02.22.2023

How It Works

Each vendor functions as an independent contractor for Street Sense Media, managing their own business to earn an income and increase stability in their life.

NO CASH? NO PROBLEM.

VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT

Street Sense Media publishes the newspaper

As self-employed contractors, our vendors follow a code of conduct.

1. I will support Street Sense Media’s mission statement and in so doing will work to support the Street Sense Media community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity.

2. I will treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and fellow vendors, respectfully at all times. I will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making donations, or engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices.

3. I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense Media but an independent contractor.

4. While distributing the Street Sense newspaper, I will not ask for more than $2 per issue or solicit donations by any other means.

5. I will only purchase the newspaper from Street Sense Media staff and volunteers and will not distribute newspapers to other vendors.

6. “I will not distribute copies of “Street Sense” on metro trains and buses or on private property.”

7. I will abide by the Street Sense Media Vendor Territory Policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes with other vendors in a professional manner.

8. I will not sell additional goods or products while distributing “Street Sense.”

9. I will not distribute “Street Sense” under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

10. I understand that my badge and vest are property of Street Sense Media and will not deface them. I will present my badge when purchasing “Street Sense” and will always display my badge when distributing “Street Sense.”

INTERESTED IN BEING A VENDOR? New vendor training: every Tuesday and Thursday // 2 p.m. // 1317 G St., NW

Cover

BY ATHIYAH AZEEM

The Street Sense Media Story, #MoreThanANewspaper

Originally founded as a street newspaper in 2003, Street Sense Media has evolved into a multimedia center using a range of creative platforms to spotlight solutions to homelessness and empower people in need. The men and women who work with us do much more than sell this paper: They use film, photography, theatre, illustration, and more to share their stories with our community.

Our media channels elevate voices, our newspaper vendor and digital marketing programs provide economic independence. And our in-house case-management services move people forward along the path toward permanent supportive housing.

At Street Sense Media, we define ourselves through our work, talents, and character, not through our housing situation.

1317 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347 - 2006 streetsensemedia.org

info@streetsensemedia.org

VENDORS

Abel Putu, Aida Peery, Andre Brinson, Andrew Anderson, Angie Whitehurst, Anthony Carney, Archie Thomas, August Mallory, Beverly Sutton, Brianna Butler, Carlos Carolina, Carlton Johnson, Carol Motley, Charles Armstrong, Chon Gotti, Chris Cole, Chon Gotti, Conrad Cheek, Corey Sanders, Daniel Ball, David Snyder, Debora Brantley, Degnon (Gigi) Dovonou, Don Gardner, Donté Turner, Doris Robinson, Earl Parker, Eric Thompson-Bey, Erica Downing, Evelyn Nnam, Floyd Carter, Franklin Sterling, Frederic John, Freedom, Gerald Anderson, John Alley, Henry Johnson, Ivory Wilson, Jacqueline “Jackie” Turner, Jacquelyn Portee, James Davis, Jeanette Richardson, Jeff Taylor, Jeffery McNeil, Jeffrey Carter, Jemel Fleming, Jenkins Daltton, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jermale McKnight, Jet Flegette, Jewel Lewis, John Littlejohn, Juliene Kengnie, Katrina Anige, Kenneth Middleton, Khadijah Chapman, Kym Parker, L. Morrow, Laura Smith, Lawrence Autry, Levester Green, Marcus McCall, Mark Jones, Mango Redbook, Marc Grier, Maurice Spears, Melody Byrd, Michael Craig, Michael Warner, Michelle Mozee, Michele Rochon, Morgan Jones, Nikila Smith, Patricia Donaldson, Patty Smith, Phillip Black, Queenie Featherstone, Reggie Jones, Reginald Black, Reginald C. Denny, Ricardo Meriedy, Rita Sauls, Robert Warren, Rochelle Walker, Ron Dudley, Ronald Smoot, Sasha Williams, Sheila White, Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Susan Westmoreland, Susan Wilshusen, Sybil Taylor, Warren Stevens, Wendell Williams, William Mack

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mary Coller Albert, Blake Androff, Nana-Sentuo Bonsu, Jonquilyn Hill, Stanley Keeve, Clare Krupin, Ashley McMaster, Matt Perra, Michael Phillips, Daniel Webber, Shari Wilson, Corrine Yu

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Brian Carome

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS

Doris Warrell

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS

Darick Brown

DIRECTOR OF VENDOR EMPLOYMENT

Thomas Ratliff

VENDOR PROGRAM ASSOCIATES

Aida Peery, Clifford Samuels, Chon Gotti

VENDOR PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS

Roberta Haber, Ann Herzog, Madeleine McCollough, Dylan Onderdonksnow, Amelia Stemple, Tyler Bruno

MANAGER OF ARTISTIC WORKSHOPS

Maria Lares

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Will Schick

DEPUTY EDITOR

Kaela Roeder

PRODUCTION EDITOR

Athiyah Azeem

STAFF REPORTER

Annemarie Cuccia

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Alexia Partouche, Margaret Hartigan

ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE

Ariane Mohseni (Film), Bonnie Naradzay (Poetry), David Serota (Illustration), Lalita Clozel (Film), Willie Schatz (Writing), Leslie Jacobson (Theater), Roy Barber (Theater)

ARTS EDITOR (VOLUNTEER)

Austine Model

OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER)

Rebecca Koenig, Emily Kopp, Bill Meincke, Candace Montague

EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS

Josh Axelrod, Ryan Bacic, Katie Bemb, Lilah Burke, Chelsea Ciruzzo, Lenika Cruz, Alison Henry, Kathryn Owens, Nick Shedd, Andrew Siddons, Jenny-lin Smith, Rebecca Stekol

VENDOR’S NOTE

Beautiful Black

NIKILA SMITH Artist/Vendor

Beautiful is Black

Fighting for knowledge, that's power

Speaking to beautiful Black, there is a story, there is hurt. Respect, disrespect, hatred, love, ability, disability, addiction, sobriety, Beautiful Black speaks with power above all.

Sometimes beautiful Black power can be misunderstood as being angry

Beautiful Black is a beautiful sculpture you can't keep your eyes off

Beautiful Black

Adapts, attacks and protects

This is how I see beauty in Black.

There are more than two races.

Beautiful Black is my favorite.

There are so many gifted!

Gorgeous, intelligent, forgiven, talented, educated, cleaning, Beautiful Black.

This isn't the end for Beautiful Black, but the beginning.

The Street Sense Media 20th Anniversary

SELL-A-THON LEADERBOARD

HIGHEST SELLERS OF THE WEEK

SSM FAMILY UPDATES

The next vendor meeting will be this Friday, Feb. 24, from 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

The February winners of the 20th Anniversary Sell-a-Thon will be announced at 10 a.m. in the admin office next Wednesday, March 1!

Receive extra newspapers for referring someone you know to new vendor orientation. Every Tue and Thur at 2 p.m.

• Vendors continue to receive free papers for proof of vaccination.

The Sell-a-Thon challenges vendors to sell as many Street Sense newspapers they can in one month. The highest and most improved sellers are awarded $50 at the end of February. We will update this leader board for each category every week. You can boost your favorite vendor’s numbers by giving them a “customer kudos” — ask a vendor to learn more!

M OST IMPROVED SELLERS OF THE WEEK

Under new management: Robert White on leading the housing committee

ANNEMARIE CUCCIA Staff Reporter

The D.C. Council’s reconstituted Housing Committee expects to have a busy year as legislators grapple with voucher backlogs, poor shelter conditions and a still-under-fire housing authority. Street Sense and The DC Line caught up with At-Large Councilmember Robert White, the new committee chair, to hear about his plans for the next two years.

During the conversation, White called for the city to create an emergency plan that allows people experiencing homelessness in D.C. to use the hundreds of outstanding housing vouchers they need but have not been able to access. He also outlined how the committee can help improve the District’s housing affordability, shelter conditions and public housing.

This conversation, which took place the day before last week’s McPherson Square encampment closure, has been edited for length and clarity.

On committee priorities

White takes over the lead on housing policy from At-large Councilmember Anita Bonds, whom many housing advocates saw as a lackluster chair. The new Housing Committee includes her prior portfolio of the D.C. Housing Authority and the Department of Housing and Community Development but also incorporates the Department of Human Services, including homelessness services and housing vouchers.

Q: As the new chair of the Housing Committee, what are your main priorities?

A: I am intent on fixing things. Because I have the benefit of bringing a fresh perspective, I want to make sure I’m not adopting anybody else’s agenda or baggage, but working through the issues.

So, a perfect example is McPherson. We clearly have issues if I’m going to encampments and talking to person after person who’s been approved for a housing voucher for years. And then I’m asking well, why are you not staying in the shelter in the meantime, and consistently, people are telling me, they don’t feel safe, they feel like it’s unclean, and they can’t get sleep. Understanding from the people most impacted by the work what we need to fix, that’s the way you develop the right agenda.

Q: How will you involve people with lived experience?

A: We’ve got to go talk to people and see the issues ourselves, so, in addition to encampments, the committee members have to go to the shelters to understand why people are saying they don’t want to go to these buildings that taxpayers spent billions of dollars on. I don’t expect a lot of people who don’t already come to the council to come to the council. I think it’s better to expect us to change how we operate.

Q: And just to get a baseline, how effective is D.C. at preventing and addressing homelessness now?

A: I would give us a C, which puts us ahead of most jurisdictions, but it’s still a C. I think we will be a shining

example when we start to make the programs that we have funded work better. But we’re not there yet.

On vouchers

Over the last two years, D.C. funded 3,000 new housing vouchers for individuals. But as of Jan. 17, only 762 people had actually rented an apartment with one of these subsidies. Hundreds of individuals are still waiting. Both the D.C. government and the nonprofits that administer these vouchers have acknowledged this backlog, and have blamed it on staffing shortages and procedural delays.

Q: You alluded to a huge lack of trust between people who are experiencing homelessness and service providers and the government. How do we address that?

A: I had a lacrosse coach who said, “Nothing succeeds like success.” The perception of the homelessness system is based on experiences. And what they are experiencing now and what they are hearing from other people is that it’s not working. We need them to see that it is working.

When people see “Hey, I got approved for a housing voucher and now I am in a home,” other people are going to want a housing voucher. But if you know a lot of people who have

not been approved for housing vouchers for years, you are in no hurry to get one yourself. We have done too much patting ourselves on the back for funding things and creating programs. We’ve got to start making these programs work better.

Q: You mentioned vouchers. How are you thinking about changing the voucher process?

A: The voucher process has to be improved. To have been a part of the council that funded a historic number of vouchers and then to meet so many people who are living on the street approved for a housing voucher for years is disheartening. One request I am likely to make is for the agency to make an emergency plan to get through the backlog. I think they can develop the plan. But it’s going to take some pushing from the council.

Q: When you say pushing, what do you anticipate that looking like?

A: My hope is that a request from the council gets us going. I don’t want to have to pass legislation to say develop an emergency plan. I think almost everyone wants to be part of the solution.

Q: Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto recently released

New housing committee chair Robert White in his office. Photo by Annemarie Cuccia

a budget request including some items that could speed up the voucher process, such as increasing funding for bridge housing and case managers. That’s slightly longer term than what you’re talking about, but is it something you’re considering?

A: Those are the types of things I am thinking about. But, best-case scenario, this funding comes online in October, then you’ve got to hire people and find properties.

Q: And more vouchers probably come online at that time?

A: Exactly. So I want to make sure we’re not waiting for months for something that we need to be acting on in weeks.

On encampments and shelters

The National Park Service removed 55 people from McPherson Square park on Feb. 15, a move that White and four other councilmembers spoke out against. Residents were offered some level of housing support, and told to go into D.C.’s low-barrier shelters after moving out of the park. A week before, a Street Sense and DC Line article reported the city may be approaching a shelter shortage.

Q: We’ve talked about McPherson. In this case, you said the encampment shouldn’t be shut down. When, if ever, do you think encampment closures are appropriate?

A: Most people, if they believe someone can help near realtime, are going to choose to live somewhere other than outside. I don’t think there is any way to solve the encampment problem without getting people into housing. Otherwise, all we’re doing is shuffling people around, and I worry about that. As long as we tie encampments to public safety or start consciously or unconsciously with an assumption that most people want to live outside and camp in tents, we’re gonna miss the mark. So I think we have to start with a more accurate premise, which is, most people don’t want to live outside in encampments, how do we create the conditions to make sure that’s not happening?

Q: Last session, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau proposed a bill that would have placed some limits on when D.C. could close encampments. Would you be open to a similar bill?

A: I’m not closed to those kinds of options. That certainly could be a good interim measure.

Q: We’ve talked a little bit about shelter — with the Pandemic Emergency Program for Medically Vulnerable Residents (PEP-V) closing, D.C. is losing a non-congregate shelter option. Do you support the funding of PEP-V or another non-congregate shelter?

A: I want to make sure the options that we are using taxpayer money on are options that people are going to choose. I know that there are some folks who have not liked PEP-V sites because of certain restrictions, the same way some people don’t like our shelters because of the conditions. I don’t get the sense that we have focused enough on why people are not using the sites that we have, and it seems like that’s a problem we will want to solve.

Q: A lot of shelters are operating 24/7, but that’s been up in the air based on funding. Would you support continued funding to make sure shelters can operate 24/7 instead of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.?

A: I’ve never thought that people having to leave shelters early in the morning and line up at a certain time is the best way to help people, so that’s a concept that doesn’t immediately make sense to me. What do you do with your things while that’s happening? How do you feel any sense of grounding that you can build out from?

On public housing

In October, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) prepared a scathing audit of the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) that found, among other things, public housing units were often vacant and in poor repair. White subsequently helped lead an overhaul of DCHA’s board, and has warned the housing authority could be taken over by the federal agency if it doesn’t make sufficient progress by HUD’s March 31 deadline.

Q: In November, you were talking about DCHA potentially going into receivership and things looking pretty dire. Are you more optimistic than you were?

A: I am hopeful at this point. When we have our oversight hearing and see the housing authority’s response to HUD, that’s when we’ll have enough information to understand if we are heading in the right direction or just spinning wheels. What I am trying very hard to do with the housing authority is create the conditions for improvement, which are an engaged and experienced board and an agency that is weeding out bad actors and attracting people around a vision of competence and transparency. But we’re still in the early days of their work, and I think there’s still going to be a little bit more pain before we turn the corner.

Q: Again, talking about trust, I went to one of the mass leasing events DCHA had and some people there said things like “I don’t want to live in public housing; I’ve heard what the conditions are like; I have heard what the crime

is like.” What can DCHA do to build back trust that it will be a responsive landlord?

A: DCHA knows hopefully better than I do what the conditions in public housing are, and a lot of them are conditions that we wouldn’t want to live in. I always ask myself, “Is this where I want my kids living; is this where I want my parents living?” And if the answer is no, then I feel like I’ve got to do something about it. This is why I asked the mayor for a significant infusion of money to help improve the conditions. People have to live in public housing right now because there is such a stark gap between the amount of money you need to live and the amount of money that a lot of people make, so it is a necessary public asset, and deferring this work only makes it worse.

On affordable housing

At the beginning of the year, White introduced the Common Ground Amendment Act of 2023, which would change how the city handles unused public land. As the head of the Housing Committee, he will oversee the production of affordable housing, including through the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF). Past reports have faulted the District for failing to meet targets for how much of the available funding goes to creating units for extremely low-income households.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about the Common Ground Act?

A: It was a result of being frustrated with the process of giving away public land. Too many of us feel like developments on public land look too much like private development. The bill puts the community in the driver’s seat to identify what it is they need, be they public assets like libraries, rec centers or housing. And where housing is built, we build more affordable housing and more multi-bedroom housing, things that the private sector just is not developing much of on their own.

Q: How can the city better use the Housing Production Trust Fund to guarantee affordability, given that’s been a problem in recent years?

A: The HPTF is doing pretty well producing housing for people making 80% of the area’s median income. There’s a real need there. So I am glad about that. But it is consistently missing the mark on producing housing for people making 60% or less, particularly 30% or less of the area median income. Council oversight by itself isn’t going to fix the issue, because the council has said something about this in the past, there’s been an auditor’s report, and an inspector general’s report. So shining a light on the issue has not fixed it. We have to do more.

Q: Is there something in the Housing Committee’s portfolio you think people don’t know enough about?

A: We have some pretty incredible housing programs in the District. If you are a District resident and you want to buy your first home, you can get up to $202,000 [through the Housing Purchase Assistance Program]. If you work for the city, you can get thousands more. And if you work as a first responder or a teacher, you can get more on top of that. It’s a difficult housing market so, you know, you haven’t like won the lottery with this program but it creates homeownership opportunities. This article was co-published with The DC Line.

“We have done too much patting ourselves on the back for funding things and creating programs. We’ve got to start making these programs work better.”

~ Robert White, At-Large Councilmember

DC nonprofit opens new community center

ALEXIA PARTOUCHE Editorial Intern

Jimyah Bell was 10 years old when she first started going to tutoring at a Horton's Kids community center.

Even though she hated math, the tutoring helped her grasp difficult concepts and gain confidence in her schoolwork. But Bell, now 18, said the most helpful thing was watching all of the high school seniors in the program graduate and leave for college every year, a result of Horton's Kids 100% high school graduation rate for students enrolled in the organization.

"They're opening up more opportunities for people," Bell said. "They're a reliable source."

Bell is one of over 600 students currently being served by Horton's Kids, a nonprofit organization that provides academic support, extracurricular programming and health and wellness resources to children in Ward 8.

Founded in 1989 by Capitol Hill staffer Karin Walser, Horton's Kids has grown from a small enterprise that involved taking children in Wellington Park out on field trips to an organization that provides programming out of three different community centers in Southeast D.C.

The organization celebrated the grand opening of its newest and largest community center, Horton's Hub, on Feb. 3.

Erica Ahdoot, Horton's Kids’ executive director, said she was excited to expand the organization's capabilities with the

new space. The hub, which is located in a renovated church in Southeast D.C., is within walking distance of multiple different neighborhoods in the area.

"We really feel like it could be this conduit to bring in some of these amazing resources to a place where there's a lot of trust already built and where it can be highly accessible to people who live in the surrounding neighborhoods," Ahdoot said. Adhoot said the organization plans to use the new space to deepen their multigenerational approach, on top of instituting more academic and extracurricular programs for the kids.

Horton's Hub features two "wellness rooms" where mental health resources will be provided to families through partnerships with local organizations, as well as meeting spaces to host job trainings and resource fairs. A garage at the front of the church is also in the process of being turned into a storefront where personal hygiene products, cleaning supplies, and healthy food will be distributed to the community.

"I think it's really hard for a child to thrive if the household itself really needs some additional support and bolstering," Ahdoot said. "Our goal is to partner with families to figure out what's needed in order for them to do that and to create the right kind of pathway for their child to be successful in whatever goals that they set."

Yvette Pinkney enrolled her three daughters in Horton's Kids a few years ago, after a community resource center opened in

the building she lived in. She said the organization helped her family with everything from getting household cleaning items to providing mental health support for one of her daughters.

"Depending on what I need, I can go and be assigned to a caseworker, and then you go and talk to your case worker about what you need," Pinkney said. "If they don't have the resources, they definitely will give you information where you can go and get the resources that you need."

Bell felt the same. Now a high school senior herself, she's excited to graduate and has her sights set on culinary school. But she said she knows that she can rely on Horton's Kids for support even after she's done with high school.

"They say after you're 18, you're grown and you're basically on your own. That's not true," Bell said. "Horton's Kids sticks by you, until you basically are old enough to start working here."

Horton’s Kids celebrates the grand opening of of its newest and largest community center, Horton's Hub, on Feb. 3. Photo by Ralph Alswang

Megaphone vendor Paul Shawdover on what Canada’s Black History Month means to him

PAUL SHAWDOVER International Network of Street Papers

Paul Shawdover, who sells Megaphone, a street paper based in Vancouver, Canada, says he is proud to be a Black Jamaican Canadian and appreciate the values and lifestyle that he has learned and earned in this piece reflecting on the country’s celebration of Black history.

As a Black Jamaican, I’ve always been proud of my heritage, family and traditional beliefs. Born and raised as a child in Jamaica, my family came out of slavery, and from that experience they brought with them strongly held traditions and beliefs. My great-greatgrandmother, Rose, and my grandfather, “Uncle Babu,” believed that the spiritual love of others towards one another would bring us harmony.

I come from a family lineage of more than 80 members who are all strong church-goers and continue to share this belief in building harmony with people from all walks of life.

My aunt Gloria is the matriarch of our family tree and keeps all the records and names of past family members, their stories of courage and knowledge of all their accomplishments alive. This has made me who I am today.

I still regularly speak with my aunt — who is 88 years old — which strengthens this connection to my past and encourages me to work at positive goals to build on our family strength. I love my aunt because she carries our family history with pride in how our family tree has progressed positively in so many ways… not only in bettering the lives of our families, but through positive, productive contributions to society while representing black Jamaicans as proud of who they are and where they come from.

As a child growing up in Toronto, I found it to be very Black and white. As I tried various employment opportunities and paths, I found there to be a subtle racism. After being in the boy scouts and military, and trying my hand at different jobs, I started to look outside the system to better myself, as I saw the traditional avenues were not serving me. If anything, they were holding me back. I started to feel alienated in my connections to people and life. I started to adopt the attitude, “What can you do for me?” and taking everything personally.

In 1995, seeking a change of lifestyle and a warmer climate (closer to that of Jamaica!), I moved to Vancouver, known back then as a more people-friendly tourist town. At first, I brought the Black-and-white attitude from Toronto and people found it very offensive. My overt joviality to race-related comments and jokes was considered inappropriate. I found locals not receptive to this type of racial candidness because they were more community based. They didn’t want the social stigmas or violence of a more individualist attitude — they wanted everyone to work together and had created a lot of social programs to encourage this.

After a decade of being in Vancouver and not really contributing or settling in on my goals, I started falling through the cracks. After seeing so many different people I knew from all walks of life working in the Downtown Eastside, and since I was well known, a lot of the locals told me to go get a real job and make an honest living; to stop living off the backs of others who are suffering like I was. I also noticed there wasn’t a strong Black representation in the working community of the Downtown Eastside.

Today, there are a lot of locals I know who are Black and are making a difference, not only in their own lives,

but sharing this success within Black communities as role models: opening doors and holding them open. Because I have been working in the neighbourhood now for so long, whenever I encounter the new Black generation, I try to be a positive influence, encouraging them to build on their goals and dreams, and be proud of who they are.

I have worked with many agencies, such as Mission Possible, VANDU and the Binner’s Project, as well as volunteered in the community. I’d like to thank the Vancouver Public Library staff, who for more than two decades have shared their knowledge with me, showed me how to use new technology and encouraged me in my creative ideas.

I’ve been with Megaphone for six years and I love the

Paul Shawdover has been a Megaphone vendor since 2018. Photp by Paula Carlson // Megaphone

McPherson Square encampment eviction leaves dozens of residents scrambling

ANNEMARIE CUCCIA Staff Reporter

t wasn’t the first time Moon has packed his life into his cobalt-blue backpack. Now middleaged, he has left countless temporary homes since becoming homeless at 15. But this time, he was planning his next move in a city with a dwindling number of places where unhoused people can sleep outdoors.

“There’s just nothing else,” Moon said, the stress evident in his voice as he was forced to leave McPherson Square. “I have nothing.”

Moon was one of about 70 people who lived in McPherson Square, a park just blocks away from the White House, until the National Park Service (NPS) closed the area on Feb. 15 at the request of the District. The eviction — carried out by dozens of NPS workers over five hours — was originally scheduled for April, in the hope that an extended lead time would give social workers the chance to connect residents to housing. But D.C.’s Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage requested NPS reschedule the closure for February, citing health and safety concerns that advocates and encampment residents have repeatedly pushed back on.

At a D.C. Council hearing the day following the closure, D.C. officials said 54 of 74 identified unhoused residents living in McPherson Square “initially accepted outreach.”

Forty-seven of those 54 people were found to be eligible for a housing resource, and the city reported having offered 45 some form of short-term housing ahead of the eviction.

However, only 20 people who lived in McPherson moved into temporary housing on or before Feb. 15. Another three moved to shelters, and two into permanent housing. Park Police arrested another two residents who refused to leave the park, though they were released later that day, according to reporting from The Washington Post. Today, there are 49 people displaced from this encampment living on the city’s streets, according to city officials.

Both D.C. and NPS have repeatedly said all unhoused residents staying in McPherson Square who were willing to engage with social services were offered help ahead of the closure. However, the people living in the park told a different story — one of absent case managers, unacceptable shelter conditions and years-long waits for housing. A series of policy choices — including increasingly scarce available green spaces — left residents with few options, they said.

“Where’s the next spot you’re gonna put them? What’s gonna happen after this?” Thomas Dyson, a person who used to live in McPherson Square, said the morning of Feb. 15. He had resided in the park for a while before it ballooned into a default relocation spot for people seeking shelter after the NPS and D.C. removed other encampments around the city. Dyson said he was open to housing the whole time. He first met outreach workers just a week before the McPherson Square closure, and as of that morning, he didn’t know where he was going. By the end of the day, he’d moved into “bridge housing,” which was offered to residents with vouchers while they went through the leasing process.

“I like it OK,” he said that afternoon after seeing where he’d be living.

There are few good options, residents say

On Feb. 8, a week before NPS forced residents to leave McPherson Square, the park was bustling. Outreach workers from Pathways to Housing DC, the nonprofit organization contracted by the D.C. government to work with residents, set up makeshift offices on park benches as music blared. Caren Kirkland, outreach program manager at Pathways, said residents who were eligible for housing programs could be moved in that day.

In the days leading up to the encampment eviction, people living in McPherson Square refuted the government’s assertions that outreach workers had previously offered to connect them to housing. But that wasn’t the only problem, they said. Each of the potential options — permanent housing, shelter, and relocating outside — had its own downside.

While D.C. has hundreds of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) vouchers available, it generally takes six to nine months for someone who is “connected to a housing resource” to actually move into housing, as the city grapples with a lack of case managers to help voucher clients. Some of the people living in McPherson Square were in fact connected to PSH vouchers but couldn’t move into apartments by the time they had to leave the park.

Those people, like Dyson, were eligible for the bridge housing program. But on Feb. 7, there were only 14 vacancies in bridge housing, too few for the 45 unhoused residents who qualified, according to the weekly occupancy report.

Those who lack access to temporary housing or who turn it down can go to one of D.C.’s low-barrier shelters, as three people chose to do. Nearly everyone Street Sense and The DC Line spoke to at McPherson had tried shelters in the past, but said, as Dyson put it, “Been there, done that.” People shared stories of discrimination and sexual and physical assault in shelters. Some just shook their heads when asked about moving into a shelter.

For many unhoused people, relocating to another park is seen as the most viable option. But as NPS plans to shut down all encampments on federal land by October 2023 and D.C. closes other sites, fewer green spaces and sidewalks will be available. On the day of the eviction, members of mutual aid groups frantically searched Google Maps, looking for parks that hadn’t already been fenced off.

“There’s not going to be any green spaces for tents. What we need is more and better open shelters, ” Kirkland from Pathways said.

Michael Coleman, who sits on D.C.’s Interagency Council on Homelessness and previously was homeless himself, walked through the park the morning after the closure. He doesn’t think encampments are a permanent solution. But he’s also already seen people from McPherson Square popping up on streets across the city.

“The resources we are putting into moving this … we could house these people,” he said.

This article was co-published with The DC Line.

National Park Service workers disassemble a tent filled with belongings and load it into a garbage truck. Photo by Athiyah Azeem

“Then

“They

gotta wait for these tents to be removed, to repair the park’s condition? That’s nonsense,” Lucy Medaglia, a McPherson Square resident, told Street Sense on Feb. 9 seven days before the encampment eviction.

Volunteers help Lucy Medaglia move her belongings outside the park, 30 minutes before the encampment eviction began at 10 a.m. Tied to her tarp, a sign reads: “This property belongs to Lucy Medaglia. It is not abandoned. Please do not destroy it.”

Daniel Kingery is arrested by U.S. Park Police for refusing to leave the park. One other resident was arrested before Kingery. All photos by Athiyah Azeem

this came up, then all of a sudden [case managers] said ‘Yeah we got a place,’” said Gregory Hammett, who used to live in McPherson Square. He is one of the few people who moved into bridge housing before the eviction.

Volunteers from multiple organizations, including Pathways to Housing DC, help pack up residents’ belongings before the eviction.

More than 70 people gathered at McPherson Square by the first week of February. National Park Service announced, per the city’s request, that they would evict residents earlier than planned on Feb. 15 due to concerns over “public health and safety.”

Jesse Rabinowitz, the senior manager of policy and advocacy at Miriam’s Kitchen (right) and other activists protest the encampment eviction on the day of the eviction.

Volunteers from multiple organizations helped Daniel Kingery, a three-year resident of McPherson Square pack up his belongings.

Daniel Kingery (left) has been living in McPherson Square for three years. When an U.S. Park Police officer ordered Kingery to leave, he refused.

DC needs to cut its ties with gas

REILLY POLKA

At first, it was like any other day in Union Market. Businesses opened, people commuted to work, families milled about and cops roamed the streets. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until the police shut down all of 4th St. NE to traffic.

Then came the smell. The air reeked of gas, and it was nauseating to be outside, even for a few seconds. That’s when I knew something was wrong, and I knew who was to blame: Washington Gas.

Since no one came to inform us of what was going on, I ventured out to ask one of the construction workers on the corner. Turns out it was a gas leak – one of the construction workers hit a gas line behind the Batley apartments – and we were breathing in excessive amounts of toxic methane gas.

Methane, often referred to as “natural gas,” is a deadly greenhouse gas more than 80 times more powerful at heating our planet than carbon dioxide, and it’s more dangerous –because

Methane can explode. D.C. residents are at particular risk for these explosions because D.C. has some of the oldest underground methane gas pipes in the country, and these pipes are leaking more than two times the amount of gas than the average U.S. city.

There are more than 5,000 gas leaks in the District, some of which are so dangerous that they could potentially explode at any moment, posing a severe and immediate threat to the city’s residents, especially to those already wrestling with poverty and homelessness. These explosions often leave people temporarily, if not permanently, houseless.

According to EffectiveCoverage.com, renters who make less than $30,000 maintain renters insurance only 25% of the time, meaning when unexpected events happen like a gas explosion, they are shouldered with the entire cost of repair or securing a new home – a nearly impossible ask for those already stuck in the violent cycle of poverty.

According to a study published last year, the density of gas leaks in U.S. metropolitan areas increases as the number of people of color increase and the median household income decreases. Not only does this make these communities more at risk for explosions but it also causes more health issues.

The methane Washington Gas pumps into our homes poses serious health risks. including asthma, other respiratory

illnesses, cardiovascular problems, and early death. For those with asthma or other pre-existing conditions, methane aggravates these conditions and increases chances of hospitalization. A recent study concluded that gas stoves cause 12.7% of childhood cases of asthma nationwide, and the brunt of that impact falls on low-income and houseless communities and communities of color.

Methane is the main component of ground-level ozone, so those forced to spend more time outside and in areas of multiple leaks are more likely to be exposed to this air pollution, a known health hazard both physically and mentally. On top of this, D.C.’s public housing is a mess, and residents have little power to have safety issues like gas leaks addressed.

In March 2022, a gas explosion in Silver Spring destroyed a four-story apartment building, leaving 14 people hospitalized and more than 200 people temporarily houseless. This easily could have been the fate at the Union Market apartments. It’s a miracle it wasn’t, especially given Washington Gas’ total lack of communication once they heard about the leak. Only the Batley apartments were evacuated; all other businesses, even La Cosecha which is connected to the Batley, were forced to continue on in a toxic, potentially explosive environment. Most businesses only knew thanks to communication from Union

Market representatives, not Washington Gas.

Despite the immense dangers of methane, Washington Gas wants to spend $4.5 billion on replacing these pipes. If Washington Gas gets their way, DC residents will be breathing in toxic methane fumes for decades to come, and many of us will continue to live in fear that at any moment, we could be the victim of a gas explosion. Not to mention, the project makes meeting DC’s climate goals of powering the city with 100% renewable energy by 2032 impossible, accelerating our descent into climate chaos.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way. The DC Council and the Public Service Commission (PSC) have the power to stop Washington Gas, and they must. It’s time to electrify DC and prioritize those in communities without houses or with low incomes through fully-electric public housing and funding for retrofitting in low-income homes.

Washington Gas’ only care is to fatten their pocketbooks. The DC Council and PSC’s response will tell us whose side they’re really on.

Reilly Polka is an organizer with the local climate activist group Extinction Rebellion DC

Photo courtesy of Reilly Polka

Black History Month

ANDRE BRINSON

Artist/Vendor

Yes, Black History. My favorite person is Malcolm X. As the saying goes, if you don't stand for something you will fall for anything! My elementary school was named "Malcolm X" and I realize now that it wasn't mentioned or spoken about much. I always wondered "Why not?" I truly think if I was taught about Malcom X as a young boy, I would've made better decisions in life. Not just me — but other young Black boys and girls.

Black history talk

JACQUELINE TURNER

Artist/Vendor

James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Condoleezza Rice, Barack Obama. These are four of my heroes and sheroes. They influenced the world with their work. The first in all categories. The first to win a Pulitzer Prize and be a woman. The first to be secretary of state. The first African American president. But these are just tidbits of the people who worked, designed, planned, studied, created, and died to make this country great. We built the economy. We made the architecture and developed the science behind open heart procedure. That's why I am grateful to all who work so hard, people of color or otherwise.

Skate or die

RON DUDLEY Artist/Vendor

I was just a Black kid that wanted to be a skater but my Black friends said they ain't wanna see no skater. They say Black kids either dance or play sports ain't know skate or die, we play hoops on these courts. He wanted to be like magic, he wanted to be like Mike. I wanted to be like Tony Hawk and do the right thing like spike. I had been saving up for a skateboard when I saved enough I bought my first board I tried to hide it from my aunty. She found it and then called me a Black honkey, she said “Boy you better learn how to sing like Martin Luther King, you better learn how to dream,” then chopped it up with an ax, missed my head by an inch I almost had a heart attack. I was just a Black kid that loved Airwalks and Vans. I love Chuck Taylor — they make me the man. I was just a Black kid that always stayed out of trouble but my aunty still beat me with bats and shovels. I was just a Black kid that had a lot of dreams. Ritalin made me slow and had me hearing crazy things. I was just a Black kid that always got abused mentally and physically, they thought I would lose. I was just a Black kid that wanted to be a skater but my Black friends they ain't wanna see no skater. They say Black kids either dance or play sports ain't know skate or die we play hoops on these courts.

To find the love of a Black woman

CARLOS CAROLINA

Artist/Vendor

To find the love of a Black woman

First, you must look —

Under her sadness

Past her madness

Through her tragedy of many years, Of silently suffering And shedding tears

Beneath her mask And beyond their past, Within her heart, And into her soul; Where her love is stored in stone Safe and sound, and full of warmth

For my Black women

Happy Black History Month 2023.

Thoughts during Black History Month

SYBIL TAYLOR Artist/Vendor

Our great leaders and achievers made a difference for this country This month, we celebrate everyone who made the freedom that Black people earned through war and the battlefield. The chains slaves carried years ago, the people who were lynched and hung by trees. Black people were whipped, working in the hot sun in the cotton field. They were owned by slave masters and were taken away from their families and sold and bought by whites. Some Black people were used as housemaids. There was hate and segregation. We could not attend the same schools, restaurants, bathrooms or clubs. Black people suffered to get jobs and just had a hard time. As time went on there was a change in this country — we began to love each other and later we became integrated. A change did come. As Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream.” February is also a month of sadness — my Father passed away on Feb. 20, 2015, and my sister-in-law Tracey passed away on Feb. 15, 2020. My father passed from colon cancer and Tracey passed away from bleeding to death by removing the bandage off her arm from dialysis. Two loved ones have gone to glory to be with the Lord. They've gone up yonder to be with all of our loved ones, to have internal peace and enjoy beautiful days — a cool fresh breeze, lots of good food and beautiful music all day long. No sickness, just good health and peaceful rest. With flowers and birds that sing all day. The good life, no sorrow, no pain, no worries about violence. Sweet-smelling frankincense and myrrh. I miss them

Both two angels. Gone but missed. I love you, Dad and Tracey. You'll be at peace.

Playlist songs:

A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke

We Shall Overcome by Mahalia Jackson

God Is My Friend by Marvin Gaye

His Eye Is On The Sparrow by Marvin Gaye

Attention DC — I have something to say

ABEL PUTU Artist/Vendor

I want to make a special request, and I need the help of all readers. I want you to spread the word.

We need more wheelchair basketball teams. How is it possible that we don't have as many places to play?

My dream is to play in the NBA. They are all my friends, but I would like them to open a space for me, a team for wheelchair players.

I'm a Wizards fan, and I'm very proud of everything they do in D.C., but they also need to open space for people who play in wheelchairs.

I could lead that team because my DNA is full of family members who love sports. Since I was little, I have liked sports, and until I was 19 years old, I was able to play, and since then, I have been a professional.

Please, D.C., open more spaces for wheelchair basketball.

My cousin is Kobe Bryant. Since I saw him I knew he was my cousin because those things are felt.

He puts his foot in a way that I also put it, and I am very sad about his departure.

That is why I like playing basketball.

Playing by the rules

JEN MCLAUGHLIN

Artist/Vendor

There are people on this earth that don’t play by the rules. The outcome is that breaking rules will catch up with you.

This art thine by which I dine!

LEVESTER GREEN

Artist/Vendor

You make your moves three at a time. That’s two behind that’s left on the line routed and primed. My will is thine! To the king and divine! I’m highly inclined like the inseam of a very well-written rhyme like intricate did the trick, like a sneaky move sis! We’re at the end of the list. Can’t see you next time if it no longer exists. So be grateful and thankful for your gifts. Now uplift and heal your rifts with a kiss!

I believe

CHON GOTTI Artist/Vendor

I believe… I believe that someday over the rainbow, the great waters will rise up over the Earth and create the nutrients we all need to cure sickness and disease.

I believe… I believe that we as the kings and queens of the earth shall inherit the vines of truth, the pillars of dignity, the statues of honor and the wealth of wisdom. I believe… I believe that we as fortune 500 world cruises shall someday reign supreme, so that we would never have to struggle for pennies ever again.

I believe… I believe that I am the chosen one that will make a difference in people's lives and that my journey to success starts today. This is the hour that I have been waiting for. Let me prepare to seize this moment. Now is the time. I believe… I believe that you should sit back and just relax. Patience is a virtue. Just remember it's one thing to say I believe, but it’s another to pronounce that I am.

So take 10 steps forward and a few steps back for I am the king. The lion growls back. I am the truth, the light, the almighty fortress of the living truth and a great force to be reckoned with.

I am the almighty Chon Gotti!

What do these words mean?

DANIEL BALL

Artist/Vendor

Daniel asks you, what do the words “high volume” mean?

Daniel asks you, what does the word “poem” mean?

Daniel asks Amina, what does the word “sleep” mean?

Daniel asks Thomas, what does the word “submission” mean?

Daniel asks Maria, what does the word “Mexico” mean?

Daniel asks Sybil, what does the words “last name” mean?

Daniel asks Rabbit, what do the words “New Year resolutions” mean?

Daniel ask Derek, what does the word “app” mean?

And Daniel's last words were to Will, what does “the writers group” mean?

Glass ceilings are meant to be broken

ERICA DOWNING

Artist/Vendor

“You can’t do that”

“You can’t go there”

“We don’t do that”

“You can’t show emotion”

“Be humble”

“Know your place”

“Don’t take handouts”

“You have to be better than the best just be seen as average”

The pressure builds as life is guided by the fears and expectations of others. Those fears and expectations become yours and keep you in line, “on the right track”.

“Money doesn’t grow on trees”

“Do I look like an ATM”

“You have to move away to be successful”

“A good job should be held until retirement”

There’s more to life when these fears are challenged and your own expectations are realized. When the courage to question arouses your intellect and ignites your ambition, a new world is revealed minus the hamster wheel. A world of never-ending challenges that allow you to grow and accomplish new goals and build a life you only thought of in your imagination. You are enough to shatter that glass ceiling that everybody else has treated as though made of steel.

My story, part III

RICARDO MERIEDY

Artist/Vendor

Editor’s Note: Ricardo is writing a series of stories about his life and they will be appearing in the paper. This is the third in his latest installment titled “My Story. ”

Remember when I was in the train tunnel? God must have put wings on our feet to bring us out of there. And thank you, Jesus, for getting me out of that agony. I love you for that. Since that day I’ve never thought about going down a train track. I was still so scared for so long that I never mentioned that situation to my family until I was 60 years old. I finally admitted what I’d done to my two sisters.

Back to where we lived while I was growing up. We lived in a large house until I was in fourth grade when we moved into another house in Southeast D.C. Watkins Elementary School was across the street. The house was nice, but it wasn’t as big as the one from which we moved. My father was a good dad. We had a lot of fun in the new house. My four sisters and four brothers would invite friends over for dances and card games on weekends. After my mother died, my father met a young lady and later they had a girl.

After Watkins, I went to Hines Junior High School. It had recreation teams in baseball, basketball and football. I played for them all. I was best in baseball; I played second base for my 12-and-under team. We always won the championship! I was the only son to bring home trophies.

When I was 15 years old in ninth grade my father suffered a major stroke that paralyzed his left side. I had to take a big stand and become a man because by this time my sisters and brothers had children of their own to raise. I graduated from Hines and got a lifeguard job at my recreation center.

I started going to Eastern High School but had to drop out after a year. I didn’t drop out because I didn’t understand the academics. I did it because I had to take care of myself and help my father. I would never have dropped out of school if my father hadn’t had that stroke. If I’d done that for any other reason, he would have knocked my head off my shoulders.

Be humble

KYM PARKER Artist/Vendor

Being humble is one of the most challenging things to do for certain people, but I tell you that it is not impossible.

Getting up in the morning and giving thanks, going to sleep, and giving thanks, helps us stay humble. God always supports us. She has our back.

Everything She does is for us.

She created this beautiful land, so that's why I always like to thank Her.

We are Her children, and she loves us. When we give ourselves to Her, She embraces us

She always takes care of us and makes sure to let us know that She is here. It does not matter if we are in the light or in the dark.

She will always love us.

She teaches us Her great mercy, which is why it is essential to be humble and show Her our love.

The best cup of tea

AMINA WASHINGTON

Artist/Vendor

I have the best cup of tea, so you better let it be. The tea belongs to me, and it’s under lock and key.

FUN & GAMES

Across

1. Babysitter’s challenge

4. Woeful

7. Letters of the adjective that appropriately completes _ppro_ria_e

10. “___ to Joy”

13. ___ Victor (color TV pioneer) (abbr./acron.)

14. ____-laryngologist (ENT doc)

15. “Didn’t I tell you?”

16. “____ we now our gay apparel, fa la...”

17. Mo. for trick-or-treaters

18. Wall Street average, with “the”

19. Hunks : physically attractive males :: ____ : physically attractive females

21. One who can hardly wait for Black Friday and Cyber Monday (2 wds.) (7.6)

24. Orchestra woodwinds to which other instruments are tuned

25. Big ___, Calif.

26. Family name?

29. Tithing amounts

31. “Of ____ and Men” (Steinbeck’s Depression Era novella)

33. Director Howard of “Hillbilly Elegy” and “Apollo

13”

34. Boozehound

35. A year in Yucatan

36. Disavow

37. What a 21-Across goes on on Black Friday and Cyber Monday (2 wds.) (8.5)

41. Campus V.I.P. with a list

42. Visa statement abbr.

43. Palindromic previously, for poets

44. Ref. wk. that added “ignorati” in 2023 (abbr./ initialism)

45. Portico

46. Secret or hidden actions or operations, such as by undercover agents

LAST EDITION’S PUZZLE

50. Senator Mike ____ of Idaho

52. Cicero’s 601

54. Backup drive contents that may be compressed

55. What a 21-Across has after going on a 37-Across on Black Friday and Cyber Monday (2 wds.) (7,6)

58. With “the,” a Middle East locale where some famous scrolls were found (2 wds.) (4,3)

60. Big coffee holder

61. Tokyo, once (10-Across in reverse)

62. “Friendly Skies” carrier (abbr./initialism.)

63. Abbr. before a judge’s name

64. Middle name of Lewis known as “The Killer”

65. Frostiness, as in wintry air

66. Verb that’s an apt rhyme with jerk

67. Ambient music pioneer Brian

68. Word that may precede or follow “up”

69. Francis Xavier Cabrini and Father Damien of Molokai are 2 from America (abbr.)

Down

1. Isaac Asimov’s classic sci fi novel about the “Three Laws” applying to androids (2 wds.) (1,5)

2. Andrew who became the acting FBI director after Janes Comey was fired by Trump

3. Customer, particularly of the arts

4. Teen hangout of yore that featured banana splits and malts (2 wds.) (4,4)

5. Yours, in Tours (Fr.)

6. Churchill ____ (where the Kentucky Derby is run)

7. Making certain (that)

8. Ball ____ hammer

9. Smartphone user’s “Keep in touch” (2 wds.) (4,2)

10. Unscented, say (2 wds.) (4,4) (RODEO REF anagram)

11. One-third of an ellipsis

12. “Star Trek” rank (abbr.)

20. Shooter ammo

22. Boards (4,2)

23. With “the,” people of the Earth, collectively (2 wds.) (5,4) (ACH! MANURE anagram)

27. Female name that’s a Roman numeral followed by its value

28. Word before “luck?”“questions?” or “takers?”

30. Guy with lots of big marches in March (2 wds.)

(2,3) (includes abbr.)

32. Trig function (abbr./acron.)

36. Nemesis of Austin Powers (2 wds.) (2,4) (incls title abbr.) (DRIVEL anagram)

37. Soothsayer

38. Chatted (3 wds.) (3,1,4)

39. Former tiny music player with many generations (2 wds.) (4,4) (PIANO DON anagram)

40. Treated (or spoke of) something sacred with irreverence

41. Disney dwarf with the shortest name

45. “Why are you on my case? I’m not doing anything different than him!” (3 wds,) (2,2,2)

47. Actresses Barkin and Burstyn

48. Cut and paste again, say (2-4) (DIETER anagram)

49. Movie camera lens settings (1-5)

51. High degree (abbr./acron.)

53. Boaster’s words in modern lingo (2 wds.) (1,4)

56. Broadway brightener

57. Wee warbler

58. Busted boozer’s offense, for short (abbr./acron.)

59. Organ found near a temple?

*This crossword puzzle is the original work of Patrick “Mac”McIntyre. It is provided to us courtesy of Real Change News, a street paper based in Seattle, Wa. Learn more about Real Change News and the International Network of Street Papers at realchangenews.org and insp.ngo.

Author Gene Weingarten is a college dropout and a nationally syndicated humor columnist for The Washington Post. Author Dan Weingarten is a former college dropout and a current college student majoring in information technology. Many thanks to Gene Weingarten and The Washington Post Writers Group for allowing Street Sense to run Barney & Clyde.

Academy of Hope Public Charter School 202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Place NE aohdc.org

Bread for the City - 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 - 1640 Good Hope Rd., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org

Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Good Hope Rd., SE calvaryservices.org

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

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

Charlie’s Place // 202-232-3066 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org

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

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

Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW cflsdc.org

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

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

D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org

Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 Eye St., NW fathermckennacenter.org

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

219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org

Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th St., NW ID (Friday 9am–12pm only) foundryumc.org/ministry-opportunities

Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org

Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org

Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9128 425 2nd St., NW jobshavepriority.org

Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 Elvans Road SE

2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE

Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org

My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

N Street Village // 202-939-2060 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org

New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE

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

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

Samaritan Ministry

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

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

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

St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-333-4949 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org

Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org

Unity Health Care 3020 14th St., NW // unityhealthcare.org

- Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500

- Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699

1500 Galen Street SE, 1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 555 L Street SE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place, NE, 810 5th Street NW

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

The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org

Team Member

Chipotle // 2301 Georgia Ave NW

Full-time / Part-time

Take orders, prepare meals and ingredients and cleaning the store.

REQUIRED: N/A

APPLY: tinyurl.com/chip-team

Kitchen Team Member

Sweetgreen // 1325 W St NW

Full-time / Part-time

Follow food safety and quality standards, Maintain clean stations throughout the shift and prepare all cold and hot food items

REQUIRED: Physically able to lift up to 25 pounds and stand for long periods of time

APPLY: tinyurl.com/sweetgreen-kitchen

PM Housekeeper

Marriott // 1221 22nd Street NW

Full-time

Respond promptly to requests from guests and other departments and clean rooms.

REQUIRED: N/A

APPLY: tinyurl.com/housekeeper-marriott

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

Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org

All services listed are referral-free

's Theater Workshop presents

NThrough prose, poetry, song, and music, eight writers/performers share their insights about being houseless and the true meaning of home.

Thursday, March 2, 2:45 PM to 4 800 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20052 Third Floor Amphitheater

free Performance followed by discussion/Q&A with Actors

Devised and Directed by Leslie Jacobson Music Direction and Composition by Roy Barber

This Saturday!

million