissa from the sta got on me about it. I wasn’t mad because I was wrong. I don’t do it no more. That’s called learnin’ a lesson. I’m gonna be with my family this Thanksgiving Day, my cousins, uncles and others. Let everybody have some turkey and cheer!

Love your spiritual family BY ROCHELLE WALKER // Artist/Vendor

Happy holidays and may God bless you and your family this Thanksgiving, whether they’re your family. And I don’t just mean your relatives. A parable: One day, Jesus’s mother Mary ask him, “Where are your brother and sister?” Jesus replied, “My mother and father is the one that does my father's will.” God wants us to love, pray for, and free our family members on this holiday season. Your biological family AND your spiritual family. Family Lives Matters. Jesus said, “How can you love me and hate your brothers?” You

can go to Hell just for hating your brother, your sister, your family members. Yes, love, and pray for all of them. Give to them, help them, guide them. And most important, go see about them wherever they are so that they won't end up in Hell. God wants you to do it. It may be di cult, but that don t matter. He wants you to do something, they don't have to be in the will to be saved. We can all do something, to make this world a better place. This is a time to be thankful. And I am very thankful to all our Street Sense fans! Eat, share, and be kind to each other!

I thank God for His grace and mercy

BY MARCUS GREEN // Artist/Vendor

I'm still standing on his love and protection. He works through people, like my Street Sense family. I'm a work in progress and the people around me make me a better person. If I'm open for learning and acceptance I can help someone else have a better life. That process is so humbling that I sometimes get emotional because in life friends and family got your back through thick or thin. My mind is to be a go-getter, and an All Star. In closing I want to thank all my regular supports, and new supports.

Every turkey has its day BY PIERRE JOHNSON // Artist/Vendor

Uncle Willie is inspired by many people I have known over the years.

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ELECTION

Joy

Ten Years

Mom

BY CARLOS CAROLINA-BEY Artist/Vendor

BY SASHA WILLIAMS Artist/Vendor

BY MARCUS MCCALL Artist/Vendor

Don’t let anyone steal your shine When we are in a state of peace, that’s when the greatest love is found. And when we are open to receive love, that’s when the greatest blessings come because we can give love. Give love, get love, find joy. And that’s life. Be happy, be helpful, and rejoice. I have analyzed and found four things to be true: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Give and you shall receive Receive and you shall give Joy brings pain, and Pain brings joy

So, if you are going through adversities, own it. And when you own it, persevere. Joy is always at the end of the tunnel. Just make it to the light, and all will be alright.

I almost committed suicide 10 years ago, at the age of 25. I was still young, thankful for the fountain of youth, and working in banking. I was also an independent business owner with no children. Now 35, I have more blessings (two beautiful girls) and I’m thankful for where my journey brought me.I grew and didn’t give up when people failed me or when I failed myself. I didn’t give up because people didn’t see my purpose. I know everyone won’t understand me and that’s OK. People love me and people hate me and that is OK. I did not love myself and my life for so long that none of what people say or do matters. Oh, but now I love myself! I love myself and I am thankful for that love, I am so blessed. I have healed on levels that needed to be worked on. Not feeling loved and wanted didn’t a ect me as much as not loving and wanting myself. I have and will always battle myself. I’m so happy that my thirties are di erent from my twenties. There is loss and pain but still much to gain. I am so blessed to see how I turned things around and made so many changes for myself.

When I think about all the yesterdays that have passed, all the times that we have been apart, it brings tears to my heart. Today has fresh memories of who we are and why God gave us each a star. My love will continue to grow no matter where we are. To my Street Sense readers, take two minutes out of your day to let your favorite parent know how special they are. Thank you!

Suicidal thoughts are something many people experience but few feel comfortable discussing. Here are several ways to instantly connect with someone to talk about it for free: Call 1-888-7-WE-HELP (1-888-7934357) for D.C. operators or 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) for national operators. Text CONNECT to 741741 in the United States or visit www. ImAlive.org to chat with someone online. Dialing 911 is always an option if you or someone else is in danger.

Flags BY FREDERIC JOHN Artist/Vendor PHOTO COURTESY OF BIANCA-STOCK-PHOTOS / PIXABAY.COM

Flapping in a vicious Breeze ff the cabin cruiser’s Bows, and From the red pickup Prows, Their anger hoisted high for all to see, et a judge’s icy Manner Can’na take down The fresh, Azure, Banner.

Happy Veterans Day BY SYBIL TAYLOR // Artist/Vendor

Songs of the Army PLAYLIST BY SYBIL TAYLOR

2. 3. 4. 5.

ABOVE: A combination of mostly historic images of African American soldiers in the Korean War. A personal photo of the author’s grandfather, who served in World War II, is added at the far-right. The other images were copied from a 2012 edition of The Afro (RIGHT), saved by the author, that had reprinted pages from its Aug. 12, 1950 edition.

“Still Water (Peace) / Still Water (Love)” The Four Tops “A Change Is Gonna Come” Sam Cooke “Jimmy Mack” Martha Reeves the andellas “What's Going On” Marvin aye “What The World Needs Now” Tom Clay

Listen online: StreetSenseMeda.org/veterans-playlist

COLLAGE BY SYBIL TAYLOR

Please give a big ag salute to all of the vets across America for their bravery and service. Especially for my father, who honored and served this country. He was a soldier and sergeant for the U.S. Army, a leader and a follower. He received many awards. Happy heavenly Veterans Day, Dad! Also to my grandfather, and to the other brave soldiers and angels with them, smiling with peace and relief.

They all fought on various battlegrounds to keep America safe. Give a high salute to those who survived, as well as to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. My father was in the army in the early 1960s peace time. But before that, he fought in the Korean War, in one of the bloodiest gun battles. People were dying instantly. Luckily, he survived to raise and care for us, before

illness took him in 2015. My grandfather fought in World War II, the deadliest war of all time. Dad, you fought a serious battle. Grandfather, you fought hard. Now, you are both in peace. You, your strength, and your bravery will never be forgotten in Heaven. I love you and miss you both. Enjoy your Veterans Day.

Let’s not fight BY QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE Artist/Vendor

Why don’t you like the one who is right? Yes, you have your opinion; I must not tell you to take a ight. Because I know and believe the one politician who is really right. If I tell you to please dump that crooked Trump To just kick him out on his rump; ou will say to me Take a ight. And that I’m not right. So we’ll still fight fight fight. As to who is really right, only God is the one, who is very very very right. In this, my opinion, please let’s not fight.

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OPINION

We need full-scale rental reform BY ANGIE WHITEHURST 2018 ARCHIVE PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE PAVEY

The coming storm BY L. MORROW

A storm is gathering in America. It is a wake-up call that is spreading all over the world. It's a cry for a real change! Call out injustice and rally to support meeting the basic human needs of all people. I ask you, did you vote on the real issues that have been affecting all Americans for the past four years? These are some of the issues that we all know about: 1.

2. 3.

6. 7.

This is the greatest economic crisis we have faced in 75 years. There are around 30 million Americans unemployed as of September 2020. merica has over million conﬁrmed coronavirus cases — the worst outbreak in the free world! Half a million Americans are estimated to be homeless, while as many as 50 million people don’t have enough to eat, 17 million more than before the pandemic hit. 500,000 undocumented youth have been detained at the border, including as many as 5,400 who were taken from their parents. 545 of those children have not been reunited with their families. There are 2.3 million people incarcerated in America and about 80 percent of that population is Black, Hispanic, and Native people. Why? Why is there still systemic racism and discrimination against Black people in this country? In 2020? We absolutely need police reform in this country. The year is not over yet, and the police have killed over 160 Black Americans, as of early November. Last year it was 250 Black people. Do you think we need to reform our police departments across the country? Black Lives Matter. Well, in God’s eyes, all life matters. He doesn’t discriminate, only mankind does — all over the world. Why? Do you think there is a greenhouse effect on our planet? Do you think the North and the South poles are melting? Have you noticed our weather pattern has been changing over the years? I ask you, what are you doing to save our planet?

I hope that you voted, and continue to vote, on these issues. It’s not about political parties, but about our future and the best people to help us all. There is an emerging army that is approaching this storm. It’s made of young folks that are willing to ban together to make a real change in this world of ours. They are facing many barriers, but more and more people join every day. They are so concerned about their fellow human beings on this planet that they have taken up the responsibility to cooperate for change on a global scale. I like to take a knee for these young folks. They have a lot of courage to face life’s challenges with respect for one another and pride in this undertaking to make history. They want affordable housing and health care for all; an end to war, hunger, and homelessness; and to eliminate systemic racism. We all need to help in saving our planet and our people, or it will save itself without any of mankind left alive. This is the future now! Stand up and be counted with them and keep the faith! L. Morrow is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

I was one of 163 public witnesses who signed up to testify at the November 9 D.C. Council Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization hearing on the Rent Stabilization Program Reform and Expansion Amendment Act of 2020, an “omnibus” bill that would dramatically reshape the city’s rent control laws and close many loopholes that allow D.C. residents to be priced out of their housing. This is what I told our local legislators: Dear Councilmember Anita Bonds: My name is Angie Whitehurst, a resident of the District of Columbia and a native Washingtonian. This email is in support of rental reform and economic compassion for not any specific legislation, but across the board. We, by which I mean all the people living and working in the District of Columbia, are most of us in various levels of financial crisis a crisis of survival. Let us not be so deluded as to act as if people have bottomless pots of money at the end of a nonexistent rainbow.. We needed rent reform decades before the financial crisis of the current I pandemic. Eighty percent of our population are renters. Two-thirds spend their income on rent. We need rent reform and emergency

economic compassion for housing, shelters, rent and struggling residential households with unmanageable mortgages -- this means for both the payees and payers (although not the slum landlords, investors, and avaricious business wheeler dealers). To not take action is to put the almighty dollar before the life, health and welfare of human beings, the most valuable resource of our city. The pursuit of happiness as in wealth, property maintenance and acquisition is discriminatory and unacceptable when basic human survival is so fragile locally, nationally and globally. Do not add to evictions, displacement, homelessness, poverty and further erosion beyond re-gentrification. The District of Columbia is not a business, it is an organized and legislated community of people. Reform the rent Do the number one job Serve the people Thank you, Angie Whitehurst Angie Whitehurst is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

Lies aren’t worth voting for BY MARCELLUS PHILLIPS

Everyone asked me if I voted but no one cares whether or not I ate or had a seizure. They tell me to go vote but no one says anything positive or encouraging to motivate me to have a better life. A lot of people are scared of other people they see in the public based on politicians’ threatening and divisive language. But politicians only focus on their elections

and they lie. When the election is over, most of them seem like they could really care less. But the public still suffers under their actions or inaction. They'll even take a homeless person's situation and use it to make themselves look good. Marcellus Phillips is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

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

Please send submissions to opinion@streetsensemedia.org.

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No matter what happened on Nov 3, it's gonna leave a mark BY JEFF TAYLOR

he 2020 elections have been interesting, to say the least. Never before have we had an incumbent president threaten our institutions of democracy the way Donald Trump has. And assuming, at the time of writing this article, that Trump is soundly defeated in this election, unfortunately it will not be the last we hear from 45. If Trump is not taken into custody to stand trial for his many crimes oth in and out of the val ofﬁce, he will ee the nited States. He's already said as much to his supporters at a rally in Georgia. He will act as a president-in-exile. He will keep his supporters foaming-at-the-mouth mad that the election was stolen from him. In short, the nited tates will survive ut not without some lasting bruises and scars from having made one of the biggest mistakes in its history. Look for violence. A lot of violence. Domestic terrorism will become even more frequent and on larger scales in urban centers. All the pent-up racism that was unleashed by Trump cannot be reined in, not for years and years to come anyway. Trump and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell have also done quite a number on the courts, packing them with un ualiﬁed, hyperpartisan e tremists. hat damage can e mitigated if Democrats use the power that the Constitution and hopefully the people will have granted them. hen there s I . es, eventually it will pass and we will all settle into some kind of new normal. But as much as anything Trump's mismanagement of this health crisis has turned people's lives upside down, permanently for some. Those lost lives and livelihoods will most certainly leave a mark. nd what a out all those separated immigrant families f course a Biden administration will make every effort to ensure

as many families are reunited as possible. But there is a great deal of damage done that cannot be undone. Hopefully, in time, the nited tates will heal. ut not all wounds will in fact heal. That is an unfortunate reality. Let's hope the next time some blowhard con man runs for so much as dog catcher, he or she will be resoundingly defeated. Psychopaths do not belong in charge of anything in business, politics, law enforcement; the list goes on. For just as sure as a psychopath is put in a position of authority, he or she will abuse that authority. And people. Get. Hurt. t the time I was ﬁnishing this piece, the election was ﬁnally

Yes, Biden won 78 million votes to Trump's 72 million (at press time). But that's 72 million of my countrymen who, after four years of seeing what kind of despicable human being Trump actually is, still voted for him!

called for oe iden. rump of course is ﬁling lawsuits that will fail to save him. That should be enough to give some sense of relief. But it isn't. I'm intensely disgusted by the fact that this election was as close as it was. es, iden won million votes to Trump's 72 million (at press time). But that's

72 million of my countrymen who, after four years of seeing what kind of despicable human being Trump actually is, still voted for him! That's depressing as hell. And scary. Trump voters are either or both intellectually and morally bankrupt. And that is dangerous. And heartbreaking. he nited tates of merica is roken. I suppose it always was. I hope someday things will be better, but I'm not particularly optimistic at this point. ur so called freedoms are a dou le edged sword. rump s deplora les have the freedom to ﬁll their kids heads full of racist crap that I'm sure will result in more touring teenagers from Trump country strolling the streets of our fair city, smugly and deﬁantly wearing their MAGA garb. I'll be interested to see when, or even if, local vendors will pull their Trump merchandise. It's going to make me mad. It's going to make me sick. It's going to make me sad. But mostly it's going to make me mad. But should it? Aren't these deplorables my American sisters and brothers whether I like it or not? Well of course they are, but I don't like it. I don't like it one bit. And I'm sick and tired of their idiocy. These yahoos produce the culture that inspired Kyle Rittenhouse and his ilk (most of whom were young white men) to carry out acts of domestic terrorism. This cycle either stops or we need, we deserve, to separate ourselves from it. I honestly wish we could have a peaceful separation of the nited tates. m I wrong for that I really don t think so. Let the deplorables have the South (or whatever) just so long as they leave the rest of us alone! And in time, they would collapse and e egging to re oin the nion. ay e then under those circumstances the bigoted might see the error of their ways. Naw, I doubt it. Meh. Jeff Taylor is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media. People celebrating in Black Lives Matter Plaza on Nov. 7 after most major networks declared Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election. PHOTO BY SDKB / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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ART

THE AGENDA:

Raise a glass to RBG BY SAUL TEA Artist/Vendor

This is page one of a 13-part song book accompanying the “Hell’s Bottom Congress Of Puppets” folk opera, created by Saul Aroha Nui Tea. The song is loosely inspired by The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” and Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.” Look for the rest of the opera in future editions of Street Sense and ﬁnd music videos made with puppets of the characters, along with more information about the project, at congressofpuppets. blogspot.com.

STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG

Change is inevitable

Power and strength

I don t recall e actly where, ut my rother once told me there was no good and evil. It shocked me at first ut it stuck with me as something to ponder throughout life when facing certain challenges. I gradually came to the understanding of it, in how sometimes life can e so unfair. he phrase, “I never asked to e a slave” comes to mind. r “I never asked to e orn,” as I would tell my mother during a tantrum. ho does put in such a re uest ut life is a I nly with maturity can you fully appreciate accepting oth the itter the sweet he trick is getting to that point. I m now a recluse focused on uilding up my career, for I have no desire to e a “have not.” olks in my life have dealt me a dirty enough hand for far too long. I didn t go through my trials and tri ulations only for them to creep ack in with the same old craftiness, deceit, and lack of teamwork or integrity that put me there in the first place. I ve grown and seen. eveloped, gained, prospered. It s a ourney, this gift is hat are you going to do with yours or not everyone is orn with riches cast unto them, or even into a family other than those they meet and choose during their adventures in life. Housing doesn t magically fi everything. I am still in need. ut I m working hard to change that. each out and communicate I m on witter at evester oe . You can watch the documentary Levester produced about himself, “I Am Levester Joe Green II,” at streetsensemedia.org/Film.

About me BY PATRICIA DONALDSON Artist/Vendor

BY MARCELLUS PHILLIPS // Artist/Vendor

My power, strength and motivation comes from my positive mentality. In life I have always been faced with difﬁcult and trou led times which has given me the power to succeed in life. lot of people may feel that I am not successful yet, ut every day I wake up is enough success for me. s a child my family made sure to teach me respect and to stay positive no matter what the situation may be. We all are faced with trou led times in life ut a lot of people don t know how to deal with situations. hen I was younger I was always put in negative situations such as not knowing if we would have a place to live. My mother is where I get my strength and power from ecause she taught me how to survive during negative situations. nce, when we were evicted, she taught me how to keep my head up and how to turn a negative situation into a positive one.

“Every day I wake up is enough success for me.”

Listen BY AYUB ABDUL Artist/Vendor

BY LEVESTER GREEN // Artist/Vendor

y story is that I’m a creative person progressing in life. While appreciating where I’ve been and my accomplishments, I know it can get better and greater! I was homeless for the past eight years, ut whilst I was going through that I managed to produce a documentary with the organi ation I came to work for, treet ense edia. ou can check it out on the we site. ust search my name out. ow that I have a sta le place, I m attempting to get ack into my creative arts, such as my long stalled poetry career. I recently pu lished a page collection of my work. I am also e panding my interest in photo ournalism and returning to my illustration roots. Homelessness was uite the e perience. ou d e surprised at some good folks generosity. It wasn t ad I like to get to know some of those supporters who wanted to make a difference and gain an understanding of them. I m pretty much an open ook, myself though I m kind of selective, so getting to know people is a process for me. ut we could hold conversations a out life efore, during, and after homelessness. It s ust a fantastic su ect. I ve learned in my ourney that there s ust not one fi ou gotta open up your lens and let a little light in ome folks could surprise you. It s evident now that it s different strokes for different folks. o one philosophy works for everyone as a lot of people are stuck in their ways or are udgmental, etc.

// 13

It’s not hard to sell the paper, and it gets easier over time. ou get to know the customers well. ou have to e patient when you re out there every day. ut in that little it of e tra time and you will make some money. I go out to a few different places, like upont ircle and astern arket. I like to do the est I can. Sometimes I get stressed, emotionally or physically. It can come from any event or thought that makes you frustrated, angry, or nervous. It s your ody s reaction to the challenges or demands. hort ursts of stress can sometimes e positive, such as when it helps you avoid danger or meet a deadline. ut when stress lasts for a long time, it may harm your health. our ody reacts to stress y releasing hormones that make you more alert, tense your muscles, and increase your pulse. It s your ody s way of protecting itself. ut when you have chronic stress, your ody stays alert even though there s no danger. ver time, this puts you at risk for health pro lems like high lood pressure, heart disease, dia etes, o esity, depression or an iety, and skin pro lems like acne. If you already have a health condition, chronic stress can make it worse. It can also cause you to have trou le sleeping, which has other poor health effects. o you ve got to keep an eye on your stress.

Listen take a moment and listen feel the surroundings around you take a breath in hear the birds from a distance so tranquil like a moment of medication listen hear yourself listen to yourself can you hear me?

Child Support BY RON DUDLEY // Artist/Vendor

I’m tired of being a victim My life was just ﬁne Now they got me in the system. If you want me to vote, Make child support court illegal. Change the law, This law shouldn’t be legal. How the hell can you tell me, What I can and can’t afford? The judge must be high, Somebody must’ve been bored. Five hundred a month I asked the judge, “How my baby momma proud?” The only thing that makes her smile is money They think I’m a dummy They say if I don’t pay, They gonna take my freedom away. My God says to appreciate what you get, And that’s the same feeling you get when you give. I love giving If I can’t give, That wouldn’t be a life I can’t live My goal in life is to be a good man, Do the best I can for my family and my friends. Protect the innocent people from ignorance And the people that do things that’s ignorant The judge said that my job wasn’t real I told the judge, “I don’t care how you feel” I told the judge, “You need to get this through your head “When the system took my daughter, I was already dead” Child support.

1 4 // S T R E E T S E N S E

FUN & GAMES Sudoku #8

5 7

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

9 4

6 9 2 4 8 7

6 3 9

1 3 6 7 5 8 9 2 4

7 4 1 9

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

7 34 1 3 2

8 1 4 3 6

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each Sudoku 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 thru 9.#7

SUDOKU: Fill in 3 2 7 the blank squares so that Need a littleeach help? row, The hints page to solve 3 shows 9 a5 logical 7 order 8 the 6 1 2 4 puzzle. Use it to identify next square you should solve. Or use the answers page each columntheand if you really get stuck. 2 7 6 8 4 3 9 5 1 each 3-by-3 block contain all of the 1 4 2 6 7 9 5 8 3 digits 1-9.

4puzzle 8 without 1 5 guesswork. 9 6 If you use logic you can solve the

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

LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE SOLUTION >>

4 3 8 7 5 6 9 1

2020

Sudoku #3 8 4 2 5 6 3 9 7 1 3Challenging 6 1 Sudoku 9 7by KrazyDad, 2 8 20, Book 45 4 5 Volume 9 7 5 2 1 8 4 3 6 2 9 6 7 4 1 8 5 3 7 5 8 3 2 9 1 6 4 1 3 4 8 5 6 2 9 7 4 2 9 1 3 7 6 8 5 6 8 3 4 9 5 7 1 2 5 1 7 6 8 2 3 4 9

7 4 1

2 1 7 6

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

Sudoku #4 2 4 1 6 9 7 3 5 1 4 8 6 9 7 3 3 1 8 2 6 6 9 2 5 7 4 5 7 8 1 9 2 3 4 5 1 7 4 3 8 BY REV. JOHN 5LITTLEJOHN 8 6 9 2

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

Artist/Vendor

9 6 4 2

The door of reconciliation

KrazyDad's puzzle website is maintained with the help of your generous donations. Give online at http://krazydad.com Or by mail: Krazydad, P.O. Box 303 Sun Valley, CA 91353 USA Thank you!

3 2 8 7 2

1 4 7 3 8 5 2 6 9 2 6 3 7 5 9 1 8 4 8 1 5 4 6 2 9 3 7 M E D I A / / N O V. 1 8 - D E C . 1 , 9 7 4 8 1 3 6 2 5

1 6 8 2 3

8 9 1

5 4

First of all, what is reconciliation One definition is to Sudoku renew friendship with self#6 — then with others. Amen! 1 about 7 9reconciliation. 8 4 3 2 5 Here’s a small6story Inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 3 9 8 5 2 Dublin, 7 4 Ireland, 1 6 there’s a door that tells a five-century-old tale. 2 4 5the1Butlers 3 6and9the7FitzGeralds, 8 In 1492, two families, 4 a6high-level 2 8 position 7 9 inside 5 3 the1 region. began fighting over The fight escalated, in 5 7 and 3 2 took 8 refuge 9 1 6the4 utlers the cathedral. 8 3 came 9 2 to ask 5 for 1 6 4 7 When the FitzGeralds a truce, the Butlers 2 6 4 9 8 1 5 cut 3 a hole 7 were afraid to open the door. So the FitzGeralds in it, and their leader o ered his hand in peace. 9 8 4 3 1 5 7 6 2 The two families then reconciled, and adversaries became friends. 1 5 3 7 6 2 8 9 4 God has a door of reconciliation that the Apostle Paul wrote passionately about in his letter to the church in #8 because of His infinite love, Corinth At HisSudoku initiative and 9 broken 1 for a 3 2 relationship 8 4 5 with 6 7 God exchanged the humans restored relationship through Christ’s death on the 4 8 7 6 1 9 5 2 3 cross. We were far away from God, but in His mercy He didn’t 1 o6ers5us restoration 2 7 3 4 8 9 leave us there. He with Himself, not 6 2 3 9 5 7 8 1 4 counting people’s sins against them. Justice was fulfilled God2made 8 7 when 5 had no 4 1 6 Jesus, 3 9 who sin, to be sin for us. So that in Him, we can be at peace 5 9 1 4 3 8 2 6 7 with God. 8 we 3 can 6 give 9 5 2to those 7 4when 1 cheerfully It is truly a blessing in need and receive from 3 cheerfully 8 those 2 who 4 may 6 have 1 9 5 7 just more than they need. We must use hospitality to destroy 2 5 7 9 4 1 Amen 3 8 hostility when we receive6or give a donation.

Lit on K St. Þhe corredor reade-gold shone fra hewn superficies of stone metail to byhon thus glass Days ahon by me noon then gae done.

This poem was inspired by the gleam of the many buildings on downtown Street NW catching the day’s last light at sunset.

BY FRANKLIN STERLING Artist/Vendor

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.

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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

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

Food and Friends // 202-269-2277 (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc) 19 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

Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.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 oa esandfishesdc or

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

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

Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW c sdc or

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

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

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

JOB BOARD Freelance journalist Invisible People // Remote

Freelance Invisible People, a news site focusing on

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

homelessness, is looking for a writer to cover produce professionally written articles. REQUIRED: Currently or formerly homeless people encouraged to apply. APPLY: Send writing sample and one or two ideas for articles to writers@invisiblepeople.tv.

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

Cashier Target // Columbia Heights Seasonal

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

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

Laundry Lavandería

// 15

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

cashier to handle cash and card transactions and assist customers. REQUIRED: None listed. APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/target-cashier

Grocery management assistant Harris Teeter // Navy Yard Unity Health Care 3020 14th St., NW // unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699 alen treet , 1 alen treet , 1 aratoga ve , 1 olum ia oad , 4414 Benning oad , 3 innesota venue , 765 Kenilworth errace , 5 treet , 3 tanton oad , 3 14th Street NW, 2 artin uther ing r. venue , 1 olum ia oad ,1 ew ork venue, uite, 4 nd treet ,4 isconsin venue NW, 2 ew ork venue , 2 ew ork venue ,1 treet ,1 ew ork venue , 8 varts lace, , 810 5th Street NW

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

Full-time

Responsibilities may include interviewing

and training associates; planning, assigning, and directing work; assist in appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining associates; addressing complaints and resolving problems. REQUIRED: High school diploma or general education degree (GED); or two to three years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience. APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/Harris-teeter-mgmtassistant

Service experience Nordstrom // Pentagon Center Hours will vary weekly

Nordstrom is looking for an employee to 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

manage to assist customers, demonstrate proficienc in the store s techno o and or as part of a team. REQUIRED: None listed APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/pentagonnordstrom

Front counter team member Chick-fil-A // Dupont Circle Flexible hours, 20-35 hours/week. No Sundays.

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

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

Target in Columbia Heights is hiring a season

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

Chik-Fil-A is hiring an employee to work at the front counter. REQUIRED: High school degree or equivalent. Must lift 50 pounds regularly. APPLY: https tin

r co

chic -fi -a-d pont

John’s Picks

John Littlejohn. PHOTO BY ERIC FAQUERO, LLUSTRATION BY JEFF MURRAY / JEFFSAMILLION.COM

Rev. John Littlejohn on faith, friendship, and moving forward BY SARAH GRAVER sarah.graver@streetsensemedia.org

outpatient mental health program at the height of his mental ccording to John Littlejohn, there is nothing health challenges. that can’t be achieved through faith and the When asked what advice he gives to people who are power of prayer. John, who has been working struggling with their mental health, John said to never with Street Sense Media since 2010, uses his give up if you are denied help because even then “you are faith to help people struggling with addiction, on the safe track, you are hurting and trying to get help, homelessness, and mental health problems. which is the first step.” he said. He In 1999, he was also advocates for people to get help licensed and ordained as a minister through clergy to lean on as they in the New Fountain Baptist Church work through problems. in Northwest D.C. Ten years later John also believes in the power and four years into homelessness, of friendship and community, he received an honorary doctoral which he said is crucial in surviving degree in religious education from homelessness.“We need friendship, the Mutual Baptist Missionary we need togetherness, we need unity, Association of Washington, D.C. we need reconciliation in our hearts Though he is not currently working and minds and soul,” he said.“We as a minister, Rev. Littlejohn makes are all in this together; work together sure to go to Sunday services, pay to make it through.” his tithes, and stay faithful. And he’s John Littlejohn Like it has for all of us, COVIDbeen a frequent contributor to Street 19 has made life harder for John. It Sense, writing about faith and how has stymied his efforts to find work and canceled some of his to apply lessons from the Bible to surviving and ending favorite activities. Before the pandemic, John was about to homelessness since 2018. “All I know is ministry,” he said.”I join Street Sense Media’s Devising Hope theater workshop may not go every Sunday, but I’m still praising the Lord.” that had to be canceled due to health concerns. He is eager He has continued to do this even amidst the pandemic, to participate in theater once the pandemic is over because which left him unemployed and struggling to find work. “I he enjoys it as a creative outlet. Another favorite hobby is will continue to pray for myself, pray for others, and pray karate, which he has been practicing for years. for the sick and the shut-in,” John said when talking about Above all, John is passionate about his faith and seeking his faith. help through religion. He said, “Seeking the Lord helped John’s faith has also carried him through struggles with his me overcome drugs and alcohol, gave me confidence, and mental health. He was relieved to finally receive a diagnosis restored my hope in life.” Without God, John doesn’t know this past June after mental health services failed to listen to where he would be in life, and he is so grateful for what his him several times over the years about problems he says faith has given him. began in 2010. He is doing better after being placed in an

“Somebody cares about you. Even if you are out in the cold with people walking by you, and it feels like nobody does.”

Favorite part of DC? Watching the Washington Football Team play. Personal Heroes? John F. Kennedy, Superman, and Denzel Washington. Favorite thing about Street Sense Media? I care about all of my favorite customers, who are hardworking people and very friendly to me. I also appreciate Mr. Brian and Mr. Eric at Street Sense Media, who help me with getting different opportunities and writing articles. Hopes for the future? My primary hope, for now, is that COVID-19 will be put to an end soon so the country can heal socially, spiritually, and politically. Anything else you’d like readers to know about you? Repent and surrender to the Lord! My life was headed for doom and destruction, and Street Sense helped me stand up and give me conﬁdence, courage, and hope…[Street Sense Media] gave me a sense of being somebody again.

Thank you for reading Street Sense! From your vendor NOV. 18 - DEC. 1, 2020 | VOLUME 18 ISSUE 2

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