VOL. 18 ISSUE 4
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NEWS IN BRIEF Uptick in COVID-19 reaches DC shelters
Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day Online // Sunday, Dec. 20 - Monday, Dec. 21 The People for Fairness Coalition will host the annual Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day to memorialize neighbors we have lost and honor those who are healing from the harms caused by racial and economic injustice. The two-day event will feature an opening service, overnight vigil, an advocacy teach in and a memorial service. Part of this year’s program will be remote and part will be held in person. To register and see more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/homeless-persons-memorial-day.
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12 p.m. - 4 p.m. // St. Columba’s Episcopal Church St. Columba’s Episcopal Church hopes to provide holiday dinner boxes to families in two apartment buildings operated by Housing Up, an organization that develops affordable housing and offers comprehensive support services. Volunteers are needed to drop off food boxes with contactless pickup. Information about registering and requirements for the boxes: inyurl.com/st-columbas-volunteer.
Housing Solutions Committee Dec. 21, 3 p.m. Emergency Response and Shelter Operations Committee Dec. 23, 1 - 2:30 p.m. ***For call-in information, as well as meeting info for unlisted working groups, contact: ich.info@dc.gov.
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Thirteen people living in D.C. shelters have tested positive for COVID-19 cases since Nov. 18 according to data from the Department of Human Services, ending a 20-day streak of no new cases among shelter residents. This is part of a surge in COVID-19 cases in the region. D.C. reported 392 new cases on Dec. 5, currently the highest number of COVID-19 cases the city has seen in a single day. “The recent increase of positive COVID-19 cases within the District’s shelters parallels a rise in broad community spread throughout the country,” DHS spokesperson Lauren Kinard wrote in a statement to Street Sense Media. Some of the most recent infections occurred at the seasonal hypothermia shelters: King Greenleaf Recreation Center reported one positive case and Sherwood Recreation Center reported three positive cases as of Dec. 3. DHS recently came under scrutiny of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6A and other community leaders for planning to house up to 60 people in the Sherwood Recreation Center, 50 more people than Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office currently recommends for indoor gatherings. DHS recently doubled the number of beds in the majority of rooms at its PEP-V sites — hotels contracted to provide space for medically vulnerable people to isolate themselves — in order to accommodate as many people experiencing homelessness as possible. All three PEP-V sites were full as of Dec. 10, according to an email DHS sent that day, obtained by the Street Sense Media newsroom. In it, DHS stated they are trying to move clients out of PEP-V as quickly as possible in order to “backfill” the space with others who qualify for the program. In November, DHS Director Laura Zelinger told Street Sense Media that no limit is put on a client’s time in PEP-V and that the average length of stay up to that point had been 123 days. “People would either exit to permanent housing or they no longer wish to stay in the program or for other reasons where it just hasn’t been an appropriate fit,” Zeilinger said. However, according to a weekly shelter occupancy report for the week ending on Nov. 20, permanent supportive housing units are nearly full, with an occupancy rate of over 90%. Rapid rehousing units are over 94% full. The D.C. government has prioritized the city’s homeless community as one of the first to access the COVID-19 vaccine, which will still take months to distribute. In the meantime, Kinard said DHS is doing daily COVID19 screenings in its shelters, making sure shelter residents keep their own bed as long as they stay at the same shelter, serving grab-and-go meals and other policies to reduce the spread of COVID-19. —athiyah.azeem@streetsensemedia.org
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NEWS
Eviction moratorium slated to extend as uptick in COVID-19 and unemployment exacerbate homelessness BY ATHIYAH AZEEM // athiyah.azeem@streetsensemedia.org
T
he D.C. Council voted on Dec. 15 to give the Mayor authority to extend the end date for the pandemic-related state of emergency from Dec. 31 to March 31, 2021, which in turn would extend the city’s eviction moratorium. While this continues to prevent legal evictions from being filed in the District, the uptick in COVID-19 cases and continued economic fallout are exacerbating homelessness in the city. COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the District. Twice in the past three weeks, the city has recorded more new cases in a single day than ever before: 371 new cases on Nov. 28 and 392 new cases on Dec.5. Such high numbers had not been seen since May 1, near the start of the health crisis, when 335 new cases were detected. The rising infection rate is threatening to coincide with — and in many cases is worsening — other growing crises across the country and in D.C.
Housing Assuming Mayor Bowser uses this authority to extend her emergency orders and Congress does not interfere, evictions will be banned in the District until at least June 2021. The Centers for Disease Control also halted evictions for nonpayment of rent nationwide until Dec. 31 but has yet to extend that deadline. Despite these laws, evictions are still happening in the District. In a story for the D.C. Homeless Crisis Reporting Project’s annual “news blitz” in October, WAMU/DCist reported that “invisible” evictions were on the rise, where landlords harass tenants, change the locks, or scare renters out of buildings with eviction notices. A July report by the National Housing Law Association surveyed 100 legal aid and civil rights attorneys, and found that 91% of respondents reported illegal evictions in their area. The consequences of removing or ignoring this kind of safeguard against evictions can be severe. Twenty-seven states lifted eviction moratoriums in the summer when the number of COVID-19 cases was dropping steadily. However, a joint study between the University of California, Los Angeles and John Hopkins University directly tied lifting moratoriums with an increase of positive cases and deaths. The study concluded that lifting eviction moratoriums resulted in an excess of 443,660 cases and 10,731 deaths. D.C. has avoided contributing to these numbers, as it has never lifted its moratorium. “By maintaining an eviction moratorium between March 15th and September 3rd , we estimate that the District of Columbia prevented 3,900 cases of COVID-19 … and 170 COVID-related deaths,” said Kathryn Leifheit, one of the lead researchers of the project. But Leifheit also predicted that if the moratorium expired on Dec. 31 amid a rise of COVID-19 cases, it could have spelled more trouble for the city. “We’re in a much different phase of the pandemic right now,” Leifheit said. “So you worry that displacing people right now, in the context where there is a lot of virus circulating within populations, might have a larger effect on cases, and ultimately deaths.” The study is not yet peer reviewed, but Leifheit said she shared it in the interest of informing policymakers as soon as possible.
Income While legal evictions are on hold, rent and mortgage payments continue to add up for those struggling to make ends meet. The U.S. Census Bureau reports 26.9% of adults in the District live in households not current on rent or mortgage payments, where eviction is at least somewhat likely. This is compounded by the ongoing harm the pandemic has done to the labor market. The U.S. Department of Labor reported 853,000 unemployment claims were filed in the week ending on Dec. 5 in the U.S., much higher than the 716,000 claims filed the previous week, and the highest number since mid-September. The analytics and forecasting website Trading Economics says this is well above market expectations “amid rising COVID-19 cases and new lockdowns across the country.” D.C. is still seeing an increase in the total number of unemployment claims filed every day. The number of unemployment claims filed in the first week of December spiked to 1,419, the highest number since mid-October, according to data on the Department of Employment Services website. A study by Columbia University professor Dan O’Flaherty in May directly links unemployment to homelessness. By analyzing data from the Great Recession in 2008-2009, he predicted that for every 1% increase of the unemployment rate, there will be a 0.65% increase in rate of homelessness in the U.S. per 10,000 people. When the unemployment rate was at its highest at 16% in April, he concluded that homelessness was projected to rise nationally by as much as 40-45%. As of November, the U.S. unemployment rate has dropped to 6.7%, but D.C. maintained a higher rate at 8.2% in October. The District has not released data for November yet. Using O’Flaherty’s model, D.C.’s homelessness is projected to rise by roughly 6.6%. This is based on the 6,380 people experiencing homelessness noted in the 2020 Point-in-Count done in January. The District’s count has steadily decreased over the past four years. But if O’Flaherty’s prediction comes to pass, the number of people experiencing homelessness will be almost as high as it was in 2018. Still, even without widespread rent relief, O’Flaherty said that high rates of eviction are not a guarantee at this point. “One big thing is, how eager to evict landlords will be,” O’Flaherty said. He says this largely depends on landlords’ ability to find new renters for their apartment. “If they think new unemployment money is coming soon, they may be willing to forgo eviction.” While DOES is being criticized by workers and councilmembers for the wait times those in need have experience, it continues to process unemployment claims. Previously traditionally-employed workers can file for prepandemic unemployment insurance (UI) claims, as long as you meet specific wage requirements over the last months. Self-employed or gig workers and independent contractors do not traditionally qualify for unemployment, but can apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which can also be applied retroactively. The program was created by the CARES Act and is set to expire Dec. 31. If you are reaching the end of your 26 weeks on UI or your 39 weeks on PUA, there are extensions available, but you must apply again to be eligible. On Dec. 15, D.C. Council voted to qualify District workers for additional weeks of unemployment
insurance and pandemic unemployment assistance benefits under the city’s extended benefits program, and the legislation now awaits the Mayor’s approval.
Lack of Funding From Dec. 1 - 11, Mayor Bowser accepted applications from landlords for $10 million worth of Housing Stabilization Grants. The grants would effectively “cancel rent” for tenants, for a several-month period, by paying landlords 80% of arrears as long as they agreed to forgive the remaining 20%. The money came from the District’s remaining CARES Act funds, which are set to expire on Dec. 31. There are also multiple tenantassistance funds managed by the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development. However, the mayor’s office is also planning to cut tens of thousands of dollars in funding to nonprofits that help the city’s homeless communities, reported DCist/WAMU. Nonprofit directors said this is the first time the D.C. government has gone back on previously approved grant money. D.C. government currently needs to fill a budget shortage of $211 million this fiscal year. It avoided an expected loss of $600 million due to federally funded unemployment benefits, the Paycheck Protection Program and stimulus checks created by the CARES Act, and the stock market recovering by 30%. But Congress has yet to pass another financial aid package, and federal COVID-19 unemployment aid programs are still set to expire. According to data by the Century Foundation, this means 12 million Americans may lose unemployment benefits by the end of December, and 16 million unemployed people will enter 2021 with “little to no aid.” Despite a summer of protests highlighting ongoing racial injustice in the country and a growing emphasis on the role housing plays in racial justice, the impending crisis is still likely to disproportionately affect people of color. According to the 2020 point-in-time count, African Americans make up more than 84% of single adults experiencing homelessness in the District, and 95% of homeless adults in families are African American. According to the Brookings Institute, minority renters are also more likely to lose their housing due to economic fallout. The majority of renters in the District are Black and nearly 30% of those renters spend half of their income on rent. The Urban Institute reported low-income Latino and African American residents are more likely to rent than buy their homes in the District and are experiencing higher rates of unemployment. “We already know that Black and brown communities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and we also know those are the same folks that bear disproportionate risk of eviction,” Leifheit said. She worries that as a result, an increase of COVID-19 cases after an eviction moratorium expiration will disproportionately fall on minority communities. The Interagency Council on Homelessness has anticipated the possible increase of people seeking beds in their Fiscal Year 2021 Winter Plan. They state that in the worst case scenario, where the moratorium lifts and there are no additional funds from Congress, it would possibly take until early spring to see its effects on shelters. The ICH wrote in its winter plan it would continue to monitor emerging trends in the housing market, and that the Department of Human Services will be ready to activate overflow beds if they are needed.
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500 DC families received $1,100 a week. Here’s how it helped them. BY ANNEMARIE CUCCIA annemarie.cuccia@streetsensemedia.org
I
n Ward 8, four organizations have come together to help residents improve their financial situation in a simple way — by giving them five monthly cash payments of $1,100. The program, called THRIVE East of the River, is a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its outsized economic impacts on underserved communities in Wards 7 and 8. It is a collaboration between Martha’s Table, Bread for the City, the 11th Street Bridge Park, and Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative (FSFSC).o. Initial funding was raised from foundations, individuals, and corporations, totalling over $700,000, according to a June press release. THRIVE aims to aid 500 families by the end of the program, and is currently serving about 350. Natalya Walker joined Martha’s Table last March and signed up for as many programs as she could, including what would turn out to be THRIVE. When she went to her son’s school to pick up the first check, she broke out in tears — and according to the woman helping her, she wasn’t the only one. For Walker and her son, the extra help has been unbelievable. “Everything’s been perfect. I’m just so excited,” Walker said. “It really came in handy because I really didn’t have anything, and I’m like ‘are you sure,’ and they were like ‘yes, this is for you.’” The idea for THRIVE, which draws inspiration from similar basic income programs across the country, is not new. A D.C.based direct cash transfer program had been batted around among some of the organizations since last November, according to Dionne Bussey-Reeder, the executive director of Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative. When the pandemic reached D.C., they adapted and accelerated their plans. “THRIVE was an excellent segue into moving our families in Ward 8 to an area of sustainability, Bussey-Reeder said, “and that’s the goal.” The first 100 families were enrolled in the program on June 15. Participants receive five months of support, including the five $1,100 cash transfers (which can also be taken as a lump sum), weekly groceries and monthly dry goods, and navigators to help families access available benefits outside of the program. THRIVE families are selected through the four participating organizations, each of which identifies eligible families through their existing programming. Martha’s Table is considering families enrolled in their education programs, like Walker, or non-Martha’s Table families who make below $35,000 annually, according to Teres'a Watson, Martha's Table's Family Engagement Specialist. FSFSC is also focusing on families already in their caseload, though they have helped enroll some new families both in THRIVE and FSFSC’s services, according to Bussey-Reeder. All four programs are still identifying additional families to be enrolled in the program. These families have used the money for everything from getting new household appliances, to putting a down payment on a house, to paying off debt and helping family members. Bussey-Reeder said the $5,500 helped SFSFC families invest in cars, strollers, and printers. “Little things like that change the trajectory of people’s lives, and we recognize that,” she added. The money has allowed Walker to pay her bills, handle
expenses for her cleaning business, including purchasing business cards, and buy items for her house and her son. While she sees these things as essential, she was surprised others were willing to invest in her family. “I couldn't believe it because I’ve never had my son go to a school where they were issuing stipends like that,” she said. “Since he’s been going there, everything has just been like a ‘wow, oh my gosh, are you really doing this?’ Since he’s only four, I guess I wasn’t expecting it.” For families who have lost income during COVID--19, the cash transfer can help them pay back rent, ensuring they will not be evicted when the eviction moratorium is lifted. While the national moratorium may expire, D.C.’s local moratorium lasts until 60 days after Mayor Bowser declares an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency ends. “Families have really expressed to us how they have been able to pay their bills,” Watson said.
The problem is the system that creates poverty and leaves people in poverty, and so if we really want to address poverty, we need money. People don’t need five case managers — they need money. Tracy Knight // Bread for the City THRIVE is targeting Southeast D.C. residents, who are more likely to spend a large portion of their income on housing and are especially vulnerable to COVID-19. According to data from the Mayor’s office, Wards 7 and 8 have the third and fourth highest numbers of cases by ward in the District. These neighborhoods, which are overwhelming communities of color, also face a lack of essential services. Ward 8 has one grocery store for just under 80,000 residents. Ward 6, in comparison, has just under 95,000 residents and 10 full-service grocery stores. This makes the extra money essential for some residents, according to Tracy Knight, social services director of Bread for the City. “People have some relief and some options they didn’t have before,” Knight said. She recalled one woman who, when she found out she was being offered a spot in the program said, “Things like this just don’t happen to people like me.” “It was a good reminder that it’s not everyday that you just fall into $5,500 dollars, and what a change that can make for anyone, especially people who are living so close to poverty,” Knight added. THRIVE follows a model similar to other limited basic income programs gaining popularity across the country. The organizers hope it will serve as a model for community rapid response. Unlike traditional social service programs that focus on connecting individuals to benefit programs and case managers, basic income programs provide a set amount of cash directly to families monthly. For Walker, the ability to make her own decisions about
where to spend the money was welcome. “I was able to do everything that I needed to do, it wasn’t just okay I could go to Giant or Safeway, I knew I could pay for other things.” This model, though it allows participants to have more flexibility in what they can use money for, can present challenges. A reported increase in income can mean D.C. residents are no longer eligible for benefits, including food stamps and Medicaid. Potential participants are encouraged to speak to legal experts provided by THRIVE to ensure they know if they will lose access to benefits. “The main challenge we have is figuring out how to do this cash transfer work without endangering people's public benefits,” Knight said. “$5,500 is a lot of money, but it’s absolutely nothing if you don’t have Medicaid.” At SFSFC, another element of the program is education- — every person who enters the THRIVE program through their organization is enrolled in a financial literacy program exploring budgeting, credit scores, and long-term financial planning. “It really goes into you, the individual, and sustaining your finances for your family, and how do you see yourself beyond just you today,” Bussey-Reeder. According to a press release, the organizations decided on the length of the program, five months, in the hopes that it would cover families until they can return to jobs affected by COVID-19 or secure public resources. The amount of money per month, $1,100, was based on estimates that the money could cover either rent or basic food and other costs for a family of three. The first set of families, who joined the program in June, will be receiving their last monthly payment soon, though some may still receive food and other services, according to Knight. THRIVE is still enrolling the remaining 150 participants for this version of the program.Though the program does not have specific plans for what the next iteration of THRIVE will look like, it’s something all the participating organizations are interested in. Each organization is identifying a current THRIVE participant to bring into the planning process for the future of the program and exploring further sources of funding. “Cash transfer work is just really important. We have for a long time in the social services and related fields, we’ve had these programmatic approaches, just hiring more case managers and connecting people who were living in poverty with more case managers as if there was something that was wrong with them,” Knight said. “The problem is the system that creates poverty and leaves people in poverty, and so if we really want to address poverty, we need money. People don’t need five case managers — they need money.” Bussey-Reeder sees an opportunity for similar programs to expand into the city at large, though she stressed that she thought the model and teamwork pioneered by THRIVE would be crucial to its success. That being said, she’s hoping to incorporate a new partner in the city government to help expand and fund the program. “We definitely would like for a city-wide initiative, we know the struggles don’t just exist in wards 8 and 7.” All the organizations participating in THRIVE stress the importance of providing cash directly to those most in need. “If you want to see families move out of a poverty-stricken situation, you have to put some economics behind that,” Bussey-Reeder said. “It really makes my eyes water, when I think about how many families, how many stories we’ve been told.”
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NEWS
DC is cutting funding for homeless services as COVID cases surge BY ANDREW GIAMBRONE // DCist
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration is pulling back funding from local nonprofits that serve residents experiencing homelessness, DCist/WAMU has learned. The funding cuts could force some of the affected nonprofits to shrink their programs, from day centers to street outreach, lay off or stop hiring staff, and pare down on supplies that support their work. The cuts haven’t been finalized yet, so their full scope is unknown. But according to several nonprofit directors and emails obtained by DCist/WAMU, they’re expected to amount to tens of thousands of dollars per organization. It’s unclear just how many organizations are facing the funding reductions. But DCist/ WAMU is aware of six organizations that D.C.’s Department of Human Services has targeted for grant cuts; only half were willing to speak on the record. All six focus on youth up to 25-yearsold experiencing homelessness, with some specializing in LGBTQ and female youth. These budget reductions, the directors say, will hinder the organizations’ abilities to provide shelter, transitional housing, counseling, and other assistance to some of the city’s most vulnerable people, including youth — all while the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage across the D.C. area, ailing residents economically and driving up the need for social services. Some of the directors who spoke for this story say this is the first time D.C. is cutting off previously approved grant funding for their organizations. The District is facing a budget shortfall of more than $200 million in the current fiscal year due to lower than anticipated revenues. Meanwhile, Congress has yet to pass another coronavirus relief package that might include funding for local governments. (Under its home rule charter, D.C. must have a balanced budget and legally can’t spend more than it projects bringing in.) The news comes as local nonprofits struggle to fundraise in a year when many donors are decreasing or forgoing charitable giving and as the District’s finances are sapped by the pandemic. It’s the latter challenge that a staffer at the human services department cited in a recent email announcing the cuts to the affected nonprofits, although the agency has framed them as cost “savings.” “As you all may know or have heard, the city is facing intense budget pressures,” the email says. “As a result DHS, along with other government agencies, is being asked to identify areas of savings.” A subsequent email from this employee, who works in DHS’ family services
administration, says the department is asking each organization to find 5-10% in “savings” from their overall DHS grants for the current fiscal year, which began in October. The employee also said DHS hoped to minimize the impact of these cuts on the nonprofits’ clients, and that a nonprofit could draw the cuts from however many grants it chose, if it receives more than one grant from the agency. Some of the groups say they were surprised when DHS contacted them in mid-November to request meetings to discuss their budgets. At those meetings, which were held virtually, nonprofit directors say they were told they had until December to identify expenditures to cut. In one case, a nonprofit learned their entire grant for street outreach services would be terminated at the end of 2020, even though their contract with the city had earlier been renewed. “D.C.’s most vulnerable youth have experienced immense trauma, and they need consistency and support,” says Natasha Guynes, who heads HER Resiliency Center, the nonprofit whose $175,000 contract for street outreach to young women was terminated by DHS. “It’s so arbitrary how they’re making the cuts. They’re not using standardized measures to make these decisions.” In other cases, DHS’ youth services division has proposed grant reductions for specific programs. For SMYAL, an organization that serves LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness, DHS recommended 5% cuts to two transitional housing grants, which would equal more than $50,000. The money supports 26 beds for youth across two sites by helping to cover rent and other overhead costs. Sultan Shakir, the director of SMYAL, says his team was “incredibly shocked” when they first heard about the funding cuts. Many of the young people his nonprofit serves, he notes, already have a hard time getting jobs because of housing instability and systemic barriers against queer and trans people. “There’s no way to cut 5-10% out of a program during a pandemic and not have it negatively impact the level of service that you’re able to provide,” says Shakir. More than 500,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the region, and cases are mounting in the District. The city is bracing for a tough winter, with public health experts saying the spread of the virus could be exacerbated by more people spending time indoors and traveling for the holidays. People who lack stable housing and are forced to stay in congregate settings like shelters or couch-surf between places are
especially at risk of contracting COVID-19. And the most promising coronavirus vaccines are still months away from being widely available to the general public. D.C. counted 485 youth ages 18 to 24 as homeless in its annual homeless census this year. The total was essentially flat relative to 2019, but up relative to each of the three previous years. (In 2016, 201 youth were recorded as homeless.) Young people experiencing homelessness are notoriously hard to count because of different definitions and methods for determining who is “homeless,” which results in data discrepancies: Last year, the separate D.C. homeless youth census found 1,328 such youth. The number of unhoused people in the U.S. is expected to increase significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A report by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments found there could be as much as a 40% spike in homelessness nationwide in 2020, based on unemployment forecasts. “It would be hard to imagine a scenario that we won’t see an increase in homelessness,” the head of D.C.’s Interagency Council on Homelessness told the Washington Post when the report came out in June. This prediction worries Ruby Corado, who founded and directs Casa Ruby, a nonprofit dedicated to LGBTQ youth that is also being affected by DHS’ grant cuts. Corado says the agency has asked her nonprofit to reduce its grant budget by about $83,000, which could lead to reductions in staffing and daytime services. “The decision to reduce already thin budgets [that] help keep people alive in this city is out of touch with reality,” she tells DCist/WAMU. “Across this country, we have already seen during COVID an increased amount of people entering the shelter system, and next year we are expecting more people to enter the homeless system.” Corado points to ongoing renovations at downtown’s Franklin Square as a project the city could pause in order to redirect money to more essential services for people experiencing homelessness. The $13 million project has displaced homeless people from the park while the renovations are completed. “I want the city to seriously reconsider this, because there are programs who can’t afford to lose this money,” Corado says of the funding reductions. “This is saying to homeless people, people in need, many of whom have been hurt by the system, ‘now we’re going for you.'” In a Dec. 8 interview, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, who chairs the D.C. Council’s human services committee, said she hadn’t heard from DHS about the grant cuts but learned of them from a nonprofit that reached out to her office. She says she’s concerned about their potential impact on service providers and clients, and will push back against any proposed cuts to the agencies in her purview. “I don’t think the human services cluster, and specifically the Department of Human Services, is where we should be making cuts right now,” Nadeau says. “We’re talking about
the most vulnerable residents who are already at greatest risk from COVID.” Mayor Bowser is expected to send the council what’s known as a “supplemental budget” in the next few months, given the likelihood that D.C.’s projected revenues for this fiscal year (fiscal year 2021) will continue to shift because of the pandemic. That budget will probably contain significant cuts to city agency budgets, but the council will have the chance to review it and make changes. In a statement issued after this story was originally published, Laura Zeilinger, the director of DHS, said her agency expects that a future supplemental budget will “address District-wide reductions as the continued operation of DHS programs is not possible without the dedication and support of our community partners, nonprofits and businesses in the District.” The statement doesn’t specify how many nonprofits are facing grant cuts, how the 5-10% target was set, or the amount of money DHS hopes to save by reducing grant funding. “I’m interested in raising revenue again,” says Nadeau, who voted in favor of a failed amendment to raise marginal taxes on highincome earners in July. “I think it’s time to ask those who are doing OK and have more to contribute more.” (The amendment failed 8-5, but a similar proposal could pass in 2021 owing to new, more progressive lawmakers set to join the council in January.) Kim Perry, the director of D.C. Action for Children, an organization focused on the needs of District youth, also says she supports increasing taxes for D.C.’s wealthiest residents. While her organization won’t be directly affected by DHS’ grant reductions, it belongs to a coalition of local groups that aim to reduce youth homelessness. She questions why the Bowser administration has dipped into the city’s reserves to fund a new $100 million program offering aid to local businesses but hasn’t made a comparable move to maintain the funding for community-based nonprofits serving homeless people. “Businesses are important, of course — many of the workers are parents and D.C. residents — and nobody could question that our local businesses need support right now,” says Perry. “But there has to be a way to do both. There has to be a way to take care of our most vulnerable residents, like our kids and our homeless families. It can’t be one or the other.” On Dec. 14 group of LGBTQ-focused groups, nonprofits and individual citizens wrote a letter to Bowser protesting the cuts, encouraging her to increase funding, and demanding a meeting with her and her administration. The coalition, composed of organizations like Casa Ruby and the ANC Rainbow Caucus, noted elavated rates of homelessness and poverty among LGBTQ people and people of color even before the pandemic, rates that COVID-19 has only exacerbated. This story was first published by DCist on Dec. 9 and updated with comment from DHS. Reporting about the community letter responding to the situation added by Street Sense Media.
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AT A GLANCE
DC’s COVID-19 vaccination plan prioritizes the homeless community. BY GEORGE GURULI george.guruli@streetsensemedia.org
W
ith the first COVID-19 vaccinations underway, the District’s homeless community is near the top of the list of people to get the vaccine, according to a draft plan published by the D.C. government in late November. The COVID-19 vaccine will be distributed in phases as long as the supply remains limited. Phase 1A is focused on frontline healthcare workers, roughly 85,000 people. Phase 1B is composed of over 300,000 individuals, including people experiencing homelessness and residents of transitional housing programs. The rest of phase 1B is made up of critical D.C. government employees and grocery store and nursing home employees. The District expected to receive 6,825 doses in the first week. D.C. Fire and EMS employees will be among the first to be vaccinated, city officials said during a Dec. 14 update on the health crisis, with Kaiser Permanente to administer the vaccine to its frontline workers starting Dec. 17. During the update, Mayor Bowser said Virginia is sending 8,000 doses from its allotment for D.C. health workers that commute from Virginia. Distributing the vaccine to multiple populations brings some challenges. The Pfizer vaccine received emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 11. But it must be shipped and stored at extremely cold temperatures, which requires special equipment, and it can only last for five days in the refrigerator once thawed for use. Because of this, doses will first be distributed to major D.C. area hospitals and facilities that are capable of storing the vaccine. The FDA will meet Thursday to consider issuing emergency use authorization for a second leading vaccine produced by Moderna. The U.S. has already agreed to purchase 200 million doses, pending authorization. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been found to be more than 90% effective, whereas the standard Flu vaccine is typically 30-60% effective. But the Moderna candidate can be shipped at relatively less cold temperatures, similar to an average freezer. And once thawed for use, the Moderna vaccine can be refrigerated for up to a month, according to data released by the FDA on Dec. 14. These more manageable storage requirements would allow the Moderna vaccine to be distributed more widely in the community, according to the D.C.’s draft distribution plan.. “The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine can be leveraged to vaccinate those healthcare workers part of [sic] larger institutions,” the plan says. “Whereas the Moderna vaccine can be leveraged to vaccinate those other healthcare workers through a board-based multi-site access strategy.” According to Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of D.C. Health, the District expects to receive an allotment from the federal government that will be sufficient to meet the Phase 1A population, though set dates are not in place yet due to the uncertainty of how many doses they’ll receive with each allotment. According to Dr. Linda Fu, a pediatrician from the Children’s National Hospital, the vaccination will be provided for free at federally qualified health centers if you have Medicaid insurance. She said the city is also working with Walgreens to provide more areas of access for people to receive the vaccine. The plan is for people without insurance to be able to get the
Sybil Taylor was born on Christmas Day. PHOTO BY BENJAMIN BURGESS, WWW.KSTREETPHOTOGRAPHYDC.COM
In this 2006 image, a qualified healthcare practitioner was in the process of administering an intramuscular immunization to a woman, using the woman’s right shoulder muscle as the injection site. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CDC VIS UNSPLASH.CO
vaccination for free anywhere, thoughFu noted that this is only the intention at this time. There aren’t any concrete plans as to how it will be funded. Nesbitt acknowledged that it will be difficult for certain communities to be aware of vaccine access once it becomes widespread, and that a public information campaign will become a focus once vaccines get approved. Nesbitt mentioned that they already have information toolkits for healthcare providers to distribute, and have been speaking with members of their scientific advisory committee for some time. As part of an awareness campaign, a Dec. 14 video was published by D.C. showing Keisha Jackson, a firefighter, explain why she volunteered for the vaccination despite her previous skepticism, ending with the hashtag #GetvaccinatedDC. In terms of offline information, Fu said the pandemic itself makes getting the information difficult, as she would usually recommend libraries as a good place to start. She says that federally qualified health care centers will most likely have some information if approached with questions.. While there are no concrete plans for advertising the vaccine to the homeless community yet, Dr. Catherine Crosland, director of Homeless Outreach Development for Unity Health Care, offered some suggestions in an interview with Street Sense Media. She said that informing the homeless population about the vaccine could be similar to advertising a flu vaccine campaign and could include tactics like going to shelters, parks, and other areas to keep the community informed of what they can do to get vaccinated. “People experiencing homelessness can get information about services, whether it’s from the providers that they interact with or their managers,” Crosland said. She described pop-up flu vaccine clinics that Unity has previously held at shelter locations, advertised by simple flyers well in advance. “So we could do something similar for the COVID vaccine when that becomes available.” Crosland stressed that the plan for outreach to the homeless community will only be finalized as the District gets closer to the phase 1B distribution of the vaccine. The federal government’s “Operation Warp Speed” funded the exploration of 14 vaccine candidates. In addition to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, candidates from AstraZeneca/ Oxford and Johnson and Johnson are in late-stage trials and may seek FDA authorization by early 2021. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine stands out because it only requires one dose, while Pfizer and Moderna both require a second shot three-four weeks after the first one.
BIRTHDAYS Beverly Sutton Dec 3 Colly Muk Dec 16 Sybil Taylor Dec 25 Debora Brantley Dec 27 ARTISTS/VENDORS
ACCOMPLISHMENTS Ayub Abdul, Reggie Black, David Denny, Reginald Denny, Patty Smith, Sybil, Taylor, Eric Thompson-Bey, Sheila White Contributed to our Dec. 3 “Together We Rise” celebration. WATCH THE PERFORMANCES AT: STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG/TWR-2020
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8 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / D E C . 1 6 - 2 9 . 2020
ART
Ghosts of Christmas BY JEFF TAYLOR Artist/Vendor
A Star is Born
BACKGROUND IMAGE COURTESY OF PIXALINE / PIXABAY.COM
I
'm a December baby, born on my mother's 20th birthday. Christmas time was always special to me and my mother. There were many years where the family tradition was to go out and get the real Christmas tree on my and mom's birthday. There were the years in little Bushnell, Illinois, when every holiday season mom would take us on a late afternoon drive to look at the Christmas lights folks had displayed all over town. Christmas in our family of five usually lasted basically one day. But the the Christmas of 1975 was different. My father had been in the hospital recovering from back surgery. Traditionally we (me, my two younger sisters, and my parents) would get up at or before the crack of dawn to open presents. But on this particular Christmas, we spread the holiday out over several days. We had Christmas with dad in the hospital on Christmas Eve, and again on Christmas Day. Then we continued to celebrate the day after Christmas when dad finally made it home. So we had three days of Christmas. Kind of nice and a special memory. Christmas of 1990 was special for a couple reasons. I had recently been promoted to general manager of the Lenscrafters in Champagne, Illinois. Even though I waa at base salary for the position, it was more money than I had ever made. With all that new disposable income, I was in a position to do Christmas the way I had always wanted for my family. I could afford to get them decent stuff for a change. The other reason 1990 stands out is because it was the first Christmas with grandchildren in the family! My nephew Jordan was 6 months old and my first niece Jessica arrived the next day, Dec. 26, 1990. The Christmases of 98-99 are among those which stand out as having been particularly fun as I was director of music and other special programs and events at a church of about 500 members back in Peoria, Illinois. In a sense, I was responsible for delivering Christmas for 500 people! And I loved every minute of it. Each Sunday evening of advent featured a meal and some kind of special program. My favorite without question was the first Sunday (and Saturday) of the season when we held our madrigal dinners. What is a madrigal dinner you might ask? A madrigal dinner typically consists of a small choral ensemble performing renaissance-period Christmas music while guests dine on a medieval feast. A short play may also be a part of the performance. But in our case, given the riches of thespian talent at our disposal, we went for broke and did full blown dinner theater. It was a resounding success! Among my proudest achievements. I made people laugh. I made them happy. Christmas of 2006 was my first Christmas with my dear friend Alice. Alice grew up somewhat disadvantaged and I wanted to do Christmas and birthday right for her. She got everything she asked for and more. I so enjoyed watching her open gift after gift. It is one of the most fun Christmas mornings I can remember. As for Christmas present, I'm still inspired by the music and the memories. And the decorations, oh how I love the decorations! For the last several years, my Christmas season has consisted of singing carols at key locations to earn an income. My Christmas Day is a day which I stay home and watch whatever Christmas shows might be on television. No feasting of any kind the last several years. Just doesn't seem to work out. This Christmas will be tough to get through, as it'll be the first without my friend Alice. And my roommate just moved out. Gonna be very lonely. Not gonna lie, kinda scared of these ghosts. Maybe some day I'll have better Christmases again.
BY ROCHELLE WALKER Artist/Vendor
Now hear what I say the saved Savior is born: All through the house a creature was made. A Savior was born. Let all join hands and give thanks for the world. If I had one wish in this world it would be all mankind will be free from sin, and from all hurt and danger all over the world. What a joyful day the Savior is born. Jesus Christ – mother and child, Christ the Savior is born. It’s time to give, share opening gifts, give joy to the Lord. Love, love, love to the world.
Another day to be humble BY DANIEL BALL Artist/Vendor
To me, the holidays are just another day. It depends. Some people be doing different things. I ain’t been home in a while. I really have no friends but I stay with my cousin and my aunt in D.C. I don’t know what I’m gonna do for Christmas. Gotta make it through these days until the 25th. Let’s hope people get some coats, gloves and boots to stay warm. I was out there just now. Ain’t no joke, it cold. My nose runnin’.
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Happy Holidays BY COLLY DENNIS Artist/Vendor
Happy Holidays to all our generous customers who have graciously supported any vendor that works for Street Sense Media. Without your support, some of us would have ended up in shallow waters, especially with everything going on in 2020. With all the events that have happened this year, it’s really been a rough year for a lot of us, including readers and supporters. This holiday is going to be much more different than other holidays, with many people going through unemployment, a very complex and divisive political atmosphere in the country, and the health crisis from COVID-19 that has killed more than 300,000 people in the country. Hopefully many of us, you as a reader included, will be glad to make it and celebrate the New Year. Again, thanks so much for supporting us and we hope you keep your generosity going. Happy Holidays to you all!
Make your own traditions BY RONALD SMOOT Artist/Vendor
December is the best time of the year. This is the month Christ was born, so that makes it the best month of the year. The best part is seeing people like your family and friends eating dinner and opening presents and seeing people smile all to themself. Just spending time with your wife and watching her face glow. I love for her to cook for me my favorite foods. My tradition around this time is to stay focused on the things I need to do. Another thing I like is that I am not homeless no more. And I thank God for that. The only time I see my family is for the holidays and we we have a lot of fun doing the things we like to do: eat and play some games and also watch some football. So the holidays are very special, better, greater, or otherwise different from what is usually. So I think everyone should take the holiday very serious and enjoy their lives.
Merry Christmas!
BACKGROUND IMAGE COURTESY OF GIFTPUNDITS / PIXABAY.COM
BY REV. JOHN LITTLEJOHN Artist/Vendor
One definition of Christmas is “a Dec. 25 celebration as a church festival in commemoration of the birth of Christ and observed as a legal holiday.” The Holy Bible talks about the birth of Christ Jesus in the Book of Isaiah: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) But as we enjoy our traditions and festivities of the Christmas customs that have been collected from around the world, let’s save our most sincere and heartfelt “thank you” for our good, merciful, and loving God. From Him came the reason for the season: the baby born in that Judea manger more than 2,000 years ago. An angel announced the arrival of this gift to mankind by saying, “I bring to you good news that will cause great joy — a savior has been born to you.” The Holy Bible talks about gifts in the Book of James: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1-17) It is truly a blessing when we can give cheerfully to those in need. As it is to receive cheerfully from those who just might have more than they need. Amen! The Holy Bible also talks about the birth of Jesus in the Book of Matthew: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou
shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) Nowadays, everybody wants to be in control, wants to be a leader but never a follower. With no information, no direction, and way too much pride. All they have to do is bow down and ask the Lord to be their guide. Guidance may be found again in the Holy Bible: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes, fear the Lord, and depart from evil.” The characters of Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Frosty the Snowman may bring us fleeting cheer. But this Christmas, even in the light of the sparkling Christmas tree and surrounded by merrily opened presents, the true excitement comes when we turn our attention to the baby named Jesus, who came to save His people from their sin. His breath transcends tradition. It is our central focus as we send praises to God for this indescribable Christmas gift. Amen! Hallelujah!
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1 0 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A / / D E C . 1 6 - 2 9 . 2020
OPINION
“The system is failing all the families that really need it”:
Tenants and housing rights activists protest for a halting of rent payments and mortgage debt, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 1, 2020. REUTERS/LUCY NICHOLSON
How the threat of eviction has perpetuated health inequity and racial injustice during the pandemic BY EMILY A. BENFER
T
he cost of rent is taking futures When the pandemic struck, Marlenis Zambrano was a fulltime caregiver for the children of Department of Defense (DOD) employees. For 27 years, her housing was secure, she provided for her family, and was able to save for her children’s college tuition. Her daughter attends Virginia Commonwealth University and her son is a senior at Dartmouth College first generation college students. Shortly after families pulled their own children from the daycare due to the pandemic, Ms. Zambrano’s wages were cut, and she received a five day notice of eviction from her Ale andria home. Ms. Zambrano, who is Hispanic, is one of the many renters of color who are particularly vulnerable to eviction due to the pandemic and pushed to make impossible choices. To protect her family’s health and safety, Ms. Zambrano was forced to put her daughter’s college tuition fund toward the rent. Families across the country are paying rent with their futures. As a parent, as a hard working mom, Ms. Zambrano, who is advocating to keep families housed, told me, “I feel like the system is failing all the families that really need it. The need is almost unfathomable an estimated 50 million adults and children across the country live in renter households that suffered C I 19 related job or income loss, with people of color hit the hardest. The federal eviction moratorium, issued by the Centers for isease Control and revention, offers temporary and crucial relief for the 30 to 40 million adults and children who are at risk of eviction nationwide. But, with the moratorium set to e pire on ew ear’s Eve and without emergency rental assistance to pay the mounting rental debt, renters are being pushed off the edge of the eviction cliff.
The struggle of Black and Hispanic renters The human costs and housing loss will be especially heightened among people of color. Black and Hispanic landlords are in greater financial peril as they struggle to pay their mortgage and offer payment plans to renters at higher rates than white landlords. Among renters, nearly
half of Black and Hispanic renters nationally have little to no confidence in their ability to pay ne t month’s rent, compared to less than a quarter of white renters. These racial disparities are in great part due to decades of racially discriminatory housing laws and policies that e cluded people of color from mortgages and deepened segregation lines while promoting the investment of billions of federal dollars in white communities. The sordid legacy of these laws is embedded in the cavernous racial wealth gap that propelled entire generations into poverty, poor health, and housing precarity. As a result of the e treme socioeconomic divide, over 70 of Black and atin adults entered the pandemic lacking the emergency funds to cover three months of e penses, compared to under half of white adults. Without a safety net when crisis strikes, the downward fall is immediate and precipitous, and recovery may be impossible. The administration’s unveiled efforts to terminate fair housing, dismantle civil rights protections and advance “not in my backyard suburban policies only intensifies the opportunity gulf by carrying past offenses forward. Further highlighting the sticking power of racially discriminatory policies, housing stability varies drastically by race. The percentage of Black people in a community is a greater predictor of eviction filings than poverty level in some communities. On average, even across similar education levels, Black renters face eviction at nearly twice the rate of white renters. Coupled with widespread housing discrimination in the rental market, people of color are at e treme risk of housing loss and the social and economic inequalities it causes. In the pandemic conte t, many of the communities most in need of C I 19 emergency rental assistance are also communities of color. innette ickerson, a tenant leader with ICE organizing to stop evictions, summed the effects of disparity when she told me, “We black and brown people will never be able to catch up. The plague of financial and housing insecurity will be looming over our heads. The goals of financial security home ownership will remain a distant unreachable dream for us. Ms. ickerson, a longtime volunteer at a homeless shelter, also faced eviction during the pandemic after being furloughed from her job as a drug counselor.
Policy makers must act Ending the C I 19 eviction crisis presents an opportunity to break a link in the systemic racism chain. et, policy makers have abandoned their duty to prevent the clear and steep human toll of the C I 19 eviction crisis, with some justifying inaction by assigning blame and moral lashings to the people hardest hit by the pandemic. Without rental assistance, parents will be forced into even lower wage jobs that, where available, will hardly cover rental debt on top of housing costs, and could increase the risk of contracting C I 19 and spreading it to loved ones. Researchers determined that lifting eviction moratoriums over the summer resulted in ,700 e cess cases and 10,700 e cess deaths. Underscoring the health inequity, Black and Hispanic adults have higher C I 19 hospitali ation and death rates than their white counterparts. In addition to taking lives, the eviction crisis is on track to devastate and further disadvantage communities of color and strip any chance of true equality and opportunity in America. Federal and state policy makers must both defend against this pressing threat to equality and repair past harms. In the immediate, this means e tending the C C eviction moratorium beyond January, as well as adopting robust state eviction moratoriums, and providing the emergency rental and foreclosure assistance necessary to end the eviction crisis. Then, policy makers must redress longstanding inequality among people of color by guaranteeing equal access to safe, decent, and affordable homes in thriving communities during and after the pandemic. Ms. Zambrano has hope for her children. “I know my children are going to be somebody one day, and not suffer the way I did, she said. It’s every parent’s hope. It’s time every child has the same chance to reach for it. This column was made available by the International Network of Street Papers (INSP.ngo). Emily A. Benfer is health and housing law expert, a law professor at Wake Forest University School of Law, the co-creator of the COVID-19 Housing Policy Scorecard with the Eviction Lab and the Chair of the American Bar Association COVID-19 task force committee on eviction.
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
The dehumanizing cost of homelessness
BY AIDA PEERY
BY CHARLIE MUSOFF
There are a lot of mi ed messages going around during this pandemic. Especially during the holidays when families get together by traveling by car or by plane. ou have the airlines open throughout the SA and around the globe, but people are being asked to give up their traveling plans. The CDC and government officials aren’t making any sense and are confusing people as to whether they should travel traditionally during the pandemic. Sure, most people do understand that the way to stop or minimize from getting it or affecting others is to wear a mask and social distancing. We all know if we don’t have any symptoms we can still carry the virus in our bodies and still affect others. But, at the same time, you still have airlines, buses and cars, restaurants,
shopping centers, ski lodges, etc. open, though in compliance with CDC requirements. CDC and government officials need lightening up a bit because most people in the DMV area are very aware what we should do to protect ourselves and loved ones during this pandemic. We all are already stressed out to have a perfect holiday season. CDC and government officials, please let people have a perfect holiday season without having to worry about the pandemic all the time. We all know what we need to do. I hope all of my special friends and customers have safe, fun festivities and happy holidays and a merry Christmas. Aida Peery is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.
Activists carry signs bearing the names of people who died without a home during a march in Dec. 2017. PHOTO BY ORION DONOVAN-SMITH
Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day BY DONTÉ TURNER
n ec. 21, 2020 events will be held across the country to remember those who lost their lives while being or/and due too homelessness this past year. This is important because those or most of those that are fortunate too provide tend to overlook the homeless as if we don’t have lives or needs. People are so quick to say or think negative things about us homeless citizens instead of trying to find out how to help us out of our situation. ou’ve got people that actually sit back and plot on how they’ll make our situation worse. I’ve read in newspapers and magazines about how donations were made to help out the homeless. I’ve even heard these sayings/statements on the radio. So why is it that most of us homeless citizens are not seeing it being used on us instead of their e pensive lifestyle. The
workers who are in control of our cases is whom I’m referring to. What they don’t seem to realize is that the longer they keep us from getting housing or provide the materials we need in these shelters like janitors to clean that will actually do their job, have up to date meals, clothing we need for the seasons instead of stealing them/withholding it from us, they are supposed or will be held liable for their deaths. So says the ord! Stealing withholding funds, foods, clothing and services and also violating our rights is not only a federal offense, it’s wrong and unjust. So the omeless ersons’ Memorial Day will be very important and relevant. Donté Turner is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.
At work as a case manager, I am privy to the different, multifaceted ways homelessness affects the Street Sense Media community. Some are physical, like the bone deep chill and bleary eyed e haustion one feels after spending a restless night outside. Some are social, like the feeling of indebtedness to loved ones that comes when one needs to keep asking for help. And some are personal, cutting to the core of one’s humanity, like this anecdote. n riday, ov. 27th, issa and I did outreach near nion Station. e started up by the and M Street encampments and came down around the terminal toward the tents on the west side. As we passed the front entrance, we stopped to pass out some chapstick and disinfectant wipes to a kind, middle aged man and caught the attention of a security guard. eali ing that our duffel bag was full of resources for people e periencing homelessness, not clothes for holiday travel, he kept an eye on us as we began to engage the ne t cluster of men. These three wanted whatever we had to offer — socks, gloves, hand warmers — so we planted ourselves, unzipped our outreach bag, and started distributing our wares. Within thirty seconds, the guard had marched around the side of the building, crossed the street, and directed the three men to move it along. He did not address me or Lissa and gave no reason for his order. Initially, the five of us tried to reason with the guard — don’t worry, we’ll move as soon as everyone gets what they need! — but our rationale fell on deaf ears. The three men laid in, asking why they couldn’t catch a break, asking why the guard had to create this problem, one asking why this had to happen right after he had spent Thanksgiving without any family. Of course, neither logic nor shame trumped power, and the guard wouldn’t budge. We gradually dispersed, Lissa and I in silence, the three men in shouts and tears. Reeling, I thought to myself, this is what policing homelessness looks like. I couldn’t believe it, and I definitely could. The guard’s
// 11
message was clear or these men to receive basic human necessities was unacceptable. Their poverty deserved surveillance, and any attempt to alleviate it deserved interruption. The fact of their e istence was the problem. ow that many more people have been brought into the conversation around police violence over the past si months, it is important to recognize that this guard’s behavior stems from the same place, even though he does not derive his authority from a role in law enforcement. This systemic refusal to see Black people and homeless people — too often one and the same — as human beings denies these men fresh socks just as it sends bullets into their community. Because this racism is so widespread, the means of dismantling it must vary by conte t. In situations like this one, I think a good starting point is to bear witness. As the only white person in this whole interaction, I stood to take my own advice. Speaking up stronger and standing my ground longer would have put me in far less danger than it put these Black men. And, if other passersby, particularly other white people, stopped and did the same — or even made it clear that they were watching — our public pressure could have mounted against the guard in a true show of public safety. Later that afternoon, our path looped back around nion Station, past the guard’s post. I still felt shaken up, and I still felt outraged, but those feelings were already becoming numb. I can’t presume to know what emotions or self perceptions the three men carried with them, but I doubt they were positive. In any case, they continued to go without the warmth and the cleanliness our outreach supplies would have provided. Meanwhile, without any visibly homeless individuals in the vicinity, I watched the guard instead focus on the football highlights one of his co workers was streaming, whooping and hollering away. Charlie Musoff is case manager 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.
12 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // D E C. 16 - 29, 2020
ART
My science in her belly BY RON DUDLEY A.K.A. POOKANU Artist/Vendor
My science in her belly: She ask me what I want. My science in her belly: I told her that I want a son more than a daughter. My science in her belly: She said, “What if science gave us both?” My science in her belly: “We having twins” — then her water broke. My science in her belly: We just heard two different cries. My science in her belly: My new tears in four different eyes. My science in her belly: We just had a son and a daughter
BY DON GARDNER Artist/Vendor
My science in her belly: That look just like their father and mother. My science in her belly: I had this dream when I was a kid My science in her belly: Now this dream is really what it is. My science in her belly: One sperm fertilized two eggs My science in her belly: Now — poof! — there goes two heads. My science in her belly.
Melanin Creative BY SASHA WILLIAMS // Artist/Vendor
Melanin, be strong Melanin, gone Melanin, can’t breathe Melanin, breathe Melanin lives 4 ever Melanin magic...I do agree Melanin, powerhouse flames are burning Melanin life multiplies Melanin souls don’t die Melanin, what is your power? Melanin, peace Melanin, strength Melanin, creation Melanin, it’s still a better way Melanin, I love you
The Streets
Melanin, we matter Melanin, 42 shades Melanin, we are not what they do to us Melanin, we are proud Melanin, we are not what they call us Melanin loves Melanin protects Melanin defends Melanin is spectacular Melanin teaches Melanin is majestic Melanin, rise Melanin is not vain Melanin shows messages in many ways Melanin, lead the way.
Times have changed since I left home ondering why I find myself so all alone Trials and tribulations along the way I know it’s time…I must pray. As I walk up the church steps I can hear the choir singing “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me.” For skid row is not a pleasant place to be Hustlin’, money, and cars run free Running for your life is the streets’ decree. Stop, I can hardly breathe. As the sirens pass me by Another one laid to die at the hands of the gun And yes, that was her only son. A young si teen year old handcuffed No friend to trust…tears streaming down her face Lord knows I was touched...down on my knees I fall. As I give heed to the altar call. It’s a blessing to be alive… No envy, nor strife… To the streets I owe that much But to God…I give my life!
Get Thee Hence BY FREDERIC JOHN Artist/Vendor
Honoring “National Get Out Day,” Jan. 19, 2021, and dedicated to the inspiring young leaders/organizers of Black Lives Matter D.C.
Epilepsy BY MARCELLUS PHILLIPS Artist/Vendor
When I first found out I had epilepsy I was extremely confused and no longer had any goals set for myself because I didn’t think I would live to see 21. I didn’t think about applying for disability because I had such a hard time maintaining my health insurance since I was becoming an adult. My mother always worked and it came a time where she did not tolerate me not working so I had to find a way to create my own income. I started selling newspapers and t-shirts
before I got my first legitimate job with a S warehouse. Once I started working I maintained the 9-to-5 mentality while neglecting my health. There would be doctors appointments I missed or didn’t schedule because I had to maintain my job no matter what. After a while this affected me in several ways but mainly because I could not maintain employment to have my own place. Since I have been on disability I have maintained a roof over my head.
A cry arises — Yawp-ing th’ assizes; “Get thee hence, Trump and Pence!” Whence our Savior urged Lucifer, to get him hence, no Light-bearer this one — the constituency Dark/Demons! When the Resurrection dawns— Send them on … Listen dear beloveds and thank! Nice Joe kneels in a humble church, Burggj, on the other hand— Swings his incurious club on the links Blessing only the sybaritic Plurch! Rudy wore the streaming Dye; Mike hosting a nasty fly. Avast! Out! It is true Trump! Pence! Leave us now— Get thee hence! P’raps Stealth supersonics above the White House rooftops will drive you from the closet where ye crouch, or down beneath the couch.
STREETSENSEMEDIA.ORG
Technology and our future
Unjustifiable End
BY REGINALD SCOTT // Artist/Vendor
When you think of a dead end You think of a one way street. How can I sleep comfortably Knowing my homeless can't eat?
My name is Reginald Scott. I’m a changed returning citizen who has been emancipated from a long, hard bid of 20 years. I’ve been progressing since the time of my entry into this world of technology, which is presenting a steep hindrance. Technology is our future, but I am like a newborn babe needing such help in my growth toward that future. I secretly ask myself why would technology, the stepping stone towards our future, be of such corruption? I went on a dating app applying my all trying to find me a real dame with the nature of a goddess to become my wife. I was hacked, ruining it all: my friendships, family, and finances — in addition to my interest in learning and my belief in technology’s ability
to better my future. It had me feeling I was subjugated and a failure. I then recognized how far gone technology really is into the future. Could it be that technology is capturing the world with its corruption to the point where human beings aren’t really living their own lives? May we all as human beings awaken in order to support others not for just their advancement, but for the world’s advancement, so that there may come a point in time when no human being is left behind. All this is to say, all human beings must face the technology of our future. Question yourself as I do as to why technology would be created for the human being to advance into the future, but also involve so many harmful effects.
// 13
BY LATICIA BROCK Artist/Vendor
I think it's very rude For a shelter to serve spoiled food It can make your breath smell bad of periodontitis Or turn your stomach so a diarrhea plight hits. A lady lays in the street under blankets with panties on And the government can't even replace our water pumps or SaniJohns.
I could utilize that budget better in my sleep Because of Corona, my babies got blisters on their feet Medicaid change it now to Carefirst Pweezy loves the homeless and I'm going to keep my babies first. I even seen worms in some of their stool Where did you house my babies after the K Street removals? Now can we get a solution to these tents? Mayor, please, deliver us from this unjustifiable end.
We can try to help all we want: protesting, cussing, and fussing But Mayor Bowser, where is our homeless budget owing
Stay focused
BY CAROLINA CAROLINA-BEY // Artist/Vendor
I’m talking 2 you!
Life is more than the things you see, the voices you hear, the people you meet.
BY LEVESTER GREEN Artist/Vendor
Let circumstances open your eyes and learn from life, who will make you wise.
Life is only what you make of it Until you reach your destination. Walk by faith and you’ll be surprised. You’ll find grace within your drive.
Stay focused.
Stay focused.
And you will see it clear. You will see the message because the signs are there.
The moment you realize life is just a test That’s when you realize you’re truly blessed.
Fix your focus & think it through. Just what is it EXACTLY that you are trying 2 do? You need a slow roll, talking 2 you. I’m not there with you. You’re so busy watching me, looking, lurking, trying 2 keep up with me that you’re not getting your footwork together. Pressing on, walking your path. Yet you want me 2 return 2 walking with you when what did you do? Mistook me for weak because I was there with & for you? aughed scoffed at me while I taught you, as if that was the thing 2 do? Trying 2 pull me back when you need 2 be pulling through! Get your interior together. 2 thine own self be true. See your vision. Set your goals, take your steps. Don’t disappoint yourself! Do whatchu gotta do. I’m talking 2 you! Scavenging through someone else’s shit ain’t true.
I thought standing on shoulders was the move, not jocking & sweating someone so much that they can’t be themselves because now they you. So tell me where did the original you go? Laying dormant somewhere out in Limbo? How low can you go? All that sounds below a true champion that you been trying 2 change into a peon, but I do promise all my building blocks are honest. Sturdier than a mug. That’s why they show this brother Love, & if they don’t then it’s because they not operating in nor on the things of above. Not high-minded & if you think so then you’re blinded, if it’s by the light then use it 2 see the revelation that you’re supposed 2 read in order 2 be who you are supposed 2 be, not a carbon copy of me. Competition competing falsely issa me vs. me!
The more you live, the more you know. The more you lose, the more you grow.
Stay focused.
Wow folks, wow BY QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE Artist/Vendor
Wow folks, wow President Donald Trump was kicked out on his rump. Wow folks, wow Many are still mad, but the vast majority are ever so glad — even my sad friend Chad. Wow folks, wow Let us see how
President-elect Joe Biden will be. Wow folks, wow Please see, like me, how God has a plan for this new political man in o ce. Wow folks, wow Let’s all see how Biden will be, so none of us will have to fuss or cuss. Wow folks, wow.
14 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // D E C 16 - 29, 2020
FUN & GAMES
Novice Sudoku Puzzles, Volume 1, Book 1
Sudoku #2 9
Answers
© 2013 KrazyDad.com
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.#1
SUDOKU: Fill in 5 puzzle 1 without 7 8 guesswork. 4 6 9 3 2 If the you use logic you can solve the blank squares so that 6 shows 3 2a logical 5 7 1 8 the 4 puzzle. Need a littleeach help? row, The hints page order9to solve Use it to column identify theand next square you should solve. Or use the answers page each 8 4 9 1 3 2 6 7 5 if you really get stuck. each 3-by-3 block contain all of the 1 6 8 7 5 3 2 9 4 digits 1-9.
2 2 9 3 6 7 8 1 4 3 2 4 9 9 5 6 3 4
LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE SOLUTION >>
7
5
Sudoku #3 4 7 3 9 8 9 5 3 6 1 2 4 9 2 6 1 1 5 4 8 7 3 8 5 2 4 9 6 3
6
1
7
5
8 7
2
Sudoku #5 9 1 4 5 6 2 5 7 3 8 7 4 4 9 1 2 8 6 3 1 5 7 2 8 1 4 9 6 2 5 6 3 7 3 8 9
9
8
1
6
3
1 4 5 8 7 6 5 3 2 9 8 1 7 5 6 2 7 4 1 8
Are you the same person you were ten years ago? twenty?
1 7 3 5 2 4 1 1 5 6 8 7 6 3 3 1 1 4 5 2 3 9 5 5 4 2 9 1 4 5 2
Don’t Call Me Queequeg BY SAUL TEA Artist/Vendor
Novice Sudoku Puzzles, Volume 1, Book 1
Sudoku #2 9 4 2 6 6 8 7 5 3 1 5 8 2 5 8 7 4 3 6 9 7 9 1 3 8 2 3 1 5 7 4 2 1 6 9 4
5 8 3 2 4 9 9 4 6 2 6 1 3 4 2 8 7 1 4 5 2 6 7 6 9 5 8 9 1 3 5 3 8 7 1
7
3 1
7 9 5 8 4 6 2
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 Bee Gees “How Deep is Your Love” and The Digital Underground’s “The Humpty Dance.” 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.
Sudoku #4 6 8 5 1 2 1 2 4 6 7 7 5 3 9 8 4 3 7 8 5 2 7 9 3 6 9 6 1 2 4 5 1 8 7 3 8 4 2 5 9 3 9 6 4 1
3 6 2 9 8 3 1 2 6 6 7 8 5 9 4 4 3 9 8 5 7 7 4 1 2 1 5
7
8
4
1
9 5 5 3 2 7 1 6 3 2 8 9 6 4
Sudoku #7 7 4 2 1 6 8 3 5 9 3 5 8 9 7 2 1 6 4
5
2
6 8 1 9 9
1
8 7 4 3 3 6 2
5
7
4
6 8 4 9 3 4 7 3 9 2 5 1 3 2 5 4 6 8 7 6 3 8 5 7 4 2 5 6 4 2 1 3 9 2 9 1 7 8 6 5 9 8 2 1 5 7 4 8 4 7 3 9 1 6 1 5 9 6 3 2 8 7
1
Sudoku #6 6 9 4 7 8 7 3 5 5 2 1 3 1 4 8 6 3 5 9 1 7 6 2 4 4 8 7 9 2 3 5 8 9 1 6 2
8 1 5 6 2 9 9 4 8 7 9 3 2 8 4 3 5 1 1 6 2
2 4
3
6
7
1
5
2
7
6 8 5
6
9 3 1
5 3 7
8
4
Sudoku #8 2 5 9 3 1 7 6 8 3 4 6 5 8 2 9 7
4
4
7
9
1
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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COMMUNITY SERVICES
SHELTER HOTLINE Línea directa de alojamiento
YOUTH HOTLINE Línea de juventud
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE Línea directa de violencia doméstica
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento
(202) 399-7093
(202) 547-7777
1-800-799-7233
1-888-793-4357
Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento
Education Educación
Health Care Seguro
Clothing Ropa
Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal
Case Management Coordinación de Servicios
Food Comida
Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo
Transportation Transportación
Showers Duchas
All services listed are referral-free Academy of Hope Public Charter School 202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Place NE aohdc.org
Bread for the City - 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 - 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org
Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Good Hope Rd., SE calvaryservices.org
Food and Friends // 202-269-2277 (home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc) 219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org
Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th St., NW ID (Friday 9am–12pm only) foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities
Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org
Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp
Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org
Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org
Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9128 425 2nd St., NW jobshavepriority.org
Charlie’s Place // 202-232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org
Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org
Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd., NW christhouse.org
Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org
Church of the Pilgrims // 202-387-6612 2201 P St., NW food (1-1:30 on Sundays only) churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach
Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW cflsdc.org
2375 Elvans Road SE
2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE
Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org
Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 communityofhopedc.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
Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org
So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org
St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-333-4949 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
JOB BOARD Pharmacy technician Unity Health Care The pharmacy technician will be responsible for preparing prescriptions by counting the exact number of dosages; preparing medications; referring doctor’s calls and customer medical questions to the pharmacist; and implementing inventory control, procedures and ordering stock. REQUIRED: High school diploma or equivalent; 6 months experience as pharmacy technician. Experience working with underserved and homeless populations preferred. APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/pharmacy-tech-job
Front desk receptionist A Brighter Image // Dupont Circle
My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org
Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org
Laundry Lavandería
// 15
Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org
Unity Health Care 3020 14th St., NW // unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699 1500 Galen Street SE, 1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 555 L Street SE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place, NE, 810 5th Street NW
A Brighter Image is a glasses store with an optometrist. Duties for the front desk receptionist will include checking patients in and out, pre-screening patients before their eye exams. REQUIRED: None listed. APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/brighter-image-job
Crew member Trader Joe’s // U Street area Temporary // Up to 38 hours per week, evening shifts on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday Saturday Sunday
The crew member at this Trader Joe’s location will man the register, bag groceries, stock shelves, and help customers find items. REQUIRED: None listed.
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org
APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/trader-joes-crew-job
The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable
Kitchen team member Chick-fil-A // Dupont Circle 20-35 hours
Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org
Must be able to work a variable schedule depending on location needs and holidays, and must be able to lift 50 pounds. REQUIRED: High school diploma or equivalent. APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/chick-fil-a-kitchenstaff
Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW
Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org
Part-time
For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide
Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org
from Sappho Who wer fair be goed to look upon, Ho is good bee fayr, thow youth is don.
BY FRANKLIN STERLING
Artist Vendor
A nurse at a hospital in Niger leaving her shift screening patients for COVID-19 at the entrance. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNA.PSIAKIS / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Thank you for reading Street Sense!
Challenge
Kindness
BY AYUB ABDUL Artist/Vendor
JENNIFER MCLAUGHLIN Artist/Vendor
The Moon rolls around and slips away as the sun brings another day. All kinds of things may come your way. Do you stand or run away? tand and fight i you re right, challenges will always come to you. Do you win or do you lose? Ask yourself am I ready? Why am I just talkin’? The answer lies within you.
During this pandemic there has been an abundance of kindness from businesses, community nonprofits, and churches. At Street Sense Media you never know what background someone has, but they always show gratitude and say “thank you.” I appreciate it when someone supports me, like when you give me a donation to Street Sense. Sometimes I say God bless you and that’s when you find out that that person has faith. They will say “God bless you” back. It’s up to me to know that sometimes people really care about the community. No matter what job you have, always show that you care.
From your vendor DEC 16 - 29, 2020 | VOLUME 18 ISSUE 4
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