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After a fire broke out at St. Mary’s Court, a non-profit affordable housing facility, on Nov. 15, a local neighborhood commission set up a grant to help displaced residents.
St. Mary’s Court is a senior living community located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood near the Lincoln Memorial. It was incorporated in 1976 as a non-profit and has housed over 800 people.
After fires on the second floor, six residents were transported to hospitals, according to a tweet from DC Fire and EMS. Occupants were evacuated using ladders
“Approximately 20 units and 100 personnel responded. A safety evaluation of [the] building will be conducted to determine when and which residents can return,” according to DC Fire and EMS.
D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto, the representative for the Ward 2, said in a tweet that most people returned to their rooms that night, with some people who were affected staying in hotels while repairs take place.
There was fire damage in one unit and water damage in eight units, according to ANC 2A07 Commissioner Adam Friend. The damage displaced 10 people from those units as of Nov. 16.
During ANC 2A’s monthly meeting on Nov. 16. the commission voted to create a grant to help people affected by the fire.
“We have $14,000 just to spend on grants for an emergency,” Friend said during the meeting. “This is that emergency.”
The commission allocated $10,000 for the grant which will be awarded to an applicant on Nov. 30.
The Foggy Bottom West End Village, a community organization dedicated to assisting elderly residents, applied for the grant.
Denise Schneider, the executive director for the village, attended the meeting and signaled that the village could act as a fiscal
agent for the relief funds.
“My intention is to set up a small panel with folks from participating organizations to help figure out how the funds could be most equitably distributed with the most transparency,” Schneider said.
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Editor’s Note: This week’s Grayman X comic is scattered throughout this edition. Flip through to pages 5, 9, 10 and 13 to find out what happens next. Tell us what you think by emailing us at editor@streetsensemedia.org
Gabriela Ines Sevilla, Esq., a lawyer and advocate for people experiencing homelessness, died Oct. 10, 2022 at the age of 29.
Sevilla was an attorney at the National Homelessness Law Center specializing in work to end youth homelessness. She was passionate about her job and worked on reforming curfew and truancy laws, according to the law center.
“Gabi was a ‘shooting star,’ accomplishing more in her short life than many do in decades,” the law center said in a statement on Oct. 11.
Sevilla joined the law center in 2021 and worked on legislation promoting higher education for youth experiencing homelessness. She used her life experiences to inform her advocacy work.
Originally from Newark, N.J., Sevilla graduated from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, in 2015, according to Sevilla’s LinkedIn profile. Sevilla later came to Washington to study at the Howard University School of Law, where she was awarded Law Student of the Year in 2019.
During her time at Rutgers, her family was evicted, making graduating challenging, Sevilla told ABC News in March 2022.
Sevilla received an extended stay at the Rutgers University dorms which she said helped her to figure things out. Sevilla used her experience to speak about the need for more tuition waivers across the United States during her time at the law center.
“If we give youth experiencing homelessness a little support to go to college and get that education, it can quite literally save
money on shelters, on services, on public benefit programing,” said Sevilla to ABC News.
Valerie Schneide, director of the Clinical Law Center said Sevilla was a “bright light” in a tweet put out by Howard University School of Law.
"As a professor, I know I’m not supposed to have favorites, but every once in a while, I have a student who is so compelling that it’s hard to resist that label," Schneider said.
Natalie Muñoz, a Ph.D. student at Howard University who met Sevilla when their time overlapped at the university, posted a tribute to her on Twitter on Oct. 12. Muñoz described how Sevilla’s experiences affected her passions and career.
“She overcame homelessness as a youth and decided that she would do everything in her power to combat homelessness in America,” Muñoz said in a tweet.
In one of her efforts, Sevilla created a fellowship with Equal Justice Works to give legal advice to people trying to secure benefits. Sevilla’s family relied on Supplemental Security Insurance and she knew how important those benefits could be to a family.
“I am passionate about this issue because I know what it is like to not have a place to call home and I see myself when I serve my clients,” Sevilla said in 2019 according to a site explaining the fellowship.
Sevilla’s efforts to fight homelessness extended beyond her work at the law center and fellowship. She also supported people experiencing homelessness in her free time.
In 2019, Sevilla captured media attention when she connected with a couple facing homelessness and proceeded to support them through a GoFundMe page.
more than $40,000 from the fund and began renting a home. Sevilla’s efforts were covered
Sevilla also supported the couple through social media and personal outreach.
“She actually has done a lot for me,” Diaz said to Street Sense Media in 2019. “She’s printed out resumes, she’s got me [and Pete] lifeline phones, she’s bought me clothing for interviews, food, dog food, shoes. Gabi has done a lot.”
Sevilla used her previous experiences to make meaningful connections with people. She and Diaz connected quickly after meeting at an encampment cleanup because of what they had in common, said Sevilla.
“I know what it’s like to not have family to support you, to not be a kid, to not have a childhood, just go from baby to adult,” Sevilla said to Street Sense Media in 2019.
Jason Iglesias, who met Sevilla while they were both in law school, posted on Twitter after her death.
“I knew she was going to be an incredible person,” Iglesias said in a tweet. “Her passion, her advocacy and most importantly her kindness is what allowed her to have such an impact on so many people in her life.”
For years, Barry Oliver worked as a courier, relying on his moped to get to and from deliveries. But one day, his moped was stolen. Without a motor vehicle, Oliver was forced to use a bike. His deliveries began to take longer. And eventually he lost his job.
Oliver lost his home and spent years of his life outside. He developed medical issues in his back and began to lose his mobility.
PathForward, a nonprofit that serves people experiencing homelessness in Arlington, stepped in. After meeting with a nurse practitioner on staff, Oliver received cortisone shots for the herniated disc in his back, which decreased his pain while increasing his mobility, and began walking with crutches. He scheduled appointments for surgery and began looking for housing resources.
Danielle Wilson, the associate director for communications at PathForward, said that Oliver’s story stood out to her.
“It all started with trust,” Wilson said. “Through trust and through providing a solution to a very real need, we were able to help him.”
There are approximately 182 people living without homes in Arlington, according to the county’s most recent point-intime count, which is an annual survey that counts the number of people living without homes in Arlington. According to the count, homelessness has decreased by about 60% since 2013, but rose slightly in 2022.
As of fiscal year 2021, PathForward helped move 429 people into homes since its founding. The organization is fighting homelessness in Arlington by supporting people in their search for housing.
The organization started in the 1980s when one of the organization's founders, Lora Rinker, began handing out meals to people in need.
“Eventually, she started to partner with local churches to provide housing for those experiencing homelessness,” Wilson said. “Each night a different church would volunteer to host … The community really banded together to see how they could help be a solution.”
PathForward, originally known as the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network, expanded to include an emergency winter shelter in 1992. The organization then added services like street outreach, a day program, permanent supportive housing resources and a year-round shelter. The center opened a medical respite center and nursing services in 2015 where people like Oliver have received care.
PathForward operates a commercial kitchen that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Chef Glenn Johnsen prepares meals ranging from cereal in the morning to beef stew in the evening.
During the warmer months, the kitchen serves around 45 to 50 meals. However, during hypothermia season, a period from November to March when people experiencing homelessness are at risk due to the cold weather, that number tends to increase to around 60 to 65 meals, Johnsen said.
PathForward works with different organizations to ensure that programs like their Community Medical Mobile Unit, which responds to people’s medical and behavioral health needs outside of the center, are serving a need that is not already being provided by other organizations.
PathForward collaborates with organizations like the Virginia Health Center to secure resources like hospital beds
for PathForward’s medical respite program.
PathForward and New Hope Housing, a nonprofit based in Northern Virginia, also offer services to adults, while other Arlington-based organizations like Doorways and Bridges to Independence provide resources predominantly for families and children.
Arlington county residents and companies contribute to PathForward’s mission through volunteer work and donations, Wilson said.
“One person can have a drop in the bucket,” Wilson said. “But if you have 50,000 people putting their drop in a bucket, you have a wave.”
The pandemic caused PathForward to adapt many of their services. Scott Miller, a community engagement and events specialist at PathForward, said the nonprofit housed people in two motels for five weeks during the winter of 2021.
“We were still in operation 24/7,” Miller said. “We were mobilized outside of the center, because we just realized we had to just get people out, separated and isolated.”
Services returned to the center, but the shelter remains unavailable for company events and many volunteer opportunities.
PathForward is able to host some events that adapt to COVID19 safety concerns. Miller participated in a walking event on Sept. 17 hosted by WalkArlington, an Arlington County organization that encourages sustainable transport.
During the walk, Miller mentioned Oliver’s story and referenced services like the onsite nursing care and shelter that PathForward provides.
“I'm hoping people take away that PathForward is so much more than just a shelter,” Miller said.
Miller brought the walkers in front of the PathForward center and handed out Arlington County Street Guides, which lists resources in Arlington Country, for attendees to hand out to people experiencing homelessness in Arlington.
Many of the people that attended the walk were already familiar with PathForward’s work. Joe Keyees, an Arlington resident who had volunteered with PathForward in the past, went to the event to learn about the organization’s recent efforts to fight homelessness.
“It seems like a real shame that people in our community have to beg for help. So I like to support programs that make that less necessary,” said Keyees.
Oliver, whose experience with the nurse practitioners and housing resources at PathForward inspired both Wilson and Miller, agreed with Dallao’s sentiment.
“I didn't know what was going to happen,” said Oliver. “PathForward absolutely saved my life.”
As Yeny finished a recent 16-hour workday, she discovered she’d lost money.
Yeny, who’s being referred to by just her first name to prevent retaliation, works construction and child care jobs as a domestic worker in D.C. That day, she and her husband worked on a house from 8 a.m. until midnight. They left their daughter at home with a babysitter, hoping to make enough to pay the sitter and part of next month’s rent.
But the employer refused to pay Yeny and her husband for their hours of work. Already exhausted and unsure of what the informal agreement entitled her to, Yeny went home emptyhanded.
“We work because we need that money to pay our bills,” Yeny, who has worked in D.C. for nine years, said. “We couldn’t provide for our family because we were working for people who didn’t care about domestic workers.”
Dozens of the 9,000 domestic workers in D.C. who work in child care, elder care, housekeeping and other home-based tasks shared stories similar to Yeny’s in public testimony earlier this year on D.C. Council legislation that’s poised for a vote next week.
Predominantly women of color, domestic workers work in private and often on a part-time or contracted basis. Domestic workers are excluded from some of D.C.’s labor laws and left without legal recourse. Though domestic workers are legally supposed to be paid the minimum wage and qualify for paid leave, workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance, it’s common for employers to refuse to recognize those rights.
The behind-closed-doors nature of caretaking or cleaning leads to labor exploitation, according to domestic workers and their advocates. Without hours, responsibilities or time off specified in writing, employers often pressure the workers to do tasks outside of their original agreement. Some stay silent when they aren’t paid or are asked to work without breaks, fearing retaliation.
For years, Yeny and other domestic workers have been asking D.C. to enshrine their rights as employees, mandate contracts, and hold employers accountable. Now that goal is in reach, as the Domestic Worker Employment Rights Amendment Act of 2022 is ready to advance to an initial vote by the full D.C. Council on Dec. 6 after winning support from three committees in recent weeks. The bill has three main provisions: It explicitly grants domestic workers basic human rights protections, requires employers and employees to sign contracts to define work scope, and authorizes grants to community organizations to publicize the requirements.
If passed, the bill would require any person or agency that employs a domestic worker for more than five hours a month to sign an agreement laying out duties, hours, pay, breaks and leave policies. The D.C. government would provide templates in English and Spanish, and any employer who violates this provision would be fined at least $250.
But if the council doesn’t pass the bill in December, the
legislation will expire at the end of Council Period 24, and Yeny and her fellow organizers will have to start over.
Throughout their advocacy for the bill, members of the DMV chapter of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) shared a litany of complaints about the way employers exploit domestic workers. In one instance, an employer broke an agreement to provide meals to their one live-in caretaker by leaving them with just two slices of pizza for a whole weekend. On another occasion, an employer asked a domestic worker to spend an additional 15 hours on the job one week but neglected to pay them in full for the extra work. Workers who became pregnant were offered a choice: get an abortion, or be fired. Without formal contracts, domestic workers say they often have to accept the abuses, or miss out on a paycheck.
“If I were to tell you my whole story, I think it would tire you,” Dulce, a worker leader with the local NDWA member, said at a rally on Nov. 10. After Dulce fell and broke her arm while cleaning at work, her employer fired her. She was unable to work for months while recovering, she told the assembled crowd next to the John A. Wilson Building.
Some of these abuses are already illegal. But domestic
workers are left out of various labor protections, including those under D.C.’s sweeping Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in the workplace based on race, gender and 15 other traits. “This exclusion is a vestige of slavery and the expectation that household labor be performed for free by Black women,” Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George argued at the bill’s markup in the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development.
More than 90% of D.C.’s domestic workers are women, and just under 80% are people of color, according to NDWA. Over half are immigrants, and many domestic workers say they’ve been harassed for speaking limited English.
“There is a lot of discrimination, just for the fact of being a domestic worker and also for being Latino or any other race, they value you less,” Yeny said of employers.
As NDWA members concluded their Nov. 10 rally, chants of “Estamos en la lucha” and “¿Cuando luchamos? Ganamos” — “We’re in the fight” and “When we fight? We win” — broke through the traffic surrounding the Wilson Building. Over the four years NDWA pushed for the domestic workers’ bill of rights, its members were a near-constant
presence in council offices and hearing rooms, so much so that At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman, who introduced the bill, often jokes that she sees NDWA organizers in her dreams.
The group, led by an elected steering committee of domestic workers, saw its initial measure of success in 2019 when the first bill defining the rights of domestic workers was introduced. Though 11 council members signed onto the bill, it never received a hearing.
Silverman introduced the current bill on March 15 of this year after a town hall and social media campaign led by NDWA. The bill was co-introduced by eight council members and backed by dozens of faith organizations, as well as some employers. Nearly 100 people testified in support of the bill at a labor committee hearing this past June.
Since Silverman heads the labor committee and pledged to act on the bill, it seemed like the measure would easily advance to the full council. But Council Chair Phil Mendelson surprised NDWA members over the summer by referring the bill to two other committees; it’s unusual for the chair to re-refer bills so late in the process.
The Committee on Labor and Workforce Development and the Committee on Government Operations and Procurement each passed a revised version of the bill on Oct. 21. The Committee on Business and Economic Development passed the same version on Nov. 17, after the NDWA rally urging the committee to act on the bill. To become law, the legislation must be approved by the council at legislative meetings on both Dec. 6 and Dec. 20, though Mendelson’s office has not
yet released agendas for those meetings. It would then go to the mayor and Congress for their review.
The bill now before the council is similar to the one Silverman introduced in March. But council staff added new anti-retaliation, mediation, and human rights provisions in response to issues raised at the public hearing.
Philadelphia acted in 2019 to require contracts between domestic workers and their employers, said Alana Eichner, the co-director of NDWA’s DMV chapter. But workers have been fired when requesting the legally required contracts. To get ahead of this concern, the bill now makes it illegal for employers to retaliate against domestic workers who file a complaint or ask for a contract, with a fine of at least $500 for any retaliation.
The revised bill also includes a provision specifically allowing workers who want to continue at their job to reach an agreement with their employers to fix any violations, such as rewriting a contract that doesn’t include break times. Finally, the bill allows domestic workers to file complaints against employers without disclosing their immigration status, a concern for some undocumented domestic workers.
In the anti-discrimination section, which adds domestic workers to D.C.’s Human Rights Act, the bill now includes a small carve-out — called a bona fide occupational qualification — to allow employers to hire workers of a certain sex for
sensitive caretaking tasks like bathing.
In total, the bill is estimated to cost $740,000 the first year it is implemented and $2.5 million over the next five years. The cost comes mainly from the community grants, the need for new employees at the Department of Employment Services and the Office of Human Rights, and funding for translation services and outreach materials. If the bill is passed, NDWA will have to fight for the funding to be included in next year’s budget. And if it isn’t passed or funded, members will have to figure out a new strategy, Eichner said.
While Yeny waits, she’s constantly reminded of how much she hopes the bill passes. Just a few weeks ago, another employer stiffed her on wages after spraying her with cleaning solution for several minutes.
“When we came to this country we came with goals, with desires to create better lives for ourselves, but we found that people treated us as if we were nothing,” Yeny said. “With this bill of rights, we will have support. We will be respected. We will have something that protects us from people who don’t care if they pay us or not.”
Quotes from Yeny and Dulce were translated from Spanish.
This article was co-published with The DC Line.
Annemarie Cuccia covers D.C. government and public affairs through a partnership between Street Sense Media and The DC Line. This joint position was made possible by The Nash Foundation and individual contributorss
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Abdoulaye Sylla, 53, towers over the tray of green beans he’s carefully wrapping in plastic, a chef hat perched on his head. He’s focused until his apron-clad partner makes him grin.
They’re preparing dinner for the 150 people experiencing food insecurity who will fill the dining room in a few hours. Sylla cooks to bring a smile to their faces.
“Every time you make something, it comes from here,” Sylla said, holding a hand over his heart. “The reward is to see people appreciate it.”
Before he was working as a chef at Silver Spring, Md., nonprofit Shepherd’s Table, Sylla was eating there.
He experienced homelessness for most of 2020 and frequented the facility for food and social services. While getting back on his feet, he vowed to use his culinary background to give back to the homeless community. Sylla joined Shepherd’s Table as a chef this August and quickly became a beacon of positivity and encouragement among his coworkers and meal guests.
“Everyone has their calling,” Sylla said. “For me, it's helping people.”
Sylla has lived by that notion since he was seven years old.
The youngest of nine, Sylla grew up in Guinea in West Africa, where his father was an ambassador. Every month, his village would get a truckload of food as part of his father’s pay. Sylla recalls people from a neighboring village with less money standing at the fence that divided them, staring longingly at the food being unloaded.
“They’re my friends, we go to the same school,” Sylla remembered thinking. “Why shouldn’t we have the same things? Why shouldn’t we eat the same things?”
The first-grader convinced the deliverymen to toss bags of food over the fence to share.
When he was 14, Sylla moved with his family to Ottawa, Canada, where he finished high school and attended Ottawa University. After graduating, he followed his brother into the restaurant management industry, took a culinary training program through food services and facilities management company Sodexo and landed a job in food service. The kitchen became Sylla’s happy place. He loved getting creative with new dishes and bringing joy to people through food.
“Keeping in mind who you’re serving is very important,” he said.
Over the years, Sylla held different restaurant jobs, got married and moved to Hyattsville. While working at an auto parts shop in 2020, he collapsed on the job from three artery blockages caused by stress. The doctor said he was lucky to be alive. If he was going to make a full recovery, he’d need to make some major life changes.
Change came, but not in the way Sylla hoped.
After being discharged from the hospital, he returned home to find his wife had left and taken their money and documents with her. Sylla was on his own in a different country with nothing to his name. In a matter of weeks, he lost his housing and job and began living on the streets.
Reflecting on his experience with homelessness, Sylla isn’t most disturbed by the memories of sleeping outside or searching for every meal, although these experiences have deeply affected him. In his typical selfless fashion, Sylla gets most emotional about being unable to provide for his family back in Guinea.
“I’m the only one [in the United States] so they depend on me,” he said, grabbing a tissue. “Imagine when I was down,
they were because I couldn’t send money.”
When times got especially tough, Sylla thought of what his family would say. He pictured his dad rooting him on, or his mother scolding him for losing faith in himself. Their guidance and his relationship with God made him feel less alone and encouraged him to keep moving forward.
On a cold day in December 2020, a man gave Sylla five dollars for a meal and called a local shelter for him. They were out of beds, but the stranger told Sylla that he’d find a way to help. He got Sylla a caseworker, who brought Sylla to Interfaith Works, a nonprofit that provides emergency shelter in Rockville.
“I took about 48 hours just to rest, to get rid of that fatigue and clear my mind,” Sylla said. “Be grateful to have a place to shower, eat, get clothes and actually talk to people.”
After taking a breather, Sylla hit the ground running. He put his name down for every vocational program that Interfaith offered and landed a spot at a computer skills training in Rockville. Eager to reenter the culinary world, he took a job as a dishwasher at a hotel in Bethesda.
On his first day, Sylla’s boss asked if he could cover food preparation for a chef that had called out sick. That was all it took. “Why are you doing the dishes?” he asked, and hired Sylla as a chef.
Sylla worked there for six months before losing his job due to COVID-19, but the taste of potential lingered.
"Once you get your dignity back, you say to yourself, ‘I
didn’t fall, I tripped,’” Sylla said. “Now, you have a choice. It’s either you let your back hit the ground and you lay there, or you refuse to let your back hit the ground.
“I knew as long as I have a place to lay my head and eat and give myself peace of mind, there’s nothing that I’m not capable of doing. No excuses.”
That attitude got him a job as a team leader at a Giant Food in Baltimore and a few months later, a tray runner position at George Washington University Hospital. Sylla took pride in getting to know the patients and even started an initiative to refer to them by name rather than room number.
During this time, Sylla was also going to Shepherd’s Table for meals and services. In 2021, they helped him get an apartment in Glenmont and start the process of replacing lost documents. Sylla was inspired by Shepherd’s Table’s work, particularly in the kitchen. He missed being the one showing others compassion by cooking for them.
“What does it take to work in this kitchen?” he’d ask the food staff.
He promised the friends he ate with that one day, he’d be making their meals.
Shepherd’s Table Executive Director Manny Hidalgo was surprised when Sylla approached him about a job in the kitchen. He had no idea that Sylla was a classically trained chef.
“That’s something that happens a lot with the immigrant community; you never know what hidden histories, talents, experiences [immigrants have],” Hidalgo said. “It shows you
how homelessness can affect every single one of us. None of us are immune to the possibility of losing everything.”
want her disappointed.”
The first meal Sylla made in Shepherd’s Table’s kitchen was a yucca stew — a menu staple today called “Abdoul’s Medley.” He says the experience of cooking for people again with a job opportunity on the table was beautiful.
Sylla interned for a month before Moore decided to bring him on the team.
“I was like, ‘We have a chef on our hands. I want him to be treated as such,’” Moore said. “He’s very hungry. He has all these great ideas and sees everything that’s going on in the kitchen. Everything that he needs to learn can be taught but he has these gifts that are going to make him a really great leader.”
The job has reignited his passion for cooking and allowed him to help people through food and beyond. He’s able to send remittances to his family again and plans to visit them next year once he gets his new passport.
Moore gets emotional when describing Sylla’s journey.
“With every win he gets, he’s more inspired and more confident,” Moore said. “His light just keeps getting brighter and brighter. It’s such a beautiful thing to witness someone coming from the streets to earning their own success and really working for it and getting everything they deserve.”
Sylla’s favorite part of working at Shepherd’s Table has been serving as an example for the friends he used to live and eat with.
finally, shaking his head and smiling. “They’re going to be so happy. It’s going to be a good experience, I know it. If you don’t come out with anything else, come out knowing you can if you want to, and learn how to grasp an opportunity when it arises. It’s up to you. And let’s have fun.”
Hidalgo floated the idea of an internship in the kitchen, and Sylla immediately accepted. A few months passed as Shepherd’s Table staff worked out the details of the position. Sylla sent in his resume and waited for a response. He made it his mission to hound them, calling and asking for updates any chance he got. Finally, the day arrived.
Sylla sat down for an interview with Christina Moore, the director of meal services. Their conversation sealed the deal.
“Miss Christina looked at me and said, ‘I have faith in you,’” Sylla said through tears. “It was a while since I’d heard that.
“For her to feel that, see how genuine I was and how bad I wanted it, there’s no price on that. It’s gold. More than that. I remember telling her, ‘You will never regret this decision. Not on my watch.’ I’ll take that to my grave because I don’t
“My job, since I’ve been here, doesn’t start or end in the kitchen,” Sylla said. “You go out there and they’re like, ‘You said you were going to do it and you did it.’ That’s my purpose. I can do it. So can you.”
This January, Sylla will help run the nonprofit’s inaugural Culinary Skills Workshop, which will help clients obtain culinary certificates and find food service jobs in the Silver Spring area. Moore believes Sylla’s presence will inspire participants to step up to the challenge and hopes to see him run the program one day.
Sylla goes quiet when asked what he hopes to impart to his friends.
“Trust, believing in themselves,” he said
L. MORROW Artist/Vendor
We are sitting at the table of thanks, whether it be standing in line at a park, soup kitchen, homeless shelter, church, mosque or synagogue, or at your house with your family and friends. Let us all pray and give thanks to our way of life in America and our freedoms.
Let’s all pray for those who are enduring hardships around the world. In America, hundreds of thousands of people are homeless while millions more are homeless in Pakistan due to evacuations because of flash floods. Kids in Somalia are facing a water crisis and a heat wave. The war in
Ukraine has millions homeless and fleeing their homes. Puerto Rico is devastated with floods, and the power went out across the island for a long time. Another tropical storm hit Florida causing flash floods, heavy rain and power outages across the state. Let’s thank God for the blessings and pray He keeps all of us safe around the world.
Let us all do an act of kindness for our fellow man. At the dinner table, fix a plate or two and go out around the world and share that plate with others. Why not? Thank you all.
MICHAEL WARNER Artist/Vendor
As the 2022 midterms conclude, we can take many things from it. One of them is that America is still divided on its leaders. Take, for example, the election in Nevada. Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto’s campaign performed well against the Republican Adam Laxalt. It was not a red wave as everyone predicted. America wants less radicalism but more money at the kitchen table. We can come to an agreement when both sides come together.
BRIANNA BUTLER Artist/Vendor
Let’s support the veterans and soldiers. They will tell you a bunch of stories of what they’ve been through. Some stories will make you grab your coat for comfort. But after an hour or two they will tell you stories that will have you on the floor laughing till your stomach hurts. Give them a hug for support. They are brave women and men who love this country with all their hearts. Encourage them to keep strong and hold their heads up high. I love them.
CARLTON JOHNSON Artist.Vendor
Hold the new time Work for the day of the old Hold of the old
I slept so well when I first arrived I held onto my memories in my dreams I kept my mouth shut
There are moments when I have to speak I can’t keep it all in I said I would not react
To any negative things I’m inside my head again A plane in the sky I say when I look up To erase and end with a beginning Means to start a new life for me I had to leave to find me
When I look at you, I smile. I know everything is okay.
But it hurts to just walk away.
Life and its expectations take so much time. All I want is you.
Trying to make everything right for us, it’s not easy chasing a dream that seems so near but is very far away.
I wake up to see it’s just a dream with pleasure, only a dream with plenty of thoughts. Just a dream!
Every time I rewind the tape there’s a voice in my head that sings like Alicia Keys.
JEN MCLAUGHLIN Artist/Vendor
When I get up in the morning, I catch public transport. I leave my building and walk in freezing weather to the nearest bus stop. Sometimes I walk because the bus can take hours. Some people have a nice warm car where they can heat up. Having a car isn’t the same as riding public transportation.
ANTHONY CARNEY Artist/Vendor
My dog’s name was Duke. He was a Dobermann. I was a little boy when I had Duke. Duke followed me home. I took him to my grandfather’s house. I loved Duke. Duke loved me. I gave him to my grandfather. Duke was my first dog. My grandfather loved Duke. God bless Duke’s soul.
My home is my studio.
I feel good, happy, and thankful to have the best place.
I am thankful for the mayor, the city, God and my family.
Home is my place, home is my city and home is my family.
For some reason I decided to dye my hair. My hair is black, not just black with undertones, pure jet black. I am up in age. I see everyone with all colors of hair in all age groups. They have pink, blue, green, purple, orange and often, two or three different colors. Each day, I would think how nice it would be to have a different color
FREDERIC JOHN Artist/Vendor
Deflated in soul; Belated control. Loans for schemes; Sell away your Dreams!
The lawyers worry on Alibis insufficient
To save the big boss — The Grand Burjj… Does main moat Contain ample allegations
To protect?
The other half Of our land burns
With other concerns, as in “Will Soto go ‘Yard’ Bottom of the ninth?”
on my head. Then, I thought about how much I like the color blue. Green is my favorite color, but blue looks better to me at my age. I did it blue, and I like it.
AMINA WASHINGTON Artist/Vendor
The leaves change my age when fall comes to play outside can trace a snowflake
When the sea breeze comes my eye cries an ice crystal A small leaf falls down.
I wanted to go up but I forgot my cup. And the raccoon came too soon. I brought a bear but he didn’t share. The word “plan” reminds me of the word “adamant.” I’m not a user, I use a computer. The word “furnace” reminds me of my father’s name, “Ernest.”
I know and understand the small joys of life, The smell I get in the morning, its pure joy.
I understand the true beauty; I see it all around me. The joy I see helps me get through a rough day, Even when my days are messed up.
I get it; I see joy.
I see the love she gives me, faith in a time of need. When we pray, she blesses us with a smile. Joy lets us see what lays ahead in our day. With joy, even in my darkest days, I know there is light. I will always understand Her, my internal blessing and joy. All comes from her joy.
Shackles on my feet, I will not accept defeat. Surrounded by these blocks, They call the rock.
Time’s slippin’ away, I cannot come out and play. What kind of place is this anyway? Where I chose to go astray.
Pressure in my mind, Loved ones I left behind, Placed without a face, Please let me state my case.
It’s a crime, this jail, Planned for those to fail, But I refused to die In this hell, Until my God prevails.
Arrested and recused, Amazed but not confused, Born to confess, Destined to pass this test.
Served time with the best And the worst, Nothing more or less. Some say it’s a curse.
This life never quenched my thirst, But God saved me. Now, I am free.
GIGI DOVONOU Artist/Vendor
Time is the best teacher of our life
I remembered when the conjecture came knocking at my door with a knife
If I could know that my situation would be like this I could know I would not have to accept to be in this Sometimes I ask myself some questions
Especially about the same situations
Do I have to interject actions? Or focusing myself on a new projection?
Anyway and anyhow I know it be worthy for me to design a new life trajectory
Life is not always the destination but the way A new trajectory I’ve designed for my way in order to follow my pathway
They said they are gonna protect me and gonna select me
But at the end of the day I ended up on the street
Try to learn about my story
To sing in lyric
To find the victory
To get the glory
Waking up, my eyes are semiblinded from the light my eyes have been blessed to see for 37 years.
As they do their adjustment, and dance to adapt to the sight of a familiar view, my lips form a smile on the home they share called face.
Looking to see what adventure the day has ahead of me.
I’m eager to meet strangers that will become my long-term friends that will have similar or different goals as mine.
Talking in the same as well as different languages.
Walking in the same direction but on different paths. Waking up to make the day better than what it was yesterday.
ROCHELLE WALKER Artist/Vendor
I am giving you a plan of salvation. It is a present and a gift. It doesn’t cost you a penny. I am handing you something: my plan, my truth and my life story. I am providing you opportunities to receive everlasting life. Because we are all born into a sinful world, I am asking you to receive the Lord Jesus as your gift. My plan is easy, and my ways are simple. As described in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” You have to believe, then you can receive the plan of salvation.
Pizazz
“...____ tree falls in a forest...”
Scrumptious, in brief
Apt anagram of GIFT (abbr./initialism)
Mi-sol connectors
Quite comparable with (AIN’T OK anagram)
*Openly discloses and criticizes someone’s unacceptable actions or behavior (5,3)
Confines to a state prison, in two senses (4,2) 20. Yosemite peak, familiarly (2,3) (incls. abbr.) 22. Certain pool member
*Blessed with extreme good fortune (10,5) 29. Verboten, in basic English (3,2) (incls. abbr./acron.) 30. Title slave ship in a 1997 Spielberg movie featuring Anthony Hopkins as John Quincy Adams 31. Farm prefix 32. Decorative wall bracket holding a candle or other light source 35. The beginning of stories by Alexandre Dumas, but also how “The Count of Monte Christo” ends? 36. *Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath or a barrel hoop (5,4) (BLAND MEAT anagram) 39. Suffix with gymnast, linguist, and robot 42. Actor James who played Matt Dillon on classic old TV’s “Gunsmoke” 43. Bank take-back, briefly 47. “Can you gimme a quick hand over here?” ((3,1,3) 49. Pago Pago’s place 50. *In unison declaration of a couple shortly before leaving to find a good restaurant (5 wds.) (1,4,4,2,4) 54. S. African grassland 55. Jacket style named for India’s first P.M. 56. Actress Brennan who co-starred in “Private Benjamin” with Goldie Hawn 59. Something on many envelopes...or an aptly constructed hint to the starts and ends of the answers to starred clues (2 wds.) (4,4) (EMAIL DOC anagram) 64. Discomfort 65. Tolkien creature 66. When theirs was finished, Hamilton was mortally wounded and Burr wanted for murder 67. The so-called Nittany Lions sch. (2 wds.) (4,2) (incls. Abbrs.) 68. Chopper 69. Place for curling and working on figures? Down 1. Series ender (Lat. abbr.) 2. N.Y.C. airport (abbr./code)
Feel sickly 4. Org. for Seahawks, Cardinals and Ravens - but not for Orioles or Penguins 5. “Too rich for my blood” (2 wds.) (1,4) 6. Immunologist Anthony who’s been omnipresent during the COVID-19 pandemic 7. Take ____ at (try doing) (2 wds.) (1,4) 8. Fist-bump 9. Barely make, with “out” 10. Aer ____ (Dublin-based carrier) 11. Grp. that puts out feelers on web sites?
Holiday quaff
D.C.’s Kennedy ____ (abbr.)
Word before “mate” or “rate”
Workout spots, for some males (abbr./acron.)
Property claim
Scatter about, as flower petals
Folies Bergère dance (3-3)
Encouragement to a matador
Only direction not mentioned in any U.S. state’s name
Vampiric Transylvanian, familiarly
“Uncle!” (3 wds.) (1,4,2)
Opium derivative used in prescription cough medicines (NICE ODE anagram)
Trad. Germ. Christmas cake (TELLS ON anagram)
Music genre with confessional lyrics
Sham ending?
State tree of Iowa and five others
Like Alpacas, chinchillas and Llamas, e.g.
Motown genre
Site of Hercules’ first labor
Modestly shortened word of appreciation
Stale, as ideas or language
Feminine suffix eschewed by many feminists
After expenses and taxes 60. Spock, e.g. (abbr.)
Yes, to Yves or Yvette (Fr.)
Ironically, it’s a classic place for Cub Scouts and thieves to gather
Do suckily (2 wds.) (5,2)
Kind of task list a spouse or partner might compile, familiarly 18.Hide-and- ____ (classic kids game) 21. Alternative backup arrangements (2 wds.) (4,2)
Once ____ blue moon (infrequently) (2 wds.) (2,1)
Member of the B.P.O.E. *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
Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento
Case Management Coordinación de Servicios
SHELTER HOTLINE
YOUTH HOTLINE
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOTLINE
Línea directa de alojamiento (202) 399-7093
Línea de juventud (202) 547-7777
Health Care Seguro Employment Assistance Assitencia con Empleo
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
Línea directa de violencia doméstica 1-800-799-7233
Clothing Ropa Transportation Transportación
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
Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal Showers Duchas
Laundry Lavandería
Línea de salud del comportamiento 1-888-793-4357 Education Educación Food Comida
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
Retail Associate
Walmart // Multiple locations
Full-time / Part-time / Seasonal
Keep shelves stocked, operate the cash register and provide quality customer service to patrons.
REQUIRED: N/A
APPLY: tinyurl.com/walmart-associate
Line Cook
Hard Rock Cafe // 999 E St NW
Full-time
Maintain a clean and organized kitchen, practice safety and sanitation standards and cook menu items.
REQUIRED: N/A
APPLY: tinyurl.com/hardrockcafe-cook
Team Member
Chipotle // 1010 Vermont Ave NW
Full-time / Part-time
Take orders, prepare meals and ingredients and cleaning the store.
REQUIRED: N/A
APPLY: tinyurl.com/chipotle-member
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org
The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable
Whitman-Walker Health 1701 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 2301 MLK Jr. Ave., SE // 202-797-3567 whitman-walker.org
For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide
Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org
Dear Friend and Reader,
The essential essence of our work at Street Sense Media is found in the community that gets built through our cooperative efforts to create and distribute a newspaper and other media And it’s impossible to overestimate the value and impact of that community When it is intact and in place, as it is for most of us, it’s easy to take community for granted But in truth, the community we have around us is the backbone of our stability and success Likewise, the absence of community is often what causes and perpetuates homelessness
What I have learned from over 35 years of work with persons who are homeless is that the harshest aspect of homelessness is loneliness and disconnection Whether you sleep alone in an alley or with hundreds of others at a shelter, when you are homeless, you are truly alone And this year, as we celebrate another 10 artist/vendors who have moved into permanent housing, we do so knowing that their journey out of homelessness began with the community that they assembled through their work with Street Sense Media
Community is built when artist/vendors participate in our writer’s group workshop as well as classes that teach and create photography, theater, illustration, and painting Community is built on the street between customers and their vendors as papers are purchased and vendor writing is discussed Community is built when donors like you contribute to the vitality of our work with your dollars and your trust
How does community create stability and forward progress? Our community sees the best in us At the same time, it demands that we be our best selves Community encourages us to face and tackle the demons that hold us back Community refuses to let employment or housing status, mental illness or addiction define us Community offers a hand up and helps us build a stronger, more resilient sense of self
Your contribution will help new and more achievements possible To ensure our critical work to build community and help our vendors move forward continues to be available to more individuals in need, please consider a year end contribution
