12.14.2022

VENDOR 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.”

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VENDORS

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, Freedom, 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, Nikila Smith, Patricia Donaldson, Patty Smith, Phillip Black, Queenie Featherstone, Reggie Jones, Reginald Black, Reginald C. Denny, Ricardo Meriedy, Rita Sauls, Robert Warren, Rochelle Walker, Ron Dudley, Ronald Smoot, Sasha Williams, Shawon McCrary, Sheila White, Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Susan Westmoreland, Susan Wilshusen, Sybil Taylor, Warren Stevens, Wendell Williams

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Brian Carome

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS Doris Warrell

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS Darick Brown

DIRECTOR OF VENDOR EMPLOYMENT Thomas Ratliff

VENDOR

VENDOR

ASSOCIATES

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

STAFF REPORTER Annemarie Cuccia

EDITORIAL INTERN Neal Franklin

MICHAEL STOOPS DIVERSITY FELLOW Sophia Thomas

ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE

ARTS

OPINION EDITORS (VOLUNTEER) Rebecca Koenig, Emily Kopp, Bill Meincke, Candace Montague

EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS

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

Vigil to honor the lives of people experiencing homelessness

NEAL FRANKLIN Editorial Intern

The People for Fairness Coalition, PFFC, will be hosting a vigil beginning on Dec. 20 to honor the lives of people who died while experiencing homelessness this past year.

The coalition, a local homeless rights advocacy group, has organized vigils every December since 2013 to raise awareness of the challenges many people experiencing homelessness face while living outdoors. With around 20 active members – many of whom have previous experience with homelessness – the PFFC has been at the forefront of advocating for the rights of people without homes.

In 2018, the PFFC advocated for city legislation to expand public restroom access in D.C. Members of PFFC have continued to testify in support of various measures to support people experiencing homelessness at city council hearings and events in the District.

The vigil is part of a larger effort sponsored by the National Coalition for the Homeless, a national network of advocates and people who have experienced homelessness who — through policy work, grassroots organizing

municipalities to address the root causes of homelessness.

The two-day event will begin at 4 p.m. with an opening ceremony at the

Ave. NW.

public

Afterwards, vigil participants will march one mile to Freedom Plaza, where they will prepare to spend the night outdoors to raise awareness of the hardships many people experiencing unsheltered homelessness face. The event is always hosted close to the winter solstice, making the night longer.

Since the coalition’s first vigil in 2013, people have marched while carrying an empty coffin symbolizing all the people who died that year and had experienced homelessness.

The following morning, the procession will end at the Church of the Epiphany, at 1317 G Street NW, to convene a discussion on homeless rights advocacy at 9 a.m. Following the meeting, People for Fairness Coalition members will recite the names of people without a home in the District who have died this year at 12 p.m.

Sixty to 70 people die every year while experiencing homelessness, according to Robert Warren, the director of the coalition.

The name reading offers recognition to people who died while experiencing homelessness and may not have received a burial or acknowledgement.

The National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that about 13,000 people without homes die each year. Since people experiencing homelessness are at a greater risk for infectious diseases, chronic illness and poor mental health, their life expectancy is much lower than people with stable housing. The National Coalition for the Homeless estimates people experiencing homelessness die about 27 years earlier than the average American.

Warren has attended the vigils in his role as director and said that last year the event went well despite COVID-19 concerns.

“We had a really great turnout of people who were experiencing homelessness,” Warren said.

COVID-19 concerns have impacted previous vigils where several people have joined online or participated with social distancing. This year, some parts of the event will remain accessible online such as the portion hosted by the National Coalition for the Homeless at 4 p.m. on Dec. 21 where the national coalition is inviting the organizers and participants of vigils to close the event.

Warren stressed the importance of continuing the vigils and said recognizing the people through this annual vigil is an important way of ensuring that homeless people have access to a proper burial.

“[We’re] making sure there’s no discrimination and that all people have a place to rest in the earth,” Warren said.

SSM FAMILY UPDATES

• The Street Sense Holiday Party is this Friday, 12/16, at 1:30 p.m. Food, fun and gift bags for all!

• The office will close at 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23. And will be closed all day on Monday, Dec. 26.

• The PFFC Annual Homeless Memorial Vigil program starts on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 4 p.m.

• The office follows the government for severe weather delays and closures. Search online for “opm.gov/ status” or call the main office line.

• Newly designed vests are here! Every vendor gets a free one.

• Reminder! Show us your vaccination card and get free papers.

and

education—advocate for

Lutheran Place Memorial Church, at 1226 Vermont

Annual Homeless Memorial Vigil walk in 2019. Photo by Rodney Choice

DC Council set to make some pandemic-era benefits permanent

ANNEMARIE CUCCIA Staff Reporter

After temporarily boosting housing and nutrition benefits in the first year of the pandemic, the D.C. Council is poised to make their expansion permanent. Legislators unanimously approved the measures during a first reading at their Dec. 6 meeting.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed gaps in D.C.’s human services system amid an influx of new applications for assistance, according to Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, who chairs the Committee on Human Services. To help residents stay housed and healthy during the public health emergency, local and federal benefits programs lowered barriers and scaled up assistance. But many of those changes were temporary and are now expiring.

Two bills granted initial approval this month would permanently expand eligibility for emergency rental assistance, increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and double the size of a pilot program that helps

families relying on Rapid Rehousing subsidies.

For the bills to be implemented, the council must pass them a second time on Dec. 20; officials would also need to fund the SNAP expansion in the District’s fiscal year 2024 budget. Neither bill faces opposition.

The council did not vote on a related proposal to substantially alter D.C.’s often-criticized Rapid Rehousing (RRH) program, which provides time-limited housing subsidies, though councilmembers say they plan to reintroduce the legislation next session.

The council also gave initial approval to the Domestic Worker Employment Rights Amendment Act of 2022 after a fouryear campaign by the National Domestic Workers Alliance. The bill will add domestic workers, such as caretakers and housekeepers, to non-discrimination protections and mandate contracts between domestic workers and their employers.

“These women have been asking for something we all consider pretty basic: dignity, fairness, respect, and a safe

workplace,” At-large Councilmember

said at the Dec. 6 meeting. Several alliance members stayed until nearly 9 p.m. to watch the council take its first vote on the bill.

“Your determination, your advocacy, your many hours of testimony, your many hours of sitting here, your sharing of personal stories of wage theft, sexual harassment, fear of retaliation for asking for a fair and dignified workplace — all those efforts and many, many hours paid off today,” said Silverman, who introduced the bill and helped prod council action. The bill will require funding in next year’s budget.

Emergency rental assistance expanded

During the first years of the pandemic, thousands of D.C. residents applied for assistance to cover past-due rent. Much of this aid was distributed through D.C.’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), which provides up to five months

Elissa Silverman

The D.C. Council met in the John Wilson building on Dec. 6 to vote on more than 50 bills, including benefits expansion.

Photo by Kaela Roeder

of aid for residents behind on their rent due to job loss or other emergencies, as well as a security deposit and the first month’s rent for people who have to move.

The program was previously limited to families with children under 18, seniors, or people with disabilities. The pandemic made these restrictions seem arbitrary as all types of households faced daunting back-rent balances, Nadeau said. Since 2020, the council has passed a series of emergency and temporary bills to expand eligibility to all D.C. residents who make below 40% of the area median income annually, a threshold that opens the program to those making up to $40,320 for two people and $50,400 for a family of four. Legislation first introduced by D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson and At-large Councilmember Anita Bonds in March 2021 and passed on Dec. 6 makes that change permanent. In an effort to keep up with rising rents, the bill also raises the maximum amount of aid that households can receive.

“There’s no reason to return to a pre-pandemic status quo when it was too hard for the households most in need to access ERAP,” Nadeau said.

The bill also makes two programmatic changes: It simplifies the ERAP application process and removes a requirement that recipients be assigned to a case manager. While some ERAP recipients can benefit from case management, it isn’t always worthwhile for people facing a one-time crisis, Samantha Koshgarian, an attorney with Legal Aid D.C. said at a public hearing on the bill.

“The problem is not a need for case management. There is simply not enough money to get through the emergency,” Koshgarian said of the issue that spurs many ERAP applications.

SNAP supplemented

The federal SNAP program gives a monthly subsidy to lowincome households to purchase groceries. Each household’s

benefits are calculated on a sliding scale as a percentage of the maximum benefit available. For instance, a household of two could receive between $20 and $459 each month, depending on assets and income.

Federal pandemic relief packages enacted in 2020 boosted aid to add “emergency allotments” to each household’s SNAP benefits — an average monthly increase of $80 per person. These allotments will end with the federally designated public health emergency, which is currently extended through January 2023.

Before the pandemic, the average benefit for the 135,000 low-income D.C. households who receive SNAP was $149 a month, or just under $5 a day. More than half of the participating households use all their benefits in the first half of the month, At-large Councilmember Christina Henderson said at the Dec. 6 meeting. With benefits lower than the cost of food, there’s a District-wide SNAP food security gap of at least $160 million annually, according to Henderson.

“SNAP is supposed to be supplemental to a household’s food budget, but for many of the District’s SNAP beneficiaries, it makes up most or all of their food budget,” Jen Jenkins, a policy advocate at Legal Aid D.C., testified at a public hearing this spring.

The Give SNAP a Raise Amendment Act of 2022 is designed to fill part of that gap by increasing every household’s benefits by 10% of the maximum monthly allotment for their household size. This change will mean a $47 monthly increase for each household on average.

In order for the increases to be implemented, the mayor and council will need to allocate $50 million in FY 2024.

Rapid Rehousing not reformed

The pandemic also exposed gaps in the Rapid Rehousing (RRH) program, which provides a short-term housing subsidy

to people experiencing homelessness. The program is timelimited, and while it aims to help participants exit with a stable income, many families instead return to homelessness or housing insecurity.

Families already on RRH at the beginning of the pandemic received several subsidy extensions, though participants weren’t assured of that in advance. The looming eviction of hundreds of families drew legislative attention to the problem many participants already knew — that RRH, on its own, does not lead to long-term housing.

In an attempt to reform the program and provide more stability for families, Mendelson introduced the Rapid Re-Housing Reform Amendment Act in June. Under his proposal, families would be transitioned to other housing subsidies if they cannot afford rent when their RRH subsidy ends, functionally ending the time limit. Though the bill received a hearing, it was not passed out of committee and will die at the end of Council Period 24. Mendelson intends to introduce a similar bill in 2023, his office said.

In May, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a pilot for 300 families in RRH that will provide up to five years of rental assistance, cash to cover any benefits families lose as they increase their income, and employment resources. The program, called Career MAP, was initially established on a temporary basis and funded with federal money. Due to high demand, Bowser announced in September that the program would expand to 600 families. A provision in the same legislation that expands ERAP makes the pilot permanent.

This article was co-published with The DC Line.

The D.C. Council voted on more than 52 bills during their Dec. 6 meeting. Photo by Annemarie Cuccia

Faktum vendor Larry gets a doorstep of his own thanks to ‘Housing First’

MALIN CLAUSSON Faktum

He’s been around the block more than a few times and knows the “step-model” approach to homelessness inside out. He’s made his way up and fallen back down again, jumped through the hoops, progressed up the steps, only to come tumbling back down again all the way to rock bottom. He’s been in and out of different accommodation, followed by periods of homelessness.

“But this...I really don’t know what to say. I could scarcely believe this possibility even existed. When I found out about it, it was a life-changing moment,” says Larry Andersson with his voice full of emotion.

He’s referring to the “Bostad först” – or housing first – model, which gave him the chance to start over on his own terms four years ago. It’s a model that takes a radically different approach to traditional housing programs to tackle homelessness and is based on support as opposed to penalizing measures when individuals fall through the cracks. It’s a tailored support system that empowers individuals to deal with all the issues

that arise in independent accommodation. Now, when Larry experiences sleepless nights filled with anxiety, he can at last rest assured that these will not turn into nights spent on the street. He’s got the security of four walls to keep himself and his belongings safe.

Larry describes this as a world turned upside down, a world in which “angels exist” which support him when he needs it the most. No pressure.

He tells me about his housing officer and the support workers who have come to see him regularly since he moved in. He describes with genuine warmth the meetings, conversations and practical support he’s received with matters that are stressful and overwhelming for someone with his medical history. He reports that he has received help with everything he’s wanted.

At first, he required support to settle into his one-bed flat.

“I was given a furniture grant and bought this sofa set and that little table there,” he says pointing to a corner of the room.

“Over there I used to have a TV but don’t anymore. I cancelled the contract when they switched to digital. It’s actually nice not to have a TV. But this little altar, this I’ve

bought with money from selling Faktum (Sweden’s biggest street paper),” he says and turns toward the wall with the icons hanging on it.

Larry Andersson has sold Faktum on the streets of Gothenburg on and off for several years, when he’s got enough energy and stamina to do it. It’s a way to be social, to feel part of something bigger and to make ends meet. The Bostad först-staff have also helped him to apply for grants, Larry tells me. He recalls a question he was asked at the beginning of his Bostad först journey, which he couldn’t answer at the time: “What would you like us to help you with now, for the future, Larry?”

“I couldn’t get the words out. I couldn’t sift through and pinpoint what I wanted help with, it was much too big a question for me.”

Having wishes that go beyond help with practical matters, food shopping, updating his bank app, filling in tax declarations or shopping for clothes is difficult for Larry. Being able to go to IKEA and have lunch goes a long way for him.

Nowadays, he’s only got vague memories of the first two

After several years of homelessness, Larry finally has permanent accommodation through the Bostad förstprogram. Photo by Emil Malmborg

years of living in his flat. They’re a bit of a blur, due to a combination of substance abuse and mental health issues.

Larry has still got a lot to deal with but he can definitely handle independent living. He passed his first accommodation inspection after a year and the second one a year later. After that, the flat was his. The tenancy agreement was signed over to Larry Andersson and it’s the home that keeps him going, between the occasional low points. Most recently, this was during the pandemic when anxiety and fears took hold of him for a longer period. But the flat stood firm while Larry fell. Clean. With its nice curtains, plants and photos of his family. And the altar in the living room, that gives him inner strength. His faith and the safety provided by the flat alleviate the worry when fear strikes in the middle of the night when he often lies awake in the darkness that frightens him.

Larry Andersson found his faith following an NA-meeting in 1999. After this, he attended an adult education center for several years, studied theatre and stayed sober. That’s where he met his wife with whom he had two kids. Their relationship lasted ten years.

“Then my diagnosis began acting up.”

Self-medication followed and the floodgates opened. After the divorce, his life came crashing down around him.

Larry is diagnosed with avoidant personality disorder and explains that this brings on feelings of inadequacy and lack of self-confidence. In Larry’s case, it means that he is “constantly paranoid about everything and everyone.” He finds it difficult to relax and acknowledges the connection between this and his years of homelessness, since sleeping on the streets means not sleeping at all.

“So now that I’ve finally started to relax a bit more since I’ve got my own home, I’m scared to death of becoming homeless again.”

Larry describes the feelings of paranoia as a civil war being fought inside his soul. Just being able to do this interview has demanded huge amounts of effort and he’s had to summon his courage. Yet over the last four years, medical, psychological and social support has strengthened him.

“The psychologist says to me: ‘What you are experiencing

Larry, is not in keeping with reality.’ And I can feel that I’ve grown as a person. My life was extremely confusing before but now I’m back in contact with my kids and most things are working out much better for me.”

His alcohol use is decreasing, his interest in music and theatre is growing and Larry is, as he says, “coming back to himself.”

We go for a walk in the area where he lives and he tells me about his childhood. Larry Andersson lives only a few hundred meters from the street where he grew up. What’s behind the early substance misuse and mental health issues becomes apparent as we stand outside the door of the house where Larry lived with his brother, his unwell mother and his artistically-spirited father who routinely served dinner at 6pm but drank far too much.

“Dad was an alcoholic and mum abused prescription medication. She died when I was eleven years old.”

Larry recalls the day he came home and found her lifeless body on the floor. He remembers the 11-year-old Larry who called the neighbour, who in turn called the ambulance. He remembers himself as a child swiftly shoving the bottles of pills in the kitchen cabinet, terrified that he’d be taken into care if anyone saw them.

“Of course the first thing they did when they arrived was open the kitchen cabinet and everything fell out.”

It was already too late and there was no turning the clock back. With his parents lifestyles as a blueprint, Larry went straight into drugs and crime in his early teenage years. A placement in a young people’s home followed, where he stayed from the age of 18 to 21. Then things did straighten out for him for a while. He worked as a truck driver for a couple of years and eventually got into the adult education centre and met his future wife and well...that’s where the loose ends of his fractured life where tied together. Things have still turned out better for Larry than they did for his older brother, who became addicted to heroin and died of AIDS in 1995.

But it is not here, into the pavement on which we walk, that all his old pain is etched. It is not here, outside his childhood

home, that Larry breaks down. On the contrary, he remembers his childhood years with warmth: the school a walking distance away, the neighbours he played with and the informal social control and concern for others that characterised this place in the 1970s and 80s. The fact that Bostad först’s offices

are located in this neighbourhood may also have been a contributing factor but it was precisely here that Larry wanted to live when he was offered their help.

“Yeah, it’s strange. But it’s as though I’m healing myself here, like I’m becoming whole through these roots. I’ve probably been more rootless than homeless over the course of my life,” says Larry and shows me his father’s former studio, his route to school, and an anonymous-looking office crammed in between the flats. That’s where they work. Larry’s guardian angels, those who help him accept himself. Those who make his eyes well-up with tears of gratitude.

Larry calls me a week after our afternoon together at his home in Helsingborg. “Malin, I just want to tell you something, so that you really understand how great this Bostad först thing is. This morning I woke up at 4:44 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep. I suddenly started thinking that I wanted to do something cultural and I’d heard about a performance at the city theatre that I was interested in and thought it might do me good. Then when I spoke to my support worker about it, she was on it right away. She helped me order the ticket and everything. It’s just a tiny detail but that concern, that support, the fact they make sure I do things that are good for my wellbeing. Do you get it? It’s fantastic.”

Translated from Swedish via Translators without Borders

Courtesy of Faktum / International Network of Street Papers

“My own doorstep!” Larry creates a pun of the “step-model” for homeless people which did not help him. Photo by Emil Malmborg

Larry at home, where his “guardian angels” come to support him. His name for the Bostad först-support workers.

Photo by Emil Malmborg

ILLUSTRATIONS

BY JACKIE TURNER, ANDRE BRINSON, ANTHONY CARNEY, ABEL PUTU DESIGNED BY M ARIA LARES

OPINION

Eminent domain

BY ANGIE WHITEHURST

Eminent domain is a real pain. It is the legal eviction rug used by society to take one’s home, land and possibly wherewithal if those affected are living off the land. Yet, this is the history of Indigenous Native Americans. The United States government wanted the land for itself. And it took it from them.

Taking their lead from the Spanish conquistadors who came before them, newly arrived settlers to North America began employing such brutal tactics themselves. In the United States, the first white settlers on the east coast began pushing people off their land, and soon, this practice spread to the entire continent. Out west, there were precious minerals such as gold that speculators and developers wanted to take for themselves. It has happened over and again throughout the history of this country. Unfortunately, this legacy has continued throughout the years.

In the early days of Washington, D.C., eminent domain was instituted to rid the city of “ugly” and “blight eyesores” found near the Capitol and White House. At the time, people in power wanted to distance themselves from other people living in poverty. Many Black Americans were living in poverty in these years in slums that had later been cleared out.

Throughout his presidency, Richard Nixon was particularly vocal about this so-called “blight.” And so have many other politicians and people in power who followed him. Over the years, many inhabitants of this land were forced to move from places they called home.

I recently came across this Native Youth Alliance tent on the mall. I felt as though it was ironic because this was the land that originally belonged to the American Indians until they were forced to leave it. I found it even more ironic that the Native American Youth Alliance has to get a permit from the United States government park service to pitch a tent on the mall itself. The alliance was here to lobby Congress for the rights of the indigenous. And I strongly feel they deserve all the support we can give them.

Angie Whitehurst is an artist and vendor with Street Sense Media.

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Please send submissions to opinions@streetsensemedia.org.

Angie Whitehurst (right) poses alongside Dr. Dan Kerr and Megan Henry of American University (left) and Nathan Phillips and Alethea Phillips (center). Photo courtesy of Angie Whitehurst

Nathan Phillips (left) director of the Native Youth Alliance, and Alethea Phillips (right), youth coordinator of the alliance, sit in front of a fire. Photo courtesy of Angie Whitehurst

Wish for the winter

ABEL PUTU

Artist/Vendor

My hope this winter is for things to get better. 2023 is coming, and I know it will be a great year.

Yesterday I was talking to a lady, and I told her about all the work that we do at Street Sense. She told me that she likes my artwork and she is following my story.

This winter, I want to ask all the people to be good. We are working hard in the cold and sometimes in the rain. My wish this winter is that everyone sells all their papers and stays safe.

Homemade gift

JEN MCLAUGHLIN Artist/Vendor

When I was a teen my brother made a porcelain frog for Christmas. I didn't appreciate the fact that it took time for him to make it at the time. I now admire the homemade gift.

We are all human

JACKIE TURNER Artist/Vendor

There are so many things going wrong nowadays in the world. The pandemic is everywhere, people are dying, racism, children raising themselves, all kinds of drug abuse and a lot of haters.

I beg that people believe that we are all humans — valuable in the same way. Hurt people sometimes hurt others without knowing. This doesn't mean that you have to divide into your own people and sections to feel safe. There are no divisions of people in God's eye. All are the same way: get hurt, feel pain, live and die.

I am not saying that people haven’t shown compassion in this time of trouble. In fact, they have joined and helped one another. I am saying material things don’t equal life. We as a whole could do more than feed and shelter. We can save lives!

Look outside day-to-day, surveil, and take the time to think if it was you. What would I want or what could help me? Put yourself in their place. Try to be human.

We are devoted to being a good neighbor in every community we serve. That’s why we’re working with customers like you to help our communities thrive. Your support allows us to give more and do more to improve lives and make our neighborhoods stronger. Thank you for helping us make a difference.

ART Back in the back of a taxi

FREDERIC JOHN Artist/Vendor

Those who enjoy the works of genius investigative penman Bob Woodward may have been lucky enough to have caught “Wired.” Not in the least political, “Wired” chronicled the swift rise and sad descent of the hefty SNL star John Belushi. In both the book and film adaptations, Belushi is seen making the passage to the hereafter in a slouchy and yellow checker New York taxi cab.

Sheer coincidence that one brisk night in 1981, my best bud from childhood – and now a fellow lower Manhattanite –Rad Guitar Robbie and I should pile into a capacious checker backseat, laughing and “shooting the shit.” Me in the middle, Robbie on the right.

What was our ultimate destination? Well, here’s a little hint: music to muses! We embarked at the famed Lone Star, notorious for fitting James Brown’s entire 26-piece review up on a platform over the long bar in the main space; and for the 125 -foot green Iguana (with strawberry waddle to match). Our ultimate destination, even for their downtown than “One Fish” was “Hudson and Dominick,” gutturally evinced from the grinning dude on my left in the aforesaid backseat. My left seatmate, whose failed attempt at a shave matched that of our taciturn cabbie (whose chunky build was “doppler” to Burt Young of “Rockie”), knew most of his crew were aware that was the address of the Blues Brothers’ Black Rhino Bar

natch! Strikingly anonymous, the BBBRB was a two-and-ahalf-storey stub of paint-weary brick on the edge of the old “Meatpacking Zone.” Yes, Belushi was our guide this particular midnight.

We bumped the cobbled byways leading to the Black Rhino, taking potholes hard. “So you play the guitar, do you John?” drawled Belushi. If he was heavily “lubed” he managed to maintain fair congenialism. “Robbie here [gesturing across to my friend adroite] he taught me sweet home Chicago! On Magic Slam’s red ES-335! No joke!”

I happened to have the skinny on how my brother in southside blues idolatry not only schooled “Bluto” in the fabled love of the late balladeer Magic Sam Maghett but Robbie actually gifted the scruffy star with teh gleaming cherry-lacquer guitar. But Belushi went on in a deeper, somber tone.

“Dude, you’ve worked in films, you and Rob have played and sung on stages…You may not believe this but the fame thing can be a bit of a bummer…” He then fell silent, but as we lurched to a rude halt outside the bar covered with peeling posters, dimly lit with the upper windows trimmed over the scarred doors swung open. Who should greet us but the redbearded bass man Donald “Duck Dunn himself!

Duck was on loan to the Blues Brothers Band. Looming behind him was an even bigger behemoth in a Hawaiian shirt

and iridescent shades and looked vaguely familiar. “Just call me Dan,” he growled.

“Dan” motioned us to our “workstations” with no fol-derol. He flicked on a couple of switches in the smoky dimness. There were no audience members to speak of – some beat-up bar stools were lined up, overturned along the service rail. A string of cheesy Christmas lights blinked fitfully.

Belushi, as if by magic, had donned a blue Kahua shirt and sprang to life at a four-piece denim fit with his hat. His sticks aloft, he bellowed, “Hit it, boys!”

The “boys” namely me on an upright piano, Duck on the bass guitar, and Robbie on a Fender strat, fell right in rag-tag fashion to the Blues Brothers’ theme, “Can’t turn you a-loose!” There was no mike here, but with Belushi, you didn’t need one.

We struggled through half a dozen stock numbers, climaxing with “Mustang Sally,” at the close of which, the great Belushi passed out, knocking over the bass drum as he went down.

“Show’s over, folks!” grunted Big Dan. Rob, Duck and I glanced at each other, shrugged, and stumbled out into weak Dominick street daylight.

A memorable jam, if there was one.

Reflections of water

BRIANNA BUTLER Artist/Vendor

A sheet of clean mist roars with happiness and strength. I have a dazzling rainbow inside my interior. I relax and feel the joyfulness touching me. I look through my sparkling, glistening blue reflection as the sun rises. I can see myself looking back at you in the waves. Living creatures camouflaging themselves in my warmth. I shelter them with my reflection. I can see the adorable, laughing babies roaring splashes with me. When the temperature drops, I shine with the crystals. I breathe twirling bubbles underneath the crystal sheets. Have fun with me like I am with you.

People, places and things

JEFFREY CARTER Artist/Vendor

What affects us most is the environment that we live in. We must think logically because we could end up in some bad places around bad people and they could do negative things like give us bad drugs or rob us. So we must think about where we are going and what to expect. Then again we could walk into a liquor store and play Powerball and become a winner… Or find $100 while we are walking home.

Haikus

AMINA WASHINGTON Artist/Vendor

Leaves bend back at now; a small child cries a rainstorm, shades of cool breezes.

A little cat rains, colorful coat of leaf folds, seeks shelters of light.

Alive

JET FLEGETTE Artist/Vendor

There is a sound of silence There is a feeling of stillness And it’s such a beautiful day

There is a mist in the air Formed from the tears of the Ones who have cost And don’t know why

Just yesterday it was calm But it was winter, and We had hope for a warm Sunny day with no dismay Forget that loss had A role to play

Right now I am alive and New like I am being born And the tears I shed for Death I now shed for life Even with all the uncertainty In the air

Rain

KYM PARKER Artist/Vendor

When we need it, it can cleanse our world.

It helps us. It gets us closer to God. It cleanses us of all our sins. It makes the world whole.

Parts of us don’t get it. Tears take us closer to God. Rain helps us get through the pain of the day. It’s not water, it’s a spiritual gift, given to us by Christ.

It helps us when we need it.

Rain.

Here comes the rain, again. It falls on us all. God calls us to take it in. The rain. When it falls, it falls hot. When it falls, it falls cold.

Cleaning the air Refreshing us. And bringing us to where we are now. Get closer to God. Rain.

It’s called those winter Sundays

DANIEL BALL Artist/Vendor

On Sundays, my mother got up early in the morning and put her clothes on in the cold. She had cracked hands, doing hard labor on the weekdays. But no one ever said thank you to her. After she got home, her room was still warm.

Rhymes

GRETA CHRISTIAN Artist/Vendor

I cry for you I cry out for you I cry my life for you

I cry and I cry I cry and sing song For you

CARLTON JOHNSON Artist/Vendor

TimeWe move with time, life in seconds; days move with the hours, second by second is the movement.

I cry and sleep for you I cry and focus on you I cry to be happy with you I cry because I lost you

I cry because I’m depressed with you I cry everyday for you I cry when I’m talking to you I cry over little things about you I cry over you when I kiss you

I cry my heart to you I cry out my soul for you I cry out my soul because I love you I cry out because I’m angry with you I cry out because I don’t need you

Everybody cries Jesus cries The whole world cries People in shelters cry Dogs cry too

Decorative pitcher, often made of porcelain

Uppermost feature of the pyramid on a U.S. paper dollar

One with a spine of steel?

Pleasantly flavorful (IPADS anagram)

Receiving public assistance, informally (2 wds.) (2,7)

32. The “N” of U.S.N.A. 36. Feature of missile or NASA rocket launchings (SOFT FLABS anagram) 37. Something you can dig...or darn 38. White House office shape 39. Shipwreck and snorkeling site, often 42. Those who manifest 17-Across often have oversized ones 43. Transmitted, as a letter, message or signal 46. Relative of reggae 50. Boiling blood 51. One of more than 3700 ordered by Elon Musk upon his acquisition of Twitter 52. ____ Grey tea 53. Like finger-painting and some breakups 54. How one may be kept by a snorer 55. Old photo color 56. Has a bawl 60. Hydroxyl compound (LONE anagram) 62. Get-out-of-jail money 63. SeaWorld creature 64. Santa’s reindeer or the Budweiser Clydesdales, e.g. 66. Long-banned pesticide (abbr./acron.) 68. “____ is me” (classic lament) SOLUTION: It’s a Goner ____ Issue S 1 A 2 S 3 H 4 A 5 S 6 E 7 L 8 F 9 D 10 E 11 F 12 T 13 S 14 A L U D H 15 A I L E 16 R O O W 17 H O L E L 18 O T T A A 19 I R S V 20 A L O R I 21 R 22 R E G S N 23 S 24 A A 25 L T O 26 T 27 R U M P E T A 28 N K H 29 Z 30 O O N 31 E A T O S 32 C I O N 33 S 34 H 35 G T 36 S C 37 A P I T O 38 L A T T A 39 C 40 K 41 C 42 U B A Y 43 O U L I E 44 P 45 H 46 A 47 S 48 E I 49 L E 50 G 51 O T H S 52 A L T T O 53 T A S T 54 E 55 U 56 S S A 57 L L E Y S S 58 I D E 59 S L 60 O M A T 61 O 62 T 63 A L W R E C 64 K 65 M 66 E A L E 67 B A Y I 68 M A C S S 69 S N S R 70 I B S N 71 A U R U

crossword puzzle is the original work of Patrick “Mac”McIntyre. It is provided to us courtesy of Real Change News,

Seattle, Wa.

COMMUNITY SERVICES

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

Línea directa de violencia doméstica 1-800-799-7233

Línea de salud del comportamiento 1-888-793-4357 Education Educación

Legal Assistance Assistencia Legal Showers Duchas

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

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

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

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

Laundry Lavandería

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

JOB BOARD

Crew Member

Five Guys // 2490 Market St. NE

Full-time/Part-time

Operate the register, prepare food and sanitize the restaurant.

REQUIRED: N/A

APPLY: tinyurl.com/crew-five-guys

Restaurant Team Member

Shake Shack // 1216 18th St. NW

Prep food, cook, provide excellent customer service and clean the store.

REQUIRED: N/A

APPLY: tinyurl.com/shake-shack-team

Housekeeper

Hilton Garden Inn

Clean and maintain guest rooms and perform house person and lobby attendant duties when short-staffed.

REQUIRED: High school diploma preferred.

APPLY: tinyurl.com/gardeninn-housekeeper

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

All services listed are referral-free

QUEENIE FEATHERSTONE