12 30 2015

Volume 13: Issue 4 December 30, 2015 - January 12, 2016

Street

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2016:

New Year & New Beginnings! pgs 4-5

53 D

EAD,

Community Authors:

Creativity is everywhere, pg 14

locall home y experien cing lessne ss Speci

al sectio pull-out n pgs 7 -10

Street Sense is the street media center of our nation’s capital. We aim to serve as a vehicle for elevating voices and public debate on issues relating to poverty while also creating economic opportunities for people who are facing homelessness in our community.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES www.StreetSense.org ICYMI: Department of Human Services Director Laura Zeilinger interviewed for Sounds From the Street, Episode 14: StreetSense.org/Audio

CORRECTION In the December 16 edition of Street Sense, a series of vendor portraits by photographer Jane Cave ran uncredited.

COVER ART Advocates delivered a rose to each city council member, and the mayor’s office, attached to a list naming the men and women who died homeless in the District throughhout 2015.

PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA PAMIAS

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OUR STORY Street Sense began in August 2003 after Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions with the idea to start a street paper in Washington, D.C. Through the work of dedicated volunteers, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003. In 2005, Street Sense achieved 501 ( c ) 3 status as a nonprofit organization, formed a board of directors and hired a full-time executive director.

Today, Street Sense is published every two weeks through the efforts of four salaried employees, more than 100 active vendors, and dozens of volunteers.

Nearly 30,000 copies are in circulation each month.

How It Works

ADDRESS 1317 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 PHONE 202.347.2006 FAX 202.347.2166 E-MAIL info@streetsense.org WEB StreetSense.org

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Vendors purchase the paper for 50 cents/issue, which will then be sold to you for a suggested donation of $2.

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75% 75% supports the vendors helping them overcome homelessness and poverty.

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11

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© STREET SENSE, INC 2015

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Margaret Chapman, Margaret Jenny, Elizabeth Canizares, Reed Sandridge, Max Gaujean, Heidi Keller, Robyn Kerr, Jeremy Scott, Jennifer Park, Martin Totaro, John Senn, Anne Willis EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Brian Carome EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Eric Falquero SALES & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Jeffrey Gray VENDOR & SALES MANAGER Josh Maxey COORDINATOR OF EVENTS & AUDIENCE ENGATEMENT Shira Hereld INTERNS Colleen Cosgriff, Dottie Kramer, Victoria Jones, Alexandra Pamias, Ashley Strange EDITORIAL BOARD Rachel Brody, Arthur Delaney, Britt Peterson EDITORIAL & PAPER SALES VOLUNTEERS Jane Cave, Cheryl Chevalier, Nathalia Cibotti, Pat Geiger, Roberta Haber, Mary Henkin, Karen Houston, Erum Jilani, Leone, Hannah Northey, Jesselyn Radack, Andrew Siddons, Jackie Thompson, Marian Wiseman, Eugene Versluysen, Alex Zielinski VENDORS Shuhratjon Ahamadjonov, Gerald Anderson, Charles Armstrong, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Aida Basnight, Roberta Bear, Phillip Black, Reginald Black, Melanie Black, Phillip Black Jr., Maryann Blackmon, Viktor Blokhine, Debora Brantley, Andre Brinson, Donald Brown, Joan Bryant, Elizabeth Bryant, Brianna Butler, Melody Byrd, Conrad Cheek, Aaron Colbert, Anthony Crawford, Walter Crawley, Kwayera Dakari, James Davis, Clifton Davis, Charles Davis, David Denny, James DeVaughn, Ricardo Dickerson, Dennis Diggs, Alvin Dixon-El, Ronald Dudley, Charles Eatmon, Deana Elder, Julie Ellis, Jemel Fleming, Chon Gotti, Marcus Green, Barron Hall, Tyrone Hall, Richard Hart Lorrie Hayes, Patricia Henry, Jerry Hickerson, Ray Hicks, Rachel Higdon, Ibn Hipps, Phillip Howard, Leonard Hyater, Joseph Jackson, Carlton Johnson, Donald Johnson, Harold Johnson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, Morgan Jones, Linda Jones, Darlesha Joyner, Juliene Kengnie, Kathlene Kilpatrick, Hope Lassiter, John Littlejohn, James Lott, Scott Lovell, Michael Lyons, Jimmy M. Ken Martin, Joseph Martin, Kina Mathis, Michael Lee Matthew, Authertimer Matthews, Charlie Mayfield, Jermale McKnight, Jeffery McNeil, Ricardo Meriedy, Cynthia Mewborn, Kenneth Middleton, Cecil More, L. Morrow, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Earl Parkin, Lucifer Potter, Ash-Shaheed Rabil, Henrieese Roberts, Anthony Robinson, Doris Robinson, Raquel Rodriquez, Lawrence Rogers, Joseph Sam, Chris Shaw, Patty Smith, Smith Smith, Gwynette Smith, Ronald Smoot, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens James Stewart, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Archie Thomas, Shernell Thomas, Craig Thompson, Eric Thompson-Bey, Sarah TurleyColin, Carl Turner, Jacqueline Turner, Leon Valentine, Grayla Vereen, Ron Verquer, Martin Walker, Michael Warner, Robert Warren, Angelyn Whitehurst, William Whitsett, Wendell Williams, Sasha Williams, Judson Williams III, Ivory Wilson, Denise Wilson, Charles Woods

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STREET SENSE December 30, 2015 - January 12, 2016

Dinner Program Maintains Christmas Spirit Year-Round

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WINTER READING ISSUE

By Steve Lilienthal, Volunteer

No ornaments or wreaths adorned the walls of Sacred Heart Church on 16th St NW this holiday season. No Christmas tree stood there. But the spirit of giving is present year-round.

Every weekday, men and women come to the Sacred Heart Dinner Program. Some appear to have been beaten down by life.

Some have been on the street all day. Nearly all are seeking nourishment and fellowship.

“Some are out [on the street] by choice. Others have been forced out. I’ve been forced out,” said Ricardo Brown, one of the diners at the program who also occasionally volunteers.

Brown and his fellow diners know they can obtain a meal prepared by Martha’s Table at the Dinner Program. A volunteer attorney comes every two weeks to provide referrals for program guests.

Men needing a haircut receive that free.

Clothing is occasionally given to Dinner Program guests. And attendees at the De-

cember holiday celebration were given hats, gloves, and socks.

When temperatures are below freezing, the program allows men and women to spend the night in the hall.

The District continues to have a homeless problem and it appears unlikely to be disappear in the near future. Programs like the Sacred Heart Dinner Program helps fill a gap in the city safety net, particularly because it serves anyone. Many who come are Latino immigrants. These days, even legal but poor immigrants are on edge over the antagonism expressed by some citizens and prominent U.S. politicians toward “illegal aliens.”

The holiday season takes on even more special meaning at the Dinner Program when “Los Pasados” is performed just a few days before Christmas. A rite in Hispanic countries, “Los Pasados” reenacts the search by Joseph and Mary to find food and shelter as they seek a place to

give birth to the baby Jesus.

“Los Pasados,” says Donald McCrabb, a member of the program’s all-volunteer board, “expresses the essence of the Dinner Program and the holiday. Are we willing to welcome the stranger in our midst?”

But there are challenges in running the program. One is funding, particularly since a key grant was recently lost. Simultaneously, the Dinner Program board wants to do more to help the men and women it serves. The largely volunteer staff has to hustle to prepare for serving the meals and then cleanup. There is little time for counseling, but it is needed.

McCrabb noted that many of the men and women have challenges beyond homelessness. Some have mental health problems, which includes addiction. Others may have problems obtaining jobs due to low levels of literacy or the lack of adequate education credentials. Fluency in English is another barrier to help for some guests.

Often, Latino guests of the Dinner Program are referred to the Spanish Catholic Center on nearby Monroe St NW. However, McCrabb said the Dinner Program would like to do more to “connect people to the resources they need.” The program supports Mayor Bowser’s expressed intention to make homelessness in D.C. “rare, brief, and non-recurring.”

The Dinner Program also hopes to reach out more to Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights merchants to let them know about the program.

It is common to hear wishes that every day can be a holiday such as Christmas.

That spirit can be found every weekday, every week of the year, starting at 5 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Dinner Program.

National Cathedral Questions Compatibility of Capitalism and Morality

By Rachel Prout, Volunteer

In October, the grandiose National Cathedral in Northwest Washington D.C. held a forum about the intersection of capitalism and morality: “The Inequality Challenge.” The forum was moderated by Adi Ignatius, editor-in-chief of Harvard Business Review.

After the audience had been seated, the acclaimed speakers came to the platform, both well-known in the world of international finance. First was Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a former French minister of finance. The second speaker was Lawrence Summers, a former U.S. secretary of the treasury as well as a former president of Harvard University.

After the two had spoken, audience members asked many questions of each.

Christine Lagarde spoke to the challenge of financial inequality. “The question is not about eliminating inequity, but figure out how much inequity is too much and that's the best response,” she said. Lagarde then explained that the IMF believes excessive inequity of wealth distribution in societies does not create the necessary foundation for sustainable economic growth. The IMF position is that this is less a question of morality and more a question of common sense and societal needs. “Well-designed redistribution policies will be good for sustainable growth," Lagarde said.

Summers spoke to the reduction of financial inequality in many of the less-developed nations during the last 30 years.

Because of economic growth in India and China, the world’s two most populous nations, there have been large global increases in education and healthcare for

massive numbers of people. According to Summers, more people have benefited from increased education and healthcare in the last thirty years than in any similar period of time in the modern age.

Another promising statistic Summers pointed to was the global reduction of child mortality rates. This reduction is due to the dynamic growth of national wealth, especially in Brazil, Russia, China, and India, after those nations opened their economies to market capitalism. The task ahead, Summers stated, is to dramatically increase global trade and economic integration. The key challenge will be to ensure this process benefits local economies.

Lagarde countered this viewpoint, saying that the lessening of global inequality in the last 30 years had not progressed fast enough. “Mission not accomplished.

Africa is still struggling.” She said that advances in healthcare and education have not come fast enough.

“How much inequality is too much?” asked moderator Adi Ignatius.

Summers responded by saying it is important to focus on the “equality of fairness.” He said the fact that “tax rates of the richest are lower than the people who clean their floors” is a “profound problem of fairness.” We need to work on fairness issues by focusing on those who need more while avoiding the “politics of envy,” according to Summers.

Lagarde argued that our immediate focus should be on decreasing the number of poor people, not decreasing the number of wealthy people. She outlined three ways to focus on global solutions: more opportunities for women, meaning equal consti-

tutional rights, fair tax systems, access to childcare; make public financing available for infrastructure such as bridges, schools, and health centers, instead of providing massive energy subsidies; and more equitable tax systems.

Summers agreed with Lagarde that the empowerment of women was critical to reducing income inequality. He also agreed with spending more public funds on infrastructure. These types of construction projects create jobs, give people a sense of pride which comes from working and lowers the debt of developing countries by increasing their gross domestic product. The conversation then shifted, with Summers suggesting we need to add regulations to the Trans Pacific Partnership to “manage the excesses of capitalism.” This translated to ensuring that benefits of increased economic growth are shared by everyone, not just mega-corporations and the global one percent. Largarde responded by saying the laws need to be clear, especially the tax code in the United States, regarding the Trans Pacific Partnership and other laws regarding taxes for corporations.

When the moderator asked them to come up with remedies for inequality, Summers gave several suggestions. First he said that the U.S. needs a far more progressive system of estate taxation. This will automatically reduce income inequality by reducing the amount of money that can be passed by the super-rich from generation to generation.

Second, he called for equality of educational opportunity in the United States by changing the present system of local

financing of public schools. This is a huge problem, according to Summers, since wealthy geographic areas spend more on their local schools than areas that are poorer. Other countries do not follow this system of local financing of schools. Instead, they ensure that each school receives the same amount of money.

Lagarde responded to the question by saying, “corporations have to build not only profit but value, [and] also have to be mindful of general equilibrium of society.”

The forum ended with two pivotal questions: what is the intersection between morality and capitalism? and is being Christian incompatible with wealth?

Summers answered the first question by saying capitalism is only as moral as people are and that it is imperative that all of us be mindful of others. He also said that we need to maximize profits, so we can afford to pay higher wages to people.

Everyone needs to work harder to ensure this. Lagarde responding by saying it is important that the rule of law have a clarity of purpose.

The second question received a pondered response by both speakers. Lagarde said “It's how you use it; you have to share, like the parables of the talents.”

Summers came up with a list of things for Christians and others to do. First, spend more money on education. Second, include women in all parts of society. Third, support aggressive U.S. engagement in the global economy. Fourth, politicians need to voice issues of public interest alongside commercial interests. Fifth, influential people need to ensure that the common good comes before special interests.

Community Family Life Services Return Back To Their Roots

By Victoria Jones Editorial Intern Under new leadership, Community Family Life Services (CFLS) is returning to its roots to focus specifically on helping women re-enter society from prison. CFLS was founded by First Trinity Lutheran Church in 1969 to serve ex-offenders, primarily men, who were re-entering open society.

This is why the organization in located in Judiciary Square. Subsequent to its founding, the nonprofit agency evolved to meet the changing needs of low-income families and individuals in the District of Columbia, including the homeless. However, new Executive Director Ashley McSwain believes one of the most urgent and unmet issues today is assisting women who are making the transition from prison to open society.

Women re-entering society face different challenges than men. Because of the lack of available programs to help these women, CFLS has been transitioning over the last month to primarily focus on women’s reentry. Services provided by CFLS and other groups are critical to the successful re-integration of this population.

“CFLS has been around for 46 years, and when they started, they were serving men coming out of prison,” McSwain said in an interview with Street Sense.

“Over the years, the organization has sort of shifted to doing other things, not really reentry.”

Since the model of the criminal justice system is dominated by male offenders, there are a lot more programs to support men than there are women.

However, women have a host of needs which vary greatly from men, especially women with children. And the population of women in prison is increasing at rapid rates. According to the Sentencing Project, between 1980 and 2010, the number of women in prison has increased by 646 percent.

“Women coming out of prison were usually heads of households before they went into prison, when they come home they need to take custody of those children and that’s not usually the case for men,” said McSwain. “Women are very relational, so women need you to build a relationship with them before they actually do what you ask them to do, and that’s very different from men.”

CFLS now offers a host of services designed for women, such as long-term and transitional housing, mentorship, employment guidance and opportunities, food and clothing, medical case management, and family support. They also partner with different organizations, such as the Mayor’s Office of Re-

Community Family Life Services (CFLS) new Executive Director, Ashley McSwain.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CFLS

turning Citizen Affairs (ORCA), to provide other programs and training services. The partnership with ORCA is still being negotiated, but McSwain also worked with them when she on staff with Our Place DC. ORCA has been working on women’s reentry for about two years, according to ORCA Deputy Director Shae Harris. ORCA’s strong suit is connecting the dots to help the women reenter society successfully.

They do events within halfway houses, such as creating vision boards and hosting panels, to help motivate the women and renew their sense of self. They also help the women keep in contact with their families by providing the families with outreach trips to visit loved ones in prison.

ORCA also provides some services and programs for women that are still in prison. But Diane Carter-Bryant, a community health worker and HIV case manager for CFLS, said things were much different when she went through the reentry process 20 years ago.

"Reentry did not start in prison, when it should start. It started when I came home and found that the programs that I was given—once I got to them after trying to find carfare to get to them—didn't work.

They didn't work for me," said Carter-Bryant. "There was always a waiting period or you had to have certain credentials.

There's women who come home without birth certificates, social security cards, or proper ID to even get in the door ... so without those credentials, you can't really get the help that you need."

Today, reentry programs are trying to make more efforts to connect with women who are in prison. Sarah Mullen, who is a reentry advocate and community orga-

nizer at CFLS, works to try and create a coalition of service providers to get together and serve women who are being released from prison. "Right now, I'm also working directly with the women. I go into the jail every week and I meet with [them] there, and we get release bands, we conduct needs assessments, and we link them to programs and services in the community to support them in their release. Then, I follow them as they release into the community and connect them to CFLS programs and connect them to our network of community providers."

ORCA also provides other services such as customer service training and employment opportunities that are usually in construction and manual labor. Digital training is also available to help women keep up with the technology changes that have happened since they were locked up.

"Even if you’ve been gone for a year and come back, technology has changed tremendously and the city has changed tremendously," said Harris. “Some of the people don't know how to use a mouse, or they have the basics but don't know how to attach a resume to an email, which is essential when getting a job."

Women coming out of prison were usually heads of households before they went into prison.

Harris also notes that when they are referring clients to CFLS, they know they clients are going to get the best service and find what they need, which is why ORCA is currently trying to form a partnership with CFLS. ORCA partners with the Department of Behavioral Health, Department of Disability Services, Byte Back, Bread for the City, Hope House, Department of Employment Services, Department of General Services, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Public Works, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Strive DC, Martha’s Table, Congress Heights Community Training and Development Corporation, and Smart from the Start.

“We have received a large mandate to serve all returning citizens and we know there’s at least 60,000 citizens returning in DC,” Harris said. We know that we can't serve them all, so that's why we have these partnerships to refer our clients to so they can get the services that they need.”

w e N From Millstones to Milestones

By Ken Martin, Vendor/Artist

During the past year I, while overloaded with issues—not the least of which is chronic and acute pain— by the Grace of God made many advances. Through homelessness I have been granted enough of life's lemons to make many pitchers of lemonade, metaphorically speaking that is. Here's to all of you that helped make it happen!

Mere thanks is not enough to demonstrate my appreciation for your support in these events and accomplishments, but I feel I owe you some accounting for your efforts and especially your paper purchase contributions on my behalf.

A list of them would contain: published articles in this fine paper; completed interviews with other outlets about my journey, such as Fox 5, Al Jazeera and The Economist; mentored students through our Teaching Hope seminar and Lessons of Hope community forums; paid a loan off at Life Asset; joined People For Fairness Coalition; completed a Street Sense podcast interview; and survived a rough year of homelessness (thought I would that slip that in); and the list goes on..

The biggies are temporary, safe housing and relationship renewal with my son.

Many of my fellow vendors have done equally well and even more. I would not have accomplished as much without their support and leadership as well as that of the Street Sense staff.

Hats off to all of us for what we do together as community!

New Habits

By Henrieese Roberts Vendor/Artist I have been experiencing a difficult time with pain and moving myself into new habits in order to manage my disease. I am happy to state that while attending a Campaign to “End AIDS” in Virginia Beach, last year, I met a minister from Atlanta who is now my coach. He offers me short weekly calls to encourage me to grow positively. I am now moving ahead productively, motivated by visions of people I love. For example, I think about my aunt and it forces me to use the warm compresses I need for my eyes. AIDS in forcing me to adopt these new habits. I thank God every day for my coach. One day, I would like to have a day of productive activity that resembles one of our professional athletes!

! s , r g Yea Beginnin New

STREET SENSE December 30, 2015 - January 12, 2016

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WINTER READING ISSUE

Helping Hands

By Betty Everett, Vendor/Artist Hey y'all! It's me again, the girl from North Carolina.

I must say 2015 was a year full of gun and domestic violence. Let's work really hard to make 2016 more peaceful. Every day that I wake up and get out of bed, I thank God for giving me the strength to find my own apartment. I ask him to help others less fortunate find a full or part-time job with a decent wage.

On the X2 bus at H and North Capitol Streets about a month ago I saw a gentleman wiping his eyes. Then he started really crying. I had never seen a grown man cry! I Ieft my seat and asked him what was wrong. He said he was okay, although I didn't believe him. So, I went back to my seat. What disturbed me the most is that no one else bothered to comfort him. They just kept looking at their mobile phones. Sad, but true: this is what the world is coming to. When I ask people for directions, they are texting, they have ear plugs, and they keep walking. I have seen them walk into traffic while texting!

I hope everyone has the happiest New Year! Thanks for buying Street Sense from me and other vendors. May God bless you and yours. With love, Betty

In 2016 I Would Like To...

By Patti Smith, Vendor/Artist

In the new year I am contemplating going back to school at Consumer Action Network. It can get you in touch with the program's rehabilitation programs for the disabled to further your education. These monthly classes are just the refresher courses I need. For years I have wanted to go back and take a class that lasted for a while.

A few years ago I wrote in our very first Street Sense Writers Group, which we then called Writing for Food. So, I need to increase my learning and learn to perform more tasks.

Belated Christmas and Happy New Year

By Sybil Taylor, Vendor/Artist

Happy New Year and Happy (belated) Christmas! This holiday season is very, very sad for me and my family. The table was empty and the joy of Christmas was not the same. Putting up the Christmas tree and lights and decorations and ornaments was not joyous. Neither were the Christmas cookies, milk or eggnog. None of it.

The joy of my father last year was a blessing to us. Bringing in the New Year and sharing his love, joy and beautiful smile was a blessing. He made us all feel welcome and there was nothing to worry about. Even though he was sick, that was his and our best Christmas and New Year together. Last year,

he got a chance to share Christmas with us by opening his presents. I spent over $100 on him and my mom and my two sisters and my brother and my sister-in-law and my niece.

It was the best, sharing our love with him around the bedside as he smiled with Christmas joy and brought in 2015 with us.

This Christmas and New Year was spent in his new home in heaven, away from us.

Though he is missed, he is with us in spirit and will be forever in our hearts. Christmas should have been very big for him in God’s mansion. The biggest gift and joy is that Jesus was born on this day, and so was I. I am too a Christmas joy, angel, baby. This is the best season. Dad, you will be missed until one day we can all be together again and rejoice.

Love you always Dad.

My Dream for 2016

By Ronald Turner, Venor/Artist

My name is Ronald Turner and I had a good year in 2015. I bought a car. My plan for 2016 is to get insurance and tags, and to find a full-time job. I also want to find my own place and stay in good health and out of trouble.

What New Year's Means to Me

By Robert Warren, Vendor/Artist

For me, a new year always leaves a lot to improve upon.

I will turn 55 years-old this year.

I never thought, at this time in my life, that I would still be trying to overcome some of my bad thinking and bad behavior. So, as in years past, I will try to start anew. The Lord willing, I will be a better servant to the Him. I really had some ups and downs in 2015. Through it all, my Street Sense family and friends—and most importantly, the Lord—would not let me get down on myself. I know in this new year to come, I have to do a better job of being present for my 11 year-old daughter and my 87 year-old mother. I will try to carry myself in a more positive light.

Being a Muslim-American is kind of depressing. People look at you differently, just because of your belief in the Lord. I have always thought of people of faith as

one and the same in so many ways. I try to always carry with me the thought of forgiving one's faults and having a kind word for all. This is said to be more powerful than charity. Yet even with all the turmoil in the world, I still put my trust in the Lord that things will work out. Being a homeless advocate doesn't leave you with much time to feel sorry for yourself, with so many people in need around you. My hope for the new year is that all the people who need affordable housing can find it and for them to have a happy new year. (But not in a Trump concentration camp.)

I pray that people will not give in to the fear that so many Republican presidential candidates are running on and trying to sell to the American people. We have been down this road before, when many would try to make us fear our fellow men and women because they are perceived to be "different from us."

So for me in 2016, I will not fear others.

I will strengthen my belief in myself so that I can publish my poetry book! I wish a happy and safe New Year to all!

REGGIE’S REFLECTIONS:

What I Have Learned

By Reginald Black Vendor/Artist Give or take a year i have been in or involved in the homeless community for the last eight years. 2016 will be the ninth year of my involvement. A large part of that work has through this newspaper.

In this short span of time I have learned a great deal about the city: how its money and government works, and the shortcomings and pitfalls that go with it. I must admit, I have come a long way.

I may not be proud of some of my decisions. But I always ask myself: what would any other person do in this situation? I usually find myself coming to the same conclusion: the outcome is the same, I cannot blame my path.

All in all I have been able to determine two things, fact and fiction. This year I’m resolving to deal with facts. I am striving to experiment and test those facts to see if there is truth to them.

I cannot blame others, I can only seek answers with a question.

I just so happen to be dark skinned and wooly haired, “nappy” as some would call it. These are two facts I confirm each time I look into a mirror. I am curious about my heritage and lineage. It may bleed into cultures and places I could never imagine.

I am placing my faith in securing and being able to test true and factual answers about where I come from. What stories may lay within that journey? Hopefully, in time, I can give this information to offspring of my own genes, so that they will be given something that my parents were unable to give.

Do I blame them? No. I blame the existence of fact and fiction. Not its existence per se, but the perception of reality it can give. Facts are the things I feel that humanity needs in each individual experience. We may not always agree on our perception of them, but we can agree on facts. This is my resolution, I hope to make it one that will last longer than just one year, and that through them I will be able to contribute to positive advancement in my own life and hopefully others’ lives too. So here is to you 2016, let’s hope you bring us all the facts.

FROM LIMELIGHT TO LANDFILL:

The Final Journey of the Journey Inn

By Chris Shaw “The Cowboy Poet”

REVIEW: An Elegant Evening

By William Mack Volunteer Fantasia Barrino performed a onenight event hosted by the Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, Md on Saturday, December 5. Barrino, also known as Fantasia, is a former American Idol (2004) winner and R&B, soul, hip-hop soul, gospel singer-songwriter, actress, and author.

The venue was very comfortable and had a friendly atmosphere with good acoustics. The musical performance included a little bit of R&B, hip-hop, soul, and gospel music. I accompanied my close friend and her girlfriends. While driving to the show I found out that they were all faithful and devoted fans of Fantasia’s. Two were good friends with the artist, and had been following her since her first performance on American Idol. They were all singing her songs along the way and streaming live from the car we were riding in.

Some of the songs that were performed are: “In Deep”, “Collard Greens & Cornbread,” “When I See You,” and “Free Yourself.” They were sung with a lot heart and soul. Fantasia’s performance was outstanding!

The crowd was huge and its response to every song was ecstatic! Fantasia’s clothing was hot. Her backup singers were excellent. The band was a new, they were good. However, some devoted fans could tell the difference and seemed to have preferred the old band better. But this didn’t detract from the show. The stage was just right, the lighting was good and the sound system was perfect.

The concert and Fantasia’s performance was everything that I hoped for.

I highly recommend seeing her perform.

At seventeen, I was a runaway: a fugitive bouncing around and seeking the blues. The more I sought them, the farther and farther I ran from my comfortable Bethesda bedroom. At that time (1970), one of the favorite haunts for this underaged nomad was the shabby old "Journey Inn," smack dab in Foggy Bottom's 'ptomaine row' at 2122 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. For my tender age, anything D.C. seemed real "Low-Down," because the raffish nature of my quest for authentic Blues life was so alien from my sheltered youth. I will never deny that while free and easy from the burdens of attending high school, I was thoroughly soused in the unvarnished "Zeitgeist" of the time.

Ergo, I couldn't say whether it was the boisterous patrons, the loud earsplitting noise of the murky PA system or the rough gentlemen playing the Journey Inn that floated my emotional boat highest. ( ‘de”Hawks,” whom I believe were captained by an authentic Chicago ‘slide guitar king’ named JB Hutto) Perhaps it was none of these, but instead the exotic, sooty incised Arabesque façade of the Inn herself. My marijuanalubricated brainpan dug the fuzzy sounds, blurry purplish lights; the unwholesome cackling of women in fishnet attire too 'big' for me to actually conversate... the honky-tonk truth of it all revealed a preppie boy (schooled in Burnham, Root, Richardson and all the architects of the Prairie) that loved style and design. Blues, not booze, thankfully the foundation of a scholar's quest.

"Chicago, the seed germ of all culture!" the scholar reminded himself as he stumbled down the pitted sidewalks of early 1970's Pennsy Avenue pastiche—a yet undisturbed mile of 'pour house' pubs, situated between Georgetown and Lafayette Square­—soon slated for rubble in a fastchanging city.

As the playground of George Washington University's fun-seeking underclassmen, the "Rogue Mile" was familiar to me once I enrolled as a poetry/short story major there. By then, the Journey and Tammany Hall across the avenue had gone mostly jukebox. Some of the bars had already gone to glass and concrete office blocks, with atmosphere summing up to zero.

Soon I was temping around (once my New York acting sojourn was at an end), both at GW's Medical records, and the White House (Correspondence Coding, in the first Clinton interregnum!) Past the ever-more moldering, but still extant,

Journey Inn—I trooped in foot-pinching Oxfords or went gliding by in a succession of packed Metro buses to a thankless telemarketing post overlooking the Inn's back 'court'—more likely a garbage dump!

Take us forward to 2012. Having checked in with the largely toothless Preservation League of D.C., where a pleasant lady of indeterminate rank swore up and down that 2122 Penn was, due to its elaborate, unaltered and dainty "neo-Grec" polychrome trim (that evokes Adolf Cluss' masterpiece facades of the Smithsonian Arts & Industries Museum) was 'surely' a component of Foggy Bottom's Historic District! Thus, it would NEVER be allowed to enter 'Raze' status.

Of course, none of us knew that GW's Board had entered into an unholy alliance with a huge multi-jurisdictional developer, which, citing the "commercial" status of the restaurant frontages (which encompassed Trieste, Thai Flavor and Froggy Bottom—formerly the Journey Inn—allowed for total clearing of the block.

Now branded the 'Cowboy Poet,' our intrepid scholar began taking notes-- and snapping pictures.

On Saturday, December 5,2015, at approximately 8 a.m., a bizarre metal tool clamped in the jaws of a wrecking 'Dozer—which is informally called "The Toothpick"— nudged a third-story section of soft brick, gracefully arranged Moorish-style 'spandrels, backwards into "The Hole."

This pit was squashed down by the caterpillar treads to accommodate tons of plummeting wreckage. Following that roar came a load of carefully crafted, tired and dried-out attic timbers and beams, now

splintered by a force unknown to 19thcentury hand technology.

My obsession with the life, and now quite immediate death, of a precious structure that had come into existence about the same time as the 1878 birth of my beloved maternal grandmother Anna Maud Besson ("Gagu") had blossomed to its fullest: I suddenly sensed a sharp stinging tear rake the left side of my face.

What was left of the powdery brick became bathed in a gossamer light, which another witness to the masonry carnage— a dogged and discerning Washington POST photog—was documenting. The continuous cascade of moaning, plummeting ruin went on for the next ninety minutes, give or take.

One of the last visuals I can recall (as memory clouds so rapidly, these days!) is the cracking of a huge section of flooring, mapped out in black/white checkerboard pattern, reminiscent of an R. Crumb cartoon. That was the old Journey Inn green room, where musicians of long ago joked, jived and drank themselves to a joyous oblivion.

Now how about the cold tears on Cowboy's face? Could it have been the shock of losing a last bit of the unrestored frontier of our "National Avenue's" sordid past? (framed in Victorian gingerbread) Or simply an icy blast of early winter wind? In any event, a singularly-prized chunk of Foggy Bottom's native past had— with lightning speed—been yanked into a different, untraceable domain. Never, no NEVER, to show again, for any of us down here.

7

The Reading of the Names:

A Nation Mourns Lives Lost to Homelessness

District of Columbia Albert Jones Allen Taylor Andre Ousley Brian Washington Charlie “Microphone” Whitaker David Becker David Holt Diante Mcleod Dwight Banks Floyd Stevens Gwendolyn Williams Iggy James Jones Joe Simpson John Doe John Haley Mark “Bear” Parker Melvin Whitehead Michelle Dancy Morris Smith Muriel Jackson Nathan Hunt Nyles Smith Paul Marshall Paul Richardson Terry Goldman Peter Lynn Ralph Johnson Ricardo Richard Stewart Rodney Lloyd Sheikh Zayed Sultan Aal-Nahyan Shirley Funderburk Stephen Turne Terry Goldman Thomas Smith Timothy McClary Trisha Wilson Tyrone Williams William Vaughn Willie Whitley

Northern Virginia Wayne Brittain Donald Marks Doug Allen William Ketter Shiela Pollack Woodrow “Woodie” Holmes Donnie Murray Bobby Creel Jeff Easton Brian Shiflett Tifanee Elle

Street Sense Vendors Pieus Ennels Muriel Dixon Roberta Bear Michael Jackson

Thursday, December 17

By Colleen Cosgriff and Dottie Kramer Editorial Interns

C

ities across the United States hosted independent memorial services to honor their citizens who died while experiencing homelessness in 2015.

In 1990, National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) organizer Michael Stoops led the establishment of December 21 as Nation-al Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. The first day of winter, the longest night of the year.

Last year, more than 2300 Americans were reported to the National Coalition for the Homeless as having died without a place to call home, 55 in our nation’s capital. The numbers are still coming in for 2015. There has been a slight positive change in the District: 42 names reported this year (see left). Forty-two people too many for advocates who called for “no more homeless deaths!” as they marched through the streets of Washington on the drizzly night of December 17.

A vigil began at Luther Place Memorial Church on 14th Street to honor 39 men and women who passed away in 2015.

Each person’s name had been written on a hand-held poster for participants to carry, along with electric candles.

“Homeless people are dying,” said Albert Townsend, co-founder of the People for Fairness Coalition (PFC), during his opening remarks. “The single most effective treatment for homeless people is housing.”

Next, Street Sense Vendor/Artist Ken Martin gave a first-hand account of his life dealing with homelessness. Martin suffered two heart attacks in one week, then had been returned to the street immediately after his first heart surgery. “I could have been number 56,” Martin said, referencing the 55 people who were honored at the 2014 vigil.

He went on to reminisce about how he watched a homeless woman seize up, after her complaints of headaches and blurred vision. He lamented the fact that he did not know the woman’s fate and if she was one of the 39 homeless that lost their lives in 2015.

Courtney Pladsen shared the story of David, a homeless man who was able to achieve hous-ing but was also diagnosed with stage four cancer. Pladsen, a nurse practitioner with Unity Health Care, had her own stint with homelessness as a teen. She said David was able to die with dignity in housing, surrounded by those who loved him. He was not one of the 39 people who died while homeless this year.

(Continued on next page, 8)

(continued from previous page, 7) “People who experience homelessness die 20 to 30 years before their peers,” Pladsen said.

Homelessness also worsens severe illnesses such as asthma, HIV, and diabetes.

D.C. Department of Human Services Director Laura Zeilinger was the last to speak. She urged the crowd to recognize the humanity in everyone, including the homeless.

“No one chooses to be homeless,” she said.

The more than 50 attendees were then led down 14th Street to Freedom Plaza with an empty casket carried by People for Fairness Coalition Coalition members. The procession was joined by Unity Health Care’s mobile care van and the Street Sense art bus. Along the way, the once-somber group vigorously chanted sayings such as “housing saves lives” and “no more deaths.”

“What do we want?” called Reginald Black, a PFC member, from the front of the line.

“Housing!” responded the marchers.

“When do we want it?”

“Now!” After everyone arrived at Freedom Plaza, dinner began inside a heated tent and the healthcare van setup shop. It was available until 8:30 p.m. offering primary as well as preventive care, such as blood pressure checks, HIV testing and blood glucose screens.

“Tonight’s event is both to memorialize the people who died on the street but also to call for change that will make it so that people will no longer die on the street,” said Elizabeth Falcon of CNHED. “The biggest ask is for the Mayor to continue to fund the plan to end homelessness in D.C. I’m here particularly in support of the investments in affordable hous-ing and permanent supportive housing which provides long term solutions for folks.”

After dinner, an open mic event began, welcoming anyone to speak about their experiences while homeless. Or to sing and recite poetry. Freedom Plaza is directly across from the Wilson building, where the D.C. Council meets. It is also in the shadow of the United States Capitol building. Both buildings were highly visible when standing just outside the tent, and both federal and local legislators were addressed during the evening’s open mic event.

Ward 1 Councilmember Briane Nadeau was the only D.C. council member to attend the Thursday night events. She thanked community members for being there and told them to keep coming back and demanding that homelessness be a priority.

“If we can get City Council and those folks down the street [at the Capitol] behind us, we will save lives,” Robert Warren, co-founder of People’s Fairness Coalition, said. “If we’ve saved one life, just one life, we’ve saved the whole world,” Warren continued.

It was expressed throughout the event that both the government and individual groups cannot solve homelessness alone, they must work together.

“Even as we were marching down here, we were still walking by people who were sitting out in front of stores, who were visibly homeless... The problem is huge.

More people need to get involved. Like they said at the talk, the government can’t just do it, the activists can’t just do it,” Mark Thomas of District Displaced said in an interview with Street Sense.

Marine Corps veteran and Street Sense vendor Robert Williams spoke about the issues un-housed veterans face, including PTSD and lack of employment available to veterans. Wil-liams urged those in attendance to see the homeless as people, not as a “zoo or a showcase.”

“Don’t come to help if you just want to make your résumé look good…Homeless people are people and should be treated as such,” Williams said.

Angie Whitehurst read an original poem “Wake up Dead” at the open mic. Her poem ex-pressed the feelings of hopelessness and abandonment she faced when she experienced homelessness: “Woke up dead, from exposure and death/Cold and ill from no house–a home or a place to heal./The cost too high for my town to meet/Now, I am not here for you to touch and see.” Whitehurst’s poem had a hopeful ending: “I hear our Mayor is going to fix it/so there will be no throwaways on the street of human life/Awakened-up dead, like me!”

While the open mic continued, outreach groups left Freedom Plaza around 8:30pm to distribute hats, gloves, and scarves to unhoused people around the District. Marcia Bernbuam and Kevin of People’s Fairness Coalition went to Franklin Park to bring those experiencing homelessness warm clothing.

“It’s a good feeling, reaching out and helping,” Kevin said. Kevin has been homeless off and on for two years, but has recently found housing through Rapid Rehousing. His experiences and his faith have drawn him to give back to the homeless community in the Dis-trict.

“My sponsor said ‘in order to keep what you have, you gotta give it back,’” Kevin said.

At Franklin Park, Marcia and Kevin distributed all of the winter clothing items they brought with them. They also invited a dozen people back to the tent at Freedom Plaza, many of whom joined the event.

Around 10 p.m., members of the Foundry United Methodist Church sang Christmas Carols in the tent. Hot chocolate, cookies and donuts were available to everyone in attendance.

By 10:30pm, community members in the tent began to prepare to spend the night at Freedom Plaza.

(See our full social media and video coverage at StreetSense.org/Vigil2015)

BELOW: Patty Fugere, Julie Turner, Michael Stoops and other memorial service attendees hold lighted candles to remember the lives of men and woman who died while experiencing homelessness in 2015. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

Friday, December 18:

By Reginald Black, Colleen Cosgriff and Ashley Strange Street Sense Staff Demonstrators stayed out overnight and started the morning off with prayer and breakfast before storming city hall. There they presented demands to fully fund Homeward DC, the District’s 5-year plan to end homelessness. Day two of the annual National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day Vigil had kicked off at Freedom Plaza with a teach-in led by Monica Kamen.

The teach-in was held to educate people experiencing homelessness on where D.C.’s money is being spent. The District spends the majority of its budget on human support services such as hospitals, social services, healthcare, and the food stamp program. Kamen, an advocacy coordinator for the Fair Budget Coalition, stated that there is a total of $13 billion in the city’s budget, but D.C. only spent $223 million on housing and homeless services.

“We’re people and we are human beings,” said Kevin Morris, one of the advocates who believes both the media and the politicians usually “get it wrong.”

A total of 53 people who died on the streets in 2015 were recognized at the memorial service that afternoon (names listed on page 7). “Jane Doe” and “John Doe” were included on that list, to signify those names not collected.

Some persons go unreported to the advocacy community by those they left behind. Others go unnoticed. As of December 11, there were a total of 110 District “public disposition” cases in 2015, according to a Freedom of Information Act Request filed with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). Public disposition refers to cases where a person’s remains go unclaimed after a period of 30 days. As clarified by the OCME, public disposition is not necessarily synonymous with homelessness.

“If I break the law, I am guaranteed a safe place to lay my head, a warm place to sleep, and three meals a day, but when someone does everything right, they get nothing,” said Street Sense Executive Director Brian Carome, who also spoke to

the crowd of activists that morning. He talked about remembering Roberta Bear, a Street Sense vendor who had experienced homelessness, but died housed in 2015.

He expressed frustration with attending the Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day each year, an event he believes has been needed for “far too long.”

After the teach-in wrapped up, demonstrators headed to the Wilson Building and delivered roses to the office of each of the council member and to confirm their support of the Homeward DC. The 5-year plan envisions that no one will spend more than 60 days on the streets. It contains different milestones before 2020, such as ending chronic homelessness by 2017. The city is narrowly missing its first milestone: ending veteran homelessness in 2015. According to a December 10 report released by The Way Home Campaign, there are only 213 homeless veterans left in the District.

Demonstrator Orock Ojong thinks that Homeward D.C. is a great idea, but said “2020 is too far away because in the winter we lose people.” She says that ending homelessness should be a top priority in D.C. because people’s lives matter.

The roses delivered to city council represented the lost lives of the homeless men and women honored in the 2015 vigil.

The first rose going was left for Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, who was not in his office. But the group was able to speak with Shawn Hilgendorf, who said that the council member looks forward to requests from the advocates in 2016.

People for Fairness Coalition co-founder Albert Townsend stressed that the group wanted to make sure that McDuffie’s office also looked forward to fully funding the Homeward DC. The second rose was given to Councilmember-At-Large David Grosso, who fully supports of Homeward DC. “It’s extremely important that you bring this same message to [Mayor Bowser], and we’ve got it in our budget letter that’s going to the Mayor

BELOW: Demonstrators visit Councilmember Jack Evans (left) and Councilmember Anita Bonds (right).

PHOTOS BY ALEXANDRA PAMIAS

STREET SENSE December 30, 2015 - January 12, 2016

9

WINTER READING ISSUE

Demonstrators Take the Wilson Building

today to support this,” Grosso said to the advocates. “Every year it’s the same, so we’ve got to keep up the fight and I appreciate you all doing this and taking time out of your day to come down here and really spread the word today, so thank you.”

Grosso later processed with the advocates to the afternoon memorial service.

Next came Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans’ office. A particular issue of concern while meeting with Councilmember Evans was the Bowser administration’s recent homeless encampment sweeps. Evans’ ward has been at the forefront of the closures. An estimated 40 people had battled with both neighbors and city officials to maintain a place they called home under the Whitehurst Freeway, near the Watergate complex.

That area is now completely fenced off.

According to Albert Townsend, closing an area that folks call home scatters them and destroys their sense of community.

The council member expressed that people who pass encampments are often “scared.”

“Councilmember Evans, it is scary to be homeless,” said Jesse Rabinowitz, an advocacy specialist at Miriam’s Kitchen.

Rabinowitz had discussed the encampment sweeps in detail during the morning teach-in. Many people staying outside are afraid to go into the shelters. Then the sweeps take away the only shelter that they have. The homeless are kicked off the streets and their personal belongings like identification cards and any little money that they have are thrown away, according to Rabinowitz.

“Tents save lives,” he had said to the morning crowd.

Evans, who had previously declined an interview with Street Sense about the Whitehurst encampment, told the visiting advocates that his office will work closely with the Bowser administration to build, “not ‘affordable housing,’ but housing that people can afford.”

People who are living outside have a lot of issues according to Evans, who believes

living under a bridge is not a great idea.

Nevertheless, he agreed to work toward an end of Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Brenda Donald’s encampment sweeps. The advocates asked Evans to send a letter to the deputy mayor about this issue.

“I don’t have to send a letter, I’ll go and see her,” Evans replied.

He also highlighted the need for a downtown service center in Ward 2 for people experiencing homelessness, but didn’t have any suggestions ready to move this project forward.

The demonstrators left Evans’ office and split into two groups to save time.

One group visited At-large Councilmember Anita Bonds, the other went to the mayor’s office. Mayor Bowser was not in her office at the time, but the advocates met in the hallway with Gregory Jackson Jr., director of the mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services.

“The encampment sweeps we are seeing are housing the most visible, not the most vulnerable,” claimed Kyla Dixon, another Miriam’s Kitchen advocacy specialist, while meeting with Jackson.

Jackson asked each person to leave their contact information to arrange a meeting with the Mayor at a later time.

“I have a problem with our encampments,” Councilmember Bonds, who chairs the Housing and Economic Development Committee, told the other group that visited her. “I wish we could lease people up, but we can’t. We need to get property owners to agree.”

She believes the community needs to work on sensitizing people to homelessness, and assured the advocates that she supports fully funding the 5-year plan.

“You won’t lose a dime,” Bonds said.

“We are people and we are all the same,” Bonds said.

The group next visited Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh’s office and was able to speak with her legislative counsel, Anthony J. Catalina.

“I thought there was a protocol?” Catalina asked when advocates brought up the removal of the Whitehurst Freeway residents. The demonstrators indicated that they had witnessed the encampment protocol, which was developed by the deputy mayor in August, not being followed. The protocol includes a stipulation for not taking away items that may save a life from people in encampments.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Catalina said, urging the group to continue its efforts and make regular visits to the council.

He said that Cheh’s office is also looking into the issues of public restrooms.

Demonstrators then ran into Council Chairman Phil Mendelson in the hall as he headed to his office. Mendelson stated that he didn’t like the encampment sweeps. When asked if the homeless campers could be entered into the coordinated entry list that assesses need and determines housing placement based on that need, Mendelson stated that he did not know the specifics of how the assessment system worked, but that “the people who are being swept are being bumped in the system.”

After all roses were distributed, demonstrators marched to New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. A=There was a brief lunch before the overnight vigil culminated in a memorial service that began with a special prayer for the 42 District residents, 11 northern Virginia residents and countless unnamed persons who died while experiencing homelessness in 2015, and for those who who currently live out on the streets.

Tadesse Dinku gave a short reflection on his life as a torture survivor.

“I was tortured in Ethiopia for ten days because I opposed the ruling party there,” Pinka, who was subsequently homeless in D.C., said. “Now I am in a survivors’ house. I have my own bed and share friendship with other men.”

Next was Rev. Ashley Goff of Church of the Pilgrim, who said that “everyone deserves to be called by name” and that is

one of the reasons for having the vigil.

Matthew Doherty, Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, said that people experiencing homelessness need housing that will provide safety and a permanent home in our neighborhood.

“Every one of these names is a call to action to our resolve that no one should be homeless,” Doherty said. “We know that people need housing first. Housing that offers people the rights and dignity that they deserve. We are proving every day that we can end homelessness. We must never allow ourselves to forget that our homeless neighbors are vulnerable every day.”

The memorial service was extra momentous because it was the first time anyone has seen long-time advocate and community organizer for the National Coalition of the Homeless Michael Stoops. Earlier this year, Stoops suffered a severe stroke that left him virtually incapacitated.

“We would not be remembering these people who died on the streets if it was not for your decision to honor those who passed on without a home,” said People for Fairness Coalition director Robert Warren to the assembled crowd. “You helped us to raise our voices, we are all grateful to you Michael.”

Today Stoops participated in the marches and memorial service in his wheelchair.

He could share a meal and communicate, which were welcome signs of his recovery for those gathered at the service.

The ceremony ended with the lighting of candles in memory of the 53 District and Northern Virginia residents who passed away unhoused in 2015. The core demonstrators then ended the day by laying the placards—bearing names of those who had died—to rest at the symbolic grave of historic homeless advocate Mitch Snyder. This year marked the third year the People for Fairness Coalition has marched for those who have passed “without the dignity of a home.” It was the hope of everyone in attendance that someday, deaths of people experiencing homelessness will end once and for all.

Advocates for the homeless process from Freedom Plaza to New York Avenue Presbyterian Church on Friday, December 18. Among the crowd is Michael Stoops, David Grosso, and the Street Sense art bus. PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIE TURNER

LAST WORD: Save One Life, Save the World

By Reginald Black, Vendor/Artist

In a city that has declared itself to be a ‘human rights city,’ there are still unfortunate lost lives of people that are facing or currently experiencing housing instability: a form of extreme poverty known to all as homelessness.

The People for Fairness Coalition held its third annual homeless vigil December 17 - 18. This vigil included a casket, candlelight procession and an overnight challenge to commemorate those who have died on the street. This event brings together advocates from all walks of life.

These strong fighters bring their energy and their demands right to the front door of city hall, the John A. Wilson Building.

Albert Townsend, who is also an employee at Miriam's Kitchen, asked the vigil crowd to call the shelter hotline if they see people in need. He also asked communities to embrace future shelters.

Earlier this year Mayor Bowser expressed her interest in closing the embattled DC General family shelter. Townsend's call echoed most advocates concerned about possible NIMBYism.

The advocates then marched down to Freedom Plaza, where the overnight challenge was to take place. They called housing a way to save lives and emphasized the message that “housing is a human right.”

“We will continue to do as much as we can, and I won’t stop until we have ended homelessness in the District of Columbia,” said Briane Nadeau, the only council member to attend Thursday’s events. “If we don’t hear from you, then we forget.

We need you to show up and remind us every single day that if someone is experiencing homelessness, it is not just a cut or a bruise, it is impacting your life. I want to make sure in my role on the council that you get what you need.”

Nadeau also urged the participants to continue to produce actions and invited them to come to the council meetings and testify.

“We hear you loud and clear,” she said.

The People for Fairness Coalition chal-

lenged its attendees to take the overnight challenge. This included actually sending the night on Freedom Plaza, living like their extremely impoverished counterparts. It does take a strong will to sleep on unforgiving concrete. Most give up.

Robert Williams urged those gathered to remember that homeless people are people. This year marks the death of forty one people in the District of Columbia that have died without the dignity of a home. Even so, it sends a loud message to the community at large. The challenge is to produce housing in the community that those who are living in poverty can access, barrier-free.

Washington is a changing city and nights like tonight remind us that there are less fortunate people out there, as well as people who care.

“It's a shame to see an old lady sleeping on bags on my way back and forth to work every day,” said PFC Executive Director Robert Warren, who is also an employee of George Washington Hospital. “If you save one life, just one life, it is as if you have saved the world.”

Each placard bearing the name of a District man or woman who died while homeless in 2015 was placed in the ground surrounding historic activist Mitch Snyder’s symbolic grave at Luther Place. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN

Have an opinion about how homelessness is being handled in our community? Send your thoughts to opinion@streetsense.org.

Housed and Unhoused

By Patty Smith

A lot of people believe that the unhoused are lazy; that they want to hang in the streets day and night, that they don’t want to be told what to do, that they are insane to some degree, that all they want to do is drink and do drugs, that they don’t come from a good upbringing or that they came into this city from somewhere else.

But many people with housing are just barely making it. Some people with jobs are just one step away from homelessness.

Heck, a lot of people with jobs are homeless. People in housing drink and do drugs too. Without housing, it’s not always possible to maintain perfect hygiene. And some people who are privileged to have a home are lazy. It’s got nothing to do with class or finance – those qualities are related to attitude. Some people living in housing have that get-up-and-go drive, some are lazy as hell. Some people on the street have that get-up-and-go drive, some are lazy as hell.

We’re all the same.

Just because you’re housed, doesn’t mean you have the perfect house, either. You might be in a decrepit house, you might be in a middle-class neighborhood. The rent is so high in this city that it doesn’t matter where you live.

We don’t need to build more shelters in this town. If we have money and space to build, build as much affordable housing as you can. Shelters are okay, but some unhoused people don’t want to go into shelters. Some don’t feel safe, others just need more privacy. I don’t know all the reasons.

When I finally got a place of my own I said to myself, “Hey! I can shower. I can groom myself. I can store enough decent clothing to wear. I can take care of myself.” I started looking at life in a totally different way. I started feeling good about myself.

Everyone needs this basic housing to thrive.

Housed people have somewhere to keep a coat for when the weather gets cold. They have the option to stay inside under a roof when the rain pours down. In the dead of

winter, they have the chance to stay in and watch TV or have a warm meal, rather than struggle to survive outside or pack into a shelter with hundreds of other people. Too many people don’t have these simple privileges. On top of that, they get the opportunity to make good friends with neighbors. A sense of community is important.

But where are we going to put this needed housing? Are we going to put it at the heart of the city? Are we going to push it to the outskirts? Some people get scared when they get pushed to the edge of the city. We need housing where people can access reliable transportation to get around. To get to a job or a medical appointment. To feed and clothe yourself.

Finally, we need housing where people can count on staying there for a few years. Where the rent won’t get too high.

Where they won’t risk eviction.

That’s when you start building a life, when you know some of what the future holds for you.

Patty Smith is an artist and Street Sense vendor.

may be committing the crime of either illegally camping or trespassing. Because homeless people do not own property, everywhere they sleep they are either on public land or private land. If on public land, you are likely illegally camping; if on

private land, you are likely trespassing.

Because one must sleep to live, and if by sleeping one breaks the law, such policies make it a crime to exist as a homeless individual.

Richard Embden is a writer and a vendor for Street Sense.

Can Living be a Crime? \By Richard Embden

How can you criminalize existing?

If one is going to live, one must get some sleep. The paradox is that when you are homeless, whenever you go to sleep you

OPEN LETTER: End Encampments and Find Housing for All We are writing this letter to express our concern about the way the Washington, D.C. government has chosen to deal with encampments on public property. As members of the People for Fairness Coalition – whose objective is to end homelessness in D.C. through advocacy, outreach and peer mentoring – many of us have either lived on the streets or are currently living on the streets.

As is indicated in the 2015 Point in Time count, 7,298 displaced citizens in our nation’s capital are homeless; of these, 1,118 sleep outside, and of those, a smaller number have chosen to live in encampments.

Many live in encampments because it is the only place where they feel safe and supported and can keep their belongings safe.

Unlike the random strangers they would encounter in a shelter, they have formed a true community of people who know and watch out for each other. Their only other alternatives are to sleep on the streets in areas that are not safe or to go into shelters. Many have already experienced staying in shelters and choose to sleep outside instead because of the conditions in the shelters: inability to get a decent night’s sleep due to fights and loud arguments; theft of their possessions; and unsanitary conditions, including bed bugs and terrible odors.

A number of cities, including Baltimore,

have placed a moratorium on dismantling of homeless encampments until housing placements can realistically be secured for all the people staying in the encampments. Yet D.C. is moving full speed ahead with shutting down all encampments in the city, on the cusp of winter, without ensuring that everyone in the encampments has access to decent housing.

We appreciate that the city has been successful in finding housing for a portion of the individuals living in encampments.

However, every individual living in an encampment that gets housing lengthens the wait for housing for those who have been assessed with the VI-SPDAT pre-screen.

By shutting down encampments, D.C. is getting further out of step with the federal government’s very strong guidance on this issue. The U.S. Interagency Council on the Homeless, in its report “Ending Homelessness for People Living in Encampments,” cautions that “forced dispersal of people from encampment settings is not an appropriate solution or strategy.” The U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in July filed a brief in a case involving Boise, Idaho’s efforts to prosecute homeless individuals for sleeping outside, arguing that “criminally prosecuting … individuals for something as innocent as sleeping, when

they have no safe, legal place to go, violates their Constitutional rights.”

What does the D.C. government plan to do when encampments that have been removed start growing again? Will the D.C. government continue to place priority on finding housing for people living in encampments with the full knowledge that those assessed and awaiting placement in housing are being pushed back in line? While this has not yet happened, is the D.C. government considering criminalizing living in encampments by charging fines or arresting the people who remain in encampments once the city has done its best to disband them?

The People for Fairness Coalition calls for the D.C. government to end encampment cleanup and obtain housing for everyone in DC who needs it. Walk a mile in our shoes, feel the way we do. Understand that the world is not safe especially for those who live outside, and if we work together, we can make the world a better and safer place for everyone who lives here, not just the wealthy and privileged.

The People for Fairness Coalition describes itself as “a city-wide effort to end housing instabilities for individuals who live on the streets and shelters of the nation’s capital.”

STREET SENSE December 30, 2015 - January 12, 2016

1#1

OP-ED

An Inescapable Reality

By Ken Martin

This piece is a response to a recent Street Sense op-ed by Shernell Thomas that argued in favor of National Airport’s recent efforts to remove homeless people from its terminal.

I’d be remiss if I did not speak out for those defenseless folk denigrated in Shernell Thomas’s piece featured in the article package “No Room at the Airport.”

Why do homeless people smell? On occasion, inaccessible resources. There are cities with public toilets and showers – D.C. is not one of them. I know that while I tried to minimize those moments, in my experience of unsheltered living, there was an aromatic instance or 10.

Life at the airport is a little different. There’s no excuse, only an inescapable reality. A lot of homeless people are mentally ill. Some are severely and socially traumatized to the extent that hygiene is no longer a consideration, let alone a priority. Have you experienced being treated as valueless so often that you believe it to be fact? These smelly people are in that place.

I know because I was in that place more than 35 years ago as an acute alcoholic. That’s what it was called, but trust me, there was nothing cute about it!

But this isn’t about me. It’s about you. It’s about you understanding that people don’t smell that way by desire.

About you not perpetuating the apathetic, self-serving mindset that kicks others when they are down and defenseless. About getting off your apathy and empower helping the suffering community that we chose to make home.

This is about remembering that the malodorous have history (alma maters, careers, significant others), too. If this state of being happened to them and to me, there but for the Grace of your Higher Power, go you.

This is about sharing with the people that don’t care enough to read this periodical that they can choose to be considerate of a less fortunate neighbor rather than be condescending.

Bottom line is, if you have nothing good to say (or do) for your fellow man, say or do nothing.

Ken Martin is a Vendor/Artist for Street Sense. He has a background in community organizing as well as real estate. Ken operates a pop-up hat shop in the District. Learn more at www.brims4you.com.

The Street Sense Writers’ Group is led by writing professionals and meets every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. The group’s goal is to develop ideas and collaborate on the next great issue of Street Sense.

A Poem to Reflect On

By Gwynette Smith Vendor/Artist A poem that I believe looks at life in a meaningful way and provides the readers with good philosophy of living in Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “If.” It reads:

“If” by Rudyard Kipling If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

Every Day is Hard

By Tyrone Hall, Vendor/Artist

My name is Tyrone Hall and I have lived at the New York Avenue Shelter for a long time. Life is not good at New York Avenue.

I am 62 years old and I don’t have a job or money. Every day is hard: no money, no love, no peace. Every day is hard.

This life is coming to an end, I am on my last legs. This is a sad life. My life projection is short, time is short. I will see life to an end.

Life is moving too fast for me. I lost, I lost, and I lost. I have tried so hard in this life and gained so little. This is a sad life, so sad.

The only thing I am looking for in 2016 is benefits from the SSA. That should change my life some. With an income, I’ll be able to find housing.

Here Comes January

By Michael Craig, Vendor/Artist

January get its name from the Greek mythological goddess Janus. She represents the beginning and the end as a simultaneous occurrence. We end one year and begin another, in the blink of an eye. Similarly, each day we wake up, yesterday no longer exists and tomorrow is not promised to anyone.

As I reflect on the past and prepare for anticipated obstacles and opportunities, I know things could get even worse. Just as well, there is plenty of room for progress.

In our holiday seasons, we often are overcome with the euphoria of the occasion. Or perhaps, for some, the depression brought on by the stressors of this time of the year. We run out and buy gifts and receive gifts, but in my mind the greater gift

to give is respecting and appreciating the diversity of our world society. It costs nothing and is doable even during trying times.

This wonderfully challenging experience begins with you and me. This gift is not seasonal, but an ongoing daily proposition.

The prototypical American citizen has never slept outside by force or felt the tension and degradation of being in a shelter. You should count your blessings.

In spite of my particular challenges, I still wish you a Happy New Year every day. I hope, regardless of your perception of events during this time of year, that you find joy and comfort in putting a smile on someone’s face each day of your life.

Let’s try world peace!

Work Hard is My Goal

By Joe Jackson, Vendor/Artist

Here are my goals: trying to get settled, tired of people carrying me any type of way. I want to be settled in my life. I’ve got to work so hard for nothing. I’m trying to have a job for next year and be in my own place.

Now I am finally done with being on probation and I still cannot get a job because of my record. I’m trying to put that behind me and walk a straight pay so I work real hard to get my goal. I have been putting in ten applications-a-day for jobs like maintenance, cleaning, and landscaping.

The Kingdom of God is at Hand

By Cynthia Mewborn, Vendor/Artist

I am no longer concerned with saving this planet that we have poisoned.

Frankly, I think it is too late. But we are in luck, because the kingdom of my God is at hand.

I believe there is a universal order that eternally fulfills God's laws and testimonies. Every human within the universe was born with a free will to decide to abide by this order or not. This is a great responsibility, because there is no middle ground in God’s law. All immoral choices stem from breaking one moral action, resulting in a domino effect of unending negative outcomes. “They answered him, ‘We are offspring of Abraham and have never been

enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” (John 8:33).

As our species draws closer to the return of the Jewish Messiah, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, all of mankind will be asked to make a choice whether or not we abide by the forces of light.

"I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth in me should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46).

I believe there will come an hour in the near future where humanity will no longer be able to speak to God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. "And when ye

spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood" (Isaiah 1:15).

I also believe that anyone who fights against the forces of light will be eradicated, obliterated and annihilated.

"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Revelations 20:10).

I acknowledge that Jesus is the son of

God. I believe that he died on the cross, that his blood washed for my sins and that he arose from the grave and conquered death. I understand that I was born of sinners and that I have sinned by disobeying God’s commandments. I ask Him to forgive me for theses sins: to please change my heart to believe of His teaching and help me to obey the Bible. Bring people who can help me on this new path and be my savior and lord.

And that is what I pray for as I anticipate God drawing near to mankind. I thank Him for saving me from death and giving me a new life. Amen.

STREET SENSE December 30, 2015 - January 12, 2016

After Katrina: A Ten-Year Roller Coaster: Part 11

13

WINTER READING ISSUE

By Gerald Anderson, Vendor/Artist

PREVIOUSLY: I went back and told my homeboys and homegirls I got a lick. They say, What you talkin’ about? I say I got a connect.

I’m in the game with a dealer and these other dudes now.

One of my homegirls say I hope you don’t mess his money up. I don’t want you to get in trouble with these guys out here.

They might kill you or come here and kill us. I tell her, I got this man. I’m true to the game, not new to the game. I got a coke connect and a heroin connect. Every day I go out and hustle, sell my drugs. I get my nickname—they call me Orleans...

During that time they had a song out by Mike Jones called “Back Then” that say the girl don’t want you. Now I was sayin’ the same thing because when I came to D.C., the girls didn’t want me. Now that I’m in the street hustlin’ and gettin’ money, they all on me.

The dealer had a Hummer truck and a Lexus. He was a kingpin, he had money.

I’m startin’ to get big-headed, meaning you think your pants don’t fit you. I start drivin’ the dealer’s car, we start goin’ out to dinner, we go to clubs. A lotta big players and hustlers there.

You gotta dress nice to go in the club.

They don’t allow tennis shoes. I wore black slacks and brown Timberland boots. Inside the club they had walls of mirrors and disco lights. The bathroom had guys in there handin’ you napkins to dry your hands.

The dealer introduced me to other hustlers. When I shake hands with them, the dealer let them know I’m his right-hand man, which make me believe I’m important. It’s like he put me on display. It all make me think I got it goin’ on!

I dance with real nice-lookin’ women.

Meetin’ big players is like a big excitement. It got me halfway thinkin’ like I’m still in New Orleans.

I’m driving the dude around, and we start really gettin’ hot. I got a bond with him be-

cause I won his confidence. I stepped my game up—I’m getting 50 and then 100 bags.

And now I’m frontin’ other dudes.

I went to feeling like a man in command.

I wanted to go to the tattoo shop and get a tattoo that say “In 2 Deep,” which mean I feelin’ myself ridin’ with the big man, eatin’ with the big man. Once you start takin’ me to your house, showin’ me your guns, it mean I’m in deep with you. I was closer to him than some of the older workers he had. I went to feelin’ like I could call some of the shots.

So after bein’ around with him for a year plus something, one day I was goin’ to the BP gas station. It was a small area right by the projects in the hood, the ghetto, where they got a liquor store on the corner, a convenience store a block away, a kids’ playground up on the hill.

Before I got to the station, a cop stopped me and asked where I’m from.

I say, “New Orleans.”

He say, “Oh yeah? I’m from New Orleans too.”

To Conquer

Astrology Theories for Us

By Rachel Higdon Vendor/Artist

By Jermale McKnight Vendor/Artist

I’ve been stranded in darkness And I could not find my way.

I was stuck in place And it was happening every day.

There was no one to help me, I had to learn on my own.

I had to work through my hardships To get to my throne.

I crawled on my knees Every time that I fell.

I crawled through the fire To get out of hell.

While standing at the roadblock, I didn’t give up.

I explored other options When things got tough.

I made it through the jungle With thorns on my feet.

I patched up my pain And made some cleats.

I walked and I walked Until I found the light.

I was blinded with dirt But I did not lose sight.

The sun, the moon, the stars and the planets all have elements and properties known only to a few. Scientists are eager to study the moon’s dust-to-ice ratio, as well as potential water sources below the surface of Mars. We are embarking on a new frontier, which poses all sorts of risks. Some life and death. Some trial and error. Some failure.

The study of these elements brings me

I say, “You just sayin’ that to mess with me.”

He say, “Nah, I worked in the 6th district. That was my district.”

After a while I’m thinkin’ to myself he might have been one of those crooked cops got transferred out.

He said, “We need to take a photograph of you, so we have a picture of you in case something happen to you.” Someone must have told them about me, which gets my mind to thinking this could be trouble.

Afterwards my dealer asked about it.

He knew the cop’s name.

He say, “That’s the hero cop who busted me.”

After a while I got to wondering, Is this time to get out or get in? (to be continued) My book, “Still Standing: How an ExCon Found Salvation in the Floodwaters of Katrina,” is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle form.

to Astrology. It’s a fascinating field. I enjoy studying it and have developed some of my own theories. In the end, it is a way to look at and try to make sense of life. For instance: everyone has both a sun and a moon sign. The sun sign describes a person’s core personality, while the moon sign describes a person’s inner and moreprivate self.

Searching for answers and questioning existence is ongoing for me. I’d love to speak with any of you, my readers, about astrology in-person. So stop by and grab a paper too if you’d like!

Derian’s Day in Court 2

By Derian Hickman Vendor/Artist I have been homeless in Washington, D.C. for about seven years as I remain hung-up in the court system.

I have processed several civil filings to defend myself and my record, but they have not been taken seriously.

For instance, in 2012 I was falsely accused of shoplifting. I plead not guilty, and thus did not take the plea bargain they of-

fered me to plead guilty during the trialby-judge. My request for a trial by jury was denied. During my trial by judge, I was told that the security footage from the day that I was accused of stealinghad been lost.

I remain hung-up in the court system.

This seemed suspicious to me, but that there was nothing more I could do.

Each time my cases have not been dismissed, I’ve asked for a trial by jury, in order to plead my case to my peers. Also because while judges hold a very respectable position, that does not mean the person in the position is respectable.

Dragging-on over so many years, it’s tough to maintain hope. But I still get inspired, during events such as the pope’s recent visit and lunch with the homeless.

I’m going to keep fighting. What else can I do?

Tough

By Ebony, Volunteer Every day I see drugs on the streets, and people who can barely afford a way to eat.

It’s so sad when I see babies with no shoes on their feet, crying out "mommy, I'm hungry."

Another day of struggling to put food on the table, and food prices are as high as the sky.

Mothers and fathers are out here making sacrifices just to make money; it’s so tough it’s not even funny!

The city shows no pity, but the God up above holds us tight; giving us another day to fight, for salvation is within sight.

Motivation is hard, like a fire that must be kept fed.

Faith we wear on our head.

Talk to the Almighty, for he knows what needs to be said.

This homeless life can be pain that'll consume your body, it'll make you go insane.

I keep the Lord and y'all should too; for the storm is near end and the sky will return blue.

Been Thinking About You Fists of Faith

By Rev. Lucius C. Gallion, Volunteer

By Robert Tyler II, Volunteer

Tossed and turned all night in bed.

Woke up with a pain in my neck and head.

Arose late with eyes so blurry.

Tried to get dressed in a hurry.

Stomped my toe at the door.

Wasted my cereal on the floor.

Burned a hole in my shirt.

Left home late to get to work.

Got in my car without my keys.

With rising tension and little ease.

In a daze, ran a red light.

Looked all around, no police in sight.

Arrived at my job an hour late.

Tried to work, but couldn’t concentrate.

Attended a meeting that must be kept.

Didn’t say much,. Just mainly slept.

Arrived home safe’ maybe not sound.

Took me hours just to wind down.

Hectic day almost through.

Just want you to know.

Been thinking about you.

Inside a room inhabited by the dim light from what was left of a bulb, a man pumping with determination stood in the darkness. His body was conditioned and shirtless. The blood rushed through his veins like raging waters of the great oceans. His heart was pumping like the drums of the African land.

The goal was to fight, to adapt, to overcome. To defeat the enemy that waited outside for his presence. The sweat rolled down his back, glistening from what light was left. His eyes intensified and were swallowed by fire.

As he threw a jab into the air, the wind from his fist cracked the wall in front of him. A door swung open, welcoming the sunlight. The man walks out onto the hot soil, where his foe awaits him. The air stung as the challenger approached his foe within his center of energy, a force of darkness and great pressure.

Their eyes lock and engage in a deep stare of intimidation. The true test was about to unfold, to overcome a storm.

Reverend Lucius C. Gallion is a historian, poet and former-pastor. He holds masters degrees in Divinity and History, and owns his own business: Housing Homeless People, LLC.

A Type of Exodus

By Alexander Kern Volunteer One day Moshe found a home.

After years of running from the law reading tablets in the tenement hall tracing the names on the obsidian wall of the Vietnam Memorial playing oboe in the subway tunnel and underneath the lavender stars, Moshe found a home.

Not a nice one, mind you.

No promised land of milk & honey, no thin mint perched on his pillow.

Here at the bottom of Fort Reno hill where sheep once grazed & Union soldiers lay their heads where ex-slaves sang their Freedman’s song and boys marched footballs across muddy wastes muttering over the burnt crusts of their lives Moshe made his home.

Steering his shopping cart through the reeds he pitched his trench coat as a tent against the bite of autumn wind and dusted the flies from his long dreadlocks.

Leaving blood on the lintel of his darkening brow, he listened for the love songs of bullfrogs at dusk hoping somehow, this too would pass over.

Reeds grew around him as he lingered & watched the hill up above for some kind of sign.

In turn, the hill brooded over the city: the Washington Monument’s great obelisk the temples of might along the Potomac til one day Moshe cried out loud “This place has become my house of bondage.”

And on that day he stood up, a snake in each hand and parted the quivering sea of reeds.

Climbing the hill, he peered over the edge, and seeing there what could not be told he turned to the east, and disappeared.

Alexander Levering Kern is a native of Washington, DC who has worked as a housed ally and advocate alongside homeless communities in DC, Philadelphia, and now Boston. His poetry and writing have appeared in many magazines and journals such as Spare Change News, Blue Collar Review, Georgetown Review, Caribbean Writer, and others. A Quaker, he was first inspired to work around homelessness by the nonviolent witness of Mitch Snyder and the Community for Creative Nonviolence in the 1980s, and later, by the Catholic Worker Movement.

Quiet Forest

By Timothy Farrell, Volunteer

A typical Oregon fall. It was cool and grey when the man paused on the Seven Streams Trail in Post Canyon for a drink of water. He was on public land owned by the county and managed for multiple uses, including as an industrial forest. Indeed, before him was a hillside laid bare several years ago. With the recession and the decline in the price of lumber, the county had not harvested any timber that year. This meant that the forest was

quiet without the sound of chainsaws, but it also meant that the county was facing a budget crisis, laying off employees, and cutting services. The man knew something about this, but did not know the full extent of the problem. All he knew was that it was a peaceful place to ride his bike.

He was panting a little bit. The trail had been steep and he needed to catch his breath. He checked his watch. It was 5:30 p.m. and there was no sun; the sky

was entirely cloudy. At this time of the year the sun would soon be setting. Although it had been raining all day, it was not raining now. The man was not worried because he was used to the rain. It had been days since he had seen the sun, and he knew that in a few more days it would come again. After all, an inch of rain had just fallen. Only about twelve inches typically fell all month. This would pass. It probably would not rain anymore that day.

The man breathed in the fall smells of the forest and looked back on the trail. It had round back and forth along Post Canyon crossing the stream several times.

Possibly seven times, but he did not know for sure how the Seven Streams Trail got its name.

Continued and conlcuded on StreetSense.org as trouble develops in this woodland paradise...

15

STREET SENSE December 30, 2015 - January 12, 2016

WINTER READING ISSUE Housing/Shelter

Food

Clothing

Showers

Outreach

Medical/Healthcare

Transportation

Laundry

Education

Employment Assistance

Legal Assistance

Academy of Hope Public Charter School: 269-6623 | 601 Edgewood St, NE aohdc.org

Bread for the City: 265-2400 (NW) | 561-8587 (SE) 1525 7th St, NW | 1640 Good Hope Rd, SE breadforthecity.org

Community of Hope: 232-7356 communityofhopedc.org

Jobs Have Priority: 544-9128 425 Snd St, NW jobshavepriority.org

Covenant House Washington: 610-9600 2001 Mississippi Avenue, SE covenanthousedc.org

John Young Center: 639-8569 119 D Street, NW

Calvary Women’s Services: 678-2341 1217 Good Hope Road, SE calvaryservices.org

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

Catholic Charities: 772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

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

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

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

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

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

Community Family Life Services: 347-0511 | 305 E St, NW cflsdc.org

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

Foundry Methodist Church: 332-4010 1500 16th St, NW foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities ID (FRIDAY 9-12 ONLY)

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

Gospel Rescue Ministries: 842-1731 810 5th St, NW grm.org

Martha’s Table: 328-6608 2114 14th St, NW marthastable.org Miriam’s Kitchen: 452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave, NW miriamskitchen.org

My Sister’s Place: 529-5991 (24-hour hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

N Street Village: 939-2060 1333 N Street, NW nstreetvillage.org

New York Ave Shelter: 832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave, NE

Open Door Shelter: 639-8093 425 2nd St, NW newhopeministriesdc.org/id3.html

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

Samaritan Ministry: 1516 Hamilton Street NW | 722-2280 1345 U Street SE | 889-7702 samaritanministry.org

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

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

St. Luke’s Mission Center: 333-4949 3655 Calvert St. NW stlukesmissioncenter.org

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

Unity Health Care: 745-4300 3020 14th St, NW unityhealthcare.org

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

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

CELEBRATING SUCCESS! Arugula Salad is Here!

Another Christmas Without Mom and Dad

My book of poetry, “Arugula Salad and Other Food for Thought (Part 1),” has arrived! If you have a taste for sociallyconscious poetry with a bit of humor, it’s available now and throughout the holiday season, only to my Street Sense customers at 17th and L Streets NW and Dupont Circle market on Sundays. I would like to thank all of you for supporting me and the Street Sense organization.

When I wake up I always keep my parents in my heart, because my mother carried me to birth and my father planted the seed for me. I honor them to this day, may they rest in peace. I will always give my love to my parents and my brothers and my sisters. Mom, I hope you had a very Merry Christmas. May God bless you.

Dad will always be my wisdom and mom will always be my strength. The family they made will always stay together.

Always honor your parents for what they did for you. Mom and Dad, I missed you on another Christmas. I will always miss your gifts and your love for my siblings and me. May you rest in peace. Amen.

By James David, Vendor/Artist

PHOTO BY ERIC FALQUERO

By Charles Davis, Vendor/Artist

Michael Lee Matthews bears the names of two men that died while homeless in 2015 at the annual Homeless Persons Memorial Day Vigil (Read more on page 7).

PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA PAMIAS

A Prayer for Those Sleeping on the Streets

By Michael Lee Matthews, Vendor/Artist

VENDOR MEMORIAL: MICHAEL JACKSON

By Josh Maxey, Vendor Manager

Michael Jackson passed away on Wednesday, December 16. He was scheduled to go into surgery on his back, and the recovery did not go well.

Services were held December 23 at Bibleway Temple Church on New Jersey Ave NW. Michael was a faithful member of this congregation. His sister wanted to thank Street Sense (that includes customers, fellow-vendors and other staff members) for allowing Michael to be a part of our organization, she enjoyed reading his articles.

A memorial service for Michael and another fallen Street Sense vendor, Roberta Bear, will be held at The Church of the Epiphany at 1317 G Street NW on Thursday January 7. Follow Street Sense online or contact Josh Maxey at (202) 347-2006 x 10 to confirm the time.

December 30, 2015 - January 12, 2016 • Volume 13 • Issue 4

Street Sense 1317 G Street, NW

Nonprofit Org US Postage Paid Washington, DC

Washington, DC 20005

Mail To:

May God and Jesus truly be with the 300 to 400 people sleeping on the streets downtown.

I do commend Councilmember Yvette Alexander, who chairs the Health and Human Services Committee for saying "We must get these people off the streets!" a few months ago, when I was testifying at a hearing at City Council.

I sat right there and heard her say it myself! God bless her soul. Some of these people who sleep on the streets really need help today, this week, this month.

Some of them are not that healthy!

Some of them are senior citizen homeless ladies and gentlemen. They really need a little extra help!

A 72 year-old woman sleeps in Franklin Square. She has been sleeping in the park for about a year or so. She really needs help. There is a lot of work to be done in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

I'm a veteran. I have been living here in Washington D.C., my hometown, for over 24 years. I haven’t touched tobacco, alcohol or drugs - not one single drop, thank God for Jesus!

Over 8,000 soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan! But we are having problems trying to help 8,000 homeless people in Washington to find a little room!

May God and Jesus be with them.

Be a Blessing

By Scott Lovell, Vendor/Artist Thank you to all my cheerful customers for making my Christmas a blessed one. I am grateful to be able to cook my own Christmas dinner this year and invite a few homeless people to my home for Christmas. God has blessed me, through you, to bless someone else. God blesses us all to be a blessings to other people.

Thank you all for buying Street Sense all year-long and supporting our newspaper.

Permit #568

Remember, buy only from badged vendors and do not give to those panhandling with

Shernell Thomas - 12/01

one paper.

Interested in a subscription? Go to page 15 for more information.

Evelyn Nnam - 12/31