StreetSense_forWeb_2.17.10

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February 17 - March 3, 2010

Where the poor and homeless

earn and give their two cents

February 17 - March 3, 2010

D STE GE ON G I S U N AT DO

Volume 7 Issue 8

65 cents for the Vendor

Snowpacalypse: Running for cover

35 cents for production of the paper

Street Sense celebrates Black History Month Page 8 & 9

How the winter storm affected the homeless See page 6

High school drop-outs prevelant with teen mothers Page 4

Give a Vendor a Gift That Will Last All Year, details see page 3

$24,000

$22,000

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$18,000

$16,000

$14,000

$12,000

$10,000

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$2,000

See Page 6

“More of the Same� in federal government policy Page 12

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February 17 - March 3, 2010

1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 347–2006 Fax: (202) 347–2166 info@streetsense.org www.streetsense.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kristal DeKleer Lisa Estrada Ted Henson Mary Lynn Jones Sommer Mathis Brad Scriber John Snellgrove Michael Stoops Martin Walker David Walker Kathy Whelpley EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Abby Strunk EDITOR–IN–CHIEF Lisa Gillespie VENDOR MANAGER Gregory Martin

INTERNS Sonja Doty & Jozie Sands FOUNDERS Ted Henson & Laura Thompson Ossuri VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Robert Basler, Robert Blair, John Brandt, Jane Cave, Carol Cummings, Rebecca Curry, Katie Edson, Andy Freeze, Robert Fulton, Jane Goforth, Cassandra Good, Joanne Goodwin, Roberta Haber, Erica Hall, Carol Hannaford, Justin Herman, Annie Hill, Dan Horner, Phillip Hoying, Kayne Karnbach, Michael Kelly, Maurice King, Geof Koss, Brenda K. Lee-Wilson, Starlett McNeill, Kim O’Connor, Gabriel Okolski, Robert Orifici, Michael O’Neill, Jon Pattee, Katinka Podmankzy, Sarah Birnie, Diane Rusignola, Cara Schmidt, Jamie Schuman, Jesse Smith, Christna Studivant, Matthew Taylor, Robert Trautman, Linda Wang, Denise Wilkins, Marian Wiseman, Corrine Yu,

VENDORS O’Jango Amen, Michael Anderson, Jake Ashford, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Ernest Ballard, Carlie Banks, Kenneth Belkosky, Tommy Bennett, Phillip Black, Reginald Black, Corey Bridges, Michael Brown, Melody Byrd, Cliff Carle, Percy Carter, Conrad Cheek Jr., Aaron Conner, Pamela Cooper, Anthony Crawford, Louise Davenport, James Davis, Chino Dean, David Denny, Ricardo Dickerson, Muriel Dixon, Alvin Dixon El, Charles Eatmon, Eric Ellis, Richard Embden, Randy Evans, Craig Fleming, Tanya Franklin, Roger Garner, Robert Gregory, Barron Hall, Dwight Harris, John Harrison, Patricia Henry, Shakaye Henry, Shawn Herring, Michael Higgs, Phillip Howard, Lester Irby, Michael Jackson, Patricia Jefferson, Jewell Johnson, Carlton Johnson, Donald Johnson, Allen Jones, Mark Jones, DeRutter Jones, Clinton Kilpatrick, Kevin Lasister, Brenda Lee-Wilson, Michael Lyons, Kina Mathis, John Matthews, Charlie Mayfield, Herman Mayse, Robert McCray, Jermale McKnight, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jeffery McNeil, Frank Mearns, Virginia Moore, L. Morrow, Tyrone Murray, Lester Myers, Charles Nelson, Sammy Ngatiri, Evelyn Nnam, Charity Ogbonnaya, Moyo Onibuje, Gregory Phillips, Harry Powell, Ash-Shaheed Rabbil, Forrest Rainwater, Michael Reardon, Jeanette Richardson, Sean-Christopher Riley, Tyrone Rogers, Ed Ross, Denise Sanders, Melania Scott, Chris Shaw, Veda Simpson, Patty Smith, Gerald Smith, Yvette Smith, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, James Stewart, Garland Stroman, Leroy Studevant, Sybil Taylor, Steve Thomas, Eric Thompson, Deborah Tibbs, Carl Turner, Patsy Uzzell, Martin Walker, Joseph Walker, Robert Warren, Lawless Watson, Darrell Whitmyer, Edna Williams, Brian Wills, Ivory Wilson, Charles Woods

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Our Mission

Street Sense aims to serve as a vehicle for elevating voices and public debate on issues relating to poverty while also creating economic opportunities for people who are experiencing homelessness in our community.

The Story of Street Sense

Street Sense began in August 2003 after two volunteers, Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions about starting a street newspaper in Washington, D.C. A street paper is defined as a newspaper about poverty, homelessness and other social issues that provides an income to the homeless individuals who sell it. About 25 street papers operate in the United States and Canada in places like Seattle, Chicago, Montreal and Boston, and dozens more exist throughout the world.

After bringing together a core of dedicated volunteers and vendors, Street Sense came out with its first issue in November 2003, printing 5,000 copies. For the next three years the paper published on a monthly basis and greatly expanded its circulation and vendor network.

For the first year, Street Sense operated as a

project of the National Coalition for the Homeless, but in October 2004, the organization incorporated and moved into its own office space. In March 2005, Street Sense received 501(c)3 status, becoming a nonprofit organization.

In October 2005 Street Sense formed a full board of directors, and in November the organization hired its first employee, a fulltime executive director.

A year later in November 2006 , the organization hired its first vendor coordinator, and began partnering with several service providers.

In February 2007, the paper started publishing twice a month and to support the increased production, Street Sense brought on its first fulltime editor–in–chief in April.

As of January 2009 the paper had 80 active vendors and prints about 30,000 issues a month.

Do you want to continue to support Street Sense throughout the year?

Order a subscription today!

Not only will you receive 26 issues packed with all our latest news, poetry and photography, you will also help raise awareness about poverty in the D.C. area.

___ YES! I want to subscribe to Street Sense for just $40 a year for 26 issues. ___ YES! I want to give half of the cost of a subscription to my favorite vendor: ______________________________ Name:_________________________ Address:_______________________ City:____________State:__________ Zip: ___________________________ Phone: ________________________ E-mail: ________________________ Please make checks payable to: Street Sense.

We are proud members of: North American Street Newspaper Association

International Network of Street Papers

Vendor Code of Conduct 1. Street Sense will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $1. I agree not to ask for more than a dollar or solicit donations for Street Sense by any other means.

2. I will only purchase the paper from Street Sense staff and will not sell papers to other vendors (outside of the office volunteers).

3. I agree to treat all others – customers, staff, other vendors – respectfully, and I will not “hard sell,” threaten or pressure customers.

4. I agree to stay off private property when selling Street Sense.

5. I understand that I am not a legal employee of Street Sense but a contracted worker responsible for my own well–being and income.

6. I agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling the paper.

7. I will not sell Street Sense under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

8. I agree to stay a block away from another vendor and respect the space of all vendors. I understand that my badge is the property of Street Sense and will not deface it.

I will present my badge when purchasing the papers and display my badge and wear my vest when selling papers.

10. I understand that Street Sense strives to be a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the homeless. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word.

Thank you to all our donors!

Mail to: Street Sense, 1317 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20005.

Thank You!

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February 17 - March 3, 2010

Urban garden in Colorado set to benefit homeless, area poor A community garden is set to take root in Colorado Springs, Colo., and will be maintained by three agencies that help the homeless, the Colorado Springs Gazette reports.

Springs Rescue Mission, Urban Peak and the Marian House will have discreet areas to maintain in the 80-footby-60-foot garden. According to Larry Stebbins, director of Pikes Peak Urban Gardens, the plot is big enough to grow at least 2,000 pounds of produce per season, which can provide about 13 people with all their fresh produce each year.

Some of the harvest will go to agency clients who do their own cooking; the rest will go to shelters and food pantries. “We’re really excited about it,� said Lyn Harwell of Springs Rescue Mission, which offers recovery programs for drug addicts and alcoholics, and provides meals and other necessities to the poor and homeless. “There’s nothing that’s more pleasurable, peaceful or calming to someone in recovery than to be involved with working the earth from beginning to end.�

California police arrest nearly 50 homeless at Venice Beach Los Angeles police arrested nearly 50 homeless men and women in an early-morning sweep of Venice Beach, the Associated Press reports.

While most were arrested for sleeping on the beach past

closing time, some were taken into custody on other warrants or felony violations. The sweep comes on the heels of residents’ complaints of crime and drug use on the beach.

The homeless were referred to local outreach programs, the police told the AP.

Homeless advocates protest meal limits in Gainesville Homeless supporters say Gainesville’s daily limit of 130 meals at the St. Francis House homeless shelter is prohibitive and rallied in opposition of the limits, the Gainesville Sun reports. “Meals are being held hostage by the city of Gainesville,� said the Rev. Milford Griner of the Rosa Parks Quiet Courage Committee. “Let there be no more limits. Let people who need food and who are not in that magic number between one and 130, get food.�

Local restaurants say that the wide distribution of meals in the area prevents customers from coming. The tension between area merchants and the shelter has existed for more than a decade, the Sun reports. But homeless in Gainesville say that they rely on the shelter.

Homeless numbers surge in northern Idaho The number of homeless people in northern Idaho counties has ballooned 36 percent since 2009, the SpokesmanReview reports.

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During a five-day count of homeless on the streets, more than 770 people were counted, about 55 percent were male, with the rest female. About one in five was a child.

Twenty-two percent of those counted were classified as “chronically homeless,� or those who have been homeless for a year or more or have had four stretches of homelessness during the past three years. The number of chronically homeless has skyrocketed more than 280 percent since 2009, the Spokesman-Review reports.

One in four people in Toledo live below poverty line Toledo, Ohio, is the eighth most impoverished city, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau poverty statistics, with about 25 percent of residents living below the poverty line, the Toledo Blade reports. The national poverty rate is 13.2 percent.

The homeless population in Toledo jumped 21 percent between 2008 and 2009, but area residents believe the situation may be worse than the data shows since the latest rankings were based upon 2008 figures.

For comparison, Cherry Street Mission Ministries, a longstanding shelter and soup kitchen, served 120 meals and accommodated 67 homeless men and women per day in 2003.

In January of this year, the shelter served 786 meals daily and had an average of 248 men and women seeking shelter.

Compiled by Dianna Heitz, from previously published reports.

Give a Vendor a Gift that Will Last All Year For 2010 Street Sense is making a concerted effort to better assist its vendors to help them improve their lives and get off the street. New programs include:

‡ Sales Training Workshops: 6DOHV SURIHVVLRQDOV ZLOO KRVW ZRUNVKRSV WKDW WUDLQ YHQGRUV LQ WKH ÀHOG RI VDOHV DQG KHOS WKHP DFTXLUH RWKHU VDOHV jobs outside of Street Sense.

‡ Vendor Savings Accounts: Street Sense will save 10 cents from each 35 cents it collects from each paper and set it aside in an account that vendors can access to put towards housing, education, or starting a business once they sell 3,000 papers. ‡Serial Novel poetry book.

& Poetry Book: Street Sense plans to publish a 24-chapter novel with each chapter written by a different vendor and another

+RZHYHU ZH QHHG VXSSRUW IURP UHDGHUV OLNH \RX WR JHW WKHVH SURJUDPV XS DQG UXQQLQJ DV LW ZLOO WDNH DGGLWLRQDO UHVRXUFHV DQG VWDIÀQJ WR PDNH WKHP D VXFFHVV :H DUH DLPLQJ WR UDLVH DQ H[WUD D PRQWK WKURXJK LQGLYLGXDO GRQDWLRQV WR VSHFLÀFDOO\ VXSSRUW YHQGRU SURJUDPV 6R SOHDVH KHOS VXSSRUW \RXU ORFDO YHQGRU WKURXJK these programs, and give them a gift that will last all year – and many more to come!

I want to donate:

My Information:

____$60 for supplies for one sales training workshop ____$100 for the printing of 25 Poetry Books ____$300 for the vendor savings account to match the “cashout� level ____$500 for the printing of 125 serial novels ____$1000 for the space needed to hold a complete series of training workshops ____$1500 for one month increase in the vendor manager’s salary to oversee all the new programs ____ Another amount of _________to go towards __________________________ ____The amount of _________to go directly to vendor _______________________

Name:_________________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________________ City, State, Zip:__________________________________________________ Phone:_______________________ Email:____________________________ Please make checks payable to “Street Sense� and mail to: * 6WUHHW 1: :DVKLQJWRQ '&

Donate online at www.streetsense.org

S treetS ense.org

February 17 - March 3, 2010

Not a Learning Experience Teen pregnancy hinders educational attainment

By Liisa Rajala One third of teen mothers do not earn a high school diploma or GED, reports Child Trends, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center that studies child development and related factors. The report is based on 2006 government data that indicate an increase in U.S. teen births, ending a 14-year decline.

This increase is concerning, since, according to the survey, only 51 percent of teen mothers earn a diploma before turning 22 and only 15 percent earn their GED before that age. In comparison, 89 percent of women who are not teen mothers earn a diploma before the age of 22 and 5 percent earn a GED. The study also shows that teen mothers who become pregnant before the age of 18 are even less likely to earn their high school credentials.

According to Child Trends, the fact that a GED does not carry the same weight as a high school diploma (and that workers with GEDs earn less than high school graduates) makes these statistics even more concerning.

Deborah Shore, executive director of the Sasha Bruce Youthwork (SBY), says this information is useful to the study of teen pregnancy, since it shows “how much it changes a person’s life to have a child.”

SBY serves at-risk youth and their families in the Washington, D.C. area.

Among many of the programs they offer is the Teen Mothers Program, which provides educational and vocational guidance, assistance with housing and employment, training in parenting and life skills and pre- and post-natal medical care.

Shantese Speight, who is 20 years old and from Northwest D.C., is applying for the program that would offer daycare for her 3-month-old daughter Saniy. “It’s a big restriction,” she said, regarding teen motherhood.

She expected the changes in responsibilities, but said preparing for them

was very different from actually performing her duties.

Speight said she found a lot of different resources online. She hopes that after she gets permanent housing she can return to college and study social work. As Saniy gets older, Speight said she thinks she is starting to settle down. Speight completed high school and spent a semester at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, N.C. Chantel Robinson is also applying for housing. Robinson is 19 years old and had her daughter Amira last December.

“It changed a lot of things, having a child, because you got to provide,” Robinson said. Robinson is from Southeast D.C., but now lives in Northeast with her sister. She dropped out of school when she moved, because she had problems with her paperwork related to switching schools. She wants to get her GED and study medical assistance.

While Sasha Bruce offers assistance to young mothers and works on preventing teen pregnancy, Shore said there are not many options for women in the District.

She cited Congress’s ban on the use of city funds to support abortion clinics, making abortions unaffordable for many. Moreover, according to Shore, the abortion clinics are hard to find and are, thus, out of reach for women with significant time constraints.

Margaux Delotte-Vennett, coordinator of the Hope Program, which focuses on sexual education, called for more school-based programs and efforts to create support groups focusing on the goals of children and young parents. She praised the New Heights Program and the efforts

The Sasha Bruce Youthwork offers a Teen Mothers Program, enabling young women to raise their children in a safe enviroment, while finishing school or obtaining their GED. Nearly one-third of teen mothers do not receive a high school diploma or GED.

made by Cardozo and Anacostia High Schools.

“Education is already shaky priority wise,” said Delotte-Vennett talking about the situation in D.C. She added that some young people are already unmotivated when it comes to school and pregnancy provides them with another reason not to attend.

Teen mothers are more likely to have another child within two years of their first pregnancy, according to Delotte-Vennett. Subsequent pregnancies further limit their options, since there is a shortage in housing for women with more than one child.

“As an agency, Sasha Bruce is realizing subsequent pregnancy prevention is a priority,” said Delotte-

Vennett.

According to Shore, there is a noticeable increase in teen pregnancies across the country and in D.C. She attributes the rise to a loss of hope and a sense of having no place in the world.

“I think it’s about young people seeing a future that is different for themselves,” said Shore. “If you have one child, once things settle out you can go on to college, but when you have two children, the impact is greater,” said Shore.

Child Trends confirms that notion, reporting that completing high school education reduces the risk of subsequent teen pregnancies, which have been linked to even poorer outcomes for mothers and their children.

PHOTOs by Liisa Rajala

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February 17 - March 3, 2010

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Count Will Show Effects of Recession The impact of President Obama’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) is about to be assessed against the raw statistics.

President Obama created HPRP, aimed at preventing and ending homelessness, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The program directs $1.5 billion towards housing aid, case management and other services to help the financially unstable become self-reliant. Last week, elected officials, service providers and volunteers teamed together to count the number of people experiencing homelessness. This year’s count will be critical to determining the success or failure of HPRP. “Prior to the recession, we had turned the corner on homelessness, finally beginning to reduce the number,” said Nan Roman, President and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “That has now changed.”

According to Roman, high unemployment and deepened poverty caused by the recession have increased homelessness in many places. Alliance projections demonstrate that, without federal intervention, High unemployment and deepened poverty caused by the recession have increased homelessness in many places. Above, a counter 1.5 million more people would have experienced home- approaches a camp to gather data on the people dwelling there. lessness.

“These counts will help us understand the national The 2009 counts will be evaluated by this summer, ac- to another.”

The homeless counts include those in transitional picture, and what the impact of HPRP has been,” said cording to the Alliance. This evaluation may provide the Roman. “Certainly the counts are a reminder that this first insight into the effects of the American recession housing and emergency shelters, on the streets, in parks is a problem far from solved – and there has never been on homelessness in our nation; however, counting the and campsites, and formerly homeless people who receive assistance from case workers. The counts do not a more urgent time to address this great American trag- homeless always presents many challenges.

"There is no way you can count every single per- include those living out of friends’ homes, according edy. As all Americans struggle through this recession, we must not forget those most vulnerable to the instability son who's homeless," said Michael Ferrell, chairman of to the Alliance. The Alliance has produced an interacthe Homeless Services Committee of the Metropolitan tive map displaying community counts that have been of the economy.”

The Department of Housing and Urban Develop- Washington Council of Governments, which conducts submitted to HUD. The map is available on the Alliance ment (HUD) requires homeless counts every two years, the yearly tally. "We give our best representation of what website: http://www.endhomelessness.org/section/ though most communities perform counts annually. the homeless population is in our area . . . from one year data/interactivemaps/mycountsmap.

PHOTO by Juana Arias

By Caroline Hopper

Hungry Choose Between Food and Warmth

By Sonja Doty The face of hunger is changing to match the person next to you on the bus, according to Lynn Brantley, CEO of Capital Area Food Bank, the primary Feeding America (FA) affiliate in the metro area, serving 478,100 people a year through 700 partners. Since the last study conducted in 2006, 19,000 more clients have begun to go to the local providers.

A new study shows that only 9.9 percent of FA clients are homeless, with more than a third of client households having one or more adults employed.

“These are people that you see on the bus, every day, who are struggling to put food on their tables,” Brantley said.

Nationwide, there has been an upswing in pantry, food kitchen and shelter clients by 46 percent.

Food insecurity is the lack of knowing if you will be able to provide food for

yourself and your family. In this process, one often does ‘trade-offs,’ sacrificing food for rent, utilities, or transportation, according to James Mabli, primary author of the report.

“I would have liked more questions about the struggles people are facing trying to meet their expenses,” Mabli said, adding that when the survey was developed, the housing crisis had only just begun and the questions did not necessarily capture all the surrounding circumstances.

Approximately 46 percent of all client households had to choose between food and utilities at least once, while 39 percent had to choose between food and rent.

Brantley attributes both the increase in clients and the trade-offs to the economic downturn.

“The American dream is changing dramatically,” she said. “People are losing

their homes, their jobs, and the disappearance of the manufacturing base.”

According to the specialized report for the D.C. area, 56 percent of households have a working adult, and one in three households had children that could not eat because of finances.

“I’ve been working on hunger issues for 37 years, and I’ve never seen a time quite like now,” Brantley said.

Surveys such as these, according to Mabli, serve to guide public policy, being used by food banks to “push for funding” and inspire donations of equipment and stir up support.

The report is not meant to be read, he said, “it’s more of a cookbook,” through which to flip to the wanted section.

Food banks across the nation each received specialized reports suited to their area, and although the Capital Area Food Bank has seen an increase, Brantley points to food banks in Ohio and Indiana

that have been “hit much harder.”

Every food bank is under pressure, she said.

“Food giving is up about 30 percent, but it’s going out at a much faster pace than it’s coming in.”

Both Mabli and Brantley credit much to volunteers, who staff a majority of the emergency food providers and who did the legwork for the survey.

It was the agencies’ responsibilities to provide the volunteers, Mabli said. “A lot made it their full-time gig.”

For the providers, Brantley said volunteering is what keeps things running.

The majority of pantries in the D.C. are entirely volunteer-run, and a significant minority of shelters and kitchens. However, she emphasized, there was more to it than just hunger.

“Food is just what brings them to the door, but there’s a care and love that comes with that.”

February 17 - March 3, 2010

Homeless Take Cover

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PHOTO by Jozie Sands

Street Sense takes a Hit with Snowstorm

More than 30 inches of snow blanketed the city Saturday, February 6, causing more homeless to go to shelters than usual.

Homeless hunker down during the biggest snow in decades

By Jozie Sands Public officials advised citizens of the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore area to stay home during last week’s historic snowstorm. With more than 30 inches of snow, D.C.’s homeless population had to find other ways to stay both warm and dry.

Much of the homeless population found haven in shelters for the brunt of the storm, which provided them with a bed and food. Others opted to get shelter in public locations like train stations.

Angelo Williams stayed in Union Station for a day-and-a-half during the worst of the storm.

“Once it stopped falling,” Williams said. “I just came back and cleared off the sidewalk in front of here.”

The two snowstorms in February added to a record-breaking seasonto-date 55.9 inches at Reagan National Airport. This amount of snow is unusual for the D.C. area; the previous record for snow accumulation was 54.4 inches in 1898-99, according to the National Weather Service report.

Williams said he knew the storm was coming, but he did not expect it to be a record-breaker. He secured most of his belongings under a tarp to keep them dry, and he took his valuables

with him into Union Station.

“I secured everything like I did in the military, it’s just part of me now.”

Those who stayed on the streets hunkered down through the storm.

Some chose not to go to a shelter, while others were unable to find a shelter and therefore spent the night on the streets.

People who spent the night outside dealt with more than 30 inches of snow, below freezing temperatures and wind. Exposure to these conditions for long periods of time, without proper protection, can lead to hypothermia.

The onset of hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can be produced. Once a person’s body temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit hypothermia sets in; if left untreated hypothermia will lead to the complete shut-down of the heart and respiratory system.

Programs such as the Hypothermia Watch Partner Program have maintained hotlines during the winter season, beginning November 1 and ending March 31. Hypothermia alert is in effect when the temperature, actual or forecasted, or wind chill is at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the winter of 2007-2008 the hotline received 81 hypothermia alert calls. This number rose to 112 in the

PHOTO bY juana Arias

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winter of 2008-2009, according to the Interagency Council on Homelessness’ Winter Plan. The number for this winter is currently not tallied.

The hotline is an effort to prevent deaths related to hypothermia among people trying to sleep outside during freezing conditions. Both those who are homeless or residents who know of a homeless person can call the hotline to receive assistance.

Those who are picked up because of the alert call are taken to a local shelter, where they are provided with a meal and a bed for the night. If temperatures do not rise, they are allowed to stay until conditions are safe.

The Hypothermia Hotline: 1-800-535-7252

By Robert Fulton Add Street Sense vendors to the list of people affected by the recent record-breaking snow storms.

Because of the inclement weather, the Street Sense offices were forced to close for approximately three-and-a-half days. The office, generally open in time with the Church of the Epiphany it is housed in, was closed was the church goes by the federal government guidelines.

The closing kept vendors from purchasing papers to sell, but sales were temporarly moved to the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) at 22nd and P Street.

“From an anecdotal perspective, you can tell it was rough on them,” said Abby Strunk, executive director of Street Sense.

Though sales were ultimately moved to NCH, getting the word out proved a challenge.

“That’s one thing that’s so difficult with the community,” Strunk said. “It’s tapping into the network. Lot of it is word of mouth.”

It is estimated that sales were off by approximately 5,000 papers because of the recent weather.

Vendor Manager Greg Martin estimates the paper had previously lost about 2,000 paper sales because of the December snow storm.

Even for those vendors who were able to receive papers, selling proved a problem.

Most of their regular buyers weren’t in the city because they had work off.

“It’s impacted the clientele,” Strunk said.

“They don’t see the regular customers on a regular basis.”

Vendor Veda Simpson was out selling by Friday, delayed because she couldn’t get transportation to her regular spot, and the icy weather forced her to use her walker instead of her preferred wheelchair.

“The weather has affected us,” Simpson said. “Really bad.”

She added that the generosity of regulars should get her through the tough time.

“I’ll make it up over the weekend,” Simpson said.

Strunk is asking customers to buy $10 in papers from vendors and share them at their offices to help make up the difference.

“This weather affects everyone,” said Sturnk, who joined Street Sense in December.

“Before I came to Street Sense, I didn’t realize how it impacted the under-served population.”

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February 17 - March 3, 2010

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Exploring Dating in a Time of HIV MBABANE, Swaziland - Jabulile Dlamini* is sweet sixteen and has never been kissed. And she is not expecting to be kissed any time soon or to even receive any gifts this Valentine’s Day. While most of the girls in her class are excited about receiving presents from their boyfriends on February 14, Dlamini - who is HIV-positive - does not think she will get any.

She is reluctant to become involved in a relationship because of the complications her HIV-status will bring to it. But the secondary school student admits that she is not immune to love and is attracted to someone she goes to church with.

There is a spark in her eyes when she talks about her crush, a boy who has declared his love for her.

However, the thought of having to disclose her status to him prevents her from declaring her true feelings.

"I’m worried that he might embarrass me by going around telling people about my status," says Dlamini.

"I think it’s fair to disclose your status to your boyfriend but I’m not sure how he will take it," she says. "Each time he proposes love I tell him that I can’t handle school and a boyfriend at the same time."

But she admits that is not the real reason because most girls her age have already had their first kiss.

According to the National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS, 15,000 Swazi children are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS and a majority of these children were born with the virus. Antenatal surveillance at clinics in Swaziland shows an increase in HIV prevalence among pregnant women from 39.2 percent in 2006 to 42 percent in 2008.

Dlamini’s friends at school also do not know about her status because she is worried about the stigma and discrimination that remains rife in Swaziland. Swaziland has the world’s highest infection rate. Almost 26 percent of the population between the ages of 15 to 49 are HIV-positive.

Dlamini only discovered her status six years after her HIV-positive father died.

"I had always been a sickly child and my mother took me to traditional healers but my condition did not improve," she says. "I had a bad rash all over my body and this affected my performance at school because I was absent most of the time."

Her father, a mineworker, died in 2001. But Dlamini’s mother believed her husband’s death and daughter’s subsequent illness were the result

PHOTO Courtesy of the International Street News Service

By Mantoe Phakathi

It is estimated that 15,000 Swazi children are living with HIV/AIDS. Above, Jabulili Diamini studies to one day become a nurse.

of witchcraft.

Dlamini’s mother kept taking her to traditional healers until their relatives advised her to seek medical help.

In 2007 mother and daughter were referred to the Baylor College of Medicine Children’s FoundationSwaziland (BCMCFS) for HIV counselling and testing.

Dlamini tested positive and her mother, a food vendor at Mbabane Market, was found to be HIVpositive as well.

"When the doctor told me that I was infected with HIV, I cried and asked my mother where I got it. She said I was born with the virus," says Dlamini.

She was only 13 at the time and was put on ART immediately. Thanks to extensive counselling and joining the Teen Club at BCMCFS (where she still gets ART for free), Dlamini was able to accept that ‘living with HIV is not a death sentence’.

Officially opened in 2006, the BCMCFS provides a safe haven for children and young adults living with HIV. A total of 1,500 children are currently part of BCMCFS where they are counselled and tested, initiated on treatment and introduced to a support group. Upon realising that a generation of children born with HIV had become teenagers, BCMCFS started the Teen Club.

About 200 teenagers across the country are part of the Teen Club with two sites in the commercial and administrative capitals of Swaziland. Two

more sites are yet to be set up in other regions in the country.

"The earlier children are made to understand their status, the better they deal with HIV/AIDS," says Dr Hailu Sarero, director of BCMCFS. But dealing with these children is a big challenge for the BCMCFS because most of them are single or double orphans. Food security and dealing with abusive relatives are a bigger challenge, Sarero says.

"These are not easy issues and we partner with other organisations," says Sarero. "As an organisation, we can only do so much."

But for Dlamini, the organisation makes a big difference to her life. Once a month she meets with other teenagers living with HIV at the centre. Here adolescents living with the virus come together to talk about their concerns.

The club deals with a range of topics including how to take ARVs correctly; the pathology of the virus and how it is transmitted; dealing with disclosure to friends and peers; nutrition and HIV; and how to stay focused on one’s dreams. *Name has been changed to protect the identity of the minor.

Courtesy of Inter Press Service © Street News Service: www.street-papers.org

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February 17 - March 3, 2010

TO A

COMMENTARY

BLACK

MAN By: David Denny

S treetS ense.org

This is a commentary we all must face, of the devastation we have caused on our race.

We blame the white man for everything and all, but on our streets we make the call.

We drive by and shoot to kill, and sell all the drugs that make our community ill.

There’s a queue at the morgue for the blacks who are dead, but who really cares? It’s just a crackhead.

Martin Luther’s dream is a vague shadow in a lost yesterday,

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February 17 - March 3, 2010

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for all of his efforts this is how we repay.

Can you imagine the tears on his face, from the devastation we have wrought on our own race?

We have brought our poor sisters down in shame, and still we point to the white man as the blame.

But I become puzzled when I try to explain where I saw the white man who sold her cocaine.

I’ve seen her stoop lower than low, I’ve seen them doing things that would sicken a ho’.

For just one blast she’ll sell her ass, in abandoned buildings on broken glass.

She sells her food stamps and leaves her kids unfed, and when she starts geeking she sells her head.

We lower the status of our girlfriends, call ‘em hood rats or project chicks, but this is how we get our kicks.

We subject our own soul mates to this denigrating fate, spurred on by insecurities, arrogance and self hate.

We have whittled our family structure down to fragments and shreds, While we prance with bravado and swollen heads.

We are the patriarchs of this fallen tribe, we bit the carrot, we took the bribe.

Our future’s stamped on the front page, statistics on our youth not coming of age.

This is a commentary we all must face, of the devastation we have caused our own race.

Photos: JANE CAVE Office Volunteer

Left: Ben’s Chili Bowl is a Washington landmark, opened in 1958 by Ben Ali and his future wife Virginia Rollins. Ben’s Chili Bowl, located on U Street NW, stayed open during the 1968 riots. Ben wrote ‘Soul Brother’ in soap on the front window and fed rioters along with law enforcement.

Above: “The Spirit of Freedom” at the African-American Civil War Memorial, located on U St, NW, is dedicated to the service of more than 200,000 soldiers and sailors.

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February 17 - March 3, 2010

A’S WORD MATCH,

BY PATRICK AZARIUS Vendor Patrick Azarius loves to create seek-and-find puzzles and drive the Street Sense staff crazy trying to find their answers. Below is his latest puzzle. Good Luck!

P A R W I A O C

P R E G T N L U

A E Z C A T N L

R T N A L I M T

M N O Z Y Q F U

Street Sudoku

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Y P V F Q T X Q

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W W Q S M Y O P

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Answers for this week

T A v O Z I W E

3 3

7 2

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6 7

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Parma Bronze Painter Italy Antiquity Milan Culture Sforza

FOUNDRY A Reconciling Congregation Invites you to join us in worship on Sundays at 9:30 and 11:00 AM Homeless Outreach Hospitality: Fridays 9:00 AM

Foundry United Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 332-4010

www.foundryumc.org

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3

9

5

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2

1

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2 7 8 9 5 3 1 6 4

6 2 5 8 3 7 4 9 1

9 8 3 4 1 2 5 7 6

7 4 1 5 6 9 3 2 8

4 6 7 3 9 5 8 1 2

5 1 2 6 8 4 9

8 3 9 7 2 1 6 4

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A new issue comes out every two weeks, but you can stay connected to Street Sense every day:

Follow us on

acebook : www.facebook.com/streetsense : www.youtube.com/streetsensedc and witter : streetsensedc ...and, as always, find us online at www.streetsense.org.

S treetS ense.org

Will Write For Food:

Writer’s Group

February 17 - March 3, 2010

meets every Wednesday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Street Sense office.

The Writer's Group needs laptops; email: info@streetsense.org if you can help

Black History Month

We always recognize those who paved the way for civil rights, but they were no different for anyone else. Here are more examples of African-Americans that paved their way out of adversity.

Home someday...

by Robert Warren.

Famous people who were once homeless makes me think of people every one knows.

People who have done the hard work it takes to end their homelessness.

People who have overcome joblessness, the disease of addiction, alcoholism, People who struggle with mental problems, and have found their way with help to end their homelessness.

There is always the one who came to the world, the poor and the homeless, to teach them how to go home.

The one who was once homeless himself on earth, Jesus Christ.

And may we continue to help the homeless in the spirit of Christ, that we all may go home someday.

Robert is a member of The People for Fairness Coalition. Contact: Robertwarren47@yahoo.com

Destined to be Great

Reggie’s Reflections-Final Destination??

By Reginald Black In recent weeks, I was forced to put myself in danger. My hideout was invaded, and I was begging and pleading for somewhere to go. I would leave not knowing if the furnishings would vanish. I was very scarcely online still struggling to sell my new venture, but I did see progress. I returned from my corner one night, and all was padlocked and the furniture was gone. “ They have been here. ” I thought. I knew for recents events that anyone’s stay at the bottom of this apartment building will be impossible. I went into the colder room and laid on the floor. All I had for bedding was my card board sign. I was hurt, and didn’t even bother to reach for the phone. Suddenly, I felt the urge to leave. Not able to resist, I entered the cold air. '' Where, Where, '' ? I thought. All I wanted was to go home. Coming to my senses I entered another building. I found a small hole but roaches ruled the inside, so I slept on the floor. The next moring the janitor scolled me for being where I was. At that point I had no choice. I knew I would have to leave. So I got out of there.

I didn’t know what to do. Lost and confused, I commuted into work unsure of my final destination.

Reggie hosts The Writer's Group Meetings. Contact: Rblackstreetreporter@ gmail.com

Intelligent Black Freedom

By David Rubin.

Spying is mankind’s second oldest profession. It was refined by a Jesuist priest named Henry Lloyd, (1718-83). He became the first spy to make it legal under military science. In the foundation of United States, President George Washington consulted with Lloyd to building an intelligence network in U.S. The model was later used by General George Meade to build the NSA intelligence network after the Civil War. Intelligent black freedom was formed by using the same model a powerful Maryland spy used to build Washington DC and West Point academy for the smart soldier.

David volunteers and is writing his own novel. Contact: stonepotts2000@ yahoo.com.

Small Freedoms

by Patty Smith

by Reginald Black

While reading about famous African-Americans who have been homeless. I ran across two people who have made their way in life similar to what I am doing here at Street Sense. The first person that comes to mind is Gorden Parks. He was a film director and also a best selling author. The fact that this great man was a writer speaks volumes. He also had one other thing in common with me and my own journey through homelessness. Gordon became homeless after his mother passed away. While I did not become homeless until my twenties, I know what it feels like, for my own mother passed away exactly five months before my seventh birthday. Losing her was hard, but I persevered. The other person I found I have a surprising similarity with is Lee Stinger, who is also an author. I know by learning from these great men’s journeys I will be able to display that I belong with them. As they were destined for greatness, I feel that I am destined for the same. This is a goal I work to acheive each and every day. I know the future holds an even more inspiring story, but I don’t think I’ll be reader, I feel I will be it’s writer.

I was reading a how to write book for college writer’s, when I found a letter from Birmingham Jail. I also read the book I have a dream. Martian Luther king wrote both of these. In the 1960’s you suddenly found your tongue twisted, and stammer your speech as you try to explain to your six year old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television. You would have to see the tears swelling up in her eyes when she is told that fun town is closed to colored children. I remember going to Kenny wood park a lot. Knowing this information, I want to save some money to send my little cousins to Kings Dominion. As children, I guess we never know when you have to appreciate the little things in life. So people take the little ones to a park, because some of us have not always had this freedom to go to an amusement park.

Patty loves creative writing. Contact: Pattyscoffee@netzero.net

PRODUCTION, HOSTING, LAYOUT AND SUPPORT: Patty Smith, Reginald Black

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IN MY OPINION

Hey Obama, What Happens Next?

By Maurice King

I am disappointed in the government. The expectations I had exceeded what the government has been able to deliver. Mind you, I expected no miracle cure for the economic woes; it took eight years to get into the mess that we’re in now, and it might well take even longer to restore things back to normal. However, when I look at everything that was promised during the last election, I have to say that the progress has not been impressive.

The economy is in shambles. The unemployment rate is in the double digits. The ill-fated health care bill looks as if it will be little more than a blip in American history. Yet the government keeps going down the same path that it did during the previous eight years with deficit spending and respect to the wars dragging on. Where’s the change in that?

It looks like more of the same to me, and there’s no reason to be cheery about it.

The old saying “actions speak louder than words” is applicable in this case. Notice, however, that I’m not laying the blame on Obama. I’m specifically targeting the government as a whole, not the president who is but one part of it. Without the support of Congress, the president cannot get very far with any of his plans. I do take issue with his unsuccessful attempts at bipartisanship; but just how much support can he expect when one of the best known Republican spokes-

persons explicitly stated that he wanted Obama to fail? The result has been a stalemate in which the minority actually controls the majority, a rather warped situation in itself.

Insofar as the health care bill goes, by now it’s scarcely recognizable as the same bill that was originally to be presented to Congress. And small wonder: a lot of effort was made to placate the insurance companies and pharmaceutical industry, not the people. The result has been a bill that only empowers insurance companies even more by making health insurance mandatory, totally ignoring the prohibitively high cost that all too many insurance policies have. Just what are the chances of any real reform happening? I see it as another opportunity missed.

In the midst of all this, Congress just authorized borrowing another $1.9 trillion. The national debt was already high enough without this move, but that didn’t seem to concern the government at all.

This time, the blame falls squarely on the Democratic Party, which motioned to take this step. Allegedly, if Congress failed to raise the borrowing limit, the impact on global capital markets could spell disaster. However, not all Democrats supported this motion and understandably so. How this translates into its impact on the public cannot be good, especially for the homeless, who are routinely given lowest priority in any government effort.

This does not sound to me like a government “by the people for the people.” The people in government clearly are not worried about the same things as the general public. No surprise: we are continually served up candidates backed by big money, so the chances that they will be able to identify with the struggling lower or middle class are remote indeed. As much as I do not like to get involved in political issues, I do not see how the public can afford to be uninvolved now. The question is: what happens next? We elected a government with the hopes that it would fix the problems, not sustain them. This doesn’t seem to be happening.

Building Frienships Out of Snow

photo by Luke Eshelman

By Jeffrey McNeil Whether it has been events unfolding in the media or personal events in my life, it has been a distressing year so far. I am usually an upbeat person and usually like

Last weeks snow storm added to the already-rocky new year.

cold weather and the snow, but enough already!

Earthquakes in Haiti, record rainfalls in California causing mudslides, an unusual weather pattern causing record temperatures in Vancouver and Greenland while those living on the east coast get pummeled with record snowfalls. Maybe there is something to the scientist who’s been railing about global warming.

I lived in New Jersey and New York for a period of time, and found the hysteria, chaos, and hype about this snowstorm pretty amusing. The stuck cars snowed in side streets and the panic at the supermarkets where people were acting like the end of the world is coming were a puzzle to me. In my mind, I was thinking “don’t ever go to Canada or Colorado.”

But I learned something from all these events. Through a catastrophe comes unity and togetherness--people bond when they go through events such as these. It is inspirational to see people put their jobs and lives on hold in order to rescue the Haitians, risk their lives to pull people out of the rubble and hand out food and water while mobs become

restless from starvation. It is also moving to see whole neighborhoods working together to shovel out streets and sidewalks so no one gets stranded and businesses putting people in rooms so they could get services. Although I disagree with the mayor on many things, I have to congratulate him, the fire department, and everyone else who worked around the clock to fight Mother Nature’s wrath.

Speaking for myself, this storm had me on the ropes financially. If I hadn’t been saving my money, I might not have been able to pay rent or buy groceries. I can only feel for businesses struggling to keep employees and getting hurt by the snow. Since I moved into my own place, I haven’t been to the Street Sense office or to the shelters or other homeless services. So, I can only imagine how D.C. Central Kitchen and other services were able to help the homeless with vital resources.

I am also dealing with sick family members, which puts a strain on my personal life. But, through it all, I am finding gratitude. I am getting closer to my relatives. I have found support, which I haven’t had in a long time, and have seen people be genuinely concerned about my mental and spiritual health.

If this is the first act of 2010, I don’t know what the next act will be. I do know that, even though the storm is heavy, this will pass and a new pasture will grow.

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February 17 - March 3, 2010

Homeless Persons may receive food stamps Electronic Benefit Transfer Cards, The New Food Stamp

By Raymond Avrutis Homeless persons, including some non-U.S. citizens, and household members living with them may be eligible to receive food stamps.

Food stamps are no longer issued in the form of “stamps,” but as an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that can be used like a debit card at grocery stores and other places that sell food. To receive them go to your local food stamp office and fill out an application. You will then be scheduled for an interview with a caseworker who will determine your eligibility. You will not need to provide photo identification, but will need some proof of identity and income when you apply. If you do not have a birth certificate, you may use a “collateral contact” like a shelter caseworker who can verify your identity. Once you receive your EBT card, you will not need to use it for meals provided by the shelter.

An individual earning up to $1,127 per month in income may qualify for up to $200 per month in benefits. Generally, the less money or higher shelter costs you have, the more food stamps you get. Benefit payments are added to the EBT card automatically every month. In DC, registration for food stamps is good for at least a year, six months if you are homeless or have no fixed address. However, if your income changes, you must tell the food stamps office.

If you lie on the form or to your caseworker, you will have to repay the cost of the stamps and could also be arrested.

DC Hunger Solutions offers an excellent pamphlet explaining the DC Food Stamps Program. To find an office in DC, call 211 for the address, which will open on weekdays at 7:30 a.m. except holidays. You can access it online at http://www.dchunger.org/pdf/get_foodstamps_dc08.pdf, visit their office at 1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW or call 202-986-2200.

DC 13th Annual Reggae Music Awards

Honoring Street Sense for its impact in the community Saturday, February 27th, 2010 @ Nativity Room, 1237 Peabody Street NW-DC Between Georgia Ave. & 13th Street Featuring Oasis Reggae Band w/ Special Guests Etalian & Spaniards Doors Open @ 8 p.m.

Awards Ceremony Begins @ 9:30 p.m.

Free Admission ‘til 11 p.m., $20 after Proper Attire, please ORIGINAL BACKGROUND DESIGN/PRINT BY

202.239.0643

For more info, visit: www.DCReggaeAwards.com 202.640.0565

Not Just Another Homeless Joe

By S.A. Gibbins Hello there, my name is ... well just call me Homeless Joe. There are quite a few of us Joes here and our numbers are growing every day. There are a few homeless Janes here too. The look is the same for all of us: hopeless despair.

Where I am from, Wilmington, Del., there are actual places to get fed three meals a day, obtain free clothes, and receive other handouts. But that makes us bums in the public eye — every day people will ride by, give those sullen stares and occasionally venture a quip like “get a job you lazy bastard.” Of course, we are used to that by now. Yes, there is also police harassment and a sense that even public parks are not for homeless people (try to figure that one out)! Somehow, we have become a sub-species, entitled to fewer rights.

Here’s the point I am coming to: not everyone on the streets is a “low-life, derelict, drug addict or an alcoholic.”

Surpringly enough, many of us are just like you. When you think about homeless people, think about this: there are former teachers, millionaires, professional photographers and businessmen here. The list can keep going. None of us started down this road wanting to be homeless, looking for handouts or picking from garbage cans. None of us want to be a target of street thugs, the general population, or the authorities. Unfortunately, we are singled out as being ‘no good’ people who just sponge off the system.

Well, my friend, you may have a job and a home, a wife and kids now.

You may have a measure of security too. But God forbid you lose your job, your home goes into foreclosure, you or your wife become sick, and your benefits or insurance runs out. The list of risks goes on. Do you know why?

Because you might be sitting right beside me here on this bench in Rodney Square, just like the rest of us homeless Joes and Janes. Funny too, because right across the street is the famous Hotel du Pont.

But don’t try to use their public bathroom because if you’re homeless, they will spot you in a minute and Wilmington’s finest will be ready and willing to throw you into the patrol car and take you away.

I ask myself why this country can help the citizens of so many other countries ahead of its own. If you obliged some political leaders’ pleas to fill up this country with undocumented workers, you would have to give them benefits and jobs because they work for low wages. If our leaders have so many answers, then tell me, what is the answer to America’s homeless Joes and Janes? Why can’t we take care of our own first in this country? There are families here disbursed, living in cars, vans, the backs of trucks and alleys.

All the while, billions are spent helping people around the world, many of whom hate this country.

You can end up here yourself my friend. It is not some social stigma, nor the place for a certain personality type. Not a financial criteria that brings you here either. I was a successful businessman at one time — now I struggle every day trying to find work. I send out no less then two applications a day since I hit the streets two and a half years ago. We are fortunate that there is so much here in Wilmington because this is not the case across the nation.

So before you pass judgment, why don’t you get out of your car, sit down with us and ask some of us how we got here and what we want to do to make it better. Do it, and maybe you will not be the next homeless Joe.

“Here’s the point I am coming to: not everyone on the street is a ‘lowlife, derelict, drug addict or an alocholic.”

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Expressing Humanity For the Homeless

By Bryan Yannantuono There is a side of D.C. that goes habitually unnoticed by most lobbyists, bureaucrats and politicians. As they settle into their comfortable homes, eager to spend time with their families, the city’s faceless flock searches for a safe doorway to crawl into and sleep. All too often they are left exposed to the elements, ignored in the cold.

Fortunately, not everyone turns a blind eye to the dispossessed.

Every year, the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness conducts a Point-in-Time enumeration of the city’s homeless population. Its official purpose is to help policymakers understand homelessness in order to combat it. To get the most accurate count, scores of volunteers annually comb every alleyway in the city, surveying the homeless about their medical histories, income and pre-

vious residences. Armed with this information, the city and the federal government can then efficiently allocate resources to help get people off the streets. With the belief that no human should be overlooked, I took to the streets to help with the survey.

It was a very moving experience.

On the same night that Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, I witnessed firsthand many aspects of homelessness: the pain of poverty or poor choices in the past, the constant uncertainty of not knowing when you’d be able to eat next, the inescapable cold, the loneliness of being passed by and the pride in self-sufficiency.

Despite the negativity that one typically associates with the homeless, I met many positive and proud people.

Many refused to go to shelters, driven to make it on their own. Some were very

knowledgeable about politics and current events even though they were living on the street. Others had strong religious beliefs and felt that there are much worse fates than being homeless.

One group of homeless men banded together to protect a homeless woman in a wheelchair. It is clear that the lack of shelter does not diminish one’s humanity.

Every homeless person has a story to tell to those willing to listen.

I met a man who ran away at the age of 12. He suffered with chronic substance abuse to the point where doctors said his dopamine complex was completely diluted, meaning he could never be happy without the use of drugs.

In contrast, there was a veteran who said he had seen far worse in his lifetime. Though he asks for nothing, he gets many donations, which he often passes on to those less fortunate. His main goal in life is to brighten up the

lives of others by making them smile.

The homeless people I met are truly remarkable, and I am grateful that I had a chance to learn from them.

Though it was great to see so many eager volunteers, it was still disheartening to know that large swaths of the city, virtually all of Northeast, could not be surveyed due to lack of manpower. Next year, I wish more people will join us. Until then, I hope everyone can take time out of their busy days to chat with a homeless person. Not only will it make that person feel good to be recognized, but it will shed important insight into your own life. Above all, homeless people are human beings and deserve as much respect as we give to our own families.

Byran Yannantuono is a Street Sense volunteer.

A Thanks for Birthday Wishes Received and My Birthday Wish for Readers' Help

By Kenneth Belkosky, Vendor 225 As I mentioned in an earlier story, my friends Wendy Farrell and Denise Bobba have an organization called Pay It Forward Project.

You can read more about them on their website www.pifp.org. They are getting ready to go to Haiti, and are seeking donations to assist with the earthquake relief efforts there. Wendy and Denise are paying for all of their own travel expenses, so 100 percent of your donation will go directly to the people of Haiti.

My birthday wish is for readers to donate what they can to Pay It Forward. Denise, Wendy and I thank you in advance.

Wendy and Denise helped me celebrate my birthday in style. Denise came all the way from Ashburn, VA, to my new group home and took me to a Catholic church in Sterling, VA. After the mass, we went to Dulles Town Center and had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. I got filled to the max! Then, we all went to the Washington Convention Center for the Channel 4 Health Fair.

Before we got there, Wendy showed me birthday messages on her Blackberry from my other friends in Georgia, Florida and Germany.

I also got a card with even more greetings. I really like that so many readers enjoy my stories, and I thank you for your support.

Help Bring the Homeless in from the Cold

THE CALLthe Call

Shelter Hotline 1 800 535-7252 o r C a l l 3 11 Adrian M. Fenty, Mayor, Government of the District of Columbia

S treetS ense.org WASHINGTON, D.C. SHELTER Calvary Women’s Services 110 Maryland Ave, NE (202) 289-0596 (office) (202) 289-2111 (shelter) www.calvaryservices.org Central Union Mission (Men) 1350 R Street, NW (202) 745–7118 www.missiondc.org CCNV (Men and Women) 425 2nd Street, NW (202) 393–1909 users.erols.com/ccnv/ Community of Hope (Family) 1413 Girard Street, NW (202) 232–7356 www.communityofhopedc.org Covenant House Washington (Youth) 2001 Mississippi Ave SE (202) 610–9600 www.covenanthousedc.org Housing, education, job prep John Young Center (Women) 119 D Street, NW (202) 639–8469 www,catholiccharitiesdc.org My Sister’s Place PO Box 29596 Washington, DC 20017 office (202) 529-5261 24-hour hotline (202)-529-5991 shelter and other services for domestic violence victims N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060 www.nstreetvillage.org 801 East, St. Elizabeths Hospital (Men) 2700 MLK Avenue, SE (202) 561–4014 New York Ave Shelter (Men 18+) 1355–57 New York Avenue, NE (202) 832–2359 Open Door Shelter (Women) 425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW (202) 639–8093

FOOD Charlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW (202) 232–3066 www.stmargaretsdc.org/charliesplace Church of the Pilgrims (Sundays only) 2201 P Street, NW (202) 387–6612

February 17 - March 3, 2010 www.churchofthepilgrims.org Dinner Program for Homeless Women; “9:30 Club” Breakfast Club (breakfast Mon-Fri, 9:3011, all are welcome/dinner for women and children, Mon-Fri, 3-6 pm); and Thrive DC St. Stephens Parish Church 1625 Newton St NW (202) 737–9311 www.dphw.org Food and Friends 219 Riggs Road, NE (202) 269–2277 www.foodandfriends.org Miriam’s Kitchen 2401 Virginia Avenue, NW (202) 452–8089 www.miriamskitchen.org The Welcome Table Church of the Epiphany 1317 G Street, NW (202) 347–2635 http://www.epiphanydc.org/ ministry/welcometbl.htm

MEDICAL RESOURCES Christ House 1717 Columbia Road, NW (202) 328–1100 www.christhouse.org Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW (202) 745–4300 www.unityhealthcare.org Whitman–Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW (202) 797–3500; www.wwc.org

OUTREACH CENTERS Bread for the City 1525 Seventh Street, NW (202) 265–2400 AND 1640 Good Hope Road, SE (202) 561–8587 www.breadforthecity.org food pantry, clothing, legal and social services, medical clinic Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW (202) 364–1419; www.cchfp.org housing, medical and psych care, substance abuse and job counseling Bethany Women’s Center 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939–2060 http://www.nstreetvillage.org meals, hygiene, laundry, social activities, substance abuse treatment Father McKenna Center 19 Eye Street, NW (202) 842–1112

Green Door (202) 464–9200 1221 Taylor Street NW www.greendoor.org housing, job training, supportive mental health services Friendship House 619 D Street, SE (202) 675–9050 www.friendshiphouse.net counseling, mentoring, education, youth services, clothing Georgetown Ministry Center 1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (202) 338–8301 www.georgetownministrycenter.org laundry, counseling, psych care Martha’s Table 2114 14th Street, NW (202) 328–6608 www.marthastable.org dinner, education, recreation, clothing, child and family services Rachel’s Women’s Center 1222 11th Street, NW (202) 682–1005 http://www.ccdsd.org/howorwc.php hygiene, laundry, lunch, phone and mail, clothing, social events Sasha Bruce Youthwork 741 8th Street, SE (202) 675–9340 www.sashabruce.org counseling, housing, family services So Others Might Eat (SOME) 71 “O” Street, NW (202) 797–8806; www.some.org lunch, medical and dental, job and housing counseling

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Academy of Hope GED Center 601 Edgewood St NE 202-269-6623 www.aohdc.org Bright Beginnings Inc. 128 M Street NW, Suite 150 Washington DC 20001 (202) 842–9090 www.brightbeginningsinc.org Child care, family services Catholic Community Services 924 G Street, NW (202) 772–4300 www.ccs–dc.org umbrella for a variety of services D.C. Coalition for the Homeless

1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW (202) 347–8870; www.dccfh.org housing, substance abuse treatment, employment assistance DC Food Finder Interactive online map of free and low cost resources. www.dcfoodfinder.org Community Family Life Services 305 E Street, NW (202) 347–0511 www.cflsdc.org housing, job and substance abuse counseling, clothes closet Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW (202) 332–4010 www.foundryumc.org ESL, lunch, clothing, IDs Gospel Rescue Ministries drug, alcohol program (Men) 810 5th Street, NW (202) 842–1731 www.grm.org Hermano Pedro Day Center 3211 Sacred Heart Way, NW (202) 332–2874 http://www.ccs–dc.org/find/ services/ meals, hygiene, laundry, clothing

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church 1514 15th Street, NW (202) 667–4394 http://stlukesdc.edow.org food, counseling St. Matthew’s Cathedral 1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW (202) 347–3215 ext. 552 breakfast, clothing, hygiene Travelers Aid, Union Station 50 Mass. Avenue, NE (202) 371–1937 www.travelersaid.org/ta/ dc.html emergency travel assistance Wash. Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW (202) 328–5500 www.legalclinic.org

MARYLAND SHELTER Comm. Ministry of Montgomery Co. 114 W. Montgomery Avenue, Rockville (301) 762–8682 www.communityministrymc. org The Samaritan Group Inc. P.O. Box 934, Chestertown (443) 480–3564

JHP, Inc. 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE (202) 544–9126 www.jobshavepriority.org training and employment

Warm Night Shelter 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499–2319 www.cmpgc.org

Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW (202) 667–8970 www.jubileejobs.org job preparation and placement

Bethesda Cares 7728 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda (301) 907–9244 www.bethesdacares.com

National Coalition for the Homeless 2201 P Street, NW (202) 462–4822 www.nationalhomeless.org activists, speakers bureau National Student Partnerships (NSP) 128 M Street NW, Suite 320 (202) 289–2525 washingtondc@nspnet.org Job resource and referral agency Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE , AND 1516 Hamilton Street, NW (202)889–7702 www.samaritanministry.org HIV support, employment, drug/alcohol addiction, healthcare

FOOD

Community Place Café 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499–2319 www.cmpgc.org Manna Food Center 614–618 Lofstrand Lane, Rockville (301) 424–1130 www.mannafood.org Sacred Heart Dinner Program 3211 Sacred Heart Way, NW 202-234-8000 www.dinnerprogram.org Mon-Fri, 5 - 6:30 pm

MEDICAL RESOURCES Community Clinic, Inc. 8210 Colonial Lane, Silver Spring (301) 585–1250

15

www.cciweb.org Mobile Medical Care, Inc. 9309 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda (301) 493–2400 www.mobilemedicalcare.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Catholic Charities, Maryland 12247 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring (301) 942–1790 www.catholiccharitiesdc.org shelter, substance abuse treatment, variety of other services Mission of Love 6180 Old Central Avenue, Capitol Heights (301)333–4440 www.molinc.org life skills classes, clothing, housewares Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless 600–B East Gude Drive, Rockville (301) 217–0314; www.mcch.net emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services

VIRGINIA SHELTER

The Arlington–Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless 3103 9th Road, North, Arlington (703) 525–7177 www.aachhomeless.org

FOOD ALIVE!, Inc. 2723 King Street, Alexandria (703) 836–2723 www.alive–inc.org Our Daily Bread 10777 Main Street #320, Fairfax (703) 273–8829 www.our–daily–bread.org

MEDICAL RESOURCES Arlington Free Clinic 3833 N Fairfax Drive, #400, Arlington (703) 979–1400 www.arlingtonfreeclinic.org Legal Services of Northern Virginia 6066 Leesburg Pike, Suite 500, Falls Church (703) 778–6800; www.lsnv.org civil legal services only

Shelter Hotline: 1–800– 535–7252

S treetS ense.org

February 17 - March 3, 2010

THE LAST WORD

By Frank Mearns, Vendor #9 When I was asked by our editor to do the last word, I agreed and asked her, “What about?” She said, “Why don’t you talk about what it’s been like sleeping outside in these terrible storms.”

Well, here I go. To start with, my name is Frank Mearns, and I’ve been in Washington, D.C for two years now, but I haven’t experienced anything like this weather since moving here. Last year wasn’t so bad; I think we had maybe two or three days of snow, but nothing like this.

As you may have gathered, I am currently homeless and sleep at 14th and New York Avenue, next to Starbucks. I am not from Washington, D.C., but from Ireland and have been in America for four years now—not just in DC, but 15 different states and also 40 different countries all over the world. I’ve been homeless in every single one.

Sleeping on the streets during these storms has not been just hard for me, but also for the other 25 or so people that sleep beside me. During the last two storms we had no food trucks come out as they were unable to drive on the roads. Martha’s Table was still open for anyone that could manage to get up there, so one person went there for the rest of us. Sometimes the snow felt like it was endless, but other than Martha’s Table, the shelters were McDonald’s, Starbucks or anywhere we could find.

In the evening we had to be careful from falling snow from the “Porch” that we all sleep under, but during that time we got some much deserved rest as we get woken up every day at 5 a.m. I would also like to state that the only person that did come to check on us was Miss Paula Dyan, the outreach worker from the Salvation Army. She gave us the necessities like gloves, hats, socks and scarves, but there were many people who never had blankets or anything else to keep warm as the hypothermia trucks were unable to come out.

There were some good Samaritans that ventured out into the wild weather just to make sure that we at least did get something to eat (Square Meals), but if it wasn’t for them, many people would have starved.

The reason I stayed out on the streets and never went to the shelters was because there are to many rules, diseases, bugs and too many people In some shelters you are in a room with around 100 people that haven’t showered in days. There are sometimes drug dealers that hang around the shelters, preying on the homeless Shelters were also filling up: they would let the people stay there, but some are not within walking distance, and there was no way of getting there. So I would like to thank all of those people that did care enough not for their own safety, but for the many homeless people that were out there during this record-breaking storm.

This is how we the homeless people got through the Snowmageddon.

Veda Simpson

VENDOR PROFILE Veda Simpson, born in 1955, just got an apartment a month ago after being left homeless for two years. Her previous building was condemned because of structural and saftey issues. Immediately after she began vending for Street Sense after a friend recommended her.

She sells papers on 13th & G NW, where she says she begins at 6 a.m. and leaves at 2 p.m. Her regular customers frequently comment on her presence, saying that she’s there, “rain, snow, or sleet.”

She loves animals and gives treats to customers’ dogs. One customer in particular has a dog who tackles her when they walk by. She also has pets of her own: she began with a stray, who had kittens.

She learned her lesson and spayed and neutered the kittens and has kept them since.

“Sometimes they keep me from getting up because they’re all over me in the morning,” she said.

She says that she enjoys what Street Sense does in aiding with whatever the

homeless people need, even when they

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