12 08 2010 by Street Sense Media

S treetS ense.org

Where the poor and homeless December 8 - 21, 2010

December 8 - 21, 2010

earn and give their two cents

D STE GE ON G I S U N AT DO

Volume 8 Issue 4

Missing Mary Ann

65 cents for the Vendor

35 cents for production of the paper

Spotlight on Vendor Warren Stevens, Jr. See page 14

International News: Sanitary Napkins Make a World of Difference Abroad page 7

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re launching a brand new layout next issue, so get ready!

December 8 - 21, 2010

S treetS ense.org

Our Mission

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

Do you want to continue to support Street Sense throughout the year? Order a subscription today! Not only will you receive 26 issues packed with all our latest news, poetry and photography, you will also help raise awareness about poverty in the D.C. area.

___ YES! I want to subscribe to Street Sense for just $40 a year for 26 issues. ___ YES! I want to give half of the cost of a subscription to my favorite vendor: ______________________________ Name:_________________________ Address:_______________________ City:____________State:__________ Zip: ___________________________ Phone: ________________________ E-mail: ________________________ Please make checks payable to: Street Sense. Mail to: Street Sense, 1317 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20005.

The Story of Street Sense Street Sense began in August 2003 after two volunteers, Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions about starting a street newspaper in Washington, D.C. A street paper is defined as a newspaper about poverty, homelessness and other social issues that provides an income to the homeless individuals who sell it. About 28 street papers operate in the United States and Canada in places like Seattle, Chicago, Montreal and Boston, and dozens more exist throughout the world. After bringing together a corps of dedicated volunteers and vendors, Street Sense came out with its first issue in November 2003, printing 5,000 copies. For the next three years the paper published on a monthly basis and greatly expanded its circulation and vendor network. For the first year, Street Sense operated as a project of the National Coalition for the Homeless, but in October 2004, the organization incorporated and moved into its own office space. In March 2005, Street Sense received 501(c)3 status, becoming a nonprofit organization. In October 2005, Street Sense formed a full board of directors, and in November the organization hired its first employee, a full-time executive director. A year later in November 2006, the organization hired its first vendor coordinator and began partnering with several service providers. In February 2007, the paper started publishing twice a month and to support the increased production brought on its first full-time editor– in–chief in April. As of January 2010 the paper had 72 active vendors and prints about 30,000 issues a month.

Vendor Code of Conduct 1. Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $1. I agree not to ask for more than a dollar or solicit donations for Street Sense by any other means. 2. I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense staff and will not sell papers to other vendors (outside of the office volunteers). 3. I agree to treat all others – customers, staff, other vendors – respectfully, and I will not “hard sell,” threaten or pressure customers. 4. I agree to stay off private property when selling Street Sense. 5. I understand that I am not a legal employee of Street Sense, but a contracted worker responsible for my own well–being and income. 6. I agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling the paper. 7. I will not sell Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 8. I agree to stay a block away from another vendor and respect the space of all vendors. 9. I understand that my badge is the property of Street Sense and that I will not deface it. I will present my badge when purchasing the papers and display my badge and wear my vest when selling papers. 10. I understand that Street Sense strives to be a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the homeless. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word.

We are proud members of:

1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 347–2006 North American Fax: (202) 347–2166 Street Newspaper info@streetsense.org Association www.streetsense.org International BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lisa Estrada Ted Henson Network of Brad Scriber Michael Stoops Street Papers Manas Mohaptra Sommer Mathis Kristal DeKleer Robin Heller Jeffery McNeil Jordan Rummel John Snellgrove Dameon Philpotts Martin Walker EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Abby Strunk EDITOR–IN–CHIEF Mary Otto MANAGING EDITOR Lisa V. Gillespie COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRAM MANAGER Amy Vokes INTERNS Jennifer Steadman, Hayley Burgess, Sam Giffin, Shadaye Hunnicutt, Cynthia Ribas-Santos, Kimberly Kroll Founders Ted Henson & Laura Thompson Osuri VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Rhonda Brown, Jane Cave, Holly Caesar, Margaret Chapman, Tracie Ching, James Clarke, Nikki Conyers, Bobby Corrigan, Carol Cummings, Adam Dangelo, Sara Dimmitt, Rachel Estabrook, Sarah Ficenec, Robert Fulton, Jane Goforth, Roberta Haber, Elia Herman, Sharon King, Trisha Knisely, Vicki Ann Lancaster, Rose Kornegay, Elle Leech-Black, Elsie Oldaker, Rachael Petterson, Katinka Podmaniczky, Mike Plunkett, Willie Schatz, Jesse Smith, Maggie Smith, Mandy Toomey, Brett Topping, Sean Lishansky

VENDORS Michael Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Jake Ashford, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Donna Barber, John Bayne, Kenneth Belkosky, Patricia Benjamin, Tommy Bennett, Jimmy Bigelow, Reginald Black, Emily Bowe, Debora Brantley, Andre Brinson, Cliff Carle, Percy Carter, Peggy Cash, Conrad Cheek, Virginia Clegg, Aaron Conner, Anthony Crawford, Kwayera Dakari, Louise Davenport, Michael Dawson, Charles Davis, James Davis, David Denny, Ricardo Dickerson, Muriel Dixon, Alvin Dixon El, Deana Elder, Richard Embden, James Featherson, Tanya Franklin, Samuel Fullwood, Larry Garner, David Ger, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Dwight Harris, John Harrison, Lorrie Hayes, Patricia Henry, Shakaye Henry, Shawn Herring, Derian Hickman, Philliip Howard, James Hughes, Richard Hutson, Margaret Jenkins, Donald Johnson, Alicia Jones, Mark Jones, Clinton Kilpatrick, Hope Lassiter, Brenda Lee-Wilson, Mary Lisenko, James Lott, Michael Lyons, Johnnie Malloy, Kina Mathis, John C. Matthews, Charlie Mayfield, Herman Lee Mayse, Robert McCray, Marvin McFadden, Jermale McKnight, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jeffery McNeil, Kenneth Middleton, L. Morrow, Saleem Muhammad, Tyrone Murray, Charles Nelson, Sammy Ngatiri, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Franklin Payne, Edward Perry, Gregory Phillips, Tracey Powell, Ash-Shaheed Rabbil, Michael Reardon, Melania Scott, Chris Shaw, Ronald Simms, J. Simpson, Veda Simpson, Gwynette Smith, Patty Smith, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, James Stewart, Leroy Studevant, Beverly Sutton, Paul Taylor Sybil Taylor, Steve Thomas, Larissa Thompson, Louise Thundercloud, Deborah Tibbs, Ronald Turner, Christopher Walker, Jeanette Walker, Martin Walker, Robert Warren, Terry Warren, Lawless Watson, Paul Watson, Michael J. Welsh, Edna Williams, Sherle Williams, Wendell Williams, Susan Wilshusen, Ivory Wilson, Mark Wolf, Charles Woods, Tina Wright

S treetS ense.org

December 8 - 21, 2010

Colorado Homeless Advocates Opening 98-Unit Building in Denver The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is gearing up to unveil its 15th housing community. That brings the total number of units built by the nonprofit organization for the homeless to 1,500, the Denver Post reports. "More and more families who never thought they would be homeless are coming to us for help," said coalition president John Parvensky to the Denver Post. He added that the souring economy has caused donations to drop roughly 18 percent from a year ago. The building will include 7,500 square feet of retail space for businesses that will employ clients of the coalition. The 98unit housing complex will shelter about 50 homeless people and 48 working households. Income levels of such households will range from $10,000 to $35,000.

for 30 years has been playing the part of Santa for those down on their luck, My Fox Houston reports. More than three decades ago, he founded a toy, clothing and food drive. "I came up with the idea 30 years ago to have the drive. At first, we helped the Houston InterFaith Ministries. We've since gotten too big for them. For a decade now, we've helped Star of Hope," Gardner said to My Fox Houston. "I had one gentleman today that went over to Sam's and he bought $250 worth of food," he added during an interview with the TV station. Gardner says he still recalls the first people he helped in 1980, when the drive began. One was a young woman who was 23. “She had three children, and one of the children came up when she was thanking the pantry coordinator and said, 'Mommy, Santa Claus didn't forget us this year,'" Gardner said.

Houston Resident Serves as Santa for the Homeless

Once Homeless, Attorney Now Shares Story

Ed Gardner is a Houston-area CPA who

Nikki Johnson-Huston is married, has

2010 has been a milestone year for Street Sense Supporters like you made a statement: Street Sense has become a part of the city’s social fabric, and we want the organization to continue helping homeless men and women to help themselves – people like Patti Smith, who recently graduated from Career Technical Institute. We have more work to do in 2011! Some of our key goals include: Make improvements to our newspaper design and layout Fully implement our Vendor Roadmap, helping more vendors to reach their housing, education and job goals Continue building infrastructure to support the recruitment of more vendors and the expansion of the newspaper 6WUHHW 6HQVH LV GHSHQGLQJ XSRQ GRQRUV OLNH \RX WR HQVXUH WKH RUJDQL]DWLRQҋV ÀQDQFLDO viability in 2011 and beyond. Make a resolution you can be proud of all year long.

Please make this your 2011 New Year’s Resolution: Support Street Sense. Start today by contributing your end-of-year donation. My 2011 New Year’s Resolution is to Support Street Sense! I want to donate: My Information: ____ $1500 Name: ________________________________________ ____ $1000 Address: ______________________________________ ____ $500 City, State, Zip:_________________________________ ____ $300 Phone: ______________ Email: ___________________ ____ $100 ____ $60 Another amount of ______. I’d like the amount of _____ to go directly to vendor ________________________. Please make checks payable to “Street Sense” and mail to: 1317 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

Donate online at www.streetsense.org

three degrees and serves as a lawyer for the city of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Daily News reports. But in her childhood, Johnson-Huston was homeless, living with a mother who had an alcohol problem and was unable to care for her child. Today, Johnson-Huston has made it her mission to tell the homeless about opportunities available to them and how they can pull themselves out of a cycle of poverty. She says she hopes telling her story to others will inspire them to follow their dreams and achieve their goals. "I had the dream of being a lawyer since I was a little girl and it was a long and difficult process with failure along the way, but I got to live my dream," she told the Philadelphia Daily News. "It only takes one person to believe in you.”

Seattle Man Launches Meal Service for the Homeless Three years ago, now 27-year-old Jon Coyne started AOK Friends (Acts of Kindness) with the hope of helping a few homeless individuals, the Seattle Times reports. Last weekend, the group was able to serve

meals to about 115 homeless individuals. “To see people coming together and sharing with one another, it’s an expression of love,” said Coyne, a Washington State University psychology graduate whose weekday job is working with autistic and disabled young people at Mariner High School. AOK Friends is one of about a dozen charities that regularly serve meals at Seattle’s “Outdoor Meal Site,” an area with tables and benches under the freeway. When Coyne started the group, he spent about $50 to buy hot dogs and bottled water. He cooked at home and then brought them to a park to serve them. “I had never really been in that part of town much, and when I got down there I had this great sense of fear,” Coyne said. But the Seattle Times reports that a man who saw he had food to give away offered reassurance: “He said, ‘You’re cool. No one will mess with you.’ It was exactly what I needed to hear.” Compiled by Dianna Heitz, from previously published reports.

S treetS ense.org

December 8 - 21, 2010

Technology Center Puts Students on Pathway to Success In a small side hallway off The Woodner apartment complex in Ward 1, the Citiwide Computer Training Center (CCTC) works to educate low-income families and those in poverty. The organization was founded to provide free technology education to local young people. Anthony Chuukwu, the founder of CCTC, started the organization as a newcomer to this country, and quickly understood how it feels to be a bystander on America’s information superhighway. “When I arrived in Washington, D.C., from West Africa (Nigeria), I previously had a technology background, management and training in administrative services,” said Chuukwu. “However, I could not be fully integrated into the mainstream of American society.” “I could not find anywhere in Washington, D.C. where I could get a refresher course in technology, since none of the programs I could afford had computer training or refresher courses for my skills,” he said. He resolved to address that need. “I came from a background of communal help [in Nigeria],” he said. “This principle followed me when I arrived here in the D.C. area.” As a result, students from ages 5 to 13 at CCTC every Monday through Friday are getting the head start they need. This afterschool program focuses on learning the basics of Microsoft Office, improving typing skills, and allocating time for academic enrichment. Even the 5-year-olds are kept

busy. Alison Kim, outreach coordinator for the program, said when they come in she plays counting games with them. It helps them get familiar with the computer and stimulates their developing minds early on. Some of the younger kids also learn how to shoot and edit video at the program. “Overall, we are trying to make a long-lasting difference in the education of today’s youth,” said Kim. During the summer, the center stays open for teens and young adults ages 14 to 21, who learn more advanced tasks. They get help with their resumes, and build fluency with Microsoft Word and Excel and other programs that make them more attractive to employers. Chuukwu recalled the experience of, Chi- At its location in Ward 8, the Citiwide Computer Training Center provides technological training and chi, a girl who passed through CCTC. assistance for youth looking to get an edge in their computer skills. “She started at CCTC when she was 9 the ing to its list of services. years old. Her mother had just died and she Starting in January, Citiwise will begin cer- fee waived. was being passed from one family member Chuukwu and the people at Citiwide to another. She was quiet and withdrawn, tifying people to be nursing assistants andand was having difficulty focusing on her health aides. The program is targeted toward have big plans for the future. With the everschoolwork. In the past three years, Citiwide low-income houses, with specific mention expanding numbers of their youth program has become her home and provided her the to single mothers. “I thought it was a need, and the addition of the nursing program, and so I did more research,” Chuukwu said they already have plans to use another lostability that enabled her to blossom.” “CCTC was more than I ever imagined,” about the new nursing program. “Many re- cation at 929/931 Kennedy St. NW. With said Chichi. “I found a family here. The peo- tired (people) need home health assistants, this bigger space, Chuukwu looks to reach a larger number of people. ple are amazing. They have shown me what I and people need jobs.” He is proposing to use a section as a day This program has required Citiwide to am capable of, and I am no longer that timid little girl that was afraid to try new things. I receive CPR/AED and First Aid certification care center for single parents while they take know what I want and I know how to get it.” through the American Red Cross and to seek the training courses, so a new group of peoShe is now in high school and on track out qualified nurses to teach the courses, so ple will be able to utilize Citiwide’s services. to making her dream of going to college a there is a fee. However, the Department of “The only thing stopping us is limited fundEmployment Services sponsors people with ing right now,” Chuukwu said. reality. To inquire about the organization’s proEach year Citiwide reaches about 200 to low incomes looking for work, so those who 250 youth like Chichi, and this year it is add- qualify are expected to have all or most of grams, call (202)-667-3719. PHOTO by Kim Kroll

By Jennifer Steadman, intern

Moms Rise Up, Laud Organizations for Paid Sick Day Policies By Hayley Burgess, intern MomsRising sets a very high goal for itself. The self-described online and onthe-ground grassroots organization, which claims more than a million followers nationwide and more than 10,000 in the District, is working “to achieve economic security for all families in the United States.” The organization believes that in these tough times, employment justice needs to be a top issue. Its goal is to get other cities to follow in D.C.’s footsteps and pass laws to regulate sick days. Two years ago, the District passed its landmark Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act, which sets a minimum number of paid sick days for all employees in the city. The act requires all employers to provide paid sick leave to eligible employees working in the District for absences related to physical or mental illness, preventive medical care or family care, and for absences associated

with domestic violence or sexual abuse. The act also specifies exactly how many days of paid sick leave a year employers of different sizes must allow employees, ranging from a minimum of seven days for an employer with 100 or more employees, to three days for an employer with 24 or fewer. Leave is proportional for part-time employees. MomsRising Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner applauds the act as a big deal, “a great step in the right direction,” and a terrific example of employment justice for other cities. As she stated, 160 countries have a minimum amount of required paid sick days, and the United States isn’t one of them. Sick days, it seems, are a rare commodity, she says, especially among the working poor. Eighty percent of low-wage workers do not get any paid sick days, according to MomsRising. Yet some employers have embraced the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act. Teaism,

a local D.C. chain that serves specialty teas and Asian food, has been a strong supporter of the act since the very beginning. To reward Teaism for its support and to encourage other employers to follow suit, MomsRising, along with organizations such as the DC Employment Justice Center, Restaurant Opportunities Center of DC, and DC Jobs with Justice, organized a Carrotmob of Teaism’s Penn Quarter location on November 13. A Carrotmob is a mob of consumers who join together to reward a business by purchasing that business’ s goods or services, thereby showing support for the business’s practices and policies. During the event, MomsRising presented owners Michelle Brown and Linda Neumann, with a Super Hero Award reading: “MomsRising Super Hero Award presented to Teaism in recognition of Teaism’s super hero and socially responsible support of extending paid sick days to all employees.” A

spokeswoman for Teaism said she was not authorized to comment. “We were delighted to show our support for Teaism,” said Rowe-Finkbeiner. “Carrotmobs are fun.” She said that events like this can be a nice alternative to legislative action that occupies much of MomsRising’s time. In addition to events such as this, MomsRising has been taking other steps to promote employment justice. As RoweFinkbeiner calls it, “putting a human face on the statistics.” The organization has been collecting both positive and negative stories from workers about their experiences with paid sick days (or a lack thereof ). These stories are then delivered to Congress and state legislatures in an effort to persuade them to support employment justice. “There are people who have lost their job because of a stomach virus,” said RoweFinkbeiner. “Everybody gets sick and needs time off.”

S treetS ense.org

December 8 - 21, 2010

Mourning a Passionate Advocate for the Homeless It is hard to believe she is gone. Upstairs by the fireplace at Rachael’s Women’s Center, a haven for homeless and struggling women in the Shaw neighborhood, one of Mary Ann Luby’s brightly-colored little “Listen Up” flyers, with its news of shelters and meetings and free meals, still clings to the wall. Downstairs in the community room, Linda Robinson, one of the countless homeless women and men that Luby helped throughout her three decades in the District, shakes her head. “We’re gonna dearly miss her,” says Robinson. “Whether it was a place in a shelter, a shared rent, a basement, it was her place to pick up people and find them a place to stay. She was that kind of an advocate.” The stoic, funny, patient, passionate Dominican nun was possessed of all the attributes that make a great homeless outreach worker, says Matthew Long, himself an outreach worker, taking a break in the dining room at Rachael’s. “Compassion. Attention to detail. A willingness to be a problem solver. And you have to have a bit of detective in you,” he says. “She was awesome.” Luby’s sudden passing came as a surprise to many, who saw her hard at work until mid-November. She died of cancer on November 29 at the Washington Home Hospice. She was 70. Nearly everyone in the city’s community of homeless people and their advocates seems to have met her, to have known her, to have been touched by her outreach work or advocacy somehow. She was a comforting presence at meal programs and shelters. Wherever there were homeless people, there was slight, wiry Mary Ann, listening to people’s stories, working with them to find out where they needed housing or legal help, or something else, searching to connect them with what they needed. “She came over every Tuesday morning for our breakfast program,” recalled Alicia Horton, executive director of Thrive DC. “She really never stopped helping.” She was also a forceful voice for the District’s poorest residents at City Hall. But she preferred, whenever possible, to encourage them to speak out for themselves. Homeless advocate Eric Sheptock recalls meeting Luby in 1996 amid a discussion among city officials about closing the Franklin School Shelter where Sheptock and over 200 other men were staying. Luby helped the men organize meetings with officials and stage rallies and marches aimed at saving the place. The shelter was eventually closed in spite of their efforts, but the spirit of activism Luby kindled remains,

PHOTO by Streats

By Mary Otto, editor

Mary Ann Luby died of cancer on November 29 at the Washington Home Hospice at age 70.

Sheptock said. “I had never been an advocate for anyone before meeting her,” says Sheptock, who, says he is not prone to tears but has found himself crying several times since her passing. “The best way for us to go on is to continue her work, to keep fighting for the rights of the homeless and to eradicate homelessness.” Luby was born March 7, 1940, in Queens, N.Y., and went on to lead a varied career. She graduated from D’Youville College in 1968 and in 1976 she received a master’s degree in education from Georgia State University. She spent a year as the finance director for a hospital on Kodiak Island, Alaska, and worked as a teacher for 13 years in Atlanta, Philadelphia and New York. She began her religious vocation as a Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart. In 1977, she became an Adrian Dominican. She was employed as a social worker in a Buffalo, N.Y., treatment center before coming to Washington, D.C. From 1981 until 1995, she served as director of Rachael’s Women’s Center. She did not wait for people in need

to come to her. She went out looking for them. “She walked the streets and she loved it. And she loved them,” recalls longtime friend and colleague Maria Riley, also a Dominican sister. “She always said, ‘Don’t do this work if you don’t love the people.’” Regardless of how broken, desperate or poor, she made it her goal never to lose sight of a person’s humanity, Riley says. “It was deep in her faith that we were all equal before God.” In 1994, she was instrumental in the founding of the Fair Budget Coalition, a gathering of grassroots community groups, human service providers, advocates, faith organizations, and concerned community members supportive of budget and public policy initiatives helpful to the District’s low wage and homeless residents. She also helped establish the nonprofit Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, where she served as an early board member before joining the staff in 1995. For the past 15 years, Luby did homeless outreach work there. Luby never took credit for the impact she had on people, says her former boss,

She walked the streets and loved it. And she loved them. She always said, ‘Don’t do this work if you don’t love the people

-Maria Riley, Luby’s Dominican sister

Washington Legal Clinic Executive Director Patty Mullahy Fugere. “She always said it was the people. They are the only ones who could transform themselves. Maybe she helped them realize they could. She had a gift.” She worked almost until her very last days. “She found out not even two weeks ago she had cancer,” says Fugere. “God blessed her with the opportunity to tie up some loose ends, to say goodbyes.” At the hospice, sisters from her religious community gathered around her. Her identical twin sister Sabina Prendergast, of Clifton, N.J., was also there, sharing memories and stories of their childhood together. “I saw pictures of them in their first communion dresses,” says Fugere. “And their prom pictures. Mary Ann in a frilly lavender prom dress. I wish she was here so I could tease her about it.” Luby was that kind of friend. But she was also a fearless and inspirational guide, Fugere says. “At every turn, she has challenged us to be faithful to the people whom we serve.” Luby was buried among her religious sisters in Adrian, Michigan, where the Adrian Dominican congregation is based. A celebration of Luby’s life and work is being planned on Saturday Dec. 11 at St Aloysius Church, 19 Eye Street, NW at 1 p.m. Read vendor thoughts on page 14

S treetS ense.org

December 8 - 21, 2010

Poetry gives voice to those lost to AIDS In honor of World AIDS Day on December 1, D.C. community members joined together at the Thurgood Marshall Center in the Shaw neighborhood to share their experiences with HIV/AIDS by spreading awareness of the stigmas surrounding AIDS. Artists and performers shared poems written by victims lost to AIDS, from the anthology Persistent Voices. The anthology, assembled by Phillip Clark, president of the Rainbow History Project, preserves the voices of poets who have been lost to HIV/AIDS, allowing them to maintain a voice in the movement to stop AIDS, even after their death. Clark said he put the anthology together to honor those who have passed away due to HIV/AIDS by celebrating their works and showing the cultural impact of AIDS on artistic voices. “These thoughts can get easily lost if they’re not published or performed,” said Clark. “There has to be a constant effort to keep the facts of our lives and truths of our lives in front of an audience.” Four of the poets died between 2005 and the anthology’s publication in 2010. “Don’t forget what has gone before,” said Clark. The event was hosted by D.C.’s FOX 5 reporter Roby Chavez, who, as an openly gay man who is HIV positive, shared his support for the fight against AIDS. He introduced 10 readers and performers at the Thurgood Marshall Center who shared poems they had personally chosen from the anthology, and shared with the audience what the poems meant to them. The poems had many different themes, from death to sexuality; some humorous, and some more serious, some exploring AIDS and others, life itself. Clarence Fluker read a poem called Heart Beats in honor of his uncle. “Ten years ago, my uncle died and I can always touch his picture, but never feel his heart beat,” he said. Fluker tried to reverse stereotypes of homosexuality by also reading a poem that he felt many would just see as sexual if they did not consider it more closely. “Normally people think about two men or two women having sex. What’s not seen or portrayed is the emotion of love between them,” said Fluker. Timur Tugberk, who is not himself infected with HIV/AIDS, expressed his feelings about being involved with the AIDS movement. He said that by talking with and becoming close to those with AIDS, he realized that he is not afraid anymore and wants to help to increase community awareness. “I really want to bridge the stigma between HIV positive and negative people in

PHOTO By kim kroll

By Kimberly Kroll, intern

Right, author of the anthology Persistent Voices, Phillip Clark, addresses the audience before sharing the last poems of the night and answering questions from the community. Above, Sampson McCormick reads “Immigrant in My Own Life” and “Sexual Liberation in a Desperate Age.” McCormick wears a shirt with the phrase “Yes Homo” to support the fight against homophobia and phrases that exclude homosexual people such as “No Homo.”

our community,” Tugberk said. The D.C. Center event was hosted by Us Helping Us, Ganymede Arts, and the Vaccine Research Center. During the event, these organizations shared with the audience ways to become involved with AIDS prevention

in the District. The D.C. Center hosts Packing Parties, where volunteers make safe sex kits that are supplied to bars and clubs in the D.C. area. “It’s a good way to get the message of safe sex out there,” said Brandon Corbin, who

works at the D.C. Center. The D.C. Center is also launching an HIV testing program, and urges volunteers to help with HIV counselling, referrals, and other related tasks. The center also helps organizations such as churches set up HIV testing on site, and spreads awareness about HIV/AIDS prevention in D.C. A representative from the D.C. Center told his story about taking part in an HIV vaccination study, a controversial subject for many. He came from a military Morman family that was involved with volunteering. When he told his family he was thinking of taking part in the study, they said they couldn’t let him risk his life that way. But he thought, “if not me, then who?” and called to volunteer for the study. He wasn’t sure at first whether or not he would actually be induced with the vaccine or instead a placebo, but he received the vaccine in both arms. The vaccine did not work the way scientists had hoped, but he felt that he had played an important role in AIDS research. He urged the audience to weigh the risks of being injected with an HIV vaccine, but to also consider the impact that they could have on the fight against AIDS by volunteering for a vaccine research study. Antonio Pineda, who read two poems in Spanish that were then translated into English summed up the emotions of the event in just a few words. “For those who have lost a friend, this is very important to them,” said Pineda. Copies of the book Persistent Voices were sold at the event for $10, with 20 percent of the proceeds benefitting the Penn Fund for Writers and Editors with AIDS.

S treetS ense.org

December 8 - 21, 2010

Sanitary kits keep girls in school Inside a huge auditorium at Mukuru primary school in Nairobi, 500 schoolgirls from some of Nairobi’s most impoverished shanties clap their hands and stomp their feet while singing at the top of their voices. The songs are punctuated by intermittent bouts of laughter. Through the windows curious boys peer in to see what all the fuss is about, all just as interested in taking part in the excitement, but this is no business for them. To the outsider this may have the feel of a jamboree, but the reason for the outburst of high spirits is altogether a bit more serious than what appears on the surface. One of the girls talks excitedly about being given an early Christmas present. Laid out in the front of the girls on a long table are dozens of blue drawstring bags, each inscribed with a simple logo: a picture of a butterfly, its red and yellow wings outspread and the word “Huru” below it. Huru is the Kiswahili word for freedom. And from the radiance on the young girls’ faces, that’s exactly what they have been given. The bags, being tagged ‘Huru kits,’ are manufactured by Huru International, a charitable organization run by an American tour company Micato Safaris, and donated by the Kenyan mobile phone company Safaricom Foundation. They contain a solution to one of the country’s most nagging problems: a lack of sanitary towels. In every kit were eight reusable sanitary towels for each girl present, three pairs of underwear to be used with the towels, a bar of soap (to wash the towels) and a brochure featuring information on HIV/AIDS. As the kits were handed out, excitement grew into a crescendo as the girls shouted with joy. But it was not only the girls celebrating; the teachers too have a reason to smile. “I’m deeply relieved,” said Magdalene Ng’ang’a, a teacher in one of the beneficiary schools, St. Bakhita. “This (donation) is very important for me. It removes a big burden from my shoulders as the girls keep asking for sanitary towels from us ladies (teachers). We are forced to give them our towels. But you cannot afford to give all of them. Some even ask us to buy them panties. “We request other people to step forward and buy the sanitary towels for more girls as the problem is prevalent in many schools.” Too much ado about some sanitary towels and some underwear? Aren’t sanitary towels just mundane things, almost a fundamental right for adolescent girls and women? True for many in the world, but not for

PHOTO courtesy of street news service

By Njoroge Kinuthia, SNS

Schoolgirls in Nairobi, Kenya are getting their santiary needs met, thanks to the work of Huru International. Huru is one of several organizations working to provide students with sanitary towels and underwear, which are a rare commodity in improvished sections in Nairobi.

these girls. For most, sanitary pads are a luxury in a country where the priority remains getting food on the table. These girls and most impoverished women in this country end up going for unhealthy alternatives like pieces of old clothes, bits of mattresses, leaves, newspaper, even shared sanitary towels. Statistics show schoolgirls lose an average of four days a month due to menstruation, putting them at a huge disadvantage with their male counterparts. The problem is going a long way to undermining the second Millenium Development Goal, which seeks to ensure “that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling.” Indeed, a study conducted by the Federation of African Women Educationists (FAWE) in 2005 found that about 500,000 Kenyan girls miss school every month because they cannot afford sanitary towels. In the same year, a study by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed that one in 10 school-age girls in Africa either miss school or drop out entirely because of lack of sanitation. It’s a major concern for Kenya which in-

troduced free compulsory primary education eight years ago, a move which greatly enhanced enrolment in schools countrywide. In an effort to ensure girls compete on an equal footing with boys, Micato Safaris started Huru International to manufacture reusable sanitary pads to be distributed to thousands of schoolgirls from poor families in the country in 2008. Huru International, with the help of its partners the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Johnson & Johnson and Warner Brothers, amongst others, set up a workshop in the heart of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, one of Nairobi’s slums, to develop the reusable sanitary towels. “Since 2008, we have mostly been doing research to develop an appropriate product. The official distribution of the sanitary towels started only in February this year,” said Ms. Wanjiru Keffa, senior administrative manager of AmericaShare, the nonprofit arm of Micato Safaris. Huru International started as a program under AmericaShare but is now an independent charitable organization under Micato Safaris.

The organization now believes it has come up with sanitary towels, made of several layers of cotton, that can be washed and re-used for up to a year. Samples of the products have already been submitted to the country’s standards body, the Kenya Bureau of Standards, for assessment and Huru is confident that they will be approved. Huru workshop is run by 60 workers hired from the local community and produces up to 1,000 sanitary towels daily. To date, Huru has distributed more than 10,000 kits, costing $25 each, to needy schoolgirls in various parts of the country with the help of its partners. Besides Huru International, various other organizations and individuals have grappled with the lack of sanitary towels in schools. In 2008, P&G partnered with a local NGO, Girl Child Network (GCN), to provide 3.2 million pieces of their Always disposable sanitary towels to over 15,000 girls over a period of two years under a program called “Always Keeping Girls in School.” Johnson & Johnson has also been involved in donating sanitary pads to schoolgirls. In parts of western Kenya a group of teachers have been training their students

S treetS ense.org

December 8 - 22, 2010

By Robert Warren

The Times

The time when I first saw my mother’s eyes and heard her voice I felt she could cry. The time when my father came home late and I knew in the sound of his walk the words he told my mother were a lie. The first time I didn’t share, my brother and little sisters were all there. The first time I saw the sun come up on the stars, no one knew where I was but two fatherless five-year-olds, one myself and the Lord. The time when I looked for the trains I could dodge on tracks, I could never play roulette like that in school. The pretty little girl who used to brush up against me in the coat room; she knew I was always shy. The times the drops of sweat, the house parties, the sound of the music, that beat not even the devil could wipe away. All the times when I knew a rightful son’s role and I was wrong, falling short was always black and blue. The time she let me go all the way; how old was I anyway? Time for the youthful life is real time for a youth vote. Life is real in my mind if grownups would just listen to what the youth have to say. Remember and love the youth of yesterday, and today what a beautiful life we would have. The youth of the caves are still unchanged. The LORD knows they’re there.

By James Morris

Oh, just what is this paradigm, this new way of life, I have on my That may just turn into something as delicious as the red, juicy in

A while back, after meeting you and other great people of your I began envisioning a new existence that seemed to form a str A new paradigm I chose to entice into existence, And slowly it came into being without much resistance. But, this strange idea seemed to take a life unto itself, Which in the ancient books of history, this idea was not fou Something new, something strange, and yet, still, I cannot As one would a champion horse well cared for in its stable Amazed, I am, as I watch it take form, Steadying itself to calm any storm.

But, it’s not being created by ju But by all my friends, especially

Photos by Craig Hudson

S treetS ense.org

December 8 - 22, 2010

The Paradigm

mind ngredients between the opposite ends of watermelon rind?

r stature, range new caricature.

A new way of life, a new beginning, evolving out of tortuous days of old, For we as a mighty team are starting to become quite bold.

und upon any shelf. t quite give it label e.

Some say the end of days are near, according to some old predictions that are too often repeated. However, the real prediction of days gone by was the world as we know it coming to an end. What is the new world replacing the old and dying world? Why, one where one and all evolve into a completely new paradigm, that is more wondrous than weird.

ust me and my imagination, y you, who’s encouraging me on to better days by kindness and inspiration. My recent studies of religions and philosophies, new and old, all seemed to say the same thing. We are all in the same circus ring all with the same song to sing.

What is this beautiful song we sing? Throughout the world many people give forth music which does, in resonance, ring.

But this paradigm is found in ancient philosophies. Look at the dreams and hopes of all these sages and peoples.

It’s not just my dream that gives this idea form, But the dreams of one and all that want to quiet the old and miserable storm.

S treetS ense.org

December 8 - 22, 2010

Galaxy Baseball: The Final Chapter Will the lost boy ever return home? Will the sheriff get to finish his drink? By Ivory Wilson, vendor Sheriff Park was parked at the Dairy Queen. The dispatcher Bruce called “Sheriff Park!” “Go ahead, Bruce,” said the sheriff. “Sheriff, it’s back! We’re getting a lot of calls that something really, really big is over the ballpark.” The sheriff started his car, pulling off fast, spinning the tires, leaving and telling Bruce, “I’m on my way! Park out!” Sheriff Park drove up to the ballpark, shining his headlight high beams on Tim, who was walking across the field. Sheriff Park thought to himself, “That’s Herb and Nanette’s boy…but Tim is crippled!”

The sheriff looked up at the night sky and saw something leaving. He got out of his car, stopping Tim and saying “Hold up there, son! Where have you been all this time?” Tim looked up at the sky and said, “Up there, Sheriff.” The sheriff looked up. Tim felt something in his pants pocket. It was a picture of Dolly Parton. “What are you looking at?” the sheriff asked. “A picture,” Tim said. “Man, oh man. She sure is pretty.” The sheriff asked to see it. The sheriff looked at the picture. His eyes got large and his heart started to pound, and he got excited looking up at the sky. He asked, “Is she up there too?” Tim replied, “Yes, sir, Sheriff.” The sheriff took off his hat and tossed it

on the ground, thinking why haven’t they taken him so he could be with Dolly? The sheriff put the picture in his shirt pocket and told Tim to get in the car. He called Bruce and said “Call off the search for the missing boy. He’s here with me. And Bruce, is there vodka left in my bottle?” “No Sheriff,” Bruce replied. “It’s empty.” “Bruce, do you remember a while back we raided Old Man Johnson’s still back up in the woods?” “Yes, Sheriff,” Bruce replied. “We busted it up real good. It will be months before he can get another one up and running. And we’ve got his two jars of white lightning downstairs in the store room, locked up as evidence.” The sheriff said, “Bruce, put one of those jars on my desk. And Bruce, leave the storeroom key on my desk, too.” Bruce said, “Will do, Sheriff. Out.”

The sheriff drove up in front of Tim’s house. Nanette saw the car from her kitchen window and said, “Herb, the sheriff is out front.” Tim asked the sheriff, “Can I have my picture back?” Sheriff Park said, “Ah, no, son. I need this as evidence. You run along now. Your folks are waiting for you.” Tim saw his mom and started shouting, “Mom! Mom!” Nanette could not believe her eyes. It was Tim. And he was walking! She started crying tears of joy. She looked up at the night sky and said “Thank you!” Sheriff Park drove away. Tim’s family hugged him and kissed him, taking him into the house. The End.

"#$%%#!"%&'%!()'*%'!#+!#*,&-!+.$!/+$0+$,#%!'0+&'+$! "#$%%#!"%&'%!()'*%'!#+!#*,&-!+.$!/+$0+$,#%!'0+&'+$

!"#$%&'"#(')(#"*"+),$-.( &-#(&,,+/$-.(,0&.1&'$%( &-#(%)2'3"44"%'$*"( 2)+5'$)-2(')($1,0)*"('6"( 7"++38"$-.()4( %)115-$'$"2(7)0+#7$#"9( %)115-$'$"2(7)0+#7$#"9

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

S treetS ense.org

December 8 - 22, 2010

Pondering the Mind of the American Voter By Jeffery McNeil, vendor I recently traveled to Ohio, a journey into an issue that continues to befuddle me. The phenomenon of voters voting against their own best interest is something I will never understand. As I passed through West Virginia I found a very depressing scene: factories were shut down and cranes doing construction replaced the beautiful farms and the rolling foothills of Appalachia. Today, the Ohio River no longer looks like the river Zane Grey wrote about; today it looks like a river flowing to a sewage dump, as bottles and garbage float downstream. The only businesses that seemed to be thriving were lottery and gaming enterprises. The newspapers in that region were all focused upon plans to open up casinos in hopes they would create jobs. In an area where there are so many people who are broke they couldn’t leave if they wanted to, they will eventually take their last couple of dollars and gamble, in the vain hope they might strike lightning and be able to leave. Then I got to Cambridge, Ohio, where I visited my relatives. I was only there for a couple of days, but I decided while I was there, I would learn a little more about the people of Ohio and satisfy my confusion about the recent midterm election, where former representative John R. Kasich, a Republican, beat Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, one of the few gubernatorial candidates to embrace President Obama, and where, in the Senate race, George W. Bush administration budget director Rob Portman beat the Democrat, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher. I went to the bars, talked to the locals and got a better grasp of the political inclinations of the folks I met. The racial makeup was mostly white; a few blacks were present, but I saw no other ethnic groups; if someone was gay it was not disclosed. Mostly though, the conversation centered upon the upcoming Buckeyes game: that is, until I told my fellow bar patrons that I live in Washington and that I support Obama. Then the debate became spirited; Obama got blamed for the economy being so bad in Ohio, even though there was a Delphi plant

nearby that had been saved because of the stimulus money that went to GM. Then a woman started complaining, worried she might lose her health benefits because she got laid off from work. She said she might have to go on Medicaid. Then she criticized Obama for tr ying to socialize the healthcare system! But I left the bar, only more confused. I decided to buy some local papers to see if they could shed some light. Instead I read about how Kasich was expect to turn down $400 million in stimulus funds intended to build a rail line connecting Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. “Ohio has no national transportation system in the state, building a much needed rail line connecting the cities in Ohio transportation system will create jobs for the people who supported him,” wrote Barry Hortsman, in the Cincinnati Inquirer. Kasich and other Republicans “campaigned to create jobs, and with 400 million offered in stimulus money from the Obama administration, the newly elected governor an opportunity to create jobs, and like Gov Christie, is deciding to scrap it. “ Such misguided notions might dissuade those who are suffering in Dover to revoke social services that aid their very own families. All throughout the region, the talk was of less government, doing away with entitlements, cutting Social Security, repealing “Obama Care,” stopping the spread of insidious East Coast philosophies that threaten Midwestern values. The Republicans in Ohio will have you believe that LeBron James needs a tax break. And they are so cleverly skillful at uniting moral conservatism with business interests that those who are poor or have limited education end up believing that doing away with services that they call entitlements like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, is in their best interest and even patriotic. Just do not get broke, old, injured or laid off. However, it is hard, to the point of being infuriating, to try to discuss politics with someone from Ohio.

TANF Limits Will Hurt Needy By Maurice King, volunteer There’s nothing like kicking someone who’s down. That is precisely what Marion Barry and Yvette Alexander are proposing in a new bill that will impose a five-year lifetime limit on all forms of public assistance. The fact that Barry and Anderson are proposing this controversial bill is rather puzzling, seeing that they represent D.C.’s two poorest wards, with high levels of unemployment. This bill may be an attempt to reduce the budget gap, but at the expense of the District’s needy population. Citing that he wants to “break the generational cycle of poverty,” Barry seems not to realize that the implications of the bill are likely to be devastating to persons receiving public assistance, and that breaking out of poverty is not something that everyone can do. This sort of political maneuver clearly was not the will of the constituents of Barry’s and Alexander’s wards. However, it’s after the election now. Clearly they do not care who gets harmed. Obviously, they have not been in a position of needing assistance for survival, or they would not have made such a proposal. The bill will affect children as well as adults. It will affect persons caring for an elderly and/or disabled family member as well. Persons with disabilities, whether physical or mental, will not be immune, regardless of whether the disabilities are permanent or short-term. Housing assis-

tance is also on the table to be restricted, which will put many people at risk for homelessness. It would be a grave error not to voice opposition to this bill. Perhaps the other Council members are not aware to what extent the bill will wreak havoc on the lives of many needy D.C. residents. In the worst case scenario, they might view the bill as a simple fix for the economic troubles facing the District, but such a fix would create an even greater problem. Whether or not the petition will prove effective remains to be seen. However, it is available for signing, and every homeless person in the District should express his/her opinion about it. For those persons who complain, “I don’t have a computer,” there are computer facilities available at the libraries and at CCNV’s computer lab that are free of charge and open to the general public. What is even more frightening is the thought that this measure could be the forerunner of things yet to come. It makes a person wonder what kind of representative government the District has if council members propose bills that ignore their constituents and their needs. Let us hope that this bill is not passed for the sake of the needy population that may not be able to become self-supporting according to an arbitrary timetable.

www.listentothebody.com

Massage Therapy Elizabeth Bourne, LMT Adams Morgan 202.253.0941 30% off 1st massage with this ad

S treetS ense.org

December 8 - 22, 2010

Discovering a City Beneath the Streets Anthropologist recalls the secret world of the tunnel people in New York City By Jennifer Steadman, intern In the mid-1990s, almost a thousand homeless people were living along the unused tracks of New York City’s branch of Amtrak. Journalists from every major news source in New York went down into the tunnels to cover the story, but they only scratched the surface. When anthropologist Teun Voeten first went down in the fall of 1994, he was so intrigued that he wanted to do a study on these underground societies. He lived with one group on the West Side of Manhattan for five months as a member of their community. He became such a part of that world that he had to remind people every now and then that he was a journalist, a participant observer, and had not had homelessness thrust upon him as everyone else had. On a visit to Washington this fall, Voeten stopped by La Casa Community Center to share stories from his experiences underground. The tunnel where he stayed was not a deep, dark place as you might imagine. It was relatively close to the surface, and during the day light would pour in through a gap in the street above as well as through grates along the length of the tunnel. Because it was still underground, winters were cold but bearable. It was better than being on the streets. There were about forty people in the group Voeten was with, and within that most people formed smaller groups to protect and take care of each other. Voeten claims he never felt threatened during his stay in the tunnels, but if a situation ever arose, there were always people to help. Even though people lived together, everyone had his or her own living space. Voeten’s best friend in the tunnels, Bernard, had a corner set up like a home, with different sections for sleeping and eating, and he even set up a kitchen area. Bernard loved to cook and he had pots and pans, cookbooks, herbs and spices, and a small fireplace to cook upon. As Voeten describes it, the “tunnel people” had a real functioning society down there. They would each take turns cooking for the group, and they used plates and silverware and ate at a table just like anybody

else. “There were also a few rules I had to learn” Voeten said of his stay. “Simple stuff like ‘don’t be an asshole.’” Though it rarely happened, if any of their rules for peaceful coexistence were broken, that person would be beaten and possibly kicked out of the tunnels. The “tunnel people,” as Voeten refers to the group, did not fit the stereotype that people commonly stick them with. They were too proud to beg, and most didn’t have welfare, so they had to work for their money. Most people did this by collecting cans. Bernard would get up every morning at five o’clock, make some grits and chamomile tea, and go out to collect cans at five-thirty. Many had made deals with landlords to collect the entire building’s recyclables. At five cents a can they could easily make around $60 a day. They would then take the cans to one of a few nonprofit organizations in the area that redeemed an unlimited number of cans, because most supermarkets tried to turn them away with so many. There were also other ways to make money. In this particular group, several people sold books in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and others would gather things that people had put out as trash, such as bicycles, fix them up and resell them. Still, this underground world was not perfect. Drugs were a big problem in the tunnels, especially crack and cocaine. According to one study done in 1994 about 56 percent of the tunnel people were drug users. Voeten said that drugs helped kill the pain, and that “if you have nothing left to lose, it’s very easy to go down.” He even admits that he did cocaine twice during those five months as a way of releasing aggravation, and that if he didn’t have a wife and family back home to think about it would have been extremely hard to resist its addictive power. Some people got so desperate that they had to go through middlemen, who would buy cans at half the price in the middle of

the night, when no one else would take them. That’s also why Voeten didn’t give large amounts of money to them while he was in the tunnel. He’d give small gifts every now and then, but if he gave people money he knew many of them would just turn around and use it for drugs.

After his five-month stay in the tunnels, Voeten left and went back to his family, and he wrote a book about his time there, called Tunnel People. As he was writing it, he got some disturbing news: Amtrak was evacuating everyone in the tunnels. All the journalists had made them widely known, and Amtrak was liable for any accidents that occurred because it was on their property. Various homeless organizations such as Project Renewal and the Coalition for the Homeless tried to help settle the people in the tunnels. According to Voeten, about 70 percent of the people accepted housing, and 50 percent are doing well to this day. Most of them are healthy, because they walked everywhere and got plenty of exercise, and they keep that habit still. Because of the connections they made collecting cans, many of them continued to do the job after they had formal housing. Voeten visits his friends from the tunnels frequently, and most of them have adjusted well in the fourteen years since they’ve been homeless. If you saw them on the street you would have no indication that they were of the legendary “tunnel people.” But even if the people have changed, the story will forever be a part of history for those it reaches.

We wrote our list and checked it twice, and here’s what Street Sense is hoping for this holiday season. Please contact info@streetsense.org if you’re able to donate any of the items on our Holiday Wish List: -Flip cam -Office chairs (set of 3-4 on rollers) -Laptop computer (with MS Office Suite. InDesign and Photoshop a plus! -Standing lamps (2-3) -Extension cord (3) -Office desk (lightweight table desk) -Bulletin boards (3) -Art/posters for the office -A mini fridge

FOUNDRY A Reconciling Congregation Invites you to join us in worship on Sundays at 9:30 and 11:00 AM Homeless Outreach Hospitality: Fridays 9:00 AM

Foundry United Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 332-4010

www.foundryumc.org

S treetS ense.org

December 8 - 22, 2010

Clubhouse Regular Hopes for a Christmas Miracle Why would the muchloved and often heralded Green Door Clubhouse, at the cozy corner of Corcoran and 16th streets, NW, be allowed to expire? There probably are valid reasons, starting with the Medicaid-billable hours not being met and members (psychiatric clients) failing to show up for appointed service time. Heck, the price of hamburger rolls and salad is going through the ceiling. Nonetheless, what about the lost camaraderie? With a roster of consumers ranging from residents of the St. Elizabeth’s campus, to gifted musicians, writers and math whizzes, the Romanesque brownstone and brick “castle” was home to an endless cycle of sharing. Whether ideas, conflicts, behavioral and employment coaching or great nutritional meals ranging in price from 50 cents to gratis, everything was there for the asking. Lest we forget, the weekly house (or pol-

VOLUNTEER

icy) meeting led by Green Door founder Judith Johnson and program director Brenda Randall was always a true winner. Every Tuesday, in the spacious and stately dining hall, the 34year legacy of this uplifting organization for people with mental issues needing resolution would be held up for full scrutiny and changes. In this same space, musicals, testimonials and educational presentations would invariably be held, which never failed to spike the imaginations and lift the hearts of all in attendance. Probably the most exuberant and downright lovely of these events would be the “art and drama therapy workshop” concerts put on by an amazing group of largely developmentally and visually challenged adult students who gave forth the most thrilling gospel soul this writer ever experienced. A close second in profound effect on my emotions was the memorial program (in which I was allowed to contribute some spiritual offerings on the piano) for a char-

e ity Servic n u m m o ter for C

h t 4 2 r e b m e c tz Cen

fri Morris Ca

We’re Collecting r 6É] MRU\ÉY SOZZÉTY YUIQY hats and scarves r 6É] YNGSVUU RUZOUTY GTJ other toiletries r 6É] UX MÉTZR_ [YÉJ IUGZY >É GXÉ G VXU[J VGXZOIOVGTZ OT 7TÉ >GXS +UGZ G VXUMXGS VXÉYÉTZÉJ OT VGXZTÉXYNOV ]OZN :ÉX\É ,+ øÉ 5G_UXoY 7L IÉ UT =UR[TZÉÉXOYS

ter member of the Green Door, Mr. Ernest Welch. Ernest was such a powerful example of mental health recovery. Over a 25-year period, he went from being a profoundly ill client to a mentor capable of leading scores of newcomers to proficiency in math, reading and computer fundamentals in the clubhouse educational program. Soon, the majestic Werlich mansion, once made available to Judith, her staff and members through a real estate easement that was nothing short of a miracle, may fall into disuse again. The longtime owner, from an established D.C. “first family,” had died in a robbery, and the rebirth of her home as a vibrant center of growth and productive, joyful activity was true “frontier justice.” So, why should the Clubhouse doors slam shut for good? Not long ago, a founding partner of the Carlyle Financial Group ponied-up $5 million of his fund’s money to save and expand the facilities of the Capital Food Bank. Why couldn’t the Clubhouse find a similar “sidewalk Santa” in these terribly hard times, so that people who might otherwise have nowhere to go actually have somewhere to go? The soon-to-be closed Green Door Clubhouse

E C I V R E S F O Y One day of DA

LY! AY EAR D A e c i f serv

yo gest da Our big

Volunteer

photo by Chris shaw

By Chris Shaw, vendor

service over 10,000 lives touched!

r *É UL \UR[TZÉÉXY SGQOTM G JOLLÉXÉTIÉ OT RO\ÉY including your own! r 8XUPÉIZ ZOSÉY \GX_ ZNXU[MNU[Z ZNÉ JG_ r NÉRVY IU\ÉX IUYZY UL LUUJ GTJ VXUMXGS Y[VVROÉY TU] GTJ ZNXU[MNU[Z ZNÉ _ÉGX

Get all the details you need at washingtondcjcc.org/volunteer or email volunteer@washingtondcjcc.org

S treetS ense.org

December 8 - 22, 2010

VENDOR NOTES

VENDOR PROFILE

Vendors Remember an Advocate

The Cheerful Worldview of Warren Stevens

By Jesse Smith, volunteer I was on my way to a meeting at the National Coalition for the Homeless, thinking of a conversation I had with Kenneth Belosky, one of our Street Sense vendors stationed at the Dupont Circle Metro station, and how cold it was on this beautiful sunny day. I happened by chance to come across another friend and colleague, Eric Sheptock, a Homeless Advocate and former member of The Committee to Save the Franklin Shelter. I smiled as I recognized him. Hands extended in greeting as we approached each other but before I could say anything Eric spoke. “I thought that was you,” he said. “Did you hear about Mary Ann Luby? She passed away last week.” I didn’t hear anything else he said after that. It got a bit colder, Eric was gone and I was numb with grief. Mary Ann was a native New Yorker and to many of you the name of Mary Ann Luby has no cause for recognition. But for many of us, the socially and economically challenged, she was an icon and champion of the poor, disadvantaged and homeless in Washington D.C. I can assure you that many members of our City Council, including the past and new mayor, know exactly who she is and who she represents. Luby was a Catholic nun as well as an outreach coordinator for the Legal Clinic for the Homeless. But her job description did not fully capture what she did and how she did it. She reached out to the people in our communities and voiced our concerns to the city government. Michael Stoops of NCH recalled her as having the energy of someone who was perhaps twenty years old. “She was tenacious,” he said. I agree. Where there was an activity that was of concern to our community, she was there. Once I was at a meeting sponsored by a church in Northeast that was attempt-

By Robert Warren, vendor Whether or not they knew MaryAnn Luby, the homeless people of this city will blessed this holiday season with another voice in heaven. The last time I talked to the Lord’s helper, Mary Ann told me I was right to advocate for District residents who suffer under taxation without representation and now find themselves jobless and homeless in the city they were born in. The federal and local government should do more to help lifelong and longtime District residents with jobs and

ing to create some cohesion and coordination among the various religious advocacy organizations in the District. It was a small group in attendance on a Saturday at that, and behold, there she was, representing no particular religious group. Rather, she came as a voice of the people. I was used to seeing her in the Northwest wards three and four, and yet there she was in ward five, one of the most in-need sections of the city. As a personal note, Mary Ann was and is my angel. She brought me back from the brink of destruction when I was a member of the homeless community and lived in the former Franklin Shelter. It was she who got me involved with the struggle to keep the shelter open to serve the men who resided there, who otherwise had no place to go except the streets, parks, alleys or storefronts. This brought out many innate skills I did not know I possessed. She had very much to do with my fight with depression, helplessness and hopelessness. She helped me gain a foothold on my sanity and become a productive member of society once again. It is because of her that I have become involved in community activism and will dedicate the balance of my existence in that pursuit. Who knows how many others she has helped? An angel has left the building, perhaps a building should be named for her. She is now with God. We on earth will all miss you.

affordable housing. At the same time, there should not be residency requirements for low barrier homeless shelters and the services the provide. The LORD only knows how many lives Mary Ann Luby touched along the way but thinking of her reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas. I can see her now, trying to help angels who have fallen get back home. Mary Ann Luby, who for so many years has been a help and a voice for the poor and the homeless had a great life and was a great American. She was truly loved and will be truly missed.

By Mandy Toomey, volunteer I met Street Sense vendor Warren Stevens, Jr. on a crisp, sunny Sunday afternoon when he arrived right on time to our rendezvous spot in Columbia Heights. We sat side-by-side in a small patch of sun at a community park nearby as Warren told me a little about his life. Warren was born in Washington, D.C., and had lived in the same house for 40 years, until it was sold just last month. When he was younger, Warren moved to Thailand with his family where he lived for five and a half years. After returning to the United States, Warren eventually took a job at the Department of Transportation in Southwest D.C. as a distribution clerk. In this position he was responsible for collecting and passing along mail, making copies and more. Warren worked for the Department for 35 years and retired in 2005. According to this vendor, retirement was his proudest moment. “I can now enjoy life and work part time if I want to,” said War-

ren. In his free time, Warren enjoys bowling, riding bikes and playing music. He first learned to play guitar in Thailand and has kept up the hobby ever since. Warren particularly enjoys jazz and gospel music and used to play in a folk band at church. These days on some Friday nights Warren can be found playing drums at the Potter’s House open mic night. Warren started selling Street Sense in 2007, and he feels the paper provides valuable articles and information to the community. Warren usually sells papers in Dupont Circle, so that’s where we met on Veterans Day for a mini-photo session. We were lucky enough to have another warm sunny day, and on this holiday, many people were lounging around the park. I took photos of Warren holding the paper high and smiling brightly. He quickly sold the two papers he had brought with him. As a parting thought, Warren would like his Street Sense readers to know that he enjoys making their days happy.

IF YOU ARE A FEDERAL OR STATE EMPLOYEE please consider supporting Street Sense through the Combined Federal Campaign. CERTIFIED BY

INDEPENDENT CHARITIES OF AMERICA

CFC # 28233

S treetS ense.org The District SHELTER Calvary Women’s Services 110 Maryland Ave, NE (202) 289-0596 (office) (202) 289-2111 (shelter) www.calvaryservices.org Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW (202) 745–7118 www.missiondc.org CCNV (Men and Women) 425 2nd Street, NW (202) 393–1909 users.erols.com/ccnv/ Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW (202) 232–7356 www.communityofhopedc.org

December 8 - 22, 2010 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW (202) 232–3066 www.stmargaretsdc.org/charliesplace Church of the Pilgrims (Sundays only) 2201 P Street, NW (202) 387–6612 www.churchofthepilgrims.org Thrive DC (breakfast Mon-Fri, 9:30-11, all welcome/dinner for women and children, Mon-Fri, 3-6 pm) St. Stephens Parish Church 1525 Newton St, NW (202) 737–9311 www.thrivedc.org Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE (202) 269–2277 www.foodandfriends.org

Covenant House Washington (Youth) 2001 Mississippi Ave SE (202) 610–9600 www.covenanthousedc.org Housing, education, job prep

Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Avenue, NW (202) 452–8089 www.miriamskitchen.org

John Young Center (Women) 119 D Street, NW (202) 639–8469 www,catholiccharitiesdc.org

The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW (202) 347–2635 http://www.epiphanydc.org/ ministry/welcometbl.htm

My Sister’s Place PO Box 29596 Washington, DC 20017 office (202) 529-5261 24-hour hotline (202)-529-5991 shelter and other services for domestic violence victims N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060 www.nstreetvillage.org 801 East, St. Elizabeths Hospital (Men) 2700 MLK Avenue, SE (202) 561–4014 New York Ave Shelter (Men 18+) 1355–57 New York Avenue, NE (202) 832–2359 Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW (202) 639–8093

FOOD Charlie’s Place

MEDICAL RESOURCES Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW (202) 328–1100 www.christhouse.org Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW (202) 745–4300 www.unityhealthcare.org Whitman–Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW (202) 797–3500; www.wwc.org

OUTREACH CENTERS Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW (202) 265–2400 AND 1640 Good Hope Road, SE (202) 561–8587 www.breadforthecity.org food pantry, clothing, legal and social services, medical clinic Community Council for the Homeless

at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW (202) 364–1419; www.cchfp.org housing, medical and psych care, substance abuse and job counseling Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060 http://www.nstreetvillage.org meals, hygiene, laundry, social activities, substance abuse treatment Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW (202) 842–1112 Green Door (202) 464–9200 1221 Taylor Street NW www.greendoor.org housing, job training, supportive mental health services Friendship House 619 D Street, SE (202) 675–9050 www.friendshiphouse.net counseling, mentoring, education, youth services, clothing

(202) 797–8806; www.some.org lunch, medical and dental, job and housing counseling

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Academy of Hope GED Center 601 Edgewood St NE 202-269-6623 www.aohdc.org Bright Beginnings Inc. 128 M Street NW, Suite 150 (202) 842–9090 www.brightbeginningsinc.org Child care, family services Catholic Community Services 924 G Street, NW (202) 772–4300 www.ccs–dc.org umbrella for a variety of services D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW (202) 347–8870; www.dccfh.org housing, substance abuse treatment, employment assistance DC Food Finder Interactive online map of free and low cost resources. www.dcfoodfinder.org

Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW (202) 667–8970 www.jubileejobs.org job preparation and placement National Coalition for the Homeless 2201 P Street, NW (202) 462–4822 www.nationalhomeless.org activists, speakers bureau

Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE , AND 1516 Hamilton Street, NW (202)889–7702 www.samaritanministry.org HIV support, employment, drug/ alcohol addiction, healthcare St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 1514 15th Street, NW (202) 667–4394 http://stlukesdc.edow.org food, counseling

Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW (202) 347–0511 www.cflsdc.org housing, job and substance abuse counseling, clothes closet

Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW (202) 328–6608 www.marthastable.org dinner, education, recreation, clothing, child/family services

Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW (202) 332–4010 www.foundryumc.org ESL, lunch, clothing, IDs

Travelers Aid, Union Station 50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE (202) 371–1937 www.travelersaid.org/ta/dc.html emergency travel assistance

Gospel Rescue Ministries drug, alcohol program (Men) 810 5th Street, NW (202) 842–1731; www.grm.org

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW (202) 328–5500 www.legalclinic.org

Sasha Bruce Youthwork 741 8th Street, SE (202) 675–9340 www.sashabruce.org counseling, housing, family services So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW

Hermano Pedro Day Center 3211 Sacred Heart Way, NW (202) 332–2874 http://www.ccs–dc.org/find/services/ meals, hygiene, laundry, clothing JHP, Inc. 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE (202) 544–9126 www.jobshavepriority.org training and employment

Rockville (301) 762–8682 www.iworksmc.org The Samaritan Group Inc. P.O. Box 934, Chestertown (443) 480–3564 Warm Night Shelter 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499–2319 www.cmpgc.org

FOOD National Student Partnerships (NSP) 128 M Street NW, Suite 320 (202) 289–2525 washingtondc@nspnet.org Job resource and referral agency

Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (202) 338–8301 www.georgetownministrycenter. org laundry, counseling, psych care

Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW (202) 682–1005 http://www.ccdsd.org/howorwc. php hygiene, laundry, lunch, phone and mail, clothing, social events

St. Matthew’s Cathedral 1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW (202) 347–3215 ext. 552 breakfast, clothing, hygiene

WVSA Literacy for Life 1100 16th Street, NW (202) 296-9100 www.wvsarts.org GED preparation and work force education

MARYLAND SHELTER Interfaith Works 114 W. Montgomery Avenue

Bethesda Cares 7728 Woodmont Avenue Bethesda (301) 907–9244 www.bethesdacares.com Community Place Café 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499–2319; www.cmpgc.org Manna Food Center 614–618 Lofstrand Lane, Rockville (301) 424–1130 www.mannafood.org

MEDICAL RESOURCES Community Clinic, Inc. 8210 Colonial Lane Silver Spring (301) 585–1250 www.cciweb.org Mobile Medical Care, Inc. 9309 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda (301) 493–2400 www.mobilemedicalcare.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Catholic Charities, Maryland 12247 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring (301) 942–1790 www.catholiccharitiesdc.org shelter, substance abuse treatment, variety of other services 6180 Old Central Avenue,

Shelter

Hotline: 1–800– 535–7252

THE LAST WORD December 8 - 22, 2010

Taking a Look Back and Forward By Abby Strunk, executive director Dear Street Sense Readers, When I was a customer of Street Sense, I imagined the organization as a fairly large enterprise. This impression is shared by so many people I meet. It’s because you can’t cross the city without seeing a handful of men and women in bright yellow vests proudly holding up the current issue of the 16-page bi-weekly newspaper full of content that goes uncovered by most mainstream news sources. It wasn’t until I was exploring the executive director role in 2009 when I realized how something so pervasive in our city functioned on so little. I was stunned to learn that Street Sense ran out of two rooms in a church, that you could count the staff members on one hand and that the organization relied on hundreds of small gifts and committed volunteers to keep its wheels turning. The mission of Street Sense always has and always will resonate deeply with me. I am inspired daily by our vendors who are working so hard to improve their lives; our staff : Mary, Lisa and Amy, who work tirelessly day in and day out without the space, resources or thanks they deserve; as well as all of you who commit yourselves to the cause to make our city a better, more just place to live. For a variety of both personal and professional reasons, I have decided to step down from my role at Street Sense. I am proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together in the past year. The organization is on sounder financial footing

through a broader community of support. We have begun building meaningful partnerships with key homeless service providers, laying the groundwork for individualized vendor development plans to help Street Sense vendors move their lives toward true self-sufficiency. And, we are continuing to provide high-quality content you can only learn about issueto-issue via Street Sense. The organization is poised for a new leader to build upon the momentum that started in 2003 with Street Sense cofounders, Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, and continues today. There is an impressive pool of candidates, and I am confident that the next executive director will take the organization to new heights. I plan to continue being an advocate for Street Sense in the community, buying the paper from vendors and giving philanthropically to support the organization’s continued growth, and I hope you will join me. I encourage you to make this year’s New Year’s Resolution a meaningful resolution you can keep – consider supporting Street Sense all year long by setting up a recurring monthly contribution at www.streetsense.org > Donate. The work at Street Sense cannot continue without you. We need your help to make a difference. Happy Holidays! Abby

THE LAST WORD

S treetS ense.org

Government of the District of Columbia t Department of Human Services

My Bridges Over

HELP

BRING FAMILIES WHO ARE HOMELESS IN FROM THE COLD FAMILY SHELTERS Families seeking shelter must go to the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center, 920–A Rhode Island Avenue, NE, on Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. At other times, call the Shelter Hotline at 1-800-535-7252 or 311.

SHELTER HOTLINE

1.800.535.7252