04.05.2023

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.

$.50

NO CASH? NO PROBLEM.

VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT

Street Sense Media publishes the newspaper

YOUR SUGGESTED

$2.00 DONATION

goes directly to your vendor, empowering them to overcome homelessness and poverty

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

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, Akindele Akerejah, Amia Walker, Amina Washington, 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, Greta Christian, 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 Alley, John Littlejohn, Josie Brown, Juliene Kengnie, Katrina Anige, Kenneth Middleton, Khadijah Chapman, Kym Parker, L. Morrow, Laura Smith, Lawrence Autry, Levester Green, Mango Redbook, Marcus McCall, Mark Jones, Marc Grier, Mars, Martin Walker, Mary Sellman, Maurice Spears, Melody Byrd, Michael Craig, Michael Warner, Michele Modica, Michele Rochon, Morgan Jones, Nikila Smith, Patricia Donaldson, Patty Smith, Phillip Black, Queenie Featherstone, Rashawn Bowser, 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, Vennie Hill, 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 INTERN

Alexia Partouche

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

Audits find instances of fraud in DCHA’s voucher program

ANNEMARIE CUCCIA Staff Reporter

Reports of mismanagement and voucher fraud at the D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) continue to pile up, At-large Councilmember Robert White insisted at a press conference on March 30.

White, who has chaired the council’s Housing Committee since January, highlighted four instances of alleged wrongdoing within DCHA — three of which were already investigated by DCHA and have been the subject of news coverage — to point to systemic issues at the agency, which oversees D.C.’s public housing and voucher programs. Speaking to reporters after White’s press conference, DCHA Director Brenda Donald acknowledged the findings but said there was no indication of pervasive fraud in the agency.

“This is not widespread corruption throughout this agency,” Donald said. “There are isolated incidents that, when brought to my attention, I referred to our internal auditor for investigation.”

Audit reports for two of the allegations found that a lack of checks and balances — as well as poor supervision of new employees, management failures and an inadequate understanding of program rules — could have contributed to the issues.

The dispute came just one day before DCHA’s deadline to submit proof to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that the beleaguered local authority is resolving all 82 issues identified in an October 2022 audit.

Two of the reports White highlighted, both finalized earlier this year, say former DCHA employees violated the rules of the voucher program, which provides housing subsidies for low-income residents. In one case, first reported by District Dig, a DCHA employee filled apartments at a new building with friends and family who were not eligible, either for DCHA support in general or through the building’s program for residents relocated from a public housing site. While the employee is only known to have fraudulently placed two people in the building, White said the audit raises questions about all 53 vouchers the employee distributed. Donald declined to comment on the specific case, but has said in the past the agency is doing an internal review of all vouchers

The Street Sense Media 20th Anniversary

handled by the employee.

The second audit, first reported on by The Washington Post in an article published just before White’s press conference, found that a deputy director of the voucher program had a financial relationship with a landlord before she was employed at DCHA. The employee did not disclose the relationship when she was hired, even though the landlord had previously paid her to place residents in his buildings. In January, the audit said, the landlord again asked the DCHA employee to steer voucher holders toward his building, promising to pay her. According to the landlord, she agreed.

Neither employee still works at the agency. In both instances, Donald said DCHA took all actions suggested by the audit, and referred the cases to the Office of the Inspector General.

White also brought up instances of mismanaged contracts, widely reported on late last year, and said he recently referred a report of criminal behavior in the agency to local law enforcement, but could not go into detail.

White, who was questioned both by Donald and the media on his decision to hold a press conference announcing reports DCHA itself generated, said it’s important to collect all reports of alleged corruption in the agency to identify any patterns that exist. The reports were provided to White’s committee within three weeks of their completion, based on a standing request that the committee receive all audit reports.

“I believe these investigations are a critical part of the story of how our voucher system — from the start with who gets DCHA vouchers, to the finish line at the building where voucher holders end up living — is getting corrupted, and not consistently meeting the needs of our residents,” White said.

In addition to any actions DCHA is taking on the individual reports, White called on the inspector general to open an investigation into any theft and abuse at the agency; on Donald to provide a plan to end fraud and abuse; and on the council to pass legislation he plans to introduce requiring more transparency at DCHA.

This article was co-published with The DC Line.

SELL-A-THON MARCH LEADERBOARD

HIGHEST SELLERS OF THE MONTH

SSM FAMILY UPDATES

• April is the last month to compete in the 20th anniversary spring Sella-Thon. Remember to pick up Customer Kudos flyers in the admin office.

• Street Sense Media has lots of events coming up, including a Poetry Slam in April! Check out the poster in the admin office.

• Receive extra newspapers for referring someone you know to new vendor orientation. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m.

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

A new month, a new leaderboard! 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 leaderboard 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 MONTH

Street vending bill passes second council vote

KAELA ROEDER Deputy Editor

Chuck Bradley, a street vendor who sells in Columbia Heights, has been harassed, fined and even jailed for selling shoes, hats and jackets on the sidewalk. He’s lost count of the number of times he’s been approached by police.

Street vending is how Bradley makes a living, which he’s done before and after being incarcerated. Bradley started vending around 2005 and was inspired by his uncle, who was a street vendor in the 80s and 90s in the District. Bradley had to “start all over” after being released, he said, and street vending was a way to do that. Bradley sells right next to his wife on 14th Street, who sells various handmade art pieces and beauty products.

The line of work can be difficult, and Bradley doesn’t have a license to vend — currently, it’s illegal to street vend without a license and a person can face criminal penalties for doing so. Between January 2018 and September 2022, 463 people in D.C. were arrested for “vending offenses,” according to a report by the local nonprofit Beloved Community Incubator.

Bradley is ready for change, and it may come soon — a new bill promises to decriminalize street vending without a license, establish zones for vendors to operate legally and make it easier to obtain a license. The bill, introduced by Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau and Chairman Phil Mendelson, is a combination of two past proposals previously introduced by Nadeau in 2020 and 2021. D.C.’s street vending community has fought for reform for years, and in a major step forward, the proposed legislation passed its second vote in the D.C. Council on April 4.

If the bill becomes law, D.C. would join New York City and Los Angeles in reforming vending regulations. Now that the bill has passed the second council vote, it will be sent to the mayor’s desk. Then, it will undergo congressional review. Nadeau said in an interview that she plans to work with colleagues to find funding for the legislation in the fiscal year 2024 budget.

The D.C. Council chambers erupted in applause when the bill passed unanimously.

“I’m happy,” former street vendor Medhin Ayele said on the steps of the John A. Wilson building after the vote. Her license expired in September 2020 at the height of the pandemic, and she hasn’t been able to get another license because of the fines she owes. If the bill is passed into law, she hopes to get a license again and go back to selling hot dogs, chips and sodas.

“So many people have worked on this for such a long time,” Nadeau said in an interview with Street Sense. “It’s just thrilling to get across the finish line.”

Street vending has long been a low-barrier job for many in the District and around the world. According to a study by the Institute for Justice, 51% of vendors are immigrants and 62% are people of color in the United States.

There are many reasons vendors don’t obtain licenses — the cost, the lengthy process and the required criminal background check are just some of the reasons Bradley has not gotten a license. The legislation will eliminate the criminal background check, which hindered Bradley from getting a license due to his record.

Under the current law, a license for merchandise vendors can cost over $2,000 per year. But under the new law, the total cost of licensing for merchandise vendors would be about $570. For vendors who sell food, the cost would be about $1,800 — under the current law, it can cost about $3,500 per year for food vendors.

Bradley is not alone in selling without a license because of cost barriers. G is a street vendor who sells bracelets, ashtrays, coasters and paintings, and her husband DJ sells Caribbean cuisine and other foods in the same tent as her. Both vendors spoke on the condition of anonymity, due to fear of retribution for selling without a license.

The husband and wife are hopeful and excited about the prospect of the bill passing into law. It would lessen their anxiety about selling without a license, they said.

Other jobs don’t work for G and DJ because they have three kids to care for. In the past, G worked at a restaurant but left that job because the hours did not coincide with when her kids were in school. The flexible schedule that comes with vending

allows for G and DJ to be “on call” for their children. The kids often come with them after school to sell, as well.

“They love being out here with us,” G said.

Even though neither of the two has a license to vend, they have not had any issues with law enforcement. But they’ve heard many stories of vendors on their same block having problems, G said. She’s still nervous — she doesn’t have a criminal background and doesn’t want a record.

“I think God is on our side,” G said. “Sometimes, we are scared.”

Artemis Whyte, a former street vendor who owns the online spice and sauce shop Trini Love and a catering business, also did not get a license to sell when she was a street vendor

Chuck Bradley sells on 14th Street in Columbia Heights. Photo by Kaela Roeder

because of the high cost (Now, her business is registered as an LLC). She stopped street vending at the onset of the pandemic and pivoted to her shop because of how much everything slowed down, she said.

She never had any run-ins with law enforcement, but she witnessed a lot of fellow vendors being harassed by police. This also contributed to her leaving street vending — it made her “uncomfortable” to sell, she said.

“I don’t want to be harassed by the police. I don’t want to be arrested and get my stuff taken away. I don’t want that drama,” she said. “It turns me off of even vending. I’m afraid to even go out and try because of the restrictions of the law.”

Chuck Bradley sells a variety of items including hats, shoes, jackets and gloves. Photo by Kaela Roeder

Vendors and advocates chant, “Long live vendors!” on the steps of the John A. Wilson building on April

4.

Photo by Kaela Roeder

Vendors and advocates rally on the steps of the John A. Wilson building prior to the D.C. Council vote.

Photo by Kaela Roeder

What’s the best way to protect the environment?

WILL SCHICK Editor-in-Chief

Trey Sherard is intimately familiar with the cascading effects of environmental pollution.

For years, a chemical manufacturer called Chemours Co. had been dumping a substance known as “Gen X” into the Cape Fear River near Sherard’s hometown in Wilmington, N.C., a stateappointed investigation revealed. The chemical agent is known to cause cancer and affect the “development of offspring” and affect a person’s fertility, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It contaminated the drinking water, endangering the health of hundreds and thousands of people, such as Sherard’s sisters and close friends who live in the region, making it the subject of numerous state-backed enforcement actions and reviews.

People across the country have shared similar stories about chemical contaminants seeping into their communities. In the past decade, a Bloomberg Law report revealed that thousands of people have filed lawsuits against companies for introducing dozens of known harmful agents.

With a degree in marine biology, Sherard has spent the past 11 years combating threats to a waterway located a few hundred miles north of his hometown: the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. where he serves as its riverkeeper. During this time, he learned a great deal about other harmful substances known as PCBs and PFAS and other chemicals found in high concentrations in the river basin.

This past fall, Sherard received a phone call from D.C.’s Office of the Attorney General that alerted him to a new action it was taking against a company it believed to be the source of another harmful contaminant called “chlordane.”

It had just filed a lawsuit against a company called Velsicol Chemical Ltd., which for years manufactured and sold a household pesticide containing the chemical compound shown in some studies to cause cancer. According to the lawsuit, the product was used widely in households throughout the region to treat termite infestations. The area surrounding D.C. is considered a “moderate to heavy” termite infestation zone, according to a 2021 map produced by the U.S. Dept. of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Since river systems overlap vertically and horizontally with the environment surrounding them, toxins that find their way into the river can also get into wildlife and the people who consume them, according to Sherard. Over the years, the Anacostia River has seen many toxic contaminants enter its waters. A recent joint water quality study presented by the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Maryland state government found “toxic impairments” of arsenic, copper, zinc, DDT and chlordane in the Anacostia River, which has an outsized impact on the region’s predominately African-American subsistence fishers.

In announcing the local lawsuit, then-Attorney General Karl Racine alleged that Velsicol Chemical knew the harmful effects of its product yet marketed and sold it anyway and caused widespread damage in some of the city’s most vulnerable communities. The filing mirrors similar action taken by authorities in states across the country, including Tennessee and Maryland.

Sherard’s excitement with the new lawsuit, however, was tempered. For him, the lawsuit is a symptom of a much bigger problem: lax U.S. environmental regulations.

A bigger issue: thinking beyond the substance

Under the Toxic Substances Control Act, the U.S. government follows a simple process for regulating chemicals. It forbids the manufacture and distribution of known harmful agents. While this may sound like a practical strategy – banning the production and sale of chemicals known to cause harm – it has one critical downside. Some environmental researchers see it as a less effective means of preventing the spread of never before seen harmful chemicals.

According to Sherard, under this formula, by the time substances such as chlordane are discovered to cause harm, it can feel as though the damage is already done.

“It very much favors chemical developers and manufacturers. They’ve got all these other cousins, so that when they finally get enough attention to be regulated, they introduce the formula to the next one,” he said.

Dr. Rashad Ahmed, an environmental economist at Trinity College, agrees that environmental regulations tend to fall short.

“Unfortunately, in many cases, the science and innovation is ahead of the regulations. So materials are invented, products are being used, and then oops, years afterward, [people say] ‘Oh, you know what? That was bad,’” she said.

For example, for many years, the chemical DDT was widely used as an insecticide in the United States due to its costeffectiveness and long-lasting effects on the environment. However, it was not until years later that regulators realized the chemical’s permanence was an environmental hazard.

From Ahmed’s point of view, the problem has less to do with regulations and more to do with economics. In a free market, there’s a phenomenon that is known as an “externality.” These occur when someone incurs a cost or obtains a benefit from a shared resource without paying for it, such as when a company pollutes a river without paying for it. It is the basis for most environmental pollution problems in today’s society, she said.

Even as regulators can try and hold bad actors responsible, it takes time to determine the exact scope of damage they have

caused, according to Ahmed..

In search of solutions: Do they do it better in Europe?

Across the Atlantic, however, the European Union follows an entirely different approach to managing chemical risks with a policy known as Registration Evaluation Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals, or REACH. This policy requires producers to first present evidence that the chemicals are safe before they can be manufactured and distributed.

A government chemist – not authorized to speak to the media– said that comparing both U.S. and European approaches directly to each other can be complicated. There are challenges with trying to regulate everything, he said. And even with a proactive approach such as the one used in Europe, there are some cases where there are no alternatives and companies have no choice but to use harmful chemicals.

One such example is strontium chromate, an anti-corrosion substance used on aircraft that is rated as highly toxic by both the European Union’s REACH policy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Even though the substance is rated as harmful by both bodies, they permit it since there is no other viable substitute, according to the chemist.

Ahmed agrees that every regulatory approach has its own faults since neither can fully prevent the spread of harmful products. And some proactive regulations could create another set of unintended problems.

As an example, Ahmed said U.S. policymakers had attempted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars by implementing new fuel efficiency standards for cars, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy or CAFE.

Manufacturers can manipulate this structure by selling even more vehicles with fuel-efficient standards, that may end up having the opposite effect.

Consumers have a voice

Although regulations tend to fall behind innovation, Ahmed said that consumers still have a large sway with companies that bring products to the market. In some places where consumers have been vocal, companies have reacted to the interests of consumers who have shown more active interest in purchasing green products.

However, this also has its own complications Ahmed pointed out that many companies may apply “green-washing” marketing techniques intended to deceive consumers into believing that their products are environmentally friendly when they are not.

While Ahmed does not have a simple solution for this issue,

she believes it is important for everyone to recognize they have a role in this.

“When you do this kind of analysis and try to figure out what we need to do, don’t forget the kind of institutional environment we have: the corporations that are trying to maximize profit, all these kinds of things do have an influence, but evidence shows that as consumers, we also have a voice in the story.”

A panoramic view of the Anacostia River. Photos by Will Schick

Various garbage traps are set up along the shoreline to protect the native habitats.

Sailboats docked on the northern boundary of the Anacostia River.

Some stormwater drains in the area feature warnings such as this one.

DC has 420 housing vouchers for youth leaving foster care.

Why isn’t it using them all?

When Ronnie Harris first entered foster care at 12 years old, she was certain she would be adopted. But, in what felt like no time at all, foster care swallowed her teenage years. The system jerked Harris across the city. Each time she moved, she hoped the next house would hold adoptive parents and her own room. But it never did.

After leaving a particularly neglectful placement, Harris became homeless at 20. She was still experiencing homelessness when she turned 21, the milestone that marks the date young people age out of the foster care system in D.C. At the time, the District had dozens of housing vouchers available for young people in foster care who turn 21 without the resources to rent their own apartment. Yet, in the nine years she had spent in care, agency staff never told Harris, now 22, that such vouchers existed.

“All our life we’ve been having to depend on people and depend on the system and even though the system is supposed to be there for us, half the time it wasn’t,” Harris said when she first learned about the vouchers. “Overall, I just feel like the system really set me up for failure.”

Each year, 40 to 100 people “age out” of foster care in D.C. The city’s child welfare agency says people like Harris, people who age out of the system into homelessness, are rare. But advocates for people in foster care say it’s more common for youth to become homeless shortly after leaving the system — in 2022, 12% of people counted in an annual survey of people experiencing homelessness in D.C. had been involved with the child welfare system.

Housing instability among former foster youth is a problem across the United States. National studies estimate between 25% and 50% of people who leave foster care experience homelessness within four years. Due to a lack of support during their time in care, many system-involved young people don’t have a job, savings or anyone they can turn to. Harris aged out with just food stamps to support her.

The federal government funds two voucher programs that provide up to five years of housing for former foster care youth first striking out on their own — the Family Unification Program (FUP) and the Fostering Youth to Independence Initiative (FYI). But D.C. has failed to use all the vouchers available for the city over the past several years, even as people leave foster care for unstable housing conditions or, in Harris’ case, homelessness.

D.C.’s 82 available vouchers

The mission of D.C.’s Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) can be summarized in one word — permanency. After the 30-year LaShawn v. Bowser lawsuit found D.C. was failing to provide basic care for children, CFSA implemented a series of improvement plans, which changed every aspect of the agency, from its position in D.C. government to its new focus on prevention. CFSA now aims to remove fewer children from their homes, to reunite them with their biological parents when possible, or to place them with permanent adoptive families, Director Robert Matthews has shared at oversight hearings. The goal, CFSA officials say, is to give children stable support networks. Harris said the policy has another consequence: Young people who are never adopted feel left behind.

CFSA offers programming for older youth through the agency’s Office of Youth Empowerment. As people in foster care get older, they can participate in match savings programs, financial literacy training and a weekly program called LifeSet that helps young people find housing, education and employment.

By 19, young people begin meeting with CFSA staff regularly to make a housing plan for when they age out of the system. But in Harris’ case, the interim plan for the time before she turned 21 felt equally unstable. Harris wanted to leave her foster home. Her foster parents weren’t using the money CFSA paid them to take care of Harris, she said in an interview. Fed up with holey shoes and never having enough to eat, she asked CFSA to find somewhere else for her to live. When staff only offered options she knew wouldn’t work for her, Harris decided to leave.

“I kept telling them I didn’t want to be placed in XYZ home — OK, you could have found something else for me,” she said. “I shouldn’t have been, like, homeless basically. Even though I made the decision, I’m still a ward of the state.”

Young people who age out of foster care generally don’t have the same support many others take for granted, and they are often affected by systemic inequities. While the District’s youth population is 54% Black, 80% of D.C. children in foster care are Black. Child welfare advocates have long pointed out that nationally, child welfare agencies remove Black children from

their families at disproportionate rates, often citing reasons related to poverty.

The disparities young Black people already face are exacerbated by experiences with foster care. People who spend time in care are less likely to have graduated high school, less likely to be pursuing higher education, less likely to be employed, and less likely to have money saved than young people who aren’t in care. And many don’t have strong relationships with mentors able to offer advice or a safe place to land. So making a housing plan, with the help of CFSA, is crucial, according to Sharra Greer, policy director at the Children’s Law Center.

“If you’ve got no job history, [if] you haven’t graduated high school, that’s a steep run,” she said. “If they are going to be aging out without that legal permanency, what are we doing to make sure they are successful?”

In D.C., a housing voucher has rarely been part of that plan.

Since 2018, D.C. has had a total allocation of 421 FUP vouchers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The vouchers are available to people aging out of foster care as well as to parents for whom housing is a barrier to keeping or reunifying with their children. FUP vouchers provide up to five years of housing assistance and supportive services for young people, who are eligible if they have an extremely low income, are unstably housed and do not have readily available resources or support networks.

For the last four years, CFSA has had at least 75 unused vouchers available, according to data provided by HUD. As of January, D.C. had 82 vouchers available — nearly 20% of the total allocation. While a HUD spokesperson wrote in an email that the District’s FUP voucher utilization rate is close to the national average, advocates who work with youth find the failure to use all available vouchers concerning, especially as young people enter unstable housing.

“It’s like cognitive dissonance — what’s going on?” said Ruth White, co-founder and executive director of the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare.

In fiscal year 2021, oversight documents submitted to the D.C. Council show CFSA gave seven FUP vouchers to families and do not include a number for youth, though advocates report young people were actively applying for vouchers. Oversight

ANNEMARIE CUCCIA Staff Reporter

Art by Athiyah Azeem

responses from fiscal years 2022 and 2023 show several discrepancies. For instance, data shows a total of 28 young people received a FUP voucher. However, over the same time period, data shows only four people planned to live on their own once aging out. (CFSA oversight documents for 2015 to 2020 either do not mention FUP vouchers or do not say how many vouchers CFSA distributed to young people.)

CFSA did not respond to multiple requests for comment about homelessness among foster youth, the process of finding housing for young people aging out of foster care, or D.C.’s use of FUP vouchers. Specific requests included information on how many FUP vouchers the agency provided to young people in the last eight years, as well as clarification of discrepancies between available CFSA and HUD data.

Harris isn’t the only potentially eligible person who never heard about the vouchers. Typically, youth and their advocates say, CFSA staff come to transition meetings with a housing plan already in mind. Many young people are never told about vouchers, several people interviewed said, unless they bring up the possibility themselves. Those who ask about vouchers can be met with skepticism, said Ashley Strange, a former program manager at CASA DC, an organization that supports young people in foster care.

CFSA denies the majority of applications for vouchers, Greer said, without either the applicants or their advocates fully understanding why. CFSA’s criteria for allocating vouchers beyond the eligibility rules established by HUD is not public, and advocates for young people in foster care said the agency declines to share it with them. Greer and Strange say they’ve heard CFSA staff deny vouchers because the applicants aren’t ready.

“But ready for what? What’s your criteria for readiness? They’re going to age out into homelessness,” Greer said. “It just seems like when you have so many youth who are aging out into homelessness that you would want to be generous in your distribution of these vouchers.”

Aging out into housing instability

After Harris left the foster care system, she moved around until finding a spot in a local transitional housing program. She remained in contact with CFSA while she was homeless, but was never offered any resources specifically for people who have been in the system, just the contact information for local housing programs, she said. When Harris reached out, only one of the organizations responded. She applied on her own for food stamps, the only income she has now.

The transition from having a life governed by the system to almost no support was jarring.

“All our life we’ve been having to depend on people, depend on the system even though half the time the system wasn’t really there for us,” she said. “You have somebody that you can depend on — I don’t have that. I had that, but I don’t anymore.” Instead of moving into an apartment of their own, people leaving foster care often end up at transitional housing programs or moving in with the same biological family members who did not take them in while they spent years in the system. In fiscal year 2022, 38 young people aged out of care in D.C. Just 15 were employed, and the most common housing options were a placement with biological family, foster family or transitional housing, according to CFSA oversight responses. D.C. doesn’t track people after they leave care, so CFSA doesn’t know how many of those initial placements are successful.

In public hearings, CFSA officials say that the availability of other options make vouchers less necessary, and contend that youth fare better when they live with family. “You don’t give a youth a voucher when you know they’re going to have to pay market rent when they emancipate and can’t sustain it,” CFSA Director Matthews testified this February.

When asked about homelessness among people formerly in foster care in a hearing last year, agency officials said it wasn’t a problem; since 2015 just six people have left foster care directly for shelters, according to CFSA oversight responses. But another 18 were characterized as being in abscondence on their 21st birthday, meaning the agency didn’t know where they were.

And just looking at the initial numbers doesn’t provide a full picture, according to Amy Dworsky, a senior research fellow at the University of Chicago who has written extensively about housing and foster care. Homelessness often comes six months or a year later, Dworksy said, when whatever housing option young people chose falls through, frequently because family support peters out or savings dry up. Local young people say the CFSA-provided options often don’t work, as will be explored in an upcoming article.

On the path to change?

With young people reporting a clear need, why hasn’t CFSA used all the vouchers?

CFSA officials, when asked in oversight hearings, generally say it’s because young people have other options. HUD, which is hoping to increase voucher utilization across the nation, said the D.C. Housing Authority cites low referrals and few available units, a spokesperson wrote in an email. While CFSA connects youth with vouchers, the housing authority is the agency that actually administers them on behalf of HUD.

Many jurisdictions reserve some of their FUP vouchers for

families, said Mike Pergamit, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute who has written about the program. While it’s unclear if D.C. does this, Melody Webb, CEO and co-founder of Mother’s Outreach Network, said parents in need aren’t getting the vouchers, either. One mother, who asked to be included anonymously, said she’d never heard of the voucher despite receiving multiple threats that her kids would be removed, due in part to her homelessness.

And beginning in 2019, D.C. had no need to worry about running out of vouchers, White said. As head of the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare, she worked with a group of former foster youth to create the federal government’s FYI voucher program, through which HUD provides on-demand vouchers for youth aging out of foster care. If D.C. ever uses all its FUP vouchers, the program can provide CFSA with up to 50 vouchers each year, enough to cover most foster youth in recent years.

“They could have solved homelessness for every foster youth,” White said of D.C. officials. “And they chose not to do that.”

That may be changing.

Late last year, the D.C. Council passed a bill that includes a provision requiring CFSA to screen all young people aging out for a FUP voucher. Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, who introduced the legislation, was hopeful the law would push CFSA to encourage more youth to apply for the vouchers.

“What we don’t want is people exiting the foster system and going straight to the homeless services system. … That is not acceptable — that shows that we haven’t done the work to help create stability for youth exiting,” she said in an interview last fall.

CFSA, which opposed the bill initially, is now required to include in every housing plan either an intent to apply for a voucher, or an explanation of why the person is not eligible for one. The agency is also preparing to apply for FYI vouchers once the utilization rate reaches 90%, a stipulation in the federal law establishing the newer program, according to this year’s oversight responses.

Meanwhile, Harris lives in a transitional housing program. She’s making plans — she’s in a nursing program, and looking for a job. She’s doing what she can to make things work. But when she thinks about her time in foster care, she still feels incredibly let down.

“When we age out of the system, it’s like we no longer exist to them,” she said. “I feel like I shouldn’t have been able to age out of the foster care system [without more help]. … Something should have happened.“

This article was co-published with The DC Line.

Chart by Athiyah Azeem

Hello spring!

EVELYN NNAM Artist/Vendor

It is springtime already! Oh wow, we’ve come so far from fall and are now transitioning into winter and now spring. I can see the cherry blossoms on the trees. The weather is getting warmer and the days are longer. I just love the beautiful season of spring! I love having get-togethers with loved ones outdoors with the bright and colorful beautiful world of nature! Nothing is more beautiful when spring arrives. Seeing the transformations in our everyday world with skies getting clearer and brighter, bare trees beginning to grow and leaves forming and turning into that rich earthy green.

Walking outside and feeling everything come into life again with the grass sprouting from the roots of the old bare winter ground and coming into life, birds flying, chirping in a harmonious melody, children outside laughing and playing — everything is just so fresh and alive. This lively scenery with this rainbow of colors fills our days bursting like a bonfire. Places that had no color and were brown and barren are now lit up and full of life and I just love to see it. I personally love wearing lighter clothes with a t-shirt and jeans and a light sweater.

Spring weather is the best! I love it when I walk outside and it's a cool, beautiful day. Not too hot and not too cold, just the right temperature with a light refreshing breeze. One of my favorite spring moments is when the cherry blossom festival takes place and I love to take

Sweet calmness

CHON GOTTI

Artist/Vendor

In the stillness of the night when the world is calm and quiet, I hear the whisper of the stars and the rhythm of my beating heart. At this moment I am free from the chaos of the day's debris and I can feel my soul take flight guided by the star's gentle light. So I'll embrace this peace and stillness. Let it fill me up with its sweetness and carry me through the darkest night until the dawn's first ray of light.

Water

AMINA WASHINGTON

Artist/Vendor

Water is life — created to replenish, restore and revitalize the body. Without the good old H2O there would be no life. All of us need it — people, animals, plants and even the soil requires water. We wash with it, cook, clean and drink it. Without H2O there would be no Earth, if I’m not mistaken there will be no creation. Pollution takes up most of the Earth’s water and it could be dangerous for humans if not treated properly. I wish as a part of life on Earth that people would take care of our water better. We will not live without good old H2O.

pictures of the pretty pink trees with my daughter. She and I enjoy ourselves when we spend time together outdoors during springtime and we make sure to keep those memories so we can reminisce about in the future.

What are your favorite spring memories? What do you like about spring? Is it the weather, the trees, the clothes you wear? What do you dislike about spring? Spring isn't always nice cool days and pretty scenery, sometimes we have to deal with pollen and allergies. But all in all spring is a wonderful season. I hope you enjoy the season and make wonderful and beautiful

This was only the beginning

GERALD ANDERSON Artist/Vendor

It was tough for me to sell my papers and my books because of COVID-19. It was so strange to stand at my post at the top of Gallery Place Metro Station in downtown D.C., and no one came up the escalator for me to say, “Good morning, have a blessed day. Do not let Metro take your spirit away.”

My days and my nights were really boring. I felt like the world was coming to an end. I was sleeping out on the bench by the bank Suntrust. I was scared to take food from people passing. They would ask, “Do you want something to eat?” I was really hungry, but I was scared because they were saying on the news to stay six feet apart — don’t eat from people you don’t know.

I heard the news from a TV in the basement of a church on 13th Street where homeless people could go and eat and shower, and also they give out masks. They would tell you to be safe out there on the street.

It meant a lot to me that the guy from the restaurant Zaytinya was feeding us homeless folks good, hot food. They went around in Jeeps passing out food to those who of us living on the street.

Sleep was hard. Honestly, I couldn’t actually sleep, because I was thinking something bad could really happen. I was worried about Covid. I was laying there with one eye open, one eye closed, not really getting any rest.

Then I saw some people that came by and they were bringing me food and telling me to be real careful because of the march. They say, “Hey, you seen the news? Look like a march coming. Be careful man.”

A pastor from another church offered to rent me a hotel room. He got me a room with all clean sheets and towels and soaps, right down the street from the White House.

That’s when I looked out my hotel window, facing right at the White House. I start seeing a lot of people around there yelling, hollering, holding signs about Trump. People passing out fliers.

As I come out of my hotel room to sell my papers at the

My thoughts

ABEL PUTU

Artist/Vendor

Like a Street Sense vendor

Metro, there a group of guys come up the block and then coming out the Metro — you couldn’t really see their faces. People were scared — the ones in black outfits were throwing bottles, rocks and splashing paint.

I was kind of scared. One of my friends who work around the corner in the Portrait Gallery come out and told me to be careful because the Proud Boys were here.

There was Klan too. You couldn’t see their faces. I went over to Ella’s and there was a few of them there, eating.

When I walked out of Ella’s, I looked out at H Street and a whole bunch of angry people coming. They had sledge hammers, screwdrivers and crowbars. I ain’t ask them nothin’ but I was curious why they had it.

I was sitting, and then people started smashing the windows at H&M. I say to myself, “This is getting hectic. You don’t know if they gonna hit you with one of them tools.” Then it got so crowded — more people than I had seen all my years at Mardi Gras, and they start smashing all kinds of glasses — jewelry stores, CVS, Zara, Gap.

It was funny being there, me being an ex-con. It tempted me to go with the crowd and get me some things I could use and things I could get out and sell. But I did not go. I was too afraid the camera would see me and then I would be on the news and they’d say, “Man wanted for looting!”

I was so scared. I’ve finished parole now, and I ain’t never going back to that life.

The sound of the glass shattering sounded like gunshots. I thought it was gunshots. But it was the police shooting them rubber bullets down there by Gucci. So many people charging into the store — masses really — and police try to stop them but they didn’t have the power and the rioters still got in.

I saw shirts and shoes, a lot of clothes in the street but I didn’t touch them.

I was really scared—it was a big stress to me, even though I’m from the street.

Little did I know this was only the beginning.

JAMES DAVIS

Artist/Vendor

I’ve been walking these streets all morn Singing the same ole song. I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks of D.C. I've been thinking of the things I can do with a Street Sense paper and two dollars tucked in my shoe. There'll be a load of compromising on the road to my horizons but I'm gonna be where the lights not shining on me like a Street Sense vendor. Selling papers to people I don't even know like a Street Sense vendor in a one-horse rodeo and app money coming on my phone...

Selling Street Sense

We need to get wheelchair basketball in more parts of D.C. This is very serious. When I go out and sell the paper, people tell me this all the time. We also need to get the mayor behind this. Please buy the paper to hear my story and other people’s stories.

I am praying my fiancé will get her visa and she will come to the United States very soon.

I hope Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Mayor Muriel Bowser hear my story.

I hope all my vendors will be on the cover of Street Sense.

I am so happy I won our February Sell-a-Thon!

I am thankful for my family for supporting me.

DANIEL

BALL

Artist/Vendor

One of my friends asked me, how long have you been selling papers for Street Sense? I said before your baby was born. Then they asked me, do you have any children? My answer was no. My friend asked, me, so do you want to get married someday, like your friend Maria? I said yes, I do. Thank you Thomas and Maria for today’s class. Good luck in the rest of the years to come.

Photo by James Davis

Don’t give up, but keep it up

GIGI DOVONOU Artist/Vendor

Sometimes, time will arrive

And you’ll feel alone.

Life is more the journey than the destination

Of course, you’ll always plan to go to a destination

But to reach that place you’ll face difficult challenges And each challenge is the way to a specific change

We face different situations

Some: may end up in jail and get out homeless may end up jobless and get out houseless joblessness may cause helplessness others will end up hopeless separated from their loved ones still hope for a better chance for a way out

Many:

know there is still a way out

We should continue to have hope

We need to spread love because when a door closes another one opens.

Trust yourself and believe in your potential. Nobody knows what the future holds. From a zero, you can rise to a hero.

Gradually turn your skepticism to pessimism and your pessimism to optimism

And turn each situation and occasion from a problem to an opportunity

Then find the best in you.

Remember again that life is more a journey than a destination. Be the best of yourself and keep moving. Don’t give up but keep it up.

Their faith gave me grace

JACKIE TURNER Artist/Vendor

I have a friend who talks about God and how he helps people all the time. I believe in God. I also believe he gives you a brain to use and you must be responsible for yourself. Take care of your bills, health and family. That requires some kind of work or effort on your part. When I got sick and saw my savings go down with my health, the people in my church and my friends called

Change

MARC GRIER

Artist/Vendor

Martin Luther King fought for many necessary changes in this world — like the right for us to vote. Also, for standing or sitting in front of the bus. But today the kids want to sit in the back of the bus. I am here to tell you that a change is coming, and people need to know about this change.

me to talk to me and check on me. That friend that talked about God helped. They all reminded me that in the good and bad, God is there. Their faith made me feel better and filled me to take care of myself and get strong. I got through with the help of friends.

My clock

COREY SANDERS

Artist/Vendor

I’m losing it — time, that is. Before you know it time will pass you by. One day, you’re young; the next day you’re old, and all you have is the time in between. And what you do with that time is really what makes your dream. So, please make the most of it.

Your vice

QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE

Artist/Vendor

I’m choking on your cigarette smoke, Standing in line (outdoors, of course) You smoke, I choke

Walking behind you, blowing cigarette smoke, I choke

I’ll still be your friend as we laugh, play and grin

Smoking keeps me and others always choking

Kenyatta and Gus met me as we boarded the Metro bus, And started all over again, me and others started to choke from the smell you two had on your clothes from the cigarette smoke My friends, will this ever end?

I’m not mad and neither are others, we are all good, good friends

It’s just not great as we choke around you while you smoke

I call that the Charlie Brown effect

LEVESTER GREEN

Artist/Vendor

"I hate when I repeat an outfit and see the same people in it” — Taylor Morgan I call that the Charlie Brown effect or the Cartoon Network repeat!

Imagine how the homeless feel. I can even recall how my director had requested that I wear my same outfit, and I said nuh uh. That ain't how I go with my fresh tag popping, balling on a budget, knowing where to get my showers in for free and surviving the game.

And then having your wardrobe dramatically reduced cause someone even lower than you in life steals your clothes out of the laundromat. Unbelievable!

A gift

KYM PARKER

Artist/Vendor

When we wake up in the morning, that's a gift. When we eat, it is a gift.

When we pray and love, it is a gift.

She gives us life.

She blesses us and fills us with love.

It is a unique love, and that is a gift.

She blesses us and fills us with love.

It is a special love and that is a gift.

She gave us life.

She made you perfect.

She lets you walk, breathe, live and be free, and that is a gift.

She gave us emotions, even anger and frustration.

She gave us death, the end of a cycle, and that is also a gift.

She gave us everything that we have

Thank Her, pray to Her, and talk to Her.

She listens to us and understands us because She loves us, too. The gift.

Let’s make gumbo

MARS

Artist/Vendor

As winter prepares to leave us and April gives way to showers, the north wind and its chill can no longer be beaten back; not with chili, but with a good Louisiana-style gumbo. Its main ingredients are chicken, sausage and roux. If you don’t have roux, you can make your own. Either fry or microwave white flour until it’s yellow, then raise the heat until the flour becomes either dark brown or burnt.

Bon appetit!

Love language

YOLANDA ARMSTRONG

Artist/Vendor

When I was in school, I enjoyed learning and writing English and Spanish. I love learning the alphabet, numbers and objects. I especially love my three main lines.

My gusta — I like Necesito — I need Quiero — I want

Sometimes I wish I could take a class to learn more especially with the food industry. My dream is to go to a culinary arts program and open up my own restaurant or catering company. I’d like to get a venue space for events. I would have to open up a school. Food is my love and language.

St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day was on March 17. Groups, couples, and families got together to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, wearing green outfits, going out to dinner and dancing. The flowers and trees are blooming. Spring is here. I will be taking my bike for a ride in the park and city when the weather breaks. People will be walking their dogs in the city and parks. I hope I will see cherry blossoms soon. Love you all and stay safe.

Lucky charm

Procrastination sudden harm

On

Where

FUN & GAMES

Across

1. “The Sun ____ Rises” (Hemingway novel)

5. Oscar Madison in “The Odd Couple” and Bluto Blutarsky in “Animal House,” e.g.

10. Sounds at a nursery viewing window

13. Vocal range group aptly found in: “It is still something very special to see Cher or Tina Turner performing live”

15. Some healthy vegetarian servings made of curdled soybean milk

16. One of 18 on a golf course

17. Pass the final exam in a course covering construction and maintenance tools and related supplies? (2 wds.) (3,8)

19. Nonpro sports org. (abbr./acron.)

20. Capri, or Catalina, e.g.

21. Schubert’s “The ___-King”

22. Misses the mark

23. Tax form ID (abbr./acron.)

25. What a toddler coming across a little pile of multi-colored pills often does? (2 wds.) (4,7)

(ESSENCE AIDS anagram)

28. 1-Down rescue action

29. Common sports injury site, briefly (abbr./ acron.)

30. Greek letter hidden in “epsilon”

31. Purple palm berry used in smoothies

33. Panama and porkpie

36. Kitchen additions?

40. What a hen does if fed a steady diet of tatertots?

43. Beast of Borden?

44. O.T. book between Lamentations and Daniel (abbr.) (ZEKE anagram)

45. Urban haze, maybe

46. “If I Ruled the World” rapper

48. Submissions to eds (abbr.)

50. No. after a no. (abbr./acron.)

51. Looks high and low for a tomato-based condiment? (2 wds.) (5,6)

56. Cobb of Cooperstown and France of the Seattle Mariners

57. Guesstimate words (2 wds.) (2,2)

58. Color shade

59. Pro ___ (proportionately) (Lat.)

61. Blue 58-Across

62. With “a,” any tavern located in the city that bills itself as Pennsylvania’s “Sweetest Destination” (2 wds.) (8.3)

66. X amount

67. Cremona craftsman who created highlytreasured violins

68. Hayek of “Frida”

69. Capital of Utah, briefly (inits,)

70. Outlaw James or former Minn. Gov. Ventura

71. Gym set parts, briefly

Down

1. Grp. that might give you a hand on the shoulder? (abbr./acron.)

2. Relative of inc. (abbr./acron.)

3. ____ : pianos :: Martins : guitars

4. ___ and aahs

5. Part of P.S.T (abbr./acron.)

6. Home Depot rival

7. St. Joan ____ (2 wds.) (2,3)

8. Gunny sack fabric

9. Compass direction aptly seen twice in “... departs Seattle by car on the way to Tallahassee” (abbr./initialism)

10. Pioneering company in electronic games (TIARA anagram)

11. Song words before “...the World” and “”...the Champions” (2 wds.) (2,3)

12. Kid’s Dr. whose last name has 5 letters and begins with an S

14. Spicy dance or dip

18. Bounce back again, as a sound

22. Archie Bunker’s wife and Lily Tomlin’s ____

Ann “Laugh-In” characters of old TV

23. Like old bread

24. Orange County, CA locale, in brief (2 wds) (2,3) (incls. abbrs.)

26. Make happy

27. Tiny fraction of a min. (abbr./acron.)

32. Really grooves on (2 wds.) (2,4)

34. Whirling Looney Tunes devil, for short

35. Feature shared by wine glasses and some wristwatches

37. Transportation schedule, in essence

38. Strong adhesive mixed right before use

39. Army E-6s (abbr./acron.)

41. Potpie ingredients

42. “Sounds like a plan. Why not?” (2 wds.) (2,4) (incls. abbr./acron.)

47. Word often heard after “Ponzi” or “pyramid”

49. Neuters

51. Pat and Vanna and Kelly and Ryan, e.g.

52. “Family Matters” nerd Steve of classic old TV

53. Timberlake’s former band

54. Surrounding glows

55. Many hospital procedures, informally

60. Pre-1917 Russian rulers’ title

62. Pilgrimage to Mecca

63. “____ thee hither!” (“Hurry it up!” in Shakespearean lingo)

64. What goes “up to 11” in “This is Spinal Tap”

*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.

Illustration of the Week

SYBIL TAYLOR Artist/Vendor

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

Cake Decorator

Wegmans // 41 Ridge Sq. NW

Part-time

Bake, decorate and package and lavel products for sale. Take orders and provide customer service. Unload deliveries and stock displays.

REQUIRED: N/A

APPLY: tinyurl.com/cake-wegmans

Food Service Worker/Cashier

Eurest // 2710 MLK Jr. Boulevard SE

Full-time

Prep food, serve customers, operate chasier, keep work areas clean.

REQUIRED: N/A

APPLY: tinyurl.com/eurest-compass

Retail Sales Associate

Macy’s // 1201 G St NW

Part-time

Provide customer service, meet sales goals, and keep merchandise stocked.

REQUIRED: N/A

APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/rsa-macy-04

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

Dear Friend,

Street Sense Media is turning 20! The effort that a small group of volunteers began in 2003 has over the past two decades grown into a full spectrum media company providing employment and powerful means of artistic self-expression to men and women battling their way beyond homelessness

Will you join us in making even more possible today and tomorrow? We’re not just celebrating our past accomplishments We are celebrating our partnership with you and great work we are doing now!

Twenty years ago, we published a new paper every month With each passing week, vendors would sell fewer papers and their income would significantly drop week over week Since April 2021, we’ve been publishing a new issue weekly, one of only five street papers in the world to publish with such frequency Vendors can now count on maintaining their income level throughout the month And rather than diluting the strength of our reporting, since going weekly our professional editorial team has continued to win awards for their journalism and we’ve forged important partnerships with other newsrooms to amplify our reporting and strengthen our investigative powers

When I came aboard, my focus was on our need to help our vendors find more stability in their lives In 2017, we launched our case management program which helps vendors navigate to

housing, health and mental healthcare, and other community supports Since its inception, that program has helped over 60 vendors transition to housing

In 2013, we also began exploring platforms for self-expression beyond the newspaper

Recognizing that vendors who wrote for the paper were more likely to transition to greater stability, we sought to see if that could be replicated across other platforms By 2015, we were producing content in film, photography, illustration, theater, and podcasts More and more of our vendors discovered the life-changing power of story-telling and self-expression Audiences that may never have been drawn to our newspaper were understanding what we already knew, that one’s housing status says nothing about talent, creativity, or work ethic

Despite all our expansion and success, there remains a tragic sense of urgency about our

work Men and women who are homeless have a life expectancy that’s 20 years less than persons who are consistently and stably housed I am afraid that this is a fact we know intimately well Veda, David, Marcellus, Collins, Alice, Chino, James, Moyo, and Leonard are just a few of the vendors whose lives were cut short by the harsh realities of chronic homelessness Adding to the threat is the opioid crisis that is taking an enormous toll on vulnerable populations including our vendors

More than ever, our work and the opportunities we provide are critical and in need of your support Much of our recent growth – publishing weekly, adding three new full-time positions to the editorial team, expanding the case management and media arts programs, and a decision to pay vendors for everything they publish in the newspaper – was funded with an array of pandemic related funding streams that have since been phased out Rather than set that money aside for a rainy day, we were compelled to make important investments in our programs by our understanding that for too many of our vendors every day is a rainy day Now, we need your help to sustain these important programs

The support of people just like you makes all of our work possible -- it changes and saves lives Will you give a gift in honor of our 20th anniversary? Your gift would be an important investment in our future and the future of those your support serves You can contribute using the form

below or by going online to StreetSenseMedia org

Will you support this important work today? We thank you for your support and wish you the very best

Sincerely,

Brian Carome Chief Executive Officer

APRIL 5 - APRIL 11, 2023 VOLUME 20 ISSUE 19

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