06.21.2023

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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.

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THE TEAM

VENDORS

Abel Putu, Aida Peery, Al Edmonson, Akindele Akerejah, Amia Walker, Amina Washington, Andre Brinson, Andrew Anderson, Angie Whitehurst, Anthony Carney, Antoinette Calloway, Archie Thomas, Beverly Sutton, Brianna Butler, Burton Wells, Carlos Carolina, Carol Motley, Charles Armstrong, Charles Woods, Chon Gotti, Chris Cole, Conrad Cheek,

Corey Sanders, Daniel Ball, Darlesha Joyner, David Snyder, Debora Brantley, Degnon (Gigi) Dovonou, Dominique Anthony, Don Gardner, Donté Turner, Doris Robinson, Earl Parker, Dwayne Butler, Eric Glover, Eric Thompson-Bey, Erica Downing, Evelyn Nnam, Floyd Carter, Franklin Sterling, Frederic John, Freedom, Gerald Anderson, Greta Christian, Harriet Fields, Henrieese Roberts, Henry Johnson, Ivory Wilson,

Jacqueline “Jackie” Turner, Jacquelyn Portee, James Davis, James Hughes, Jeanette Richardson, Jeff Taylor, Jeffery McNeil, Jeffrey Carter, Jemel Fleming, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jermale McKnight, Jet Flegette, Jewel Lewis, John Alley, John Littlejohn, Josie Brown, Juliene Kengnie, Kenneth Middleton, Khadijah Chapman, Kym Parker, Laticia Brock, Laura Smith, Lawrence Autry, Levester Green, Lu Potter, L. Morrow,

Mango Redbook, Marc Grier, Marcus McCall, Mars, Martin Walker, Mary Sellman, Maurice Spears, Melody Byrd, Michael Warner, Michele Modica, Michele Rochon, Morgan Jones, Nikila Smith, Patricia Donaldson, Patty Smith, Phillip Black, Queenie Featherstone, Rashawn Bowser, Reginald Black, Reginald C. Denny, Ricardo Meriedy, Richard “Mooney”

Hart, Rita Sauls, Robert Warren, Rochelle Walker,

Ron Dudley, Sasha Williams, Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Sybil Taylor, Tonya Williams

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

NEWS IN BRIEF

Editor’s Note Street Sense wins multiple Dateline Awards

EVENTS AT SSM

ANNOUNCEMENTS

□ The Street Sense Media photography book launch is this Thursday, June 22, at 6:30 p.m., at the Navy Yard Dacha Beer Garden. Food and drinks may be purchased on-site.

□ The June vendor meeting is this Friday, June 23, at 2:00 p.m. Come for pizza and fellowship!

□ Wondering if the office is closed today? Curious about the workshop schedule? Keep up with the latest vendor information at streetsensemedia.org/vendorinfo

□ 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.

VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT

Read this democratically elected code of conduct, by vendors, for vendors!

This past week, our editorial team attended this year’s Society of Professional Journalists’ Dateline Awards. We won three awards this year in the weekly newspaper division. Kaela Roeder, our deputy editor, secured the top award for business reporting for a feature she produced about a local coffee shop bookstore, and its model for “paying it forward.”

Annemarie Cuccia, our staff reporter, also secured the top spot for beat reporting for her in-depth coverage of encampments in D.C. Lori Smith, a vendor and cartoonist for Street Sense Media, earned a top award for an editorial cartoon that seeks to dismantle stereotypes about people without homes.

In the front-page design category, our production editor Athiyah Azeem was a finalist alongside one of our vendors, Khadijah

VENDOR PROGRAM ASSOCIATES

Aida Peery, Clifford

Samuels, Chon

Gotti

VENDOR PROGRAM

VOLUNTEERS

Beverly Brown, 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

Cole Kindiger,

Chapman, who helped produce the cover for our Pride edition last year. Other finalist covers by Azeem illustrated poor conditions tenants faced while living in the District’s Rapid Rehousing program, and the increase in encampment clearings in summer 2022.

Collectively, we were finalists in four additional categories for the weekly newspaper division: series, investigative journalism, breaking news and non-breaking news. Additionally, an investigative story we produced in partnership with the Seattle Times, DCist/WAMU and The Center for Public Integrity, won the top award in the radio broadcast category. In the coming weeks, we will be republishing and sharing some of these stories in the paper. Will Schick, Editor-in-Chief

Jessica Rich, Casey Bacot

ARTISTS-INRESIDENCE

Ariane Mohseni (Film), Bonnie Naradzay (Poetry), David Serota (Illustration), Lalita Clozel (Film), Willie Schatz (Writing),

Leslie Jacobson (Theater), Roy Barber (Theater), Rachel Dungan (Podcast)

ARTS EDITOR (VOLUNTEER)

Austine Model

OPINION EDITOR (VOLUNTEER)

Candace Montague

EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS

Josh Axelrod, Ryan Bacic, Lilah Burke, Chelsea Ciruzzo, Lenika Cruz, Alison Henry, Kathryn Owens, Andrew Siddons, Dan Reed

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.

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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.

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Street Sense Media’s Society of Professional Journalists’ Dateline awards.

Photo by Athiyah Azeem

A new guaranteed income pilot launches in DC

KAELA ROEDER Deputy Editor

A

new program is providing no-stringsattached monthly cash assistance to Black mothers with children involved in the child welfare system.

Mothers living with their children and who have a current or recently open case with a social worker are eligible to receive $500 per month for three years under Mother Up, a community-funded cash assistance managed by the local nonprofit, Mother’s Outreach Network. Unlike many other social safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, this program provides assistance without requiring participants to meet any work requirements. Mother’s Outreach Network said it hopes to provide this support to a total of 50 mothers.

“It’s intended to give families the support that they need to stay together to prevent their involvement in the system, but also to address the real needs that they have,” said Melody

Webb, co-founder of Mother’s Outreach Network.

A “soft launch” of the program began recently, and five mothers started receiving payments in May. Additional cohorts will begin receiving funds later this year. While Mother Up is currently community-funded, Mother’s Outreach Network hopes to raise awareness of the utility of the project among local, state and federal governments, which in turn could explore the creation of more government-funded guaranteed income programs.

What is guaranteed income?

Guaranteed income programs provide unconditional cash assistance, often to people living below the federal poverty line — $24,860 for a family of three in 2023. Usually, programs target a specific demographic and provide payments for a set amount of time.

Various communities across the United States, including Baltimore, Houston and Chicago, have launched similar

A new guaranteed income pilot promises to assist Black mothers involved in the child welfare system.

initiatives with varying success. In the past few years, D.C. has also seen this model grow locally, with various nonprofits partnering to support District families with cash assistance, including THRIVE East of the River and Strong Families, Strong Futures DC.

Many programs began during the pandemic, which revealed how vulnerable many people are to poverty, Webb said. The stimulus payments demonstrated how direct economic support can be effective in helping families meet their basic needs, she added.

“It’s good for the individual, it’s good for their family, community and in fact, the entire economy,” Webb said.

The majority of people who received the first round of stimulus checks during the pandemic used the money for household expenses like food, rent and utilities, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For the later payments, many saved the money or used it to pay off debts, per a survey from the New York Federal Reserve.

How guaranteed income can help

In her time as a parents’ defense attorney, Webb said she often saw D.C. remove children from families for reasons largely related to poverty. Poverty alone is not a legal reason to remove a child from their parents.

But poverty is, time and again, conflated with neglect, Webb wrote in an article for the Columbia Journal of Race and Law. Involvement in the child welfare system is often linked to economic status, race and having a single mother, according to the report. For example, about 79% of children in the foster system in the District are Black, while 52% percent of children in D.C. are Black. Neglect is the main reason why children are removed from households in D.C., according to oversight responses from the Child and Family Services Agency.

No-strings-attached payments can aid families involved in the child welfare system, Webb said. And the pilot is focused on helping Black mothers specifically because “they’re the most vulnerable mothers,” Webb said.

“That’s what we need, and doing it in a way that sort of helps support the dignity and the fulfillment of that person in their humanity,” Webb said.

A similar program, The Magnolia Mother’s Trust in Jackson, Mississippi, has shown programs like this work, Webb said. The Magnolia Mother’s Trust, created by the nonprofit Springboard to Opportunities, began offering cash payments to single mothers in the fall of 2018. This program was one of the inspirations that drove Webb to start Mother Up.

According to an impact report organized by The Magnolia Mother’s Trust, mothers felt less stressed, happier and generally experienced a better quality of life after being involved in the program. Participating mothers went back to school and were hired for better-paying jobs.

The Magnolia Mother’s Trust also put a dent in the narrative that poverty is a flaw of the person, not of the structural inequality, Webb said. She also hopes to dismantle this misconception through her work with Mother Up.

“Once we remove a notion of it — poverty being sort of result of a personal flaw — then we are kind of liberated to think about really important structural solutions,” she said.

Shonta’ High, a local human rights activist who serves on the community advisory board of Mother Up, said the program would’ve been immensely helpful to her when her children were younger.

High’s oldest daughter was removed from her home when she was four. She said a false allegation was filed against her — she doesn’t remember what the particular claim was, but suspects a big driver of the allegation was that she was low-income. It took High over a year to get her daughter back, the time filled with court dates and bureaucracy.

While trying to get her daughter back into her custody, High said she was repeatedly stigmatized by government actors because she was a poor Black woman.

“It’s not my fault that I’m poor,” High said she remembers thinking.

High knew she had to be a part of the community advisory board when Webb approached her, she said, because of her lived experience.

Community input has like High’s been at the forefront of the pilot. Early on in its development, Webb put together a focus group of mothers to get their perspectives on what would be most helpful and effective.

“Our work has been rooted in really measuring the need based on what the community tells us,” Webb said.

To learn more about Mother Up, you can follow this link: bit.ly/MotherUpMailingList

“Once we remove a notion of it — poverty being sort of result of a personal flaw — then we are kind of liberated to think about really important structural solutions.”

~ Melody Webb, co-founder of Mother’s Outreach Network

How a lack of information is influencing DC’s rent

control debates

ANNEMARIE CUCCIA Staff Reporter

As debate kicked off on his rent control measure, At-Large Councilmember Robert White issued a warning to his colleagues.

“There is an absolute lack of data here. We are working today on a pile of assumptions,” White said on May 30. “That is why we have to be particularly careful not to do anything that may have a worse outcome.”

The D.C. Council was in its first hour of discussing how much landlords should be allowed to raise rent at buildings subject to rent control, and there was a clear split in the room. Councilmembers were considering dueling amendments to White’s bill, one of which Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto was rewriting on the spot to reflect a colleague’s recommended changes.

Yet, lawmakers agreed a misstep could have grave effects: High rents could push tenants into homelessness, while low rent increases could push landlords to sell their buildings. Councilmembers stressed they wanted to get the policy right, as it would impact the housing of tens of thousands of Washingtonians who live in rental buildings constructed before 1976.

Legislators also agreed they didn’t have all the information needed to make the decision — the consequence of a long-stalled technology project that is only now in its final stages.

“There was an advocate here for landlords earlier and I asked, ‘How many of your members have rent-controlled units?’” Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker said. “They weren’t able to answer me, and to me, that was concerning.”

“Our challenge here is there’s a lot of information we don’t know, including about landlord costs,” Ward 3 Councilmember Matthew Frumin added. “We need to settle on a number or a set of numbers that will be fair to everyone.”

That was proving to be difficult. D.C. renters who live in rent-controlled units were initially going to be subject to rent increases of up to 8.9%, largely because of high inflation. The council agreed that was too high and, after a chaotic decision to postpone the matter, voted a week later to cap rent increases for 2023 at 6% for most rent-controlled units and 4% for elderly and disabled tenants, starting July 1. Over 2023 and 2024, cumulative rent increases are capped at 12% and 8%, respectively.

The absence of meaningful data regarding rent control in the District isn’t a new issue. Despite a council mandate to the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development

(DHCD) eight years ago for a database of all rent-stabilized apartments, D.C. still doesn’t have information about how many units there are, the conditions of the units or how much tenants are currently paying. This information could have helped lawmakers decide how much they could cap rent increases without risking the loss of more rent-controlled units, White said.

The Office of the Tenant Advocate (OTA), an independent agency tasked with building the database after DHCD failed to do so, now promises the resource will be available by the end of the year. Lawmakers hope this will give them the information they need the next time they talk about reforming rent control.

A database that is supposed to inform the state of rent control in D.C. has been delayed for years.

Clarence House, a Ward 3 apartment building that is subject to rent control. Photo by Annemarie Cuccia

Lacking necessary information

Rent control is one tool D.C. uses to make housing more affordable, although the policy’s critics argue it overly interferes with the housing market. In rent-controlled units, rent increases are regulated by the D.C. government and are generally smaller than landlords would otherwise charge.

This form of rent stabilization in D.C. dates to passage of the Rental Housing Act of 1985, which limited rent increases for most apartments built before 1976.

But there’s no firm number available on how many apartment units that totaled. Estimates from the Urban Institute at the time and from the D.C. Policy Center in the present day have ranged from 85,000 to 125,000.

Nearly 40 years later, there is still no definitive list of rentcontrolled units. In a 2020 rent control study, Yesim Sayin, executive director of the D.C. Policy Center, estimated that about 73,000 out of the total 124,000 apartments in D.C. were subject to rent control. Sayin said the organization looked at all the available information about the number of buildings constructed before 1976 to evaluate how many apartments would be included. But it’s a hard number to confirm, since units that were originally under rent control can fall out if they’re converted into condos, demolished or subsidized by the government.

“With rent control, you don’t see what you don’t see,” Sayin added.

While DHCD does have a database with individual documents for some buildings, the contents are incomplete and do not provide a comprehensive look at rent control in D.C.

In 2015, the council directed DHCD to create a separate, publicly available database of rent-controlled units — an online tool that would include the address of units, base rent and history of rent increases.

Although the database was slated to be finished within a year, DHCD made little progress, WAMU/DCist reported in 2020. The council eventually shifted responsibility for the database to OTA. After a contract was awarded late, OTA planned to have it ready in 2021.

That timeline was derailed, however, by the subsequently divided Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, which withheld essential data from OTA, Washington City Paper reported in 2022. Moreover, OTA said it had to update the database after D.C. revised its rental housing laws in 2021.

OTA now says the database is complete, and officials are in talks to transfer it into DHCD’s Rental Accommodations Division. Once that is finished, it will take a few months to launch. The first iteration will likely exclude information on code violations, the condition of buildings, past rent increases and average tenant incomes.

Setting the rent increase

Advocates and lawmakers say that while the new database will be a huge step forward, there is likely to still be key information missing even after it is completed.

During last month’s rent control debate at the D.C. Council, some landlords claimed their units would fall into disrepair and that they might be forced to sell their properties if the city lowered the legally allowable rent increases, White said. They cited the rising cost of utilities and labor, as well as the impact of D.C.’s blanket freeze on rent increases during the pandemic. White, however, said he wanted to see building cost and profit information.

“We can’t just take their word for it,” White said in an interview. “The landlord community is going to have to step up their data game.”

White, who chairs the Housing Committee, and other councilmembers expressed concern that limiting rent increases

too much could indeed drive landlords to sell their properties. But without information on the state of the buildings, the scope of needed repairs or the landlord’s profit margins, lawmakers said that breaking point was unclear.

“Therein lies the problem of rent control, because when you’re limiting rent, you’re limiting profits, and if there’s something else that’s profitable to do, people will convert a building into that something else,” Sayin said. “They can do whatever they want with their money — they can sell the building and invest in [treasury bonds] and never have to worry about another tenant, another building employee who didn’t show up on time.”

There’s reason to believe landlords exaggerate these concerns, said Eliana Golding, senior policy analyst at D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute. In some buildings, tenant organizers have been asking for repairs for years without success. Landlords can raise rents even outside the cap if they prove they need to, or can apply for funds that help with repairs and preservation.

Partially because of a lack of information from landlords on issues such as maintenance, the council relied on data from the tenant side, Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George said over email. Frumin also noted in an interview that there were clear indications tenants needed relief — rents, for instance, were set to rise far above wage growth.

Lewis George pushed for the council to look at other factors as well, like the increased cost of living, rents in market-rate housing, and what other nearby jurisdictions have done to help tenants. “We can’t center profit over the needs of families on the brink of being pushed out of D.C.,” she wrote.

If the council had better information, White said, legislators might have been able to tailor rent increases to the kind of buildings that need them most, while broadly protecting tenants.

“The preference usually is to use a scalpel rather than a sledgehammer, but without any specific data, we couldn’t use a scalpel,” he said.

Future rent control reform

During last month’s debate, lawmakers were also hoping to avoid incentivizing landlords to target rent-controlled units to voucher holders.

The D.C. Housing Authority (DCHA) administers housing vouchers and determines the value of each voucher. Recent findings by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development show DCHA has failed to take the necessary steps to ensure the housing vouchers it administers are valued at market rate. Some landlords of rent-controlled properties have been accused of taking advantage of this arrangement by intentionally delaying maintenance on their units to drive out tenants in favor of voucher holders to turn a higher profit.

Frumin has already introduced a bill that would subject apartments rented with vouchers to rent stabilization. Lawmakers are still unsure how many units this would impact.

Frumin is already hearing some of the same concerns about his bill that landlords previously raised about capping rent increases, but he says he needs to see the data.

In support of various rent control reforms, OTA’s Chief Tenant Advocate Johanna Shreve in March called for the city to limit allowable rent increases each year to just inflation. Adding an additional 2%, as the city does now, “compounds the cost of housing across 20 years,” she testified, eventually making units unaffordable.

A solid number on how many rent-controlled units D.C. has already lost might help indicate at what point landlords are likely to sell their units altogether. In the absence of any definite number, Sayin estimates that rent-controlled units have decreased between 15% and 30% since the law was implemented.

“The higher the allowable increase, the more likely the building will remain in rent control because the owner is making a return,” Sayin said. “And the lower that rate increase is, the tenants benefit more, obviously, at least in the short run. But in the long run, they may find themselves in buildings that are not very well maintained.”

“Someone pays in some way — it’s just that we don’t see that, so we legislate without that knowledge,” she added.

For more than a decade, Shreve has urged the city to require that landlords set aside a certain portion of their revenue each year in “replacement reserve accounts,” which would go toward maintenance and other costs. This is a standard industry practice that keeps the financial burden from falling on tenants, according to OTA.

Advocates like Golding also hope to limit rent increases further while also making it harder to remove units from rent control. They also want to expand the number of rent-stabilized units by making the law applicable to buildings constructed in the 1980s and beyond.

“Because we know that the amount of rental housing stock that is rent-stabilized is diminishing every year, we need to adjust our policies such that more units can fall under that program,” she said.

This article was co-published with The DC Line.

“There is an absolute lack of data here. We are working today on a pile of assumptions ... that is why we have to be particularly careful not to do anything that may have a worse outcome.”

~ Robert White, At-Large Councilmember

PHOTO ESSAY A Juneteenth

Juneteenth is a collaboration of voices and ideas, working together emancipation of African Americans — it is a celebration of family,

Street Sense Media artist and vendor Nikila Smith during open-mic session at the Juneteenth festival.

Go-go bands celebrating with music and dance.

Photos by Andrew Anderson

Juneteenth vendors selling books about Black history.

Juneteenth vendors painted faces.

to Remember

together for a better future for everyone. For me, it is more than the family, friends and sharing memories. It’s about the Black experience.

Juneteenth vendors selling health and wellness products.

Juneteenth is not just food for the stomach but for the soul as well.

Performers speaking truth through song and poetry.

Juneteenth is all inclusive.

The story of a lonely little American girl

This story depicts themes of sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised. She was left alone a lot. But when nighttime came, she was accompanied by a black shadow dressed in a cape. She never knew who he was, but he would come and take her places she had never been, all to make her do things that she had never done. Then he would take her back to where only he could find her. Day after day she looked for him to come.

So one day that little girl came out of that dark place into the light. She looked out her window and saw other kids walking somewhere. Then they came into other parts of the shelter. She found clothes and put them on, then followed those kids who were going to school. So those teachers were trying to figure out, “where did this child come from?” Someone called, and there came a black dark cape to take that child to a place of darkness again.

My favorite customer

PATTY SMITH

Artist/Vendor

I have many customers. But the one who is at the top of my list is a woman around my age in the Woodley Park neighborhood. Two or three times a week, whether I am at my corner or anywhere near my area, she appears. She even sent money to the group home where I live!

I have known her for about four years. She is really special to me. We talk about many subjects in our lives. A couple of years ago her sister died and we have been best friends ever since.

JEANETTE RICHARDSON Artist/Vendor

CARLOS CAROLINA Artist/Vendor

JOHN ALLEY Artist/Vendor

Going back to the street

GIGI DOVONOU Artist/Vendor

Maintaining faith

MARCUS MCCALL Artist/Vendor

My heart is breaking. If I don’t say it, it means that it doesn’t hurt me. I spent time and the best moments in that shelter.

Before, I was sleeping on the streets until I found Street Sense Media. From that, I had the chance to sleep in the shelter for the first time. There I lived a different life.

Now that the shelter is closing I know I will have to be back on the street. Sad I was, but not too much because someone helped me with a tent. Hopefully things will get better so I can be housed.

Things I didn’t know I loved

CAROL

MOTLEY

Artist/Vendor

I didn’t know I loved speed. Forbidden RPMs and MPHs! I loved how it sounded in the air and the way things moved faster than Sainte Claire, breaking laws while feeling free, how speed could kill me, I didn’t know I loved the ground, how speed could be there and in the air. Speed. The laws of gravity. Quantum physics, the air I breathe. Speed. The need for that feeling of having lost control. The power of the control being mine. Speed. The motion that continues to move through barriers and walls, the inertia of it all, as if I were about to fall! Speed. Spinning around in my head. The fear of it I loved instead.

Seeing through others’ eyes

ERIC

GLOVER

Artist/Vendor

I see through the eyes of others. It’s a gift that cannot be taken. I see through the eyes of others, a gift that can be a curse and a blessing. I see through the eyes of others, a blessing that shows me the truth in all hearts.

I wish people could see through the eyes of others to understand and be considerate of other peoples lives and feelings. I see through the eyes of others to see the inner person who hurts inside, burning with greed, envy, jealousy, hate. Oh, how I see them burning within. Oh, how I wish others could see through eyes of others to see the pain. I understand what people go through and deal with. I thank God that I can see through the eyes of others to understand the good and the bad.

When we first began searching for a power greater than ourselves, many of us became stuck in old beliefs or ideas. Those ranged from a punishing God to no beliefs at all. Some of us felt we had done such terrible things that a loving power would never having anything to do with us. Others were convinced that the “bad” things we did would not have occurred if a loving power had existed. It took time, effort, open-mindedness and faith to acquire faith in a loving higher power that would guide us through life’s challenges. Today, I will trust that power!

Praying mantis

FREDERIC

Artist/Vendor

JOHN

Before we sit down to eat, we pray. The mantis no different, Her talons clasped, she prays, then feasts.

Our prandial blessing

Allows us sanctity of meal

When we seat to eat our prey.

She is the stronger of her sex, The male's protest cannot heal His fear, for he shall be the meal.

We look on in helplessness; We are but the dinner guests. Before we sit down, we must pray.

Hands bent, tho it's not Lent, The bees sleep in their nests. We must stay still though, as we pray.

The meal progresses, Nature doth not transgress. As we sit, eat and pray

As we rise from the feast, we pray she's preyed.

My tented rain drops

LATICIA BROCK Artist/Vendor

I didn’t know I liked the rain until I needed it to drink. Dripping rain water from my tent. Waiting for it to fill two cups — one for drinking, the other for washing up. Hoping the rain fills enough cups up in case it’s dry tomorrow. There’s always enough water left in the cups, thank God. You didn't let me die of thirst. I’m stuck in a tent. I didn’t know I liked the rain but I love the drops.

A life with God

MICHELE ROCHON Artist/Vendor

To engage in a personal relationship with God is like matrimony. It includes: trust, patience, honesty, confidentiality, attention, respect, love, kindness, compliments, serene environment, gratitude and cleanliness

The Christian believes “the constant practice of celibacy is a way to keep your body and mind pure.”

When you practice celibacy as a lifestyle, to deny the flesh what comes as a natural feeling, is an incredible feat. It means waking a complete paradigm shift in your thinking process such as changing habits and spending time finding yourself.

Summer

WARREN STEVENS Artist/Vendor

Summer is starting. I celebrated Father’s Day with my son and his family. We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs.

I heard on the news a 17-year-old student was shot and killed outside Theodore Roosevelt High School in Northwest D.C. And a 14-yearold boy who rides the bus was robbed and beaten by two suspects. The bus driver called police, and they came on the scene, and arrested the suspects.

We as Democrats need to come forward and take a stand to end crime and gun violence, so people can enjoy life. And travel and go to the beaches.

My loved ones have birthdays in June, and I will be sending them card and balloons to make their day happy. Love you all. Stay safe.

The man

MELODY BYRD Artist/Vendor

The man is thinking about air and space. His clothes are very nice. He’s in a swimming pool. It is so cloudy. He’s doing

Artist/Vendor

Q: What type of cup can be held but cannot hold anything?

A: A cupcake.

Q: People have me to eat on but I never get eaten.

A: The plate you eat on!

Q: What does the “EBT” stand for when it comes to healthy eating?

A: I am going to “eat better today.”

Q: What do I love to eat at Popeyes?

A: I love that chicken.

Q: What color fruit can you eat?

A: An orange!

Q: I am three things: a person, a bird and a fruit. What am I?

A: A kiwi.

Q: What has a neck but no head and wears a cap?

A: A soda bottle.

Q: When do you eat a piece of raw meat?

A: When your stomach asks for it.

Q: What do you eat that’s red and stop eating when it turns the color green?

A: A watermelon.

Q: Did you hear the joke about peanut butter?

A: I’m not telling you because you might spread it over Washington, D.C.

I can be that

KYM PARKER Artist/Vendor

In the dawn of time, she made us all.

I love God and I love Jesus.

Me, myself, I can be anything that God made me.

She is my creator so when I think about my life, it has no limits.

I can be a soldier.

I can be a hip-hop diamond ring.

I can be a tattoo bleeding off your chest.

I can be your best friend. I can be warm. I can be kind. I can be cruel. I can be shady.

I can be a warrior woman.

I can be anything I want to be because she made me with that image in mind.

My mindset is never limited by anything.

I can be sexy, hot, full-skin Black woman.

I can be a lover. I can be sexy, hot, intelligent, interchangeable.

I can be the president of the United States. I love God. I love Jesus.

So there's no way that she never made any of these things a part of me.

I am always good with people. I can be weird. I can be comical. I love to surf. I love to dance.

I can do anything that my mind tells my body. So when you see me on the scene show me love. Love me purely. Love me kindly.

Because I love you.

I was told by God herself to love her children, so I do that. I respect, I love, and show compassion.

When you need help ask me and I'm there.

So, I can be a stripper. I can be a mom.

I can be a singer with my own song. I can be happy for just being me.

So look around and tell me how bad I am. God loves me so she made me. I love her so I worship her everyday. I praise her.

I sing thank you for everything she has given us.

Every day, every millimeter, every word, is true. I can be that. I can do that.

And I love you. God loves you always. So never fear. Never turn away.

Dogs

GRETA CHRISTIAN Artist/Vendor

Dogs are protective of their masters. They look out for them, they are good around the house.

They listen to you and they play with you. They help you in all kind of ways. When dogs get bored they dig, get overexcited, escape and run away, pace, pant and scratch.

How can I tell if my dog is sad? They refuse food or treats.

The most well-known sign your dog is a happy pooch is when they wag their tail. And, if they have floppy ears. By this, we mean, that their ears are relaxed, not tense or flattened against their head. They’ll also lean into you.

Save our youth

L. MORROW Artist/Vendor

Do you know what our greatest resource is on the planet? It is not the minerals that we take from our planet and abuse. The most precious asset on this planet is our youth. We all need to get involved in saving our youth. They are our future. We should help them develop the values they need to be successful.

Values are usually taught in the home. These values are a life lesson for the young and the old. We all carry these values all throughout life and most of us practice them everyday. Here’s my value code:

Honesty. I will be an honest person.

Respect. I am respectful of others and myself.

Self control. I will control my actions and words.

Self-knowledge. I will pursue knowledge of myself and further my education. Concern for others. I will do for others as I would do for myself. My job. I will take pride in my work.

I will always have faith and love. Family will always be in my heart and mind.

It is your responsibility as a parent or guardian to get involved in your child’s education. Go to a school meeting. Volunteer for a school event. Let your children see that you are concerned in what they are doing.

P.S. Never, never let your children disrespect you!

Thank you.

Across

1. Trounce

5. Some things one might 1-Across

10. Nostalgic soft drink brand favored by Radar O’Reilley of M*A*S*H* fame (2 wds.) (4,4)

14. “Don’t hurry on my account” (3 wds.) (1,3,4)

17. Understandable only to a highly enlightened few (COTERIES anagram)

18. Orally authorized or granted permission (3 wds.) (4,2,2)

19. What the stories and features in this issue of Real Change hope to provide readers (3 wds.) (6,3,8)

21. Director Howard of “Splash” and “Inferno”

22. Tierra del ____ (Sp.)

23. Newsman Rather

24. Grace period?

26. Legendary NYT news correspondent James “Scotty”, and kin (STONERS anagram)

28. Amnesty International and the American Red Cross, e.g. (abbr./ initialism)

31. San Francisco/Oakland separator

32. Rigid disciplinarians (TINT SMEAR anagram)

34. Musical Yoko’s last (or “yummy” in Hawaiian)

35. Of a certain Native American language group

37. 401(k) alternative (abbr./initialism)

38. Fall

40. What this issue of Real Change hopes to persuade readers that they have (3 wds.) (4,2,9)

43. Bavarian brew. or casket support

44. Brit. awards (abbr.)

45. Green gem

48. Follow a previous path

52. Chrysler product introduced in 1981 (RACK anagram) (1-3)

56. Copycat

57. More in need of rinsing

58. “Love ___” (The Beatles’ first

single) (2,2)

59. Golf course

61. Facial expression this Real Change issue (and this puzzle) hope to put on readers’ faces

62. Swedish-based U.S. Gap competitor (3 wds.) (1,3,1) (incls. inits)

63. Ledger column that offsets liabilities

65. Include, so as to sweeten the pot (2 wds.) (4,2)

66. Title object mentioned in the first Harry Potter book of the series (2 wds.) (12,5)

72. Collective term for power sources other than fossil-based fuels (2 wds.) (11,6)

73. Shadow-typed placeholder that follows MM/DD/ in many on-line forms

74. Competed in a 5K or the Indy 500

75. Form 1040 org.

Down

1. Succinct question to a stranger at your door, perhaps (3,3,3)

2. Tries to pick up (2 wds.) (4,2)

3. Try to charm with, as a pickup line (2 wds.) (3,2) (NO USE anagram)

4. What V-chips block, briefly

5. Switch’s partner

6. Loosened, as a knot

7. Like some beach volleyball teams (3-3)

8. Going on a date with, or offing in Mafia lingo (2 wds.) (6,3)

9. Presides over, as a judge

10. Abner’s father, in the Bible

11. 180° from WNW

12. “I beg to ____ with you”

13. Guitar with no plug (CIA SCOUT anagram)

14. Equiangular

15. Eliot Ness’ Chicago Mob adversary known as Big Al

16. Male cat

20. Stop working or go to bed

24. Stomach muscles, briefly

25. Inflict a grievous wound upon

26. Bombastic ones

27. Brutus, notably

29. “All Eyez ____” (classic Tupac song) (2 wds.) (2,2)

30. Folkie Arlo to folkie Woody

32. When repeated, a Hawaiian food fish

33. “No problem!”

36. Calif. campus where thenpresidential hopeful Reagan promised to “clean up the mess” (2 wds.) (2,8) (incls. abbrs.)

39. Burdensome boss type, frequently preceded by the word “harsh”

41. Sandwiches for dessert?

42. Run the show

45. Capital city of Veracruz (var.) (Sp.)

46. In an imitative way

47. Mass-to-volume ratio (DESTINY anagram)

49. Scottish cap

50. Coll. in Troy, N.Y. (abbr./initialism)

51. Be indisposed

53. They’re known for cutting remarks

54. Subtracting’s opposite

55. Mitt who lost to Barack

60. News feature

62. Egypt’s one-time leader Mubarak

64. Application datum required by 75-Across (abbr./initialism)

65. “The Waste Land” monogram

67. Dinghy propeller

68. Student-focused org. (abbr./ initialism)

69. Sot’s sound

70. First family member with a palindromic name

71. Traffic stopper

*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.

COMMUNITY SERVICES

All services listed are referral-free

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

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

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

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

Pizza Team Member

Wegmans // 41 Ridge Sq. NW

Part-time

Take and prepare customer orders, answer customer questions and support fellow team members.

REQUIRED: N/A

APPLY: tinyurl.com/pizza-wegmans

Turndown Attendant

Dupont Circle Hotel // 1500 New Hampshire Ave. NW

Part-time

Clean and restock guest rooms and keep all work areas organized.

REQUIRED: N/A

APPLY: tinyurl.com/duponthotel-turndown

Team Member

Toastique // 764 Maine Ave. SW

Full-time / Part-time

Take orders, provide customer service, clean the store and restock items.

REQUIRED: N/A

APPLY: tinyurl.com/toastique-member

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 Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide