VOL. 19 ISS UE 6 | DEC . 22, 2021
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E ISSUE!
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BUSINESS MODEL
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How It Works
VENDORS
Street Sense Media publishes the newspaper
Each vendor functions as an independent contractor for Street Sense Media, managing their own business to earn an income and increase stability in their life.
Ayub Abdul, Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Abraham Aly, Gerald Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Phillip Black, Andre Brinson, Brianna Butler, Melody Byrd, Anthony Carney, Carlos Carolina, Floyd Carter, Jeffrey Carter, Conrad Cheek, Chris Cole, Jenkins Daltton, James Davis, Patricia Donaldson, Ron Dudley, Betty Everett, Queenie Featherstone,
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Jet Flegette, Jemel Fleming, Don Gardner, Chon Gotti, Marcus Green, Mildred Hall, Ibn Hipps, Frederic John, Carlton Johnson, Henry Johnson, Mark Jones, Morgan Jones, Reggie Jones, Juliene Kengnie, John Littlejohn, August Mallory, Marcus McCall, Jeffery McNeil, Ricardo Meriedy, Kenneth Middleton, Collins Mukasa, Evelyn Nnam, Earl Parker, Aida Peery, Jacquelyn Portee, Abel Putu, Doris Robinson, Michele Rochon, Corey Sanders, Rita Sauls, Patty Smith, David Snyder, Franklin Sterling, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Jacqueline Turner, Donte Turner, Joseph Walker, Rochelle Walker, Amia Walker, Michael Warner, Robert Warren, Susan Westmoreland, Sheila White, Wendell Williams, Latishia Wynn
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mary Coller Albert, Blake Androff, Jeremy Bratt, David
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Cloe, Clare Krupin, Jennifer Park, Michael Phillips, Dan Schwartz, John Senn, Aaron Stetter, Daniel Webber, Shari Wilson, Corrine Yu AVA I L A B L E
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT
AND DEVELOPMENT
As self-employed contractors, our vendors follow a code of conduct. 1. I will support Street Sense Media’s mission statement and in so doing will work to support the Street Sense Media community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity. 2. I will treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and fellow vendors, respectfully at all times. I will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making donations, or engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices. 3. I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense Media but an independent contractor. 4. While distributing the Street Sense newspaper, I will not ask for more than $2 per issue or solicit donations by any other means. 5. I will only purchase the newspaper from Street Sense Media staff and volunteers and will not distribute newspapers to other vendors.
Cover theme suggested by Artist/Vendor James Davis. ILLUSTRATION BY JEFF MURRAY
www.jeffsamillion.com
Doris Warrell
DIRECTOR OF VENDOR PROGRAMS
6. “I will not distribute copies of “Street Sense” on metro trains and buses or on private property.”
Darick Brown
7. I will abide by the Street Sense Media Vendor Territory Policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes with other vendors in a professional manner.
Leo Grayburn
8. I will not sell additional goods or products while distributing “Street Sense.”
Thomas Ratliff
9. I will not distribute “Street Sense” under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Aida Peery, Clifford Samuels
10. I understand that my badge and vest are property of Street Sense Media and will not deface them. I will present my badge when purchasing “Street Sense” and will always display my badge when distributing “Street Sense.”
INTERESTED IN BEING A VENDOR? New vendor training: every Tuesday and Thursday // 2 p.m. // 1317 G St., NW
The Cover
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Brian Carome
The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper Originally founded as a street newspaper in 2003, Street Sense Media has evolved into a multimedia center using a range of creative platforms to spotlight solutions to homelessness and empower people in need. The men and women who work with us do much more than sell this paper: They use film, photography, theatre, illustration, and more to share their stories with our community. Our media channels elevate voices, our newspaper vendor and digital marketing programs provide economic independence. And our in-house case-management services move people forward along the path toward permanent supportive housing. At Street Sense Media, we define ourselves through our work, talents, and character, not through our housing situation.
CASE MANAGER DIRECTOR OF VENDOR EMPLOYMENT VENDOR PROGRAM ASSOCIATES VENDOR PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS Jeff Barger, Haley Gallagher, Roberta Haber, Ann Herzog, Kevin Jaatinen, Jacob Kuba, Eva Reeves, Mauricio Reyes
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Eric Falquero
STAFF REPORTER Will Schick
WRITERS GROUP ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Willie Schatz
OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER) Rebecca Koenig, Emily Kopp, Lydia DePillis
INTERNS Maydeen Merino
EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS Ryan Bacic, Katie Bemb, Megan Boyanton, Lilah Burke, Lenika Cruz, Roberta Haber, Allison Hageman, Alison Henry, Kathryn Owens, Priya Rhoehit, Nick Shedd, Andrew Siddons, Jenny-lin Smith, Rebecca Stekol
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LOOKING BACK & LOOKING FORWARD
Thank you, customers!
T
he pandemic has been hard on Street Sense Media vendors. In 2020, for the first three months, we had to stop printing entirely. However, many customers kept paying for digital copies of the paper remotely to help vendors get through that period. In 2021, sales have steadily climbed ever since we increased to weekly publication in April. As you know, each vendor runs their own sales operation and keeps 100% of their profits. So that’s more money in the pockets of more people. Your purchases and our vendors work have nearly returned newspaper sales to pre-pandemic levels. We will continue to push past that mark in the coming year. Thank you for giving the gift of Street Sense! Read more on page 29, where several vendors wrote individual notes of thanks and gratitude.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIENNE KENGNIE, ARTIST/VENDOR
After 10.5 years helping to produce this paper, and seven as chief editor, it is time for me to move on. I’m sad to pull back from this community a bit, and will miss my colleagues dearly. But I’m lucky to continue working in local media, moving to WAMU, and excited for the next chapter of Street Sense. Our accountability reporter, Will Schick, has been promoted to fill my shoes. He first came to SSM as an intern after a decade of service in the Marine Corps. At the time, he was also leading a writing group at Miriam’s Kitchen. He continued volunteering with us when he went on to work for other media outlets before joining our staff. He has an MFA in creative writing, is pursuing a master’s in journalism, and is halfway through a yearlong fellowship with The Poynter Institute for Media Studies. I couldn’t leave things in better hands and I’m thrilled to see how things evolve as we turn the page and I become a customer. Thank you for reading and for supporting your vendor, Eric Falquero, Editorial Director
BIRTHDAYS Sybil Taylor Dec. 25 ARTIST/VENDOR
Debora Brantley Dec. 27 ARTIST/VENDOR
Ricardo Meriedy Jan. 2 ARTIST/VENDOR
VENDOR PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENTS • Office hours during the holidays will be the same as usual except for the following: • Fri (Dec. 24): 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. • Mon (Dec. 27): Closed • Fri (Dec. 31): 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. • Mon (Jan. 3): Closed • Holiday Gift Bags are here! Just ask for yours in the lobby. • Vendors can bring in a complete CDC vaccination card for 15 free papers, and proof of a booster shot for 10. DATA AND GRAPH BY THOMAS RATLIFF, DIRECTOR OF VENDOR EMPLOYMENT
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NEWS
Ninth annual vigil for people who died while experiencing homelessness in DC BY ATHIYAH AZEEM athiyahta.com
A
about 70 people gathered at Luther Place Memorial Church on Dec. 20 to remember the hundreds of people who have died without a home during the past decade in the District of Columbia. In 2021, 69 people died while homeless in the city, according to the People for Fairness Coalition (PFFC), a homeless advocacy group that organized the overnight vigil. Every year for the past three years, PFFC has attempted to collect the names of people who died without a home. In 2020, they counted 70. The year before, they counted 81. The actual count, however, might be much higher. In 2020, the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which gathers similar data, published a report revealing that 180 people who died in the District that year were “undomiciled.” At the vigil, PFFC reported that an additional 141 people who had previously experienced homelessness had also died in 2021 — this is close to the number of people who died after moving into housing in 2020. PFFC organized the vigil, which they’ve conducted every year since 2013. This year, Miriam’s Kitchen, the Way Home Campaign and other homelessness advocacy organizations participated and representatives spoke to attendees. Only 15 people could conduct the vigil in 2020, due to COVID-19 precautions and social distancing measures. Last year, the event was streamed for public viewing on Zoom. “I’m very sad to be here tonight, for this year and the year before,” said Maurice Cook, one of the night’s speakers and the executive director of mutual aid organization Serve Your City DC. “I’m sick and tired of people dying on the street.” Street Sense vendor Marcus McCall, who has been homeless for 10 years, spoke at the vigil about how the pandemic put what felt like insurmountable pressure on his ability to cope. “I was afraid,” McCall said. “I kinda snapped a little bit, mentally.” McCall said he had a more positive outlook on his future after finding a way to earn an income and obtain medical treatment. “The journey is not over,” McCall told the community. “Please don’t give up. Please don’t.” One of the many people whose life was celebrated at the vigil was Waldon Adams, a Way Home Campaign advocate and Pathways to Housing outreach specialist known across the homeless community. Adams died in a hit-and-run in April. “This guy is a super guy,” Kevin Coates, another advocate attending the vigil said. “You mention that name, everybody knows him.” Multiple speakers criticized Mayor Muriel Bowser’s CARES pilot program, which cleared large encampments throughout the city. The program has been widely criticized as aggressive, due to its use of police and bulldozers. The office is actively attempting to secure apartment leases for the people they cleared from this area. But according to PFFC outreach director Andrew Anderson, the rate at which people are being housed does not match the pace of encampment cleanups. “[The pilot program] is not moving fast enough. There are going to be more people on that list waiting for housing,” Anderson said. He asked the attendees to reflect on a list of people who died experiencing homlessness this year. “If this continues, their names will show up on this list.” Other people who attended the vigil offered similar criticisms, including Jesse Rabinowitz, senior manager
People experiencing homelessness and advocates gather in Luther Place Memorial Church to remember those who lost their lives without “the dignity of a home” this year, on Dec. 20, 2021. PHOTO BY ATHIYAH AZEEM
People experiencing homelessness and advocates carry a casket symbolizing the lives of people who died without a home out of Luther Place Memorial Church, to march down to Freedom Plaza, Dec. 20, 2021. PHOTO BY ATHIYAH AZEEM
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Demonstrators march toward Freedom Plaza on Dec. 20, 2021. PHOTO BY ATHIYAH AZEEM
of policy and advocacy for Miriam’s Kitchen, one of the organizations that helped hand out information sheets and answer questions people had about the event. Rabinowitz said the cleanups are harmful and disruptive to encampment communities, and that it violates Center for Disease Control guidelines, which discourage encampment clean-ups, as upending people and their belongings increases the spread of disease, including COVID-19. “It’s not lost on me that [on] National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, we are memorializing the 69 people who died without housing in the street, D.C. Council is voting to pause
encampment evictions, and also at the same time, the Mayor will be evicting [residents of] an encampment in Ward 4,” Rabinowitz told Street Sense. He says he hopes the council chooses to prioritize housing over evicting encampments. In reaction to the pilot program, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, with support from three other councilmembers introduced emergency legislation on Dec. 6 to pause encampment clearings. Nadeau and other councilmembers called on the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and the D.C. Department of Human Services to instead focus on providing people living on the streets with
adequate housing options and access to medical services. On Dec. 21, the council failed to pass the emergency declaration with five yes votes, seven no votes and one absent vote. By voting no to the declaration, the council voted that there is no emergency, and thus voted against the amendment. After speeches, a casket representing the hundreds of people who died without a home in this city, was carried from the church by community members who marched down 14th Street NW to Freedom Plaza while chanting “housing is a human right!” Upon reaching a large tent in Freedom Plaza, PFFC served food and laid out a table with free warm clothes. PFFC then conducted an open forum where participants engaged in the virtual conversation from Freedom Plaza and enjoyed hot tea and Wi-Fi provided by The Humanities Truck, a mobile truck with a large display screen. It also played “Street Reporter,” a documentary featuring local housing rights advocates Sheila White and Reginald Black. Around eight people who planned to sleep in the tent gathered inside to stay warm. Earlier in the day, according to multiple individuals present, the U.S. National Park Service denied PFFC use of the park’s electricity citing recent COVID19 surges. The group was not able to secure electricity until about 10:30 p.m. when they used a generator to power heating lamps and lighting for the tent. “I believe next year some housing needs should be [met] with some of the numbers. We have a lot of homeless people out here due to the coronavirus and due to lack of case management”, McCall said. “But I believe next year when we do this event again we should be speaking of who’s been housed and actually celebrating.” The casket was carried to the Church of the Epiphany mid-day on Tuesday, where an interfaith memorial service was held, to read the names of everyone who died. Ben Gutman contributed reporting. See more photos and the list of those remembered on pages 6 and 7.
Maurice Cook, executive director of Serve Your City DC speaks at the vigil, standing with two young homelessness advocates on Dec. 20, 2021. He points at the need to make housing affordable for D.C. residents now, and in the future. PHOTO BY ATHIYAH AZEEM
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NEWS
A memorial service was held at Church of the Epiphany at 1317 G Street NW on Dec. 21. The names of everyone known to have died while homeless in the District this year were read. Photo by Ben Burges / kstreetphotographydc.com
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Gone but not forgotten On pages 4-5, you read about the at least 69 people known to have died homeless in the District of Columbia this year. Only four of those individuals were recognized by name: • • • •
Antonio Cabral Castillo, Age 75 Jose N, Age unkown Matthew Walker, Age 36 Taija Rasberry (a.k.a. Chinkky), Age 23
The rest of the individuals were identified by the age at which they died The youngest person was 24 and the oldest was 77. Twenty-two of the deceased had been matched to a housing voucher but died before they could move in to an apartment, according to the list published by the advocates who organized the service. A second list provided to attendees memorialized 141 formerly homeless people known to have died after moving into housing. The youngest was an infant and the oldest was 94. Thirteen people were recognized by name: • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Alphonso Johnson, Age 74 Annie Brown, Age 71 Anthony Jenkins, Age 64 Donald Richardson, Age 63 Gregory Mills, Age 62 Kenneth Best, Age 43 Maurice Davis, Age 61 Ralph Rhone, Age 60 Ramon Houser, Age 48 Rhonda Whitaker, Age 55 Ricky Balthrop, Age 60 Tyrone “Bobby “ Prince, Age 65 Waldon Adams, Age 60
Street Sense Media also remembers and grieves the loss of three formerly homeless colleagues who died this year:
SHERNELL THOMAS Age 75
DAVID DENNY Age 65
ANTHONY CRAWFORD Age 64
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NEWS
“I lost my home, I didn’t lose my pride”:
Big Issue seller Lee Welham meets founder John Bird BY LEE WELHAM The Big Issue
Here’s what happened when a Vendor Lee Welham of the United Kingdom’s street paper, the Big Issue, met the publication’s co-founder, John Bird. They shared a wide-ranging chat, covering everything from the launch of the magazine 30 years ago to plans for the future. LEE WELHAM: So the first question is, where did you come up with the idea for The Big Issue? JOHN BIRD: I didn’t come up with the idea. I came up with a name. The idea came from New York. Gordon Roddick of The Body Shop, who was the person who gave me the money to start The Big Issue, he was in New York and this guy – Gordon said he was like a wardrobe walking down the road – asked, “Would you like a copy of my paper called Street News?” He said, “I buy it for 50 cents and sell it for a dollar.” Gordon asked, “Why do you do it?” And he said, “I’m just out the penitentiary. I’ve been in and out of prison most of my life.” So Gordon thought, wow – this is brilliant, we’ve got to try that over here. WELHAM: Did you think it would be popular?
BIRD: I will remember this for the rest of my life. I was going to take a badge off a very large vendor in the middle of Covent Garden [in Central London], who was really being a pain in the rear. I thought, how am I going to do this? I’m going to have to charm him or threaten him. And as I walked towards him, I saw a copper go over and take him a cup of coffee and a sandwich. And they were chatting, patting each other on the back. I’m not sure if they were high-fiving because I don’t think that was around then. But you’d have thought they were two mates. This was interesting. So I followed the copper and said, “I saw you talking to that Big Issue vendor.” He said, “Yeah, why are you asking?” I said, “Well, I started The Big Issue”, and he embraced me. He said, “You know what? That guy had been an absolute pain up until a week or two ago and he’s now changed. The reason he’s changed is because he knows so many people who like him now because he’s selling The Big Issue.” That was a real eye-opener. That’s when I knew we had something bigger than simply, here’s a few magazines, go and flog them. WELHAM: Did you have to de-badge him?
BIRD: I was interested in something very simple. I had been a rough sleeper, and I got out of that by going into prison, which was the best thing to happen to me because I learned to read and write and do other things. I really hated the way people looked at homeless people as if they were another species. Some of them would be very nice to you, but they wouldn’t do anything practical. And I thought, well, why don’t we give people a bit of money? If they are, you know, taking drink or drugs at least they’re not harming anybody else. You decriminalize people and you gain respect from the public. Because you’re a trader. You’re a retailer on the high street, just like WH Smith, but without a door.
BIRD: No. He had been transformed because he met people who liked him and believed in him. People complain to me, “Oh, I met this drunken Big Issue vendor”. With time they will change. WELHAM: I call it limbo. You don’t want to live, you don’t want to die. When you don’t want to live, you don’t want to improve the quality of your life. When you don’t want to die, you don’t want to get worse off. Some guys, they’re stuck in that limbo. And selling The Big Issue, they start believing in themselves again. That’s what The Big Issue does. So what does The Big Issue need to do in the next 30 years? Do you even want The Big Issue to be here in 30 years?
money on supporting people when they’re born and when they go to school. Most of the people at The Big Issue, or when I was in prison, if you asked them: put your hand up in the air if you did badly at school, most hands would go up. They’d say they didn’t get anything out of school. We have to find a way of preventing people ending up in need. Social services and charities are very good at responding when the shit has hit the fan but they’re not very good at preventing. This is why I’ve got a Wellbeing Of Future Generations Bill going through the House, because what I’m saying is until we reinvent education, until we reinvent government, until we reinvent social services, until we reinvent the NHS, we’re treading water. While spending an enormous amount of money.
WELHAM: Not as high rent too. And we get to work from home, which is brilliant. What’s your proudest moment with The Big Issue?
BIRD: In the first editorial in the first edition I said, with the passage of time we’re hoping to put ourselves out of business, which is still my ambition. The problem is that we don’t spend the right
WELHAM: Like hostels are so over the top. It costs £350 a week to stay there. That’s ridiculous. You could stay in a Travelodge cheaper than that. I like the idea of these Housing First pods.
Give a person somewhere to live and give them support for that year. Teach them how to pay bills. Because what tends to happen is people are on the street for years, they get housed then told, you go and sort yourself out. That’s why the same homeless people are constantly getting recycled. BIRD: Without that wraparound support you’re going nowhere. WELHAM: Have you ever sold the magazine? BIRD: Only as a kind of publicity stunt. Way before Virgin, Richard Branson had a magazine called The Student and I used to sell it. The unfortunate thing is, as you might gather, I talk too much. I’d fall into conversation and an hour later I’d sold one copy when I could have sold 10 in that time. One of the worst things about me is when you start me on to what I love talking about, which is The Big Issue and how it came about, social justice, history. I bore the arse off people.
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Lee Welham Pitch: Outside the Round Church, Cambridge. Lee Welham and John Bird celebrate The Big Issue’s 30th birthday. LEE ORDERED THE BALLOONS HIMSELF ESPECIALLY FOR JOHN’S VISIT. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEE WELHAM
WELHAM: Your latest campaign is to Stop Mass Homelessness. How do you do that? BIRD: It’s as simple as apples falling off a tree. You get the Treasury to recognize that if thousands and thousands of people lose their homes because they’ve lost their jobs during Covid-19, they are going to cost us two or three times more than what it costs to keep them in their homes. Pay off their mortgage or their back rent, give them enough money to survive the crisis, help them find a new job or skill them up. This is a unique opportunity by government to demonstrate prevention. WELHAM: I actually met a fellow a couple of days ago who didn’t want to sleep out any more, so he went into Marks & Spencer and stole a load of stuff then confessed because he’d much rather go to jail. I thought, how awful is that? What was your first night rough sleeping like?
BIRD: I was eight. I was in a Catholic orphanage for three years. I ran away and slept in a barn. All my rough sleeping was getting away from disaster. WELHAM: I’m lucky. I literally spent 50 days sleeping outside, the rest was sofa surfing. One Christmas a family kidnapped me. They were vegans and they even cooked me my own turkey! Have you got one of the first copies of The Big Issue? BIRD: Well, no. You can see it in the British Library. We had so many potential vendors who’d said they were interested beforehand, and on the day we launched we only had three. Then we got five. I think by the end of the day we had nine. And we projected that we’d sell about 50,000 copies. We sold 30,000 and we had to bin 20,000. Each one of those now would be worth… I’ve seen the first issue advertised for 300 quid. ‘Why don’t the homeless just go home?’ [the cover feature of that first edition] because
often people say, why don’t they just piss off? Well, where are they going to piss off to? WELHAM: Some people think there are lots of fake homeless. I always used to wear a shirt. A lot of people were bamboozled because I looked so clean. I lost my home, I didn’t lose my pride. BIRD: You can lose your home but if you lose your hope… You’ve got to have hope. WELHAM: Here’s a random question. If I keep working really, really hard, are you going to hire me? BIRD: Well, also in my first editorial, I said a number of things. One was that I wanted the day when The Big Issue was written by vendors. And that day has not come. Obviously our special issue is kind of pushing it along that road. We’ve had many homeless writers over the years, so we kind of fulfilled part of the remit. And dozens of artists. Unbelievable the quality of work
that comes out of homeless people, equal to anything coming out of colleges. If I can get some geezer to give me a shedload of money then I would spend it on hiring almost like interns for The Big Issue. I’m always looking for new ways to work with homeless people. I do not want homeless people working on the streets for a moment longer than they need to. I’d like to ask you a question. Where would you like to see The Big Issue going now? WELHAM: I think we should still have a paper version, but I think we should have a digital version. You can still buy off a vendor, we simply put a QR code on their badge. People would download an app then scan your badge and the copy would go directly to your phone. I also like the idea that we sell in shops. Lee Welham sells The Big Issue outside the Round Church, Cambridge. Courtesy of
INSP.ngo / The Big Issue UK bigissue.com and @BigIssue.
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NEWS
An activist group experiencing the harms of the affordable housing and eviction crisis firsthand – offers a model of possibility for fed up tenants worldwide BY ANN-DERRICK GAILLOT INSP
When the members of KC Tenants show up together in their yellow shirts, they come boldly proclaiming their demands on their backs: “What we want is safe, accessible, and truly affordable homes.” KC Tenants leader Diane Charity reads the black print to me over the phone from Kansas City, Missouri where the tenants union and advocacy group is based. She emphasizes the last demand with a straightforwardness that has come to define the group’s approach to creating change. “Truly affordable homes doesn't mean that these out of state people that come in and get all this funding to make these affordable houses [that are] cheaply made,” she says. “Hike the rent up every year to the point where it puts us out, which gentrifies our neighborhood, and then they act like they're doing us a favor.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF KC TENANTS
Rather, KC Tenants, made up of members of the city’s communities of renters, fights for cooperative housing, social housing, and a dignified response to the city’s housing, eviction, and homelessness crises. And ever since its formation in 2019, it’s made its demands for a better world known through carefully-researched policy proposals as well as direct actions matching the urgency of the issues they’re addressing. From leaders chaining themselves to a county courthouse door in an effort to stop eviction court proceedings to confronting city Mayor Quinton Lucas at a protest at City Hall, KC Tenants has never taken it easy on Kansas City’s elected officials. And why would they? Its members experience the harms of the city’s long-standing affordable housing and
eviction crisis first-hand on a daily basis. “One of our founding philosophies is that we are the experts on housing,” says Charity, who was a founding member of KC Tenants alongside Founding Director Tara Raghuveer, Board President Tiana Caldwell, and Brandy Granados. “We are the experts because we have the lived experience.” On the day of our interview (18 November 2021), Charity and her fellow KC Tenants members were preparing for the organization’s town hall with the Mayor in attendance. That evening, organizers led those gathered at the auditorium of a local school, with hundreds more viewing on Facebook Live. It included an opening song, a panel answering questions on social housing and the group’s plans for a Housing Trust Fund, and testimony from
PHOTO COURTESY OF KC TENANTS
renters in the audience on their visions for housing in the city. KC Tenants has consistently kept pressure on Lucas to listen to and face the city’s most housing vulnerable residents ever since his election to the office just months after the group was founded. At their dogged insistence, he spent his first night as mayor in the substandard apartment one KC Tenants member lived in with her children, complete with sorely-needed but unprovided repairs and the sounds of gunshots outside. The group’s creative direct action sent a clear message to city officials: Kansas City’s tenants are taking power into their own hands. As in other American cities, renters in Kansas City face rising rents, a dearth of affordable housing, and a general attitude of disdain for the many struggling with housing insecurity and homelessness. But in recent years, by harnessing the power of grassroots organizing, an extensive, months-long research project examining other cities, and unrelenting hope, KC Tenants has managed to achieve big wins for the city’s tenants. These included successfully advocating for the city’s adoption of an historic Tenants Bill of Rights in 2020. “All of these politicians that talked so condescendingly towards it said, ‘We'll write that ordinance for you and then we'll get it passed.’ And we said, ‘No, you won't. You won't write anything because you don't live our experience,” remembers Charity about the fight for the Tenants Bill of Rights. In her eyes, the group rejects a local tradition of polite passivity and confrontation avoidance known in the area as ‘Kansas City Nice’. The kind of determination KC Tenants uses to keep public officials engaged and held accountable to their constituents may go against the grain of ‘Kansas City Nice’. However, Charity surmises that sticking to a ‘Kansas
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City Nice’ attitude does nothing for the fight for truly affordable housing. “We're saying we're not taking that BS anymore. We do have rights and we will stand up,” she says. “We're that beam of light that people are saying, 'Wow, These people have the nerve to think that they're going to get the world as it should be instead of surviving the world as it is. And that is what we're doing. We know it can be better.” Kansas City, smack dab in the Midwest in a Republican-led state, is often overlooked in the national conversation about the U.S.’s housing crisis. And yet the KC Tenants union’s successes and structure — which includes a hotline, a team that researches and crafts policy, a team that organizes tenants unions, and a team that helps tenants fight evictions as well as unfair and illegal housing practices — offers a model of possibility for fed up tenants worldwide. It entered 2021 in high gear, proclaiming the months ahead the Year of the Tenant, beginning with Zero Eviction January, during which the group’s members took direct action to delay more than 900 eviction hearings that month. Then, after months of advocacy and
“We're that beam of light that people are saying, 'Wow, These people have the nerve to think that they're going to get the world as it should be instead of surviving the world as it is. And that is what we're doing. We know it can be better.” Diane Charity, KC Tenants
organizing, the group helped win funding for an Office of the Tenant Advocate to enforce the Tenants Bill of Right in Spring 2021. It ended the year with another major victory: the city council passed an ordinance providing legal counsel to tenants, no matter what their income is. Drafted and pushed by KC Tenants, along with fellow advocacy groups the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom and the Missouri Workers Center/Stand Up KC, the historic program is slated to be in place by summer 2022. Now, the union is pushing for an ordinance it drafted for a People's Housing Trust Fund that calls for the city to divert funding from policing and tax incentives for developers into permanently establishing and maintaining affordable housing. Though many cities already have housing trust funds in place, KC Tenants hopes to establish one with crucial safeguards in place as far as tenant rights and representation in governance, avoiding creating another “a slush fund for developers and property owners,” as the group says in its fund proposal released in June 2021. ““We can fight for something. We may not get everything, but if we start
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with housing, that's a start for us. Then we can go on to the next thing and the next thing,” Charity says. “But if you don't have a place to lay your head—to actually sleep and then get dressed to go to school and work the next morning— it's the scariest thing that can ever happen to you, you know? It's unfathomable that people are doing that.” Though every community has its unique struggles, Charity’s advice for people looking to start their own tenants unions is the same. “Give grace. Give grace to whomever you're speaking with. Listen to them and allow them to tell their story,” she says. “[Whatever] their walk of life, they have that seed of hope in them that things will get better. We spark that seed of hope and it takes us to where we're trying to get to obtain safe, truly affordable housing that's accessible for anyone and everyone. Housing is a human right.” Ann-Derrick Gaillot is a freelance journalist and writer based in Missoula, Montana. Find her work at annderrickgaillot.contently.com. Courtesy of
INSP North America / International Network of Street Papers.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KC TENANTS
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NEWS
Al Richardson outside of the Pandemic Emergency Program for Medically Vulnerable Individuals hotel where he lives. PHOTO BY MAYDEEN MERINO, EDITORIAL INTERN
DC’s hotels for homeless people who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 are planned to extend through hypothermia season
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n November, President Biden extended Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding until Apr. 1 to combat COVID-19. The extension allows D.C.’s Pandemic Emergency Program for Medically Vulnerable Individuals (PEP-V) to continue throughout March. PEP-V enables people at higher risk of being severely affected by COVID-19 to shelter in hotel rooms instead of traditional congregate facilities. Residents may stay in the hotel until they are matched with housing assistance. In April the city exhausted its permanent supportive housing vouchers and told PEP-V residents about this grim outlook. But more funds became available, and the program continued to operate. The D.C. Council then implemented a new tax, starting in October, that will provide dedicated funding for housing vouchers and more in the years to come. As of Dec. 12, 546 people reside at a PEP-V site, according to the D.C. Department of Human Services. When the city added the fourth hotel in April, DHS capped the waiting list, which was already nearly as large as the program’s capacity.
BY MAYDEEN MERINO @maydeennnn
Since late 2020, most residents have shared a room to maximize space in the program. As of December 15, 441 people had moved from the medically vulnerable hotels to permanent housing since the program began, according to a website published by DHS. Another 278 people in the hotels had been matched to “permanent housing resources” at the time, such as case management or help obtaining an ID and processing other paperwork. The District does not have a precise end date for the program. On average, it costs $6.9 million per month to run five sites, one for people who test positive for COVID-19 to isolate and quarantine (ISAQ) in addition to four PEP-V hotels, DHS said in an email. Records Street Sense Media obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this year showed that all but approximately 4% of the expenses for the PEP-V and ISAQ hotels can be reimbursed through FEMA. “The extension of FEMA funds for non-congregate shelter allows us to maintain the program beyond the initial plans for demobilization Sept. 30,” the spokesperson for DHS wrote.
When the pandemic emerged in the United States, Marcus McCall was in prison. Shortly after being released, he lived in the tunnel at D and 2nd Streets NW. As the city prepared for President Biden’s inauguration, McCall recalls the government carrying out an emergency “cleanup” at D and 2nd Streets. That same day, DHS started talking to those unhoused residents affected about an opportunity to sign up for the PEP-V program. “DHS came out, and they just rounded up and collected some people. I guess they thought they could help, but some people don’t always want help,” McCall said. At the beginning of the program, McCall remembers the program rules as being much more relaxed. He stayed out, despite a curfew, for the first couple of weekends. But he says the team did not check on him or his room. In PEP-V, residents must return to the hotel before 7 p.m. McCall said this curfew made it challenging to complete his work as a newspaper vendor and writer for Street Sense Media. Special arrangements were eventually made to allow him to work past the curfew hour, but he said that was a long process.
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Data from the “Responding to COVID-19 in Emergency Shelters” ArcGIS storymap published by D.C. Department of Human Services (https://tinyurl.com/dhs-storymap). DATA AND VISUALIZATION COURTESY OF DHS
McCall needed his case manager from Street Sense Media to confirm that he was working past 7 p.m. McCall says the PEP-V staff started doing room checks in October because they witnessed people overdosing in the hotel rooms. McCall thinks some problems with the program could have been avoided by having more rules in place. McCall praised the medical staff but said the other employees and management are not always readily available. He said some do not seem fully trained to work in this setting. “Someone there might have no experience of even filling out an application for social security because their mom did it for them, or they tell you, ‘Oh, I don’t know, dude, you got to go online,’” McCall said. Another current PEP-V resident, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said the wellness checkups are nearly every other hour. Still, he has no problem with the staff doing their jobs. He does have an issue with the quality of the hotel’s food. “I’ve had hamburgers you could not cut with a knife,” the unnamed resident said. He also described pancakes he could not tear through with his teeth and “chicken salad” made with hardly any chicken.
Photo of a meal distributed to a PEP-V resident. PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO
Most residents in PEP-V need medical attention for the other health concerns that qualified them for the program. The unnamed resident said the medical team’s care was excellent but that residents could often only see the doctor for 15 minutes on two specific days of the week due to the high number of patients.
“You can only get sick on Tuesday or Thursday,” he joked. Unity Health Care is one service provider that helps take care of patients in PEP-V. The nonprofit’s medical director for Homeless Outreach Services at Unity Healthcare, Catherine Crosland, said they visit three of the four hotels twice a week. They provide medical care in onsite clinics for those who choose to be seen. The program no longer requires that people in PEP-V be regularly seen by medical staff. Suppose a resident is connected to a provider outside Unity. In that case, the facilitator adjusts to the previous medical provider so the residents can continue their care. At the Hotel Arboretum, where just over 100 lived at Catharine Crosland, the beginning of the month, roughly 40 to 50 people need medical attention. “For these individuals, we have nurses onsite who assist with things like medication administration,” Crosland said. “Certified nursing assistants can assist individuals with activities of daily living such as bathing.” She described the program’s current state as being a beneficial place for its residents. She told one of her patients about the program, a 70-year-old man who uses a wheelchair because of a previous stroke, non-healing foot ulcers, and emphysema. He was one of the first people to be signed on to PEP-V. “Within one week of being at the hotel, his swelling had improved, his foot ulcers had nearly healed, and his breathing was better. His medical care had not changed. What had changed was his housing,” Crosland said. Being placed into housing helped Crosland’s patient improve his health because he had access to such necessities as a shower. Including the ongoing health benefits, the PEP-V program provides residents with time to match with permanent housing. Al Richardson, 61, spent more than 20 years on the streets. Most recently, he stayed at the New Jersey Ave. and O Street encampment for a little over a month. While living there, he continued to work with his caseworkers from Pathway to Housing D.C. Since Richardson is a veteran, his application to get assistance was moved forward. Today, he is staying at a PEP-V hotel.
“I get along with everybody, and everybody gets along with me. It’s quiet, peaceful, and it’s a change of scenery, and I think it’s the beginning of a new life for me,” Richardson said. As Richardson stays at the hotel, he waits patiently to see when he will be matched to housing. Richardson’s mental health has improved now that he is off the streets. He said he now has the chance to start his life over. The stability of a room in PEP-V is also helping McCall focus on himself. Since he was 18 years old, McCall lived on the streets. He said that the lack of access to education or a support system helped push him to become homeless. “I am doing wellness checks on myself like going Unity Health Care to doctor’s appointments. I’m trying to get back into school to go into a GED program. I’m also looking for real parttime work,” McCall said. Despite the program’s supportive model, Crosland worries about the time limit attached to the program. D.C. only launched PEP-V because federal reimbursement for the majority of its costs was made available. The program has prepared to close several times when the end of funding loomed, only to be extended like it was last month. “It has been a wonderful resource to be able to offer people experiencing homelessness during this pandemic,” Crosland said. “But the funding is possible because of federal funds that support the program, which will end when the pandemic ends.” There has been a push by D.C. council members about purchasing these hotels to turn them into permanent supportive housing units. In February 2021, Ward 1 councilmember Brianna Nadeau called on the mayor to buy these hotels as a priority for the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget. When the Budget Support Act was passed on Aug. 3, $50 million was included for purchasing more buildings to be turned into permanent housing, but not specifically hotels. Nadeau’s office did not answer questions before Street Sense went to press about whether purchasing the hotels is still a priority next year.
“Within one week of being at the hotel, his swelling had improved, his foot ulcers had nearly healed, and his breathing was better. His medical care had not changed. What had changed was his housing.”
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NEWS
Mayor promises to drastically increase affordable housing west of Rock Creek Park in new plan BY MARTIN AUSTERMUHLE @maustermuhle
This article was first published by DCist on Dec. 16. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Thursday unveiled her plans to build almost 2,000 units of affordable housing in neighborhoods west of Rock Creek Park, the city’s wealthiest and whitest area — and the one with the smallest current stock of housing that’s affordable to low- and moderate-income residents. Bowser’s new “roadmap” for what’s known as “Rock Creek West” — largely Ward 3 — is part of her broader goal released in 2019 to build 36,000 units of housing by 2025, with at least one-third being defined as affordable, as a means to tamp down on rising housing prices in the city. (Housing is considered “affordable” when someone who makes up 80% of the average median income, or $72,250 for a single person or $103,200 for a
family of four, paying no more than 30% of their income on housing.) Speaking outside the Chevy Chase Library and Rec Center, D.C. officials said they were making solid progress on the goal: 20,251 housing units have been built so far, with 3,578 defined as affordable. But Rock Creek West has contributed the fewest overall units to date in the city — 298 — and no affordable units at all. Large portions of Ward 3 are zoned for single-family homes, and residents have often thrown up roadblocks to new developments. There has been a recent softening in some quarters on that, though, in part due to new conversations about how racially restrictive covenants shaped what Ward 3 looks like today. “The reason why we need a roadmap is because we have to have some intentionality,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio. “We have to have investment and we have to have imagination in how we get there.
20,251 housing units have been built so far, with 3,578 defined as affordable. But Rock Creek West has contributed the fewest overall units to date in the city — 298 — and no affordable units at all.
Because on the affordable goal, we still have a little ways to go.” The new roadmap contemplates building and preserving affordable housing in Ward 3 by using existing financial incentives like the Housing Production Trust Fund, but also two new ones announced on Thursday. The first would offer incentives and assistance to churches and other faith-based institutions that use property they own to build affordable housing. (Arlington Presbyterian Church in Arlington County completed such a project in 2019, the same year the Emory United Methodist Church on Georgia Avenue NW finished its own new residential building — which got financial assistance from D.C.) Bowser also unveiled a second new program that would offer incentives to property owners who place 15-year affordability covenants on vacant units. That pilot program — known as Cash 2 Covenant — is the same as a bill introduced earlier this year by Councilmember Robert White
Rock Creek West, as the Office of Planning designates it, has the least dedicated affordable housing of any other jurisdiction in the mayor’s Housing Equity Report. This area has been assigned an affordable housing constrcution goal higher than any other area as part of the 12,000 units of dedicated affordable housing Mayor Bowser pledged to build by 2025 as part of an overall goal of 36,000 new housing units in that timeframe. MAPS COURTESY OF THE “ROCK CREEK WEST ROADMAP”
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DC considers another effort to incentivize turning office space downtown into housing BY ALLY SCHWEITZER allyschweitzer.com
This article was first published by DCist on Dec. 14.
Amednements to the city’s Comprehensive Plan passed earlier this year included land use changes for the Wisconsin Avenue and Connecticut Avenue corridors, increasing opportunities for residential development. The Office of Planning says it is spearheading neighborhood planning effords in Rock Creek West. MAP COURTESY OF THE “ROCK CREEK WEST ROADMAP”
(D-At Large), who is challenging Bowser in the 2022 mayoral race, and was funded by the D.C. Council in the 2022 budget that took effect Oct. 1. The new roadmap also proposes using expanded inclusionary zoning to work affordable units into new developments in corridors like Connecticut and Wisconsin avenues; planning for projects on large sites like WMATA’s Western Bus Garage, the Lord & Taylor building in Friendship Heights, and the old Marriott Wardman Park in Woodley Park; and building housing atop the existing Tenley-Friendship Library and on the site of the Chevy Chase Library and Rec Center when it is rebuilt. “We want a new library, a new community center, and we want housing on the property,” said Bowser of the property. “We can take advantage of this public space to add housing with a large component of workforce and deeply affordable housing so that we can do our part in addressing the District’s housing crisis,” said Randy Speck, chairman of the 3/4G Advisory Neighborhood Commission. Bowser’s push to build more housing in D.C. has been hailed by her supporters as a critical step to
make the city more affordable. Earlier this week, city officials announced plans to push more owners of office buildings in downtown D.C. to convert them to residential uses. Still, critics have dismissed her for not doing enough to build more housing for residents at the lowest end of the scale. (The city has for years struggled to meet legal requirements for spending from the Housing Production Trust Fund on housing for people at 30% and 50% of the area median income.) Some of those critics were on hand on Thursday, pushing Bowser to do more to build affordable housing on the site of the Marriott Wardman Park. Activists and some lawmakers had pushed for her to buy the site earlier this year; it was sold to a developer for $152 million. In an interview with DCist/WAMU ahead of Thursday’s announcements, D.C. officials said Bowser’s new roadmap seeks to identify a way of making her goals for more housing in Ward 3 a reality. “One is a number saying I have a goal of losing 30 pounds,” said Andrew Trueblood, the outgoing director of the D.C. Office of Planning, of the administration’s broader goals.. “And then this is how I plan to lose weight.”
The city’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development released an official request for information Tuesday, inviting property owners to weigh in on how D.C. could help commercial landlords convert vacant office space into homes, with an emphasis on affordable and workforce housing. Landlords are encouraged to submit information by Jan. 28. If D.C. creates a conversion program of some kind, it could be implemented within the next year, the RFI says. The effort is intended to map out a new future for downtown, where demand for office space — already on the decline before the pandemic — is expected to take a nosedive as more employers embrace telework for the long term. Currently, D.C.’s central business district is 92% commercial and 8% residential, according to DMPED, and the central business district had a vacancy rate approaching 17% in the third quarter of 2021. In a press conference downtown Tuesday, D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio said turning more office space into housing could boost tax revenue for the city. “We would actually see between $5 and $10 more per square foot in tax revenue if we create more residential downtown, because instead of just a focus on the property taxes that an office building generates, we would actually see more income tax, more in sales tax, and, of course, some property taxes from that residential development.” Office-to-housing conversions aren’t a new idea in the District. Former Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), who resigned in 2020 amid an ethics scandal, introduced legislation in 2017 that would have provided tax breaks to downtown landlords who convert office space into residences. The bill made it out of committee 3-2, but it was never enacted. Also in 2017, Councilmember Robert White (D-At Large) — who is now running for mayor — introduced successful legislation creating a task force to study office conversions. The resulting report, released in 2019, concluded that such projects probably wouldn’t yield much housing, mainly because commercial uses are more profitable than residential, and office vacancies tend to be scattered across multiple properties. A forward-looking “vision” document published by the DowntownDC Business Improvement District in 2017 similarly predicted that over the ensuing decade, conversions would be a tough sell without tax incentives — or a big shift in downtown D.C.’s real estate market. “There will be the occasional office to hotel conversion, but there will be no office-to-residential conversions until the price of older buildings drops significantly or conversion incentives are offered,” the document said. But the idea is back in the spotlight again, as the pandemic has prompted many employers to rethink their dependence on physical offices, posing an existential threat to downtown’s vibrancy. Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), who occupies Jack Evans’ former seat, introduced a bill this year cut from the same cloth as Evans’ 2017 legislation. Falcicchio says it’s time to start thinking seriously about broadening the role that downtown plays in the city’s economy and social life. “Many have said we should explore residential conversions in Central Washington, but market conditions and financial factors often discourage property owners from pursuing it,” the official said in a statement. But the Bowser administration’s new request for information “will help us identify the tools to uncover the hidden gems” downtown that could become homes. “All we want for Christmas is some housing in Central Washington,” Falcicchio said to reporters during Tuesday’s press conference.
H fr O E om M XC PU EL LU S E BL S IO IC S N o P SP EO f A PL C E ES
The “encampment clearing” dots on the map above show where “full cleanups” or “immediate dispositions” have been carried out by the District government in the past three years, accounting for pre-pandemic policy as well as more recent activity. There were 159 such actions, including one scheduled for Dec. 21. • “Trash-only” cleanups or “self-resolved” cleanups were excluded. D.C. publishes annual reports documenting every instance when its encampment protocol was engaged in the previous year at https://dmhhs.dc.gov/page/encampments. A list of scheduled near-term cleanups is maintained on the same web page.
C.’s recent pilot program for housing some residents of homeless encampments and permanently closing several large encampments has sparked intense debate. Street Sense has covered these developments closely in numerous articles. But It can be equally helpful, to pull back and look at the bigger picture: Who can occupy public spaces — and how — is increasingly being called into question.
D.
Data collection by Gordon Chaffin; Mapping by Peter Wood; Writing by Eric Falquero
The average cost of an encampment clearing managed by D.C. government is unknown. This interagency effort, coordinated by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health
The “no” symbols, where tents are not tolerated, indicate where policy, physical barriers, or both prohibit use of tents. • In some cases, the locations were restricted after an encampment clearing conducted on federal land by the National Park Service. No comprehensive data on NPS clearings is publicly available. • The newly renovated Franklin Square Park is also included in this category due to an explicit no-camping decree in its code of conduct, the restriction of food distribution groups that wished to use the park to meet homeless participants, and round-the-clock security staff. • All of these sites were newly restricted during the same 2019-2021 period as the encampment clearing data — except for one. A location in Foggy Bottom, on 27th Street NW, near the Whitehurst Freeway, was included because it has remained fenced off since it was closed in 2015. At the time, the Bowser administration was just developing its approach to encampments. At the time, D.C. Water said the area was fenced off because it was needed for cleanup and inspection of a portion of the sewer system that had to occur before the end of March 2016. •
In one case, all of the benches were removed from the federal park and street adjacent to D.C.’s downtown day services center.
The “vulnerable to restrictions” category includes more unique instances, some where people could be forced to leave and others, where use of a space is allowed, but the space itself has been made uncomfortable or unusable. • Neither this nor the “tents not tolerated” category are exhaustive lists. They include only what examples could be collected and verified. Send additional suggestions to editor@streetsensemedia.org.
and Human Services (DMHHS), typically includes multiple MPD officers, Department of Human Services and/or Department of Behavioral Health workers, and Department of Public Works personnel. If each of the 153 clearings represented on this map cost $1,200 to execute — the lowest amount listed on a 2016 record DMHHS submitted to D.C. Council at the time — then the city would have spent $190,800 over the past three years. The outlier Foggy Bottom site from 2015 was included in this record. It cost taxpayers $132,334 to permanently remove people from that area. Fourteen were housed and $90,732.87 of that total cost went to the Department of Transportation, which was responsible for erecting the fence.
Not all restrictions or actions are carried out by the government. In one case, an outdoor power outlet that was removed by the Reeve’s Center, then made available to the public again only to be covered in glue (seemingly by a private individual) to make it unusable. Not visualized on this map is the use of hostile architecture. The Hoya reported on several examples in Ward 2 as part of the 2021 D.C. Homeless Crisis Reporting Project (https://dchomelesscrisis.press), including a project that had mapped hostile architecture across the metro region through 2018. When overlaid with this map of exclusion from public space, many of the previously documented hostile architecture locations align with where the D.C. government most often conducts encampment clearings. While many factors influence where someone ends up living in the absence of safe housing — or when the government chooses to intervene — it is noteworthy that hardly any clearings were carried out east of the Anacostia River.
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OPINION
Volunteering and Giving BY DONTÉ TURNER
People — or some people — tend to give during the holidays, but what about on a daily basis? Who decided that the only time for giving is just on a specific time of the year? Society says "sharing is caring," right? So if we're not seeing that throughout the year, what does that mean? Don't get me wrong, because I do appreciate the coolants and shelter in the summertime and the hot liquids and hypothermia blankets in the winter. But it shouldn't stop there. We have daily needs like housing, jobs, medical assistance, and mental health crisis counseling. We don't need to be entrapped or tricked into staying homeless. Encouragement to move forward and the help that's "supposed" to be provided would actually go a long way if people were consistent about giving on a daily basis. I'm not talking about just money, either. People can "give" support for when life gets tough and we feel like giving up. That's why some people turn to alcohol and drugs, because the world seems to not care. People can "give" information on who's hiring or "give" us training if we have no skills. People can "give" a message to people in power they're close to and put a good word in for us, the less fortunate. Fifty percent of Americans have a
friend they're cool with that's either in a position of power or knows someone who is. People can "give" a greeting. “Hello sir or ma'am” ain't never harmed anyone. A handshake, a hug, a good word of encouragement goes a long way with some of us more than you know. People can "give" a smile or a head nod to acknowledge us, the less fortunate. A pat on the back, an "It'll be alright, I'm here with you," or "Great job, you're doing better" would even be fine. Anything of that nature people can "give" instead of a scowl or angry "F You" face, ignoring and passing us by when we speak. Don't "give" us an "I can't help you today" when you might know somebody that can and will. People can "give" through word of mouth and actions every day. So don't just wait til the holiday season. Do us and God a favor and do what was intended, what we are here for. Help uplift each other for the Lord's sake, because remember he's still watching! Donté Turner is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.
Not Feeling Very Festive This Year BY AIDA PEERY
I haven’t felt too festive at home this holiday. I used to be excited living at my current address. And my change of heart is not just because of the pandemic either. I’ve been living at my current address at N Street Village, a supportive housing provider, for the past six years. But recently I’ve been experiencing issues. For example, my original refrigerator broke down. For staff to give me a new one, I had to bend down to put food inside and take it out. The trays inside the refrigerator are useless. And I can’t fit a lot of stuff on the higher shelves. I bought a thermometer for my fridge and it reads 40 degrees instead of 45 degrees. My food gets spoiled every single day. The staff had someone service it. And the technician had the dial on seven degrees! All of my food inside the fridge froze. When I got the fridge, a staffer told me it was a temporary refrigerator! But I’ve had this fridge for two years, spoiling my food. When I kept asking about the fridge she outright told me if I didn’t like it I could leave the program. Showing a lot of professionalism!
I know. I can leave the program at any time. But I don’t need anyone, that includes staff, to tell me what I need to do! I asked for two weeks for a new kitchen light! Instead I got a light over the oven I didn’t ask for. The electric stove I had previously stopped working and they replaced it with a dirty stove I’ve been trying to clean off for three months! DC Department of Human Services has lifted housing regulations during the pandemic. But N Street Village is still closed to outsiders! Unfair! I can’t have my grandchildren visit me. I have to go see them. I don’t have the energy all the time to go see them. I’ve got all my shots including the booster! Just because other people in the building don’t get these shots. Why should I have to be penalized for their behavior? So, no, I don’t feel very Christmas-y while living in my current situation. Aida Peery is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.
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The Housing Narrative Lab is helping tell the story of housing insecurity and homelessness in America BY MARISOL BELLO International Network of Street Papers
Stephanie Land needed a job so she could receive a subsidy to place her daughter in child care while she worked. The problem was, as a single mom, the only way she could secure a job first is if her daughter was in child care, and for that, she needed the subsidy. What’s more, without a job, she had no way to afford a place to live with her daughter. Her story represents what’s wrong with American policies and how they negatively impact women who remain the vast majority of single parents in this country, some of whom have to choose in this pandemic between leaving young children at home alone or risking their jobs. In Land’s New York Times bestselling memoir, MAID, author Stephanie Land offers an honest and powerful story of her life as a single mom crammed into a homeless shelter with her toddler, while working to make ends meet on $9 an hour and public resources. Her raw portrayal of the reality of living on the brink, earning so little cleaning houses that she often went hungry so she could have enough money to adequately feed her daughter, tapped into an experience rarely seen or heard. Land wrote in her memoir that she barely had enough to pay for gas to get her to work, let alone afford a monthly rent. Land’s story inspired a Netflix series that highlights just as powerfully how the challenges so many Americans have to find - and keep - a home are not the result of personal failings. Instead they are the result of systemic failings that snatch any kind of safety net away from the people who need it most. We hear of the hoops - oh so many of them - that families like hers have to jump through to receive government resources that could lead to her finding stable housing. That is systemic failure. Even before the pandemic, America faced a crisis as safe and permanent housing remained out of reach for more and more families like Stephanie’s. The pandemic not only made it that much worse, but it also shone a burning spotlight on how important housing is as a basic need as millions of people lost jobs and faced being forced to live on the street. Now, more than ever, America is ready for a national conversation about how we work together to ensure everyone has a place to call home. The Housing Narrative Lab is here to join that conversation. The Lab is a national communications and narrative research hub that lifts up the stories of people facing housing insecurity and the systems that keep them from finding and keeping a home. We work with grassroots groups and advocates working to solve homelessness and serve as a resource for journalists who tell the stories of who is homeless and why. Research conducted by the Lab shows Americans want their elected officials to address the housing crisis and solve homelessness. Our surveys show voters will cast ballots for or against candidates on the issue. Research done in the last year by the Housing Narrative Lab shows a majority of Americans believe ensuring everyone can afford a place to live should be a top priority for elected officials. Respondents rank it fourth among top priorities for lawmakers behind stopping the spread of COVID, creating good paying jobs and more access to doctors and medicine. Almost six in 10 respondents said that without a job, people are likely to struggle to get and keep a roof over their head. The research shows people want proven solutions, such as
Image courtesy of the Housing Narrative Lab and the International Network of Street Papers.
government investments in local programs and services that provide homes or rental assistance, so people have a roof over their heads. It’s clear from the research that it doesn’t matter the color of our skin, where we come from or how much money we have in our wallets, Americans share a recognition that housing is a basic need. We know we can solve homelessness. The solution is not rocket science: Provide more housing that people can afford to keep and maintain. That means increasing salaries so that people earn enough to afford rent, utilities and food to eat, while providing housing that doesn’t force them to choose between paying the rent and feeding their children - or themselves. We’ve seen efforts in cities, such as Houston, Texas, where dedicated funding goes to housing vouchers and establishing a cadre of housing units that are accessible to everyone. We’ve seen communities, such as Portland, pass local ballots that
would tap funds to build and access more housing. We can each play a role by joining together to push for policies that house every member of our community. But it starts with each of us seeing and empathizing with the members of our community who are unhoused, forced to couch surf, cram into shelters, sleep in their cars or huddle in tents on the streets. Because no matter what we look like or where we come from, most of us just want to provide for our families. And we want to be secure in the hope that hardship won’t mean homelessness. Marisol Bello is the director for the Housing Narrative Lab, a new communications and narrative research hub dedicated to sharing the stories of people facing housing insecurity and the systems that drive people into homelessness. Courtesy of INSP North America / International Network of Street Papers
Join the conversation, share your views - Have an opinion about how homelessness is being addressed in our community? - Want to share firsthand experience? - Interested in responding to what someone else has written? Street Sense Media has maintained an open submission policy since our founding. We aim to elevate voices from across the housing spectrum and foster healthy debate.
Please send submissions to opinion@streetsensemedia.org.
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happy holidays
ART
Joy
A Child is Born
BY JEFFREY J. CARTER
BY GRACIAS GARCIAS Vendor/Artist
Vendor/Artist
It’s a joy in serving the Lord God by feeding the homeless people like myself. Giving back to my community. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me,” Matthew 25:31-40. I love to volunteer by passing out Breadcoin to the homeless where they can eat at participating food venders of their choice that network with Breadcoin in feeding the poor or help out with food distribution across the city on some weekends.
ILLUSTRATION BY SASHA WILLIAMS ARTIST/VENDOR
From an unreal time; We honor the real time. Christmas times to Honor royalty, the birth Of the human-God… Who is nothing… But everything… And everyone… “Every man for himself” Was his burden… After our born-savior was tortured to death, in an omnipotent suicidal act… “Every man for himself” Becomes the human suffering and dilemma… Happy X-mas, a child is born! Innocent.
Happy Kwanza and Merry Christmas
What helps me remember the holidays
BY ABEL PUTU Artist/Vendor
BY MICHELE ROCHON Artist/Vendor
Happy holidays. For Christmas, I hope that people will be able to buy the Street Sense paper more. It’s been a happy holiday for me because I met the Washington Wizards security supervisor at Capital One Arena. He took one of our Street Sense papers and he said he would give it to Ted Leonsis, who owns the NBA team. People want to know about wheelchair basketball. Everywhere I go, people say they are glad to see me and they want to buy the paper. That’s a happy holiday for me.
The joys of holidays are embraced. The holiday season is a time to reflect over the last 12 months. A time to exchange gifts, a time to visit or call family/friends. The writer has had a combination of all of the above over the last several decades However, the most important time of the holidays is to witness the smiles of children As they open their gifts, the sparkle in their eyes, the patter of small feet, the loud screams are so wonderful to experience as
they open their gifts I can recall having a Susy Homemaker oven in 1966. The late Myrtle Bailey, my grandmother, would allow me to make small sweet potato pies in my oven during Christmas and Thanksgiving. I remember being the lead in Christmas plays in school. It brings back fond memories. Finally, I recall my own three grandchildren baking cookies in my last apartment. It will forever help me to remember Christmas!
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peace and love Merry Christmas! BY SYBIL TAYLOR Artist/Vendor
Season Greetings to everybody. December is the month of winter arriving soon, Christmas, and my birthday on Christmas day. What a joy that brings family and friends close together to enjoy this month. Winter is arriving soon, with very cold temperatures, snow days, wearing our coats, gloves, hats, scarves, sweaters, boots, warm clothing, warming up with hot soup, hot drinks, staying warm with heat and enjoying ourselves. Watching the early snowfall with its beautiful snowflakes glistening, beautiful sunshine with the birds chirping, songs of joy and the moonglow and twinkling stars at night. Christmas is around the corner with silver bells, how they ring. Everybody is full of laughter and joy - sleigh riding, ice skating, skiing, playing in the snow and making snow angels, Christmas trees for sale, they smell of fresh pine and pine cones with a cinnamon fresh smell, malls crowded with lots of people shopping wrapping presents and giving christmas cookies, candy, holiday popcorn , stocking stuffers, fresh fire wood burning, sitting by a fireplace warming up, the joy of singing and giving, showing love for one another and sharing the moment of joy and happiness, taking pictures with Santa Claus, sharing memories, giving to those who have nothing, especially the homeless. Churches welcome them in for food and worship service to keep warm from freezing temperatures. What joy, with laughter and holiday music, singing
Holiday Funk BY CHRIS COLE // Artist/Vendor
What used to be holiday cheer has been replaced with winter fears. How will I survive the season? How did I even get out here? I can’t remember the exact reason. Been homeless a year and not much has changed. I’m sure it’s my fault. I must be to blame. I wish things would fall into place. My housing, my life, where will I go from here? I thought this homelessness would last for just a few months, but as one thing went wrong, one thing turned into a bunch. Will I ever get back to business? Will my hopes and dreams still come true? A year ago I was certain, now I’m just really blue.
An old holiday collage made by Vendor/Artist Sybil Taylor, who is pictured with Daniel Ball and former editor in chief, Mary Otto.
Christmas Carols - “Holly Jolly,” what a beautiful day of Christmas music and holiday parades, eggnog with cinnamon or eggnog ice cream, peach cobbler pie, lemon cakes, Honey Glazed ham, collard greens, potato salad, sweet potatoes, all so good. Everyone enjoys the holiday. I always keep the memories of my father and every Christmas he spent with me and my family. You are missed at the dinner table, your laughter and smile, opening up gifts with us and the childhood memories. We all love you, Dad, so much. Also my birthday is on Christmas day, the day Christ was born. This day gives
me joy from everybody, happiness and laughter, friends and family giving me birthday cards and gifts. I will be dressed up as Miss Claus. “HOO HOO” to everyone. Here are my Christmas playlist songs: “What Christmas Means to Me,” “Silver Bells,” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me,” and “Someday at Christmas,” all by Stevie Wonder; “My Favorite Things” and “Silver Bells,” by Diana Ross and the Supremes; The Temptations’ “Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Silver Bells;” and Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas.”
Jesus Christ, it’s Christmas! BY ROCHELLE WALKER Artist/Vendor
What a Joyful Day What a Joyful World What a Joyful time of the year What a Joyful Child was born. Quotes Matthew, Mark, Luke it Is Mary’s child. He will be the savior born. Born for all mankind. What a joyful peace on Earth. And in Heaven too. What a joyful reason for the season. What a joyful time to give and receive gifts, presents. He was conceived in Egypt, born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazereth, it’s Mary’s child born for your sins and mine. Holy night, silent night. Let us join hands and Let us give thanks for the world Because this special child is born. Quiet, quiet, we must all worship him, Celebrate him for any date of the year.
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RANDOM ACTS of KINDNESS:
Christmas with the Dailys BY WENDELL WILLIAMS Artist/Vendor
I
’ve had the honor and privilege to have contributed three nonfiction Christmas features for publication in Street Sense. Each one is dear to me in its own right. But this Random Act of Kindness holiday story holds a special place in my heart because at a certain age we expect we shouldn’t be believing in Santa any longer — but not me. All I can say is “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” and he was my friend. The opening lyrics from one of my favorite holiday CDs, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” keeps ringing in my head this time of year: “Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer…” Can’t you hear it? I’ve got every Charlie Brown Holiday CD there is. Why does it mean so much to me? Because like Charlie Brown, I was a lovable loser at one time, too, who couldn’t accidentally make a right decision. It seemed even when I only had one choice to make, I’d screw it up. I made good situations bad and bad situations worse, and the results of my life showed it. I went from “living a semi-charmed kind of life” (thanks Third Eye Blind), to living in the streets and byways of the same cities I had experienced so much professional success in. Maybe I could find it again by retracing my steps, I thought, having not yet learned the meaning of insanity. But each year, hearing that song always makes me think of my late great dear friend Dr. Bill Daily and his family, who had adopted a 50-some-year-old homeless man. It didn’t make any sense to me at the time. But later it did, and his loving random act of kindness on a cold Christmas Eve so long ago changed me greatly as a person and spiritually inspired me. The year was 1997 or ‘98. To this day and all years since, as we get closer to Christmas my mind begins to flood back to that moment playing a magical video of that wonderful occasion where this exceptional warm human being just showed up out of nowhere. He swooped down out of the sky on his sleigh (a well-worn Honda Del Sol) and gave me one of the greatest Christmas presents one could give, the gift of human kindness towards a lost, scared and, as they used to say, “down and out” soul. If you know anyone who lived in Cincinnati in the ‘90s, they’ll tell you that being stuck homeless in the Over-the-Rhine area was no place you wanted to be. And it sure in h*** wasn’t Kansas. This was NOT some movie experience like “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” “Blindside” or other movies that attempt to humanize homeless people. Oh no, it was a living hell. Being from inner city D.C. can make you arrogantly think, at times, that you’re a bad*** and you’re not scared of anything cause you’ve seen it all. But my time in the “OTR” had me fearful of losing my life daily. And I could see no way out. I would pray at the end of each day, “And please, God, don’t let me die here in the OTR.” You see, I had come to Cincinnati after yet another eviction in Michigan, running from the source of my pain and confusion, thinking a change of venue was all I needed. But of course,
A Daily family Christmas. From the right, Bill Daily is the first adult. PHOTO COURTESY OF HIS FAMILY
that unrecognized source was me. It was not the first city I’d just picked up and moved to in an attempt to reclaim a long lost former life and get different results from my many zany plans and strategies that were formulated in a mind that had demonstrated that making a good choice was counterintuitive and dumb luck. It was not going to be a Merry Christmas. No halls would be decked and you could forget about the 12 days of gifts. No pipers piping or drummers drumming, just 12 days of sadness and melancholy. When you think of the holidays, you may get these warm and fuzzy feelings of happy holidays past. You recall the sights and sounds of everything connected to this joyous time of year. I can remember a time when downtown shopping areas came alive with the mechanical displays of motion and music in any city. I feel sorry for the younger generations who missed the awesome presentations and competitions among the downtown department stores as well as the smaller shops. Downtown was a winter wonderland for us kids and adults. Every year, we drove downtown, parked and walked around to see the sights of Christmas as one store would try to outdo the other with their chosen themed windows. I couldn’t wait to see the Hecht’s, Woodie’s or Garfinkel’s windows. Even though we couldn’t shop in all of them, we thought their windows were the most magnificent. As a homeless person in the center city I spent many a holiday walking around downtown without any of the experiences similar to those I had as a child. Partly because of the first energy crisis in 1976, one of my favorite presidents and human beings, Jimmy Carter, encouraged Americans to cut back on holiday lights and downtown displays. And just that quickly the pageantry of downtown Christmas’ disappeared. Younger people will never know what was lost, but they can get an idea by thinking about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, which lasts only a couple of hours from start to finish. Now think about a downtown lit up with all the lights and sounds of the holiday’s, starting with Thanksgiving on until January 2nd each year. A lot of families would, like mine, load up the station wagon (this was our version of an SUV and many large families had one) and ride around various neighborhoods to enjoy the elaborate
lights adorning people’s homes in every section of the city after leaving downtown. That has basically gone away, too. Today you’d be hard pressed to find more than a couple of houses on any given block with lights up. But I’ve heard an old family on upper 16th St NW still had their display where there’d be bus loads of people stopping by to stand around looking at the block’s lights. I can’t remember the name of the streets but I can still get there by car like it was yesterday. It’s hard to explain to the younger generations what the holidays were like. The innocence of those times is gone. I know every generation thinks their experiences were better, but there’s no doubt Christmas just ain’t what it used to be and we boomers had the best of it. Just ask anyone over 60. For some reason, Christmas for me has always been about the smells. When we didn’t have much, my parents made things as festive as they could afford. Long after the thoughts of what gifts I received have faded, I still remember everything associated with Christmas. The fruit, the candies, the cakes, pies and food that were holiday staples in our house are still in my mind and I can smell them today. And for the record, I loved the much maligned fruit cake, especially with eggnog. Being homeless and stuck mostly walking around some empty urban core somewhere, all that you remember about holidays past can slowly disappear. The closest thing you may get to experiencing that feeling while homeless is maybe when you get sliced processed turkey as the entree in a holiday soup kitchen meal, or a basic pair of socks or gloves as a gift in anonymous wrapping paper from people you’ve never connected with. While the rest of the world is so excited this time of year, thinking of the coming days, everyone is in a festive mood. There’s no more depressive or empty feeling than walking out of a homeless holiday event like the annual dinner that used to be held at Washington’s Convention Center, back into your reality of nothingness. At the time, my address was Cincinnati’s Drop-In Center. A large low barrier shelter. No beds, just yoga-like mats laid out on the floor in rows in what looked like a gymnasium. On this Christmas Eve the place was decorated similar to my mom’s elementary school classrooms with music playing and
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Bill Daily reading the StreetVibes paper from Cincinatti, Ohio. PHOTO COURTESY OF WENDELL WILLIAMS.
holiday treats everywhere. More things to eat than at any other time of year. There was what seemed like hundreds of volunteers literally bumping into each other to serve us. Not to mention kids they drove to come in an effort no doubt to demonstrate to them their blessed life. But under the surface there was an overwhelming amount of sadness in the air as some of them watched the clock, eager to get home to their holiday observance, and if you looked closely in our faces you could see the longing to have somewhere to go, too. They tried their best to make us feel part of the holiday’s excitement. But it wasn’t really working for me. A lot of us missed whatever version of “home” we’d experienced so much that we talked openly about how holidays were the worst part of experiencing homelessness. Into this void rode my stand-in for Santa, Xavier University’s Dr. Bill Daily. I can’t remember what he was wearing that night, but it was definitely not a Santa suit. Look at a photo of him and you’ll see he didn’t need one. What do you think? We’d begun a casual relationship because of his involvement with the center and his support for our Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless’s street publication “Streetvibes.” (The Coalition’s Executive Director, who became my mentor and lifelong friend, introduced us. Donald Whitehead is now the executive director of the National Homeless Coalition here in DC. He hired me for my present job and along with Dr. Daily and my super caseworker Cheryl formed my version of a Dream Team that wouldn’t let me die.) He walked up and very casually said, “Get your things and take a ride with me. Don’t worry. I’ll bring you back.” I was thinking what if I lose my “bed” for the night. But there was much more in store for this “Night before Christmas.“ We walked out the doors into the cold midwest winter night where, double-parked, was his sleigh with it’s 6 reindeer under the hood idling and ready for a Christmas run. But to where? I didn’t have a clue. I didn’t have much to pack as I remember, just a backpack was all and my world neatly fit into it. We took off heading out of town. It was a few minutes before I asked, after thinking to myself, “Where the hell are we going?” As we hit the darkness of the highway, I was thinking, “Oh well.” Having just left what had seemed like a depressing Hollywood set of a homeless “It’s a Wonderful Life,” any destination was a relief. His answer, “Home with
me for Christmas” as we passed the sign that said “Welcome to Indiana” headed to who knows where, I am wondering who this guy really is. This is what I learned. Bill was the most loving and compassionate individual I’ve ever met with a sense of fairness, sincere concern and devotion to people in need and human rights causes that remains unmatched to this date. If the Pope himself asked me to nominate one person for sainthood, without any hesitancy it would be Bill.
Billy Daily, a.k.a. Santa. PHOTO COURTESY OF WENDELL WILLIAMS
But why and what experiences must this man have had to open his eyes and heart so completely to the suffering of others. What made him never give up on me and others struggling with various challenges of life, when I surely would have? For starters, Bill was born to a single unwed mother whose father walked out, abandoning him and two other siblings. After an uncertain start in life, at 4 and a half he was adopted by an aunt and experienced what it’s like to have very little in terms of money and possessions while being separated from his birth family. I am sure that’s what bonded us and the many others his children have told mehe had taken into his home, including whole families and foreign exchange students. We were on the road for what seemed like forever. I hadn’t
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been this far west out of the city and didn’t know what to expect, almost like those early ocean voyagers who feared they’d drop off the edge of the world because it was flat. And just then after about a hour’s drive in the snow, we hit an exit marked Batesville. As we rode past a large factory complex, I thought “isn’t that ... yes it is,” the home of one of the largest casket makers in the world and with lights on you could see them stacked up inside a kind of showroom. This was a weird “Twilight Zone” kind of moment as we rumbled down the roads and over sets of train tracks to pull in a driveway on a street of large nice houses a world away from “OTR” and the shelter. As we got out and walked toward the door, I was having second thoughts about how this house would receive this obviously struggling individual into what seemed like a Norman Rockwell Christmas illustration. The door opened and this large family greeted me with the love reserved for a long-lost relative. They introduced themselves one by one and looped me right into the goings on. Mind you, I was very self conscious about fitting in. One of the main reasons was that I’d never spent a Christmas in the home of someone who didn’t look like me. And lo and behold, it was a family Christmas like most others: parents and a house full of kids and grandkids who kept arriving right up to Christmas Day’s dinner being served. And in a Random Act of Kindness, Bill and his wife presented me with something I hadn’t experienced in a long time, my very own bedroom with it’s own adjoining bathroom. I wondered if they understood the effects of this kind gesture, considering I’d become so used to communal toilets and showers. I’d forgotten what it was like not to have to share this most private of spaces. And if that wasn’t enough, as he turned to leave out the room he hands me the remote saying, “Oh, you have cable,” which made me elated to know I could watch anything I wanted. This was a far cry from the choices given at the drop-in where, to keep arguments down, staff chose what was to be viewed and almost never something I was interested in. My pattern was I would come in and lay straight down to sleep no matter what time it was. I awoke Christmas morning to the pitter-patter of excited kids coming in the door and down the steps as presents were exchanged and opened. As I watched, it reminded me of my family’s Christmases. Just then Bill told me I had gifts too. All these years later I have not a clue as to the gifts I received. But what gift I am sure I received was the power of family, belonging and acceptance. No one paid any extra attention to me; they all just went along doing what families do on Christmas Day, kind of like my family. The focus was on the excitement of watching the kids experience the joy of it all. All day long, more Daily’s showed up until it was a full house. And after we ate I retired to my quarters to watch football. I couldn’t believe these people were this comfortable with me, a homeless stranger, being there. But I’ve since learned that they were used to Bill bringing home an assortment of people needing to be a part of a family. I am told these guests included a Haitian priest, entire Vietnamese and Nicaraguan refugee families, home sick student athletes and me. I was a house guest of the family until the new year. And on Jan. 2 or so, I said my goodbyes to everyone as Bill and I headed back to the city. I had left the shelter alone with no family connections in a strange city and came back as a member of a small town, one that to this day still counts me as a member. In a Random Act of Kindness long ago Bill gave me the gift of being “Home for the Holidays.” Author’s Note: in 2018, my dear friend Bill Daily passed away with the knowledge that my life was on track to accomplish so many of the things he hoped for me and had prayed for. He never shared with me the seriousness of his condition. Had I known, I would have rushed there. (I did make it back for his memorial service at Xavier.) When I’d call he’d go on about how my transformation pleased him so much and always ended our conversations with his patented “keep smiling.” And when I think of him, I do.
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season’s
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Merry Christmas BY REV. JOHN LITTLEJOHN Artist/Vendor
ILLUSTRATION BY SASHA WILLIAMS ARTIST/VENDOR
Holiday Spirit BY QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE Artist/Vendor
Christmas time is here beautiful lights on my tree it’s for all to see
New beginnings BY CARLTON JOHNSON Artist/Vendor
The Holidays are on the way in and about for the new year will be here sooner than we think. After the holidays, looking for the birthday, we will be looking back to the days of the past with thanks and gratitude of new beginnings with inspiration and hours of new days to come.
Here’s one definition of Christmas: the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Christmas as “a Christian feast on December 25 or among some Eastern Orthodox Christians on January 7 that commemorates the birth of Christ and is usually observed as a legal holiday.” Christians and many other non-Christians celebrate Christmas as the Lord Jesus Christ’s birthday on December 25. The holiday includes gift-giving, family and other social gatherings, symbolic decoration, and feasting. It’s all about celebrating. The King James Holy Bible talks about gifts in the New Testament. In the book of James, chapter 1, verse 17, the Bible says “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.” Amen! Here’s a small song about Christmas. It’s called “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”: “We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas, And a Happy New Year!” The King James Holy Bible, in the Old Testament, talks about birth in the books of Isaiah, chapter nine, verse 6: “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, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Did you know what God loves? It’s when we offer a cheerful gift. It is truly a blessing when we can give cheerfully to those in need, and receive cheerfully from those who just might have more than they need. God gave his only begotten son Jesus Christ so that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life in heaven. It is better to give than receive. Give and it should be given back to you. The King James Bible talks about gifts again in the New Testament, book of Romans, chapter six, verse 23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Back in the New Testament, the King James Bible talks about birth once again. In the book of Matthew, chapter 1, verse 21, the disciple writes “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” The King James Bible talks about gifts once again in the book of Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 7: “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”
greetings Another Cough-vid Christmas
The season of Christmas
BY JAMES DAVIS Artist/Vendor
It’s sad to say, much harder to hear But it looks like another COVID Christmas this year Too many sick and God bless the dead I bet old Dr. Fauci is scratching his head So many variants and strains enough to make the CDC go insane So come on Pfizer and Cupid, Comet and Johnson Moderna and Blitzen and Swanson and Swanson? So once again we hang the masks with care Waiting for the next variant scare I’m not chicken, I’ll play a rooster But I hate needles! No more boosters!!!! Happy holidays to all my customers..thank you and mask up.
BY EVELYN NNAM Artist/Vendor
Christmas, Christmas, what a wonderful time To celebrate the season of giving A season of togetherness A season of laughter A season of love A season of warmth A season of embrace A season of food A season of joy A season of Christmas! Christmas brings fun times, Wonderful memories
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And sweet smiles on faces Christmas is the cool and chilly season Where snow falls with snowmen and Snow angels all around you With snapping pictures of family and friends Drinking hot cocoa by a warm fire Eating sweets filled with love And most importantly, giving to those who need it the most Christmas is that time when we wrap up the presents Do our good deeds, and bring the year to an end We want to thank Christmas, for keeping us for another year Where we get to experience what it’s all about Christmas is the season of JESUS Jesus who saves, Jesus who loves, Jesus who uplifts, Jesus who reigns May all our hearts be filled with Jesus May we all be filled with love May we all experience Christmas for what the season truly is.
Patty’s Sketchbook: Happy Christmas from Vendor #4
BY PATTY SMITH // Artist/Vendor
Joy
BY JACKIE TURNER Artist/Vendor
I take pleasure in knowing that nothing lasts forever. That God will always stand by you. That people are more good than bad. You can find joy and beauty in everything if you try. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Laughter is a good feeling. The sunshine feels good. Snow is pretty to look at. All animals are God’s creations -- humans also. It’s easier to feel good than to be mad. I know you can add to this list of enjoyable things. Think about it.
As Christmas nears, I’m joyful for the holidays. May all have many more blessings. Say a prayer for me and all the people of the world. I am wishing all my friends and family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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The “Fly Stick” prototype is ready! Love
COVID-19 BY CARLOS CAROLINA Artist/Vendor
BY DON GARDNER Artist/Vendor
Go Pfizer, go Pfizer!
Love is so unconditional. Is it the Holy Spirit, In the form of a dove. Or is it love from above?
I am very glad the Pfizer vaccine was granted full approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. I’m very glad because the Pfizer vaccine was the vaccine that I received.
Love covers the multitude of sins. Love never hates. Nor does love ever die.
I’m still alive! I was kind of upset when I first found out that I received the shot with only emergency approval of the vaccine, not full approval from the FDA.
Love fulfills every need no matter the breed. It’s God’s true specialty in reality: Nurturing growth to the very smallest element, Promised to mend the spirit.
In life, we live and we learn and every day that we live, we learn. I think this is great motivation for unvaccinated people to get vaccinated.
One feels so much better From just four letters, Encouraging the forgotten or the misled.
It’s now or never! Get the shot. Be wise.
So if love is knocking at your door, Answer.
Ivory Wilson with his prototype of the “Fly Stick.” PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO
BY IVORY WILSON Artist/Vendor
I was home and began welding my Fly Stick invention when the thin sheet metal plates could not take the heat. They all burned! So I rebuilt her back with screws and this time used Bondo to hold the plates in place. So this is a prototype only now for marketing. I’ve managed to poor-man’s copyright the idea, which helps. But I need help getting my invention in front of investors.
Zena
BY AYUB ABDUL Artist/Vendor
BY ANTHONY PRATT, a.k.a. “PRAYED UP” Artist/Vendor
I am telling a story about a woman named Zena. Zena is the best facilitator or counselor there is. Zena always concerns herself with others. She goes out of her way to make sure her clients are safe and have food to eat, and clothes to wear. She gives very good positive advice to all of her clients and others that she’s just met. We all love Zena because God has blessed her with a special gift for caring and loving people. She helps us to find mental health services and other support groups, so we can better our lives.
Nowhere to be found
Listen to the song BY: KYM PARKER // Artist/Vendor
When we hear the song, it can take us to many places. It can take us back to things that we lost. It brings us closer to God. Have you ever heard an angel sing? It is God’s only voice that shows her that we are truly loved
Silence takes over as I look here, I look there, I look everywhere I want to hear on the telephone call but yet the phone doesn’t ring. Things are not just right. What could it be? I can’t see where my love can be. She told me that she was right for me, But I haven’t heard anything. Is she all right, or can she be OK? When I see another day come past. I look around but nowhere to be found. Up and down, oh where can you be? This is like a misery that’s happening to me and I don’t know where you can be. I don’t know where she go, My love, where art thou?
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She’s growing so fast BY SASHA WILLIAMS Artist Vendor
I got Eboni’s grades and she has As on her report card. So excited for her growth. She will be 9 in January and is now in 3rd grade. So blessed and thankful for her. I love you Eboni, this poem’s for you: Eboni, my first daughter She such a blessing to my world Thankful to be her mom She is growing so much So strong, pushed thru plenty of struggles with me Beautiful fly girl Eboni my princess “Ladygurl” Someone took this beautiful picture and lovely memory of Eboni imitating Muhammad Ali. PHOTO COURTESY OF SASHA WILLIAMS
A poem of inspiration BY ANTHONY CARNEY Artist/Vendor
My name is Anthony Carney. I have a mentor, Linwood Fields, who wrote this in memory of his mother. This poem will help others that are incarcerated and others that incarcerate themselves in their own minds. Enjoy this poem. Spread love.
2 8 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // D E C . 2 2 , 2 0 2 1 - J A N . 4, 2022
ART
Be careful who you associate with!
Family talents
BY MARCUS MCCALL Artist/Vendor
Stay away from negative, toxic and abusive interactions and relationships. Better be happy by yourself than miserable in the company of others. One lesson I have learned from living on the streets as a chronic homeless – where you are constantly interacting and coming in contact with folks with mental illnesses, emotional, psychological and abuse issues– is that you have to be extremely careful who you befriend and associate with. They can make your life very miserable, or cause you troubles, or even harm you. Yes, as human beings, we are social beings. But it is
not okay to just associate with anybody out of desperation or because we do not want to be overcome and overwhelmed by boredom. Sometimes, we might be intimate with them to the point that without them we feel bored and lonely and unhappy. Learn how to be happy with yourself even when you are alone. And choose individuals who will respect you to be your friends and associates. Pick people who care about you and will be there for you in a positive way when you are going through a stressful situation.
Artist/Vendor Levester Green and his mother, Gladys C. Whitmyer-Taylor, at E Street Cinema for a 2015 screening of a documentary by and about Levester, produced with the Street Sense Media homeless filmmakers co-op. PHOTO BY SUE DORFMAN
The reality of my American Dream BY LEVESTER GREEN Artist/Vendor
Me being homeless from 2012 to 2019 seems like an adolescent rift. Wonder years, wondering where it is that I’m going 2 live. Coming off quite like a mid-life crisis! They been holding me back for years. When they saw my movie, they could hardly hold back the tears! Jaded by a jury of my peers. Thank goodness GOD equipped me with these gifts.
From the Streets to The Canvas BY MISSIONARY GLADYS C. WHITMYER-TAYLOR Levester Green’s mother
Riddle BY FREDERIC JOHN Artist/Vendor
Which worse: Populist Pomposity or Nattering Nabob? (Neither. Both bad.)
Thomas Circle Sunrise, 1970s. The original photo is in sepia tone. PHOTO BY FREDERIC JOHN
In the still of the night comes the terror of the streets. The terror of the streets bring about harsh views to the artist’s canvas. In the eyes of the artist comes the fears, the crys, the pain, and terror of our young and innocent. They ask with such pain why must our young depart from us so soon, for they have just begun to live. We ask, why do the hearts and minds of our people possess such evil doings. On the canvases of our artist it shows the pain and hurt that our people have consumed in their heart. On their canvases,the red indicates the blood that has been shed on our fearful streets, the blue indicates the pain and hurt they have endured and the white indicates the peace we all seek to find some day. In this era of the pandemic we want to see some kind of justice for our people. As the brushes hit the canvases of the great artists their fear and pain reach the very outer limits of the great beyond. Then you might ask, where is my liberty and justice for all?
Well, you see, the humanity of mankind is outrageous and unfair. So you see, must we go back in time and endure the suffering and pain our ancestors endured? We the people want to come out of the deep valley of pain and suffering ,to the high mountains of victory. Let us stand and rise for the rights of all mankind. How many more of our young people must fall before respect is given to our Lord and Savior for His dying for our deadly sins, that we might have peace? Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, may the voices of triumph that have been lying dormant in this cruel world of ours be awakened from our deep sleep and show that we want peace and love in this pandemic. Let the voices from the great beyond speak to the people of this great nation that the violence will cease forever and that we might have peace and justice for all someday! Let the art of the artist show beauty from the streets to the canvas.
gratitude
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Thank You
Grateful for the journey BY SHEILA WHITE // Artist/Vendor
Thank you, Street Sense Media and volunteers, for giving me the opportunity to work and learn at your workshops: drawing, DCTV audio video, illustration, photography, and doing artwork such as designing mugs. This made me a better person. The workshops taught me how to read, edit, and think more effectively Attending the University of the District of Columbia would not have been possible without the help of Street Sense Media and case management. Learning new skills and applying them in my everyday life is an awesome way to learn and do. I have since been housed, and I am in my fourth year of college. I’m planning to graduate in May of 2022. My major is political science and photojournalism. After finishing my associates degree, I plan to further my education at another university. I will be working on my major in photojournalism and advocacy work. My plans are to help others that are homeless to gain housing. I would also like to thank my supporters who donated to me on the Street Sense Media app, badge number 59. Thank you so much. I’m grateful to be a part of an organization that cares and showed a homeless person like me the value of being a human being with talent. I didn’t know I had these talents until working with Street Sense Media. This journey has made me a better person. I am so grateful for all the people here at Street Sense and my app donors for helping me transition into my newfound life.
BY GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor
I'd like to thank all my customers and all my supporters. Sorry I couldn't be out at my spot, but know, I'm still here, still breathing. I want to thank everyone in my nursing home for taking care of me and helping me to get myself back on track. And I thank Thomas for taking this time out to record this with me. I tell you it's a lot of blessings from this year. A lot of things happened. I got my birth certificate, I got my social security card, I got my ID. I hope next year for a nice place to stay, a nice home to go to.
My customers are like family. We have such a strong community. Thanks for the love! PHOTOS BY COLLY DENNIS // Artist/Vendor
Thank you, Eastern Market! This is a letter to thank my customers at Eastern Market, those I was with before the pandemic. I thank the good God who made us that we will meet again face-to-face in this difficult time. My customers are very polite. When I see them and I shout loud to attract their attention to buy my Street Sense newspapers, I thank them infinitely for the donations they give me on Saturdays and Sundays. There are alot of attractions at Eastern Market. Men and women are often out accompanying their children and walking their dogs. There are so many goods of all different colors: handmade clothes, fresh food, jewelry, and music livens up the market. Please come and buy your papers. PHOTOS COUTESY OF JULIENE KENGNIE
I want to say to Thomas, Robert, and Melissa, thank you for visiting me. I know plenty more of you probably want to come out and see me but y'all might not know exactly where I'm at. Street Sense can tell you where I'm at. I hope everyone has a blessed and safe holiday. This time of year I usually go home with my family, and I hope to be able to next year. Hope everyone is safe for the holidays. Hope all your new year's resolutions come true. I thank everyone. Be Blessed. Stay safe. And Happy New Year and Merry Christmas to everyone.
Your Street Sense newspaper vendor, Juliene Kengnie, from Cameroon.
OnlineCrosswords.net 3 0 // S T R E E T S E N S E M E D I A // D E C . 2 2 , 2 0 21 - J A N . 4, 2022 This is the Daily Crossword Puzzle #3 for Dec 22, 2021
Answers
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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
(202) 399-7093
YOUTH HOTLINE Línea de juventud
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(202) 547-7777
1-800-799-7233
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All services listed are referral-free Academy of Hope Public Charter School 202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Place NE aohdc.org
Bread for the City - 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 - 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org
Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Good Hope Rd., SE calvaryservices.org
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
Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 communityofhopedc.org
Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org
D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org
Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 Eye St., NW fathermckennacenter.org
2375 Elvans Road SE 2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE
Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org
My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org
N Street Village // 202-939-2060 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org
New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE
1-888-793-4357
Samaritan Ministry 202-722-2280 // 1516 Hamilton St., NW 202-889-7702 // 1345 U St., SE samaritanministry.org
Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org
So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org
St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-333-4949 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org
Unity Health Care 3020 14th St., NW // unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699 1500 Galen Street SE, 1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 555 L Street SE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place, NE, 810 5th Street NW
The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable
Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org
Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW
Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE Línea de salud del comportamiento
Laundry Lavandería
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org
For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide
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WE WANT YOU! JOIN OUR STAFF Seeking a courageous accountability reporter to join an award-winning weekly paper. Is it you? Some journalists wonder if their work will ever make a difference. Those who work at Street Sense Media don’t have that problem. By joining Street Sense Media, you will become part of an elite team of top-notch journalists and storytellers who are passionate about informing the public on some of the most pressing issues facing the region. We produce compelling stories about everything from homelessness to the impact local government policy has on the city’s most vulnerable communities. LEARN MORE and APPLY: tinyurl.com/ssm-reporter Questions? Contact Will Schick: will@streetsensemedia.org 202-347-2006 (x 203)
SENSE STREET MEDIA Real Stories Real People Real Change
Dear Friend, For too many of the men and women we work with at Street Sense Media, such as Daniel or Marcus, as well as hundreds like them in Washington, D.C., winter means another battle to survive nights spent sleeping outside. Others live in shelters that close their doors every morning in all but the harshest of weather conditions, expelling residents out into the cold. Your past support has ended the nightmare of homelessness for dozens of our vendors. And with your generous help this year, we can help ensure that this will be the last year that vendors like Christina and many others live outside. One of the most painful daily routines each winter at Street Sense Media is, after the coldest nights, checking to see if any of our vendors succumbed to the elements the night before. We are on a mission to make sure that such tragedies do not reoccur. Your contribution makes these check ins and all our work possible. Your generosity allowed us to launch a case management program in 2017. Today, that program is stronger than ever. It seeks out our most vulnerable vendors, helping them navigate to the housing, health and mental health care they need to live longer, healthier and more stable lives. Since it launched, we’ve helped more than 50 of our vendors obtain permanent housing! Much more recently, your generous support led to our becoming only the fifth street newspaper in the world to publish new editions weekly. This has directly led to a 40% increase in earnings for our vendors who formerly sold far few papers in the second week of what had been a two-week circulation period for each edition. That additional income is often the difference between a night in a warm bed and a night outside in the cold of winter. These are two of the many ways that your donations make a difference in the lives of the men and women we serve. Often, it’s a life-saving difference. Reaching these two goals – creating an effective case management program and publishing weekly – has added well over $200,000 annually in new costs. To sustain those two efforts, and fund other needed initiatives, we need your help. Will you make a generous gift to Street Sense Media today? Every time one of our vendors inserts a key into their apartment door or saves enough money for a security deposit on a new lease, the results of your generosity can be seen.
$87,023 raised
$150,000 goal
Your generosity changes lives. We hope that we can count on your continued partnership through a generous year-end gift using the form below or going online at www.streetsensemedia.org. We thank you for your support and wish you the very best this holiday season. Sincerely,
From your vendor, Brian Carome Chief Executive Officer
DEC. 20, 2021 - JAN. 4, 2022 | VOL. 19 ISSUE 6
Yes, I want to support Street Sense Media and REAL CHANGE!
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Enclosed is my gift of: ❑ $1,000 ❑ $500 ❑ $250
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Give online at www.streetsensemedia.org. Street Sense Media |1317 G Street NW | Washington, DC 20005 | 202.347.2006
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