1317 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 347 - 2006 streetsensemedia.org info@streetsensemedia.org
Abel Putu, Abraham Aly, Aida Peery, Amina Washington, Andre Brinson, Andrew Anderson, Angie Whitehurst, Anthony Carney, Anthony Pratt, Archie Thomas, August Mallory, Betty Everett, Beverly Sutton, Bob Davis, Brianna Butler, Brandon Archer, Candice Wilkes, Carlos Carolina, Carlton Johnson, Carol Motley, Charles Armstrong, Charles Woods, Chon Gotti, Chris Cole, Chris Sellman, Conrad Cheek, Corey Sanders, Cortney Signor, Daniel Ball, David Snyder, Debora Brantley, Degnon (Gigi) Dovonou, Don Gardner, Donté Turner, Doris Robinson, Earl Parker, Eric Glover, Eric Thompson-Bey, Erica Downing, Evelyn Nnam, Floyd Carter, Franklin Sterling, Frederic John, Fredrick Jewell, Gerald Anderson, Gracias Garcias, Henry Johnson, Ivory Wilson, Jacqueline “Jackie” Turner, Jacquelyn Portee, James Davis, Jeanette Richardson, Jeff Taylor, Jeffery McNeil, Jeffrey Carter, Jemel Fleming, Jenkins Daltton, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jermale McKnight, Jet Flegette, Jewel Lewis, John Littlejohn, Joshua Faison, Juliene Kengnie, Justin Blakey, Katrina Arninge, Kenneth Middleton, Khadijah Chapman, Kym Parker, L. Morrow, Laticia Brock, Laura Smith, Lawrence Autry, Levester Green, Malcolm Scott Jr, Marcus McCall, Mark Jones, Mango Redbook, Maurice Spears, Melody Byrd, Michael Warner, Michelle Mozee, Michele Rochon, Mildred M. Hall, Morgan Jones, Patricia Donaldson, Patty Smith, Phillip Black, Queenie Featherstone, Reggie Jones, Reginald Black, Reginald C. Denny, Ricardo Meriedy, Rita Sauls, Robert Warren, Rochelle Walker, Ron Dudley, Sasha Williams, Shawon McCrary, Sheila White, Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Susan Westmoreland, Susan Wilshusen, Sybil Taylor, Warren Stevens, Wendell Williams
Mary Coller Albert, Blake Androff, Jonquilyn Hill, Greg Jaffe, Stanley Keeve, Clare Krupin, Ashley McMaster, Matt Perra, Michael Phillips, Daniel Webber, Shari Wilson, Corrine Yu
Brian Carome
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS
Doris Warrell
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS
Darick Brown
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.”
DIRECTOR OF VENDOR EMPLOYMENT
Thomas Ratliff
VENDOR PROGRAM ASSOCIATES
Aida Peery, Clifford Samuels
VENDOR PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS
Roberta Haber, Ann Herzog, Madeleine McCollough, Dylan Onderdonksnow
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
Neil Franklin
MICHAEL STOOPS DIVERSITY FELLOW
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.
Sophia Thomas
ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE
Ariane Mohseni (Film), Bonnie Naradzay (Poetry), David Serota (Illustration), Lalita Clozel (Film), Willie Schatz (Writing)
ARTS EDITOR (VOLUNTEER)
Austine Model
OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER)
Rebecca Koenig, Emily Kopp, Lydia DePillis, 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
Street papers from across the globe convened in mid-September for the Global Street Paper Summit in Milan, Italy — the first gathering of street paper staff since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Over 100 people representing 48 street papers from 24 countries attended the summit hosted by the International Network of Street Papers (INSP) in collaboration with the local street paper Scarp de’ tenis. INSP is a coalition of street papers from all over the world, comprising over 90 papers based in 35 different countries. Street Sense Media was among the representatives of the North American network of papers.
Street papers are magazines or newspapers sold by vendors experiencing homelessness or poverty, providing people with a way to earn money while also seeking to address the root causes of poverty and homelessness through journalism. The first modern street paper, Street News, was founded in New York City in 1989, but the paper has since folded.
Many street papers, including Street Sense Media, provide wraparound services for vendors, including assistance in housing placement.
The Global Street Paper Summit is designed for street paper staff to come together to discuss successes, challenges, and a variety of other topics, including the threat of disinformation and the ongoing refugee crisis.
“Having only joined INSP in May 2022, I have already been impressed by the work that is underway, in particular the wrap-around support that street papers are providing vendors beyond just the transaction of providing and selling the papers: emotional and wellbeing support; practical support with finances and housing; and employment skills; to name just a few,” said INSP CEO Mike Findlay in a blog post. “Our street paper network has had to remain resilient over the last few challenging years, which is why our summit is centered on the theme of resilience and reunion. INSP has entered a new phase.”
Team members shared various innovations they implemented in their own street papers, including Curbside Chronicle’s flower shop, Curbside Flowers. The Oklahoma-based street paper initially began offering wrapping paper and flower bouquets sold by vendors. Now, a newly opened brick-and-mortar flower shop employs and empowers vendors.
In the past, INSP has hosted conferences in Hannover, Germany and Glasgow, Scotland. The next Global Street Paper Summit will be held in 2024 in Portland, Ore.
• New workshops and workshop times!
• Watercolor workshop is every Tuesday at 11:45 a.m
• Women’s workshop is every Tuesday at 2 p.m.
• Theater workshop is every Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. on the 3rd floor.
• Photography workshop is every Thursday at 11:45 a.m.
• Street Sense will be closed Monday, Oct. 10, for Indigenous Peoples Day.
Anderson Artist/Vendor Sept. 28 L. Morrow Artist/Vendor Sept. 28
Fleming Artist/Vendor Sept.
Melody Byrd Artist/Vendor Sept.
Jacqueline Turner, who has been a vendor for Street Sense Media since 2010, uses watercolors to paint scenes of whatever she imagines. Turner’s art will be featured in the upcoming art show on Sept. 29.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
How to express myself and how to be relevant. I try not to worry about what it looks like, or what other people are going to think of it. I use it to express myself. And if people like it, cool. And if they don’t, well, I’ve learned something. I also learned a lot about matching colors: What colors are opposite, what colors blend together well. What colors brighten up other colors, things like that. For example, if you put dark blue and say yellow together, or green and yellow together it’s going to shout out. The green is going to be the undertone for the yellow.
It’s relaxing, and calming. For at least one hour of the day, you can have your mind set on one thing and be calm. And you ain’t got to do no talking. You ain’t got to do no worrying.
You just think about what you’re doing and how calming it is. That’s what I really like. That’s why I got into it. I do a lot of hectic things and I’ve had a lot on my mind. That little one hour a week, it really helps. This is kind of like a stepping stone. I’ve found things that I can do to make me feel calm and express myself.
About three months.
I painted a dog yesterday. I’m not really good at abstract, but I like to paint regular things like flowers, dogs, houses. Things that you’d do when you were in elementary school. A house, a dog, a cat, things like that. Ordinary things. I’m not really fancy.
I thought about that dog yesterday because I watch cartoons. On the kids channel they had this black and white dog. And I said, “I’m going to draw that dog.” I like some of the things I paint. And other times, I don’t even want anybody to see it. I’ve had some disasters.
Oh, I know I have become a whole lot better. I’m not afraid to try though. A lot of people have really good talent. I may not be one of them, but a lot of (people here) have really good talent.
Chris Cole is a 37-year-old poet, doodler, and painter. She’s worked as an artist and vendor for Street Sense for two years. Chris discovered the newspaper while living in a women’s shelter and joined with the goal of earning enough money to leave the shelter and stay off the streets. She found housing in April of 2022 and continues to create through Street Sense. Her artwork will be featured in the upcoming art show on Sept. 29.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Being in church with my dad and him trying to keep us quiet, so he would “play draw” little stick figures and try to have us replicate them and draw little funny faces.
What comes out is how I internalize energy and put it back out. Everybody’s art is one of a kind. When you see what I’ve done, it’s got some polka dots on it, some swirls, it’s got a couple flowers, it’s a little girly, normally there’s some color. I’ve really got this thing with dots.
A lot of what you’ll see in my doodles is nervous energy or anxiety that would have come out in a different way if I hadn’t had a pen. When I can’t really find the words, it’s sometimes easier to just draw it out. There was one [piece] that I did when Will Smith smacked Chris Rock, where I had come in and expected to write a whole piece but really, I just started drawing and it just flew out on the page. That was really cool. It was the first time at Street Sense where I was like, “Whoa, a picture is worth a thousand words, but an article’s only worth as many words as you make it.” I sold tons of papers that week because I was so proud of my artwork.
I make my best artwork when there’s a lot going on, when there’s someone speaking and I can kind of just have their voice in my head but I’m focused on the artwork. That’s where the doodling started. In high school, I’d do a lot of doodling while taking notes, and I found that I can memorize most of what the speaker was saying as opposed to taking half-assed notes.
It’s always been there, especially as a child, in high school, and in college. There are lots of opportunities for you to use it with posters and projects and things like that. But as you get older,
if you’re not doing it for your own personal hobby, there’s less opportunity unless you make time for it. I’m grateful that Street Sense fosters that for us.
When I was in college, I finished my major early, so I got to take all these electives. In my last year, all I did was art classes. I took wheel-thrown pottery for almost two years and got pretty good at it. It was cool because you start with the clay, then you build up to a base, and there’s a whole process, but then at the end, you finally get to paint it. It was all ombre and fading colors. That year really taught me a lot about myself and it was just nice to immerse myself in art and not have to be so rigid in my studies.
I have some of them. Through homelessness, I’ve lost my storage unit and lost all of my yearbooks and artwork. I had a lifetime of artwork in that storage unit and now it’s gone. Now, creating new art is fun, and it’s cool that Street Sense keeps it safe for you.
Life doesn’t have to be a struggle, just go with the flow. Go with the flow.
The D.C. Council passed emergency legislation on Sept. 20 that creates a new government office to provide temporary services to migrants who crossed the U.S.Mexico border and were then bused to the nation’s capital. The vote was near unanimous, but only after contentious debate.
Advocates for both migrants and unhoused residents say the bill segments services and ultimately restricts migrants from accessing D.C.’s homeless services system, while lawmakers argue the division is necessary because the needs among the populations are distinct and the system could easily become overwhelmed. An amendment to include protections for migrants that are guaranteed to other unhoused residents failed.
The bill now goes to Mayor Muriel Bowser, whose office drafted the legislation. “D.C. is not a border town, but we will not stand by and let the actions of those trying to create instability for people seeking a better way of life,” Bowser said in a statement. “With the establishment of the Office of Migrant Services, we stay true to our D.C. values by creating
a framework for providing support to individuals and families while ensuring our homeless services systems continue to support our D.C. residents.”
D.C. has struggled to receive the thousands of migrants who’ve been sent to the nation’s capital since the spring by Republican governors protesting President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. Bowser and other local leaders have condemned Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey for using migrants as pawns in their political messaging. But some local groups welcoming migrants have criticized the D.C. government for initially punting responsibility to the federal government and not adequately supporting migrants here to seek asylum, particularly if they decide to stay local. Groups warned their infrastructure of welcoming people was unsustainable.
The bill marks the first legislative response to the busing, which started in April. Nearly 11,000 people, largely from Venezuela, have been bused to D.C. over the last five to six months, according to multiple reports. Bowser has called the influx of migrants to the city a “humanitarian crisis.” While lawmakers and advocates agree migrants need tailored services,
the bill to create the Office of Migrant Services has not been without controversy. Introduced by Chairman Phil Mendelson at the request of the mayor, the bill creates a new office within the Department of Human Services that would streamline temporary services to migrants.
But the bill also made migrants ineligible for traditional homeless services and protections afforded under the Homeless Services Reform Act. The Act ensures residents experiencing homelessness have protections, including the ability to appeal a denial or termination of service, for example. While D.C. has no legal right to shelter like New York City (other than during severe weather), the law provides residents some rights in homeless shelters, including requiring written notice to vacate.
The bill effectively makes the following groups ineligible, because they will no longer be considered D.C. residents: People who are en route to meet a family member of sponsor outside of D.C.; people waiting to report to an immigration office, interview, or proceeding outside of D.C.; and people paroled into the U.S. after Jan. 2022 with limited exceptions. Already, the D.C. government has treated unhoused migrants differently than other unhoused groups, placing families in
hotels instead of the city’s seven family shelters when they visit the central intake center for enrollment.
The mayor’s bill seemed poised to pass ahead of the Tuesday vote, garnering the support of Mendelson and Councilmember Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1), who oversees DHS. On WAMU’s The Politics Hour last week, Nadeau explained her support: “Really what we are trying to do is set up services that work for the people coming, rather than try to push them into a system that’s not designed for them. Think about it this way: If you are a case worker at DHS, your job is to serve homeless families, you probably know nothing about the humanitarian parole system or asylum.”
Nadeau did introduce an amendment that would give the Council more oversight into the executive’s actions. She also said at the legislative meeting on Tuesday that she plans to shepherd permanent legislation through her committee, with a hearing scheduled for late October.
More than three dozen local immigrant and homeless advocacy groups — including Ayuda, Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and Bread For the City — called on the Council to vote no on the bill, because it would restrict migrants from accessing the city’s homeless continuum of care programs, which includes long-term services.
“We understand that this humanitarian crisis before us was created to make a political point in a progressive city — that immigrants are a drain on resources and are somehow taking away jobs or assistance from U.S. citizens,” the letter says. “We reject this and ask that you not pass legislation that feeds into this narrative by excluding recent immigrants from D.C. resources and services.”
In an interview with DCist/WAMU ahead of the vote, DHS Director Laura Green Zeilinger emphasized that the bill “is not about keeping people out of the homeless system. It is about creating a set of services to meet the distinct needs of people.” She went on to explain the existing system is not equipped to adequately respond to the needs of migrants, who are not legally allowed to work and are navigating complex federal immigration law.
Zeilinger also said the city’s homeless shelters would not start asking about immigration status if the bill passed. “But what we do hope is that fewer people will default to the homeless services system because there are not adequate services to meet them.”
Amber Harding of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless pushed back on that, tweeting “there is intent and there is what the law says.” The bill as drafted indicates that migrants who are eligible to receive services from the Migrant Office will be ineligible for shelter, implying that immigration status is a factor in assessing whether someone can receive protections under the Homeless Services Reform Act.
Those advocacy groups ultimately found an ally in Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), who introduced an amendment to strike language that says those awaiting an immigration hearing are ineligible for Homeless Services Reform Act services and protections. The amendment noted that D.C. has no immigration courts, therefore any immigrant residing in D.C. would technically be ineligible for benefits. The amendment clarified that those en route to a destination outside D.C. are not protected by Homeless Services Reform Act, but would receive services from the new office. Her amendment also offered migrants served by the new office some protections, including prioritizing families for noncongregate shelter.
“This office will allow our city to get folks connected to services,” Pinto said at the meeting. “However, [the way the] emergency bill is currently structured does not meet our standards for dignity and safety.”
Pinto’s amendment ultimately failed, with only councilmembers Elissa Silverman (I-At Large), Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4), and Vince Gray (D-Ward 7) supporting
it. Nadeau encouraged her colleagues to vote against the amendment because it was added at the last minute. She also said she would consider the amendments for the permanent legislation.
“I just want to clarify, because I know people here are very caring and want to ensure that we are creating services for everybody who needs them,” Nadeau said right before the vote. “We are very much trying to stand up a humane response here. So I just want to clarify that because having a specialized set of services is not the same thing as excluding people.”
Some lawmakers stressed the importance of immediately passing legislation, given the delay in government response, and said they wanted to present a united front in the face of GOP stunts. Lawmakers thanked groups including The Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network for welcoming migrants over the summer, and near unanimously passed the mayor’s bill as amended by Nadeau. Lewis George voted present because she believed the bill didn’t strike the right balance.
Bowser announced her intention to create an Office of Migrant Services earlier this month when she declared an emergency
over the influx of migrants. Groups who had been welcoming and supporting migrants at Union Station for months welcomed the news. The Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network was among the groups cautiously optimistic, but emphasized the need for the D.C. government to service the 10% to 15% of migrants looking to resettle here. The emergency legislation that the mayor’s team circulated last week and requested the Council pass, instead, focuses on addressing immediate needs. The network ultimately called on lawmakers to vote No on the version of the bill that passed.
The new office will administer “time-limited” services including “welcome and other reception services,” “food, clothing, and other necessities,” “temporary shelter,” “medical services,” “relocation services,” “cash assistance,” and “social and legal services and referrals.” The office would mirror the response of SAMU, a nonprofit that receives federal dollars to offer temporary services to migrants.
This article was originally published by DCist
LUKAS GILBERT Hinz&Kunzt
Viljo is rather tired. The slim 40-year-old is wearing a green baseball cap pulled down over his face and has just returned from a trip to one of the islands off the coast of Helsinki. His landlord, the Blue Ribbon Foundation, has a house there with a sauna, barbecue area and boats. Viljo and the other tenants can make use of the amenities — and they do, especially during the long-awaited Finnish summer. Now, the former homeless man is making himself comfortable in his twobedroom apartment, where an American sitcom is flickering on the television.
Viljo is one of around 1,000 formerly homeless people who have found a home in one of the Blue Ribbon Foundation’s apartments in Helsinki. The organization has been providing housing for homeless people since 2007 and is an important part of Finland’s housing first strategy. Behind it is the simple idea that the first thing homeless people need is their own home — because housing is a human right, but also because many problems can be solved when you have a roof over your head. Help with dealing with authorities, perhaps also coping with addictions: this all comes after moving in. If the residents want it. The principle turns the multi-stage model, which had
also been practiced in Finland for a long time, on its head. In this model, homeless people have to first prove their so-called ability to live in various types of accommodation. A home of your own is waiting for you in the last stage. In Finland, it waits in the first stage.
“Having a place to live is essential! We all need a safe haven,” Onni Huusko says, explaining the core idea. The 33-year-old is one of the points of contact for Viljo and the other residents of the spacious, multi-story building. And also for the guests of the adjoining day accommodation, ranging from a living room to a youth centre with a billiard table, sofa corner and a coffee bar. Emergency accommodation can certainly also be helpful in acute crisis situations, according to Huusko. “But how are you supposed to organise your life if you only live from day to day and constantly have to think about where you’re going to sleep next?” That is why the core principle of housing first is so important: “People need a place to live first, then they can start building a life around it. They can get dry for example — or whatever their goal is.”
The numbers are proving Huusko and his colleagues right: Finland is the only EU country where the number of homeless people is falling year on year. At the end of the 1980s, the country had 20,000 homeless people out of a population of five
million; today fewer than 4,000 people do not have a place to live. Most of them are spending the nights at friends houses or with family. The number of people actually sleeping on the streets or in emergency shelters is estimated to be 655 across all of Finland. For comparison, in Hamburg alone almost 2,000 people are living on the streets according to official counting. And this number is increasing. In addition, the public accommodation in the Hanseatic city is often a dead end: more than 10,000 people have been placed there for over five years and have not found a home.
The contrast with the hardship found in almost all large metropolises in Europe, where the sight of often sick people sleeping in the dirty entrances to buildings has become part of the cityscape, can be seen immediately in Helsinki. If you stroll through the busy summer streets, past the distinctive rocks where young people sit together until the middle of the sunny night, through the harbour or around the train station, you will be able to see: homelessness is barely an issue here.
What makes Finland different? People who become homeless can immediately go to see the organizations providing housing support, which work closely with social organizations such as the Blue Ribbon Foundation. While there, the individuals discuss with the social workers what type of accommodation
would work for them. As a rule, this is your own apartment with your own unlimited rental agreement, without any affiliated support programs. The largest Finnish housing first provider, the Y-Foundation, provides more than 7000 apartments across the country, exclusively for homeless people. The foundation, which was originally set up by an alliance of Finnish cities and organizations such as the Red Cross, has been centrally linked to housing first from the outset and is now the fourthlargest landlord in the country. Added to this are apartments from other organizations like the Blue Ribbon Foundation or the Finnish diaconia.
The alternative is also to have your own apartment with your own unlimited rental agreement, but it is linked to support programs and is often part of larger accommodation units. The people applying decide which type of apartment is suitable for them. These support programs are often taken up by people with addiction problems or mental illnesses. People like Viljo. He tells me that when he lost his apartment for the first time, it completely threw him off track. He had had problems with drugs before, but on the street they just got worse and worse. “Having your own apartment? I need it to get by.”
Viljo made a conscious decision to live in a larger residential group. So-called residential companions, mostly people with medical training, are available around the clock. They help with everyday problems or when there is conflict between residents.
For five years he has been living in the housing complex in the Vallila district in Helsinki’s northern city centre. Viljo tops up his welfare by working as a caretaker for the building. On the wide balcony, which he shares with the other tenants on the floor, he plants tomatoes, courgettes and basil: “A proper small farm,” he says and smiles contentedly. The Finnish system not only gives people an apartment and therefore their dignity, it also pays off, according to the city of Helsinki.
The state has made money available for the various support programs to acquire new apartments or to build new housing complexes. Still, if you take into account the costs of medical treatments or police involvement, the Finnish state is saving 15,000 euros per year per person, thanks to its housing first approach. Environment minister Maria Ohisalo says: “It is all right if eradicating poverty and homeless is expensive. Not only because the effort is humanely right, but also because it pays off financially in the long term.”
A 15-minute walk from Viljo’s apartment, in the middle of the former working-class, now fashionable district of Sörnäinen, Janne Hukka is pouring some coffee. The journalist, in a blue business shirt with his dark hair shaved on one side, is the founder and chief executive of the street magazine “Iso Numero.” He has been observing Finnish social policy for years. housing first is a very targeted policy that focuses on a specific phenomenon of homelessness: long-term homelessness. “Housing first was introduced and developed to solve this problem. And housing first is very successful at it. That is undisputed across all party lines.” That is why the policy has continued even with changes in government. However, there are problems that even housing first cannot solve: in order to be entitled to an apartment, you have to be a Finnish citizen or at least be integrated into the social system. “At Iso Numero we work almost exclusively with people who are not integrated into the housing first system. And what we see is that their problems are not being solved in the long term,” says Hukka. “Of course, these people can sleep in an emergency shelter. But that doesn’t improve their situation in the long run. Their problems are still there.”
Lamîia is one of those people who have yet to benefit from the Finnish success story. She is 42 years old and came to Finland from Bucharest eight years ago. After her first husband
died, she was forced to go abroad in order to earn money to support her children. For the first few years she would sleep either on the street or in the woods and would beg during the day. She now sells street magazines and sleeps in a dorm room in accommodation especially for Eastern Europeans, open all year round. She has no prospect of a job or an apartment in the housing first system. “I would like to live with my children in an apartment here in Finland. Have them go to school here. That’s my big dream,” she says with a radiant smile. She is not hopeful that this will become a reality. Instead, she switches with her current husband: one of them stays in Romania taking care of the children and the other one goes to Finland. The ministry responsible has not explained exactly how the situation of immigrants like Lamîia might be improved, just the following: “Ending homelessness is a key objective for the Finnish government. No one is excluded from this goal.” Janne Hukka explains that when housing first was introduced in the 2000s, the initial situation was different. Refugee movements and the eastern expansion of the EU have since changed the situation. Finnish society has yet to react to this type of homelessness. Hukka’s concern is that the success of housing first is blinding Finns to the problems that exist. For the success story to continue, the model has to be developed further, he says.
Back at the Blue Ribbon Foundation, Paula Ahonen leads me into her bright office. She manages the housing complex where Viljo lives, and calls attention to another problem: Some people have to wait up to two years for an apartment because there is simply not enough housing space, particularly in Helsinki. While they are waiting, people usually stay with friends or family, or in some cases in emergency shelters. She also stresses: “It is important to establish enough support programs to meet demand. Simply providing an apartment doesn’t work for everyone.” The support programs offered by the foundation are not limited to their own tenants. They are also available for other former homeless people living in apartments across the city. Moreover, it is important, especially with larger housing complexes, to get the neighbourhood on board, Paula Ahonen explains. You have to clarify things, take concerns seriously and give the neighbours the opportunity to get to know the housing complexes and their residents.
Viljo is now embarking on the next step. He is moving into a new apartment. That afternoon he packs up his belongings. The new apartment is not part of a larger complex and he will be living there without residential companions down the hall. He has been waiting for it for almost two years, and his anticipation is as high as you would expect. “Viljo’s trajectory is our goal,” says Paula Ahonen. “We want to get to the point where our services are redundant.” However, there are also tenants who like living in larger housing complexes and permanently being around a community of other former homeless people. Ahonen tells me that no one is put under pressure to leave their apartment.
Could this model be replicated in other countries? Ahonen is sure that it can be, if the political will is there. Juha Kaakinen, the longtime head of the Y-Foundation, without whose work Finland’s success would be hard to imagine, summed it up at a European housing first conference in March: “If your plan was to provide 100 housing first apartments, put a zero on the end. Turn it into 1,000. If you had an eight year schedule, make it four years, and don’t say it’s impossible. It is difficult, and it should be, but it is possible.”
Iarrived on this planet on Dec. 3, 1962 as a gay male in conservative middle America. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to relocate to liberal east coast America. I hadn't been out here for long before becoming involved with the D.C. chapter of PFLAG, Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
This was in February of 2001, a time when marriage equality was still a distant dream. Even some of the liberal politically connected didn't expect us to see it in our lifetime. I distinctly recall taking a bit of exception to bisexual and transgender folks sticking their noses under our lesbian and gay tent. At that time, in my mind, finding acceptance and gaining rights for lesbian and gay folks was hard enough as it was.
I felt that the actual diversity of naturally occurring variants in human sexuality was simply more challenging and frightening than most people were capable of or willing to deal with. Straight conservative folks would be doing well if they could just first wrap their minds around the concept of lesbians and gays. I selfishly thought that a push to include acceptance and rights for bi and trans people could get in the way of me getting my own acceptance and rights, so therefore bi and trans people just needed to chill out and wait their turn. Ugh! What an awful person I was capable of being in the past.
Celebrating this diversity can be complicated, but talking about it openly and honestly helps.
I assume that most people agree that coed locker rooms for middle and high school students would be inappropriate for obvious reasons. Well, given the existence of same-sex attractions and relationships in these early stages of life, mustn't we ask ourselves whether same-gender communal
locker rooms are inappropriate for the same obvious reasons? I knew I was gay years before I even knew what gay was, but when we had to start getting naked in front of each other in the fifth grade, I definitely knew I liked looking at other naked guys. It wasn't appropriate. But I was a curious and horny adolescent. What was I gonna do? Not look?
With regard to competitive sports, I'm sorry, but I don't think it's fair for cisgender women to have to compete with transgender women. But I also don't see why every damn thing has to be a competition. If trans women want to play sports as their authentic selves, maybe there could be a separate league for them.
When it comes to Drag Queen story time, where transgender women read to elementary school kids: Just give it age-appropriate context. Responsible sex education should begin in early elementary schools. I think we're far more Puritanical than is helpful for healthy sexual development, and helping kids learn about options beyond the gender binary could be good for them.
I was probably around 10 or 11 when my mother sat me down and explained the birds and the bees to me in very rudimentary terms. The man puts his thing in a woman's thing and something passes from the man into the woman and that's how babies were made. I don't even recall what they taught us in school. But I definitely recall my first orgasm and a light immediately went on. Oh, so this is the thing mom was talking about that passes from the man into the woman to make a baby. And boy was it fun, even without a woman. It's a shame that most adolescents' sex education doesn't include more guidance on a healthy psychology with regard to being sexually active. A whole chapter should be devoted to respect for one's partners. Not to mention self respect.
In Prince George’s County, there is a curfew for people under age 17 to be off the street before midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and by 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays. This is implemented for safety, and to reduce crime, which has risen among teens.
This curfew is a good thing. People who don’t have curfews, they might not have boundaries. They feel like they can do what they want, so they don’t have to report to anybody.
When I was growing up, my mom had her own curfew: Everybody had to be in the house by 11 p.m. I lived with it and liked it. I’ve been used to doing that most of my life. Sometimes even now that I am an old lady, around 10:30 p.m., I start to get sleepy. At 11 p.m., it’s time for me to go to bed. My sister says the same thing happens for her. I say it’s like a built-in clock.
A curfew is also good because it gives families more time to spend together. When my daughter was young, her curfew was earlier than mine. I told her she had to be in the house at 10 o’clock. She’s my only child, there’s no replacement,
and so I was protective of her. She objected, of course, saying, “Why I gotta be in at 10 o’clock? All the rest of the people are sitting across the street. Why don’t I get to do that?” Because Mommy’s tired and Mommy don’t feel like standing in the window, spying on you.
Me and her had a good rapport. We could talk. A lot of times she came in the house early, before 10 o’clock, even on holidays when I would let her stay up later, and we would sit up half the night talking. She would tell me about her friends. She’s a real good talker. Many a night we sat up all night long, talking and laughing about her escapades. I miss that too.
When you’re inside and with a family, you relate to one another — whether you want to or not. Sometimes it works out for the good. You can actually see if someone’s having problems. If you’re there and you see your children and you watch them, and especially if they don’t know you’re watching them, you can see their personalities.
For example, my daughter has five children. If they’re all in the house, and everybody’s interacting, you can see that one of her boys has attention deficit disorder and doesn’t do
I'm nearly 60, and around 30 years ago I realized that while thankfully not an eye witness I was most definitely an ear witness to my youngest sister's conception. There was no door on my parents’ room nor mine and my sister's room. One day it just occurred to me that the creepy memories of hearing my parents having loud, wild, bed-leg-busting sex took place around nine months before my sister Carol was born. (And I mean that literally. They humped so hard and so often that three out of four corners of their bed were held up with coffee cans due to the legs having been broken off. Now that, I assume, was some very satisfying sex.) Thankfully, shortly thereafter, mom and dad moved their bedroom downstairs.
It's an unfortunate reality that issues around sex and sexuality are icky to a lot of people and open doors to conversations parents don't want to have with their kids. The reasons vary and some are understandable. Some parents wish for their children to maintain a state of innocence for as long as possible. I don't fault them for that. But how realistic is it given the realities of variants of human sexuality that often begin manifestations at early stages of life?
Other parents simply feel underqualified to engage in such conversations with their kids. So somebody needs to write a "for dummies" book, something along the lines of, "How to Talk to Your Kids about Sex in Age-Appropriate Terms."
Sex and sexuality are marvelous gifts to be embraced openly, not hidden inside a closet. That's how kids, at times irreparably, grow to become deeply damaged adults. Suicide rates are higher among LGBTQ+ youth. That's a statistical fact. We as so-called "brave" Americans, can, should, and must do better.
Jeff Taylor is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.
a lot of socializing. You park him in front of the TV, he’d be there all day long. When he goes outside in the backyard to play, he’d be by himself. I said, “Why is he like that?” My daughter picked up on the fact that something was happening with him.
Keeping kids off the street and at home also gives the teens time to think about what they want or need to do for themselves. Some young people will not admit that they need time to reflect on themselves or that home life makes you closer and happier. You have to have time to grow physically and spiritually.
The crime rate has not gone up since this curfew has lately been enforced. However, some people might say that it does not mean that its effect is a good influence. I think it is a first step to help “our” young people be safe and feel cared about. The young people think they don’t need a curfew. Some might not, but this could help. A try beats a failure.
Jacqueline Turner is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.
I am ready for the Art Show. I am going because I am an artist and everywhere I go, people ask me about my artwork, which makes me so happy. I am also a basketball player, so my next idea is to make t-shirts with my art.
I want people to know that we put a lot of effort into our writings, poems and paintings. That's why I want to invite everyone to the Art Show and to follow my story.
As I watched you dribble the basketball down the hall, I always said Please Brittney, Don’t fall.
As we laugh at the refs. Bad calls. Keep standing tall for yourself and us all.
I wonder, is it just me who is disturbed by this issue of school lunches? It is a serious problem in itself and I can’t believe this is even an issue. I’m shaking my head. Why would they even put such an embarrassing problem on TV?
If it’s to get people to donate to help out with it, then, that’s fine. No problem.
Still, I can’t fathom why this is still a problem. I remember going to school hungry when I was a child. It feels like it was just yesterday, when I was in class hoping no one else would hear my stomach growl.
This is not a good look for America at all! Feed the children lunch at school.
PS. It’s hard to learn if you’re hungry. And our kids are already far behind in their education!
JEN MCLAUGHLIN Artist/Vendor
The ripples in the water go up and down. You can look at yourself in the water, and shine bright.
Lack of sleep feels like I am losing my mind Lack of time to complete My homework assignment
I lost my love on a Cold night in January
It’s been so long since I lost my lid. Loss of Health is not a good feeling at all
My feet dashed away as I flee from the cold. Experiencing life at its best is what I was told would advance me with good deeds. I am thankful to wake up and see a new day. I am grateful that all the charm that I have has gone nowhere. To work my job and get paid without care.
Loss happens every day
In many ways
To anyone and everyone
Men, women and children
A child has fun hunting for Easter eggs
The opposite is felt when a woman is defiled
Does that change who you are?
Different JOHN ALLEY Artist/VendorI’m different from me, from us and from them. Though we are all the same; I am not me nor you! I mean no disrespect to the world who believes … but, I am not them. Even if you disagree with me, you are not them. Just like I’m not them.
With no soul, I’m only this:
A suffering machine.
Running on fuel.
Thinking of itself.
Looking forward to having fun on my birthday, even though there’s nothing much I can do this year because I am four months pregnant.
MICHELE ROCHON Artist/Vendor
Here I sit alone again
Wrapped in my navy
Blue basketball blanket
Crying
Here I sit alone again
In a car late at night
All alone where are my Parents and brother and Sister
I wonder why no one rescues
Me
I am being mistreated
No one cares.
An ordinary classroom in winter.
“Everyone come on up and put your letter to Santa in the bag. Once you do, stand next to the Christmas tree,” Ms. Jeffries says while standing in front of her class. She thanks each student as they take turns placing their letters in the bag.
“Thank you, Patrece. Your outfit looks so cute. Thank you, Angelo, you look adorable.”
But when a young girl named Maria comes to place her letter in the bag, Ms. Jeffries changes her tone. There’s something about the girl that doesn’t seem quite right.
“Maria? What are you wearing? Your outfit looks terrible. It’s dirty and has holes in it…” she stammers. “I told you to wear something nice to the party.”
Maria tries to talk to respond to her teacher. But she only manages to mutter, “Sorry, Ms. Jeffries.”
“Well, you’re clearly not sorry enough to care,” Ms. Jeffries says with a sigh. “You’re going to ruin the holiday photo. Go stand in the back, behind Angelo and Patrece so no one can see that outfit.”
Ms. Jeffries sighs once again before greeting the other students in her classroom.
“Thank you, Adam. Thank you, Julia…”
After all the students have been lined up for the photo Ms. Jeffries goes through what each student brought for the class party.
“All right, before we begin, let’s make sure we have everything. Adam? It looks like you brought cookies. Great. And Jessica? I see you brought a pizza. Perfect. Maria? You were supposed to bring chips. I don’t see any chips.”
“I wasn’t able to bring chips,” Maria says in a nervous tone.
“What do you mean? We have been talking about this potluck for weeks,” Ms. Jeffries says.
“I know,” Maria says, “ What happened was—”
“We all know what happened. You forgot. I am so disappointed in you. Now, nobody at the party is going to be able to eat chips.”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Jeffries,” Maria says.
“Well, since you didn’t contribute anything, you can be the last in line to eat. Patrice? You can go first.”
After the students have their lunch, the teacher does another inventory. This time she goes over the gifts each student brought for the party.
“That one is from me!” says a student named Angelo.
“Thank you, Angelo. What a great gift!” says Ms. Jeffries.
The teacher is in good spirits again after reviewing the gifts the students brought for each other. But then she sees something that looks strange.
“Maria? Did you bring this?” she says.
“Yeah. The note is the gift. I wrote it myself,” Maria says.
“But this is nothing but a worthless piece of paper,” the teacher says. “You were supposed to spend $20 on a gift.”
“I tried to,” Maria says before Ms. Jeffries cuts her off again.
“You didn’t try at all. First you show up wearing a mess of an outfit. You didn’t bring any food to the party and now, you haven’t even brought a gift. This is unacceptable.”
“I really wanted to but you see —”
“I don’t want to hear it. You keep this. I don’t want anyone else to get struck with it.”
“Go ahead, Patrece. Choose another gift.”
At the end of the school day, Ms. Jeffries returns home. She chats with her husband.
“Honey, how did it go?”
“It went fine except there was this one student named Maria. She didn’t bring anything to the party. It was like she didn’t even care,” she says.
“Well, maybe something else is going on? I mean, you never know what someone else might be going through,” he says.
Mr. Jeffries works night shift and gets up to leave for work. Ms. Jeffries reflects on the afternoon and thinks about whether she might’ve been too harsh on Maria.
we can’t afford new clothes. So, if you could bring me new clothes without any holes in them this year, I would really appreciate it.
I was also supposed to bring food to today’s potluck, but Mom says we barely have enough food to buy groceries. So, if you could please bring us some extra food that would be really nice. And one last thing, if it’s not too much to ask.
I was supposed to bring a Christmas gift for someone in my class. But Mom doesn’t have any money. Even if I don’t get any gifts this year, could you please get one for one of my classmates? That would mean so much to me, you see, my Mom and I are really struggling right now. I’m sorry that I am asking for so much.
Merry Christmas, Santa. Merry Christmas. Maria begins to cry and has a hard time holding back her tears.
“I’m so sorry, I couldn’t bring any presents this year.”
Someone knocks at the door.
“Is this Maria’s home?” Ms. Jeffries says.
“Yes, and you are?” Maria’s mother says.
“I’m Ms. Jeffries, Maria’s teacher.”
“Oh, yes. Ms. Jeffries, what are you doing here?”
“Well, I came to deliver some packages,” she says before coming inside. “These came from the North Pole.”
“Really?” Maria asks.
“Well, let’s go open them,” Ms. Jeffries says.
“Wow, here’s some new clothing just like I asked for,” Maria says while laughing. “I absolutely love them. And here there’s food. Now, everyone can eat potato chips in our class! And oh my gosh—”
Maria gasps as she stares down at a brand new Teddy bear.
“I can give this to someone in our class!”
“Sweetheart,” Ms. Jeffries says, “this is all for you from me.”
“But I asked Santa to give a gift to someone in our class, not to me. Because I felt so bad. I ruined the whole party because I didn’t bring anything,” Maria says.
Dear Santa,
My name is Maria. I don’t usually ask for much. But I can really use your help. My Mom just lost her job a few months ago and since Papa hasn’t been around, we’ve been having a hard time paying our bills. We’re barely getting by.
Today, I was supposed to wear a nice outfit for our holiday party at school but all I have are my old clothes. Mom says
“No. I’m sorry. I should have never gotten made at you in the first place. I realize this now. You never know what someone else is going through. Do you think you could forgive me?” Ms. Jeffries says. “Please keep all these gifts because Santa said they were all for you.”
Listen, Lord
I haven’t been a saint, But when sinners fall down, Get us up, don't faint.
Don't pass out or pass me by.
I have been gone for a minute; But you say all birds fly.
I was waiting and willing, Well, my wing is still broken, And so is my heart.
They tore up my family And blocked my start Took all my wealth
And tested my health.
Listen, Lord. You are always on time. Everything happens for a reason; I have nothing left.
This is God’s favorite season.
Spring showers produce flower beds.
Sow your seed on solid ground; You’re not the tail, but the head. Give honor to your father.
He will never forsake or leave you. God gets glory from your story; That’s why he chose you.
Many are called but few get in. Listen, Lord — I can't give up. It’s my breakthrough.
I want no one but you. Please help me!
He replied — I always do!
The National Alliance Conference to End Homelessness Capitol Hill Day visit was a different experience this year. It was done virtually with people with lived experience, advocates and Continuum of Care providers from across the country speaking with their representatives.
Here in D.C., we had a small group of about 10, primarily people with lived experience. We were speaking to the community, asking about current legislation. There were those in the lived experience community who spoke passionately about new approaches to addressing homelessness and the housing crisis in the District. We are looking at ways of creating holistic health and wellness programs that could better serve those experiencing homelessness in D.C. We had the opportunity to meet with a staff member of Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton. Bridget Lawson had been brought up to date on several policies and legislation being discussed here in the District. Members of the organization People for Fairness Coalition were able to educate her on the Human Rights Enhancement Act to add District residents experiencing housing instability as a protected class. Lawson expressed her support for any legislation passed by the D.C. Council.
I hope this is not the new norm, doing everything virtually. I think we have more of an impact when we're able to go into the halls of Congress and meet with our representatives in person. I also appreciate all the work the alliance has done to make sure we were all informed about pending legislation and engaging our elected officials in addressing the housing crisis.
These days of Covid-19 and more deaths becoming an everyday thing have been very hard. I kind of wish we could have a moratory on death, no more people dying until the sun and the moon collide. No more tears to cry, no more prayers, no more families having to arrange funerals and no more people I love dying.
I went to the Voices for a Second Chance, a service center for returning citizens, the other day. I was trying to get my social security card, ID and birth certificate. I was also trying to get my food stamps turned on. Life has been especially hard nowadays. I haven’t had a job for about two years. And I really want to work.
In the past, I used to do construction work. I did things like general labor, demolition and work with power tools. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty, and I would love an opportunity to do janitorial work as well.
In about a week, I’ll have my ID which means I should be able to get right back to work. I’m just thankful that Voices for a Second Chance has been helping me with straightening out my paperwork.
Voice for a Second Chance also gave me a phone number to a transportation service that would help me get around the city. This service is provided by the Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizens Affairs.
They told me that all you have to do is call them and they will pick you up and take you where you need to go. This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me. It really helps me take care of all the things I need to do around the city, while I look for a job.
VIOLENCE HOTLINE
Línea directa de violencia doméstica 1-800-799-7233
Línea de salud
Case
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 - 1700 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 924 G St., NW catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp
Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org
Charlie’s Place // 202-929-0100 1820 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 // 202-540-9857 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
Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org
Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.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 // 202-529-5261 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org
N Street Village // 202-939-2076 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org
New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE
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
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, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3946 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 1717 Columbia Road NW, 1313 New York Avenue, NW BSMT Suite, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 828 Evarts Place NE, 810 5th Street NW, 850 Deleware Avenue SW, 65 Massachusetts Avenue NW, 4515 Edson Place NE
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 1525 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org
Last updated May 25, 2022
For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide
Restaurant Associates at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum // 600 Independence Ave., SW
Full-time
Prep and serve food to customers, keep work stations clean.
REQUIRED: N/A
APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/snasm
TJ Maxx // 5300 Wisconsin Ave NW
Part-time
Ring customer purchases and returns, promote credit and loyalty programs and maintain cleanliness of floor.
REQUIRED: N/A
APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/tjx-merch
Wegmans // 41 Ridge Sq. NW
Part-time
Prep food, assist and learn from chefs, keep workstations clean. You may also be considered for cashier, custodian, dishwasher, product stocker and customer service positions.
REQUIRED: N/A
APPLY: https://tinyurl.com/wegmans-41
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