StreetSense_forWeb_4.28.10

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April 28 - May 11, 2010

Where the poor and homeless April 28 - May 11, 2010

earn and give their two cents Volume 7 Issue 13

D STE GE ON G I S U N AT DO

65 cents for the vendor

35 cents for production of the paper

Jeff McNeil Tells the Story of the “Button Man”

What’s Happening to our Safety Net? See Page 4

Page 12

From Living on the Streets to Running for D.C. Mayor Page 5

At the Earth Day Festival, Lawless Watson Meets an Avatar!

Page 14

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April 28 - May 11, 2010

Our Mission

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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.

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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 28 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 brought on its first full-time editor–in–chief in April. As of January 2010 the paper had 72 active vendors and prints about 30,000 issues a month.

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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

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April 28 - May 11, 2010

Former Homeless Woman Runs for State Office Rena Moran was homeless 10 years ago, living with six of her seven children at a homeless shelter in Minneapolis, Minn.

Now, Moran has a job, a house and a campaign to become a state lawmaker, the Pioneer Press reports.

She’s running against Jeremiah Ellis in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Primary for the open seat for House District 65A in St. Paul, the Press reports.

"I know what it is to need the system, and the system is not family-friendly," Moran told the Press, referring to the food stamps, first-time homebuyer programs and other social safety nets that she’s used. "That's why I think I can really bring something to the Legislature."

The primary will take place in August.

Mass. Churches to Fight State Rules, Help Homeless A group of Cape Cod church volunteers are pushing back against state rules, saying that they’ll continue to help the homeless at

their facilities, The Associated Press reports.

The new regulation mandates that churches that offer sleeping facilities to the homeless make upgrades. Public safety officials argue that the churches were not intended to be shelters. The rules also limit overnight stays to 35 per year and bans shelters entirely from June 15 to Sept. 15.

Volunteers from various area churches say that their faith calls on them to help the homeless and that they will continue to do so.

Homeless Man Robbed While Helping Stop a Rape A homeless man in Columbus, Ga., was robbed while trying to break up an attempted rape, WTVM-9 reports.

The man told police that he was walking near an intersection in downtown Columbus when he heard a woman screaming, only to find that two men were assaulting her.

He pulled the men off of the woman, but the two men turned their attention to the homeless man, taking his medication and fleeing. The homeless man says the two men

were also homeless. Police are still looking for the suspects.

Bon Jovi Visits Nashville Center for Homeless Teens The teens staying at the Oasis Center in Nashville, Tenn., were in for a treat when rocker Jon Bon Jovi stopped in to meet with them on April 22.

The musician visited Nashville’s only center for homeless teens in order to understand what he described to The Tennessean as “the new face of homelessness in America.”

“The Oasis Center is really a beacon to youth,” Bon Jovi said. “Having service providers at the same place that they can get a hot meal, a nap and a shower. It’s a very welcoming place.”

Bon Jovi spent about an hour with the teens, listening to their stories and doing yoga with them.

“He was so engaged. He wasn’t being a rock star,” said Liz Workman, the center’s educational coordinator. “He was just someone who is really, really passionate about this issue.”

Nashville has about 300 homeless youths at any given time, and during the past year, about 2,000 teens have used the Oasis facilities.

Homeless Advocates Say Attacks Against Homeless on the Rise in Cincinnati Advocates for the homeless in Cincinnati say they’ve seen a surge in attacks against people living on the streets, The Associated Press (AP) reports.

Advocates, such as the Rev. Dave Weaver, say the attacks can range from passersby spitting on the homeless to actually kicking or beating them.

Executive director for the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless Josh Spring told the AP that attacks will continue to rise because, he says, perpetrators get a sense of control over the homeless.

John Johnson, 52, said that four men with pipes and bats attacked him earlier this month and told him to get a job, the AP reports.

Compiled by Dianna Heitz, from previously published reports.

Every homeless person has a name, a story and a hope for something better.

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David

writes poems regularly in Street Sense about love and his experiences being homeless. He hopes to one day get a job that pays a living wage so he can afford his own apartment.

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April 28 - May 11, 2010

Save Our Safety Net Questions Tax Bracket Structure

By Tim Young, volunteer The District of Columbia's budget hearing on April 12 was interrupted by an unusual event a walkout. Among the citizenry in attendance were roughly 50 activists from the group Save Our Safety Net, who filled an entire section of seating in the council chambers. When Mayor Adrian Fenty rose to testify in front of the council, the group stood up quietly and left, leaving signs on their empty chairs spelling out the phrase "New Taxes Now." The District of Columbia is currently faced with a nearly $500 million deficit. Considered the roughest fiscal crisis since the mid-1990s, the mayor’s office needed to make major cuts in order to slow the city’s debt. A sizeable portion of these cuts came from social programs which benefit the low-income citizens of Washington.

These social programs are what have come to be known as the safety net.

Save Our Safety Net was started in July 2009 and has since grown in support from citizens and organizations alike. It is endorsed by more than 25 organizations, including the Service Employees International Union, the AFL-CIO, Bread for the City and D.C. Save Our Safety Net unites a broad group people who span every walk of life. Their mission: Stop severe budget cuts to vital social programs that help low-income residents ("the safety net") by changing Washington’s tax structure.

The District has one of the most unique tax structures in the nation. The highest tax bracket begins at $40,000. Under the current tax structure, people in this bracket pay 8.5 percent of their yearly income. According to Save Our Safety Net, this is not enough to make up for budget shortfalls and save vital programs.

The group suggests creating two new tax brackets: one for households earning more than $200,000 and another for households earning more than $1 million.

People in the $200,000 tax bracket would face a 0.5 percent increase, raising their annual taxes to nine percent, whereas the $1 million and above tax bracket would face a 0.9 percent increase if Save Our Safety Net’s plan is accepted by the city council.

Councilman Jim Graham from Ward 1 agrees that something needs to be done. In his opening remarks at the budget hearing, Graham stated that he is in favor of a "millionaire's tax" and received a flurry of approval from the crowd of activists.

Over the past two years, more than $100 million in cuts have been made to social programs in the District as a result of economy-related budget constraints. An additional $50 million in cuts are

pending for the Fiscal Year 2011 budget. These cuts include removing the funding for critical programs such as domestic violence services, affordable housing, child care vouchers, civil legal services, adult job training, child welfare, senior services, adult literacy services, mental health services, disability services and the Neighborhood Investment Fund.

According to multiple councilmembers and activists, with no end in sight to budget cuts, the safety net will continue to be depleted.

After the council hearing walkout, the group rallied inside city hall; residents and activists provided testimonials.

Sabrina Lancaster, a long-time District resident and activist, spoke of her own experience using the city's services. "The safety net is what I need," she said. "You can't change a bad economy by cutting vital programs for low-income families such as job training services."

George Jones, executive director of Bread for the City, also spoke and was proud to be in attendance. "This is what democracy is all about," he said. "These people are here today to stand up for those who can’t speak for themselves." Jones' program, which provides services for low-income families in the District, is just one of the many affected by the city’s safety net cuts.

The city council walkout was organized by Joni Podschun, who has participated in similar rallies at city hall. A leader of Save Our Safety Net, Podschun believes that the organization's mission is being accomplished. "I'm excited that both Councilmen Graham and [Michael] Brown mentioned that they wanted to raise taxes," she said.

"That means we are being heard."

Following the rally, Podschun handed out capes and masks for the group to take to each of the councilmembers' offices, conveying that councilmembers' support for new taxes and saving the safety net made them superheroes in the District.

The group brought a much-needed spotlight to those programs in need in the District, according to Jones. This was the largest rally held so far

by Save Our Safety Net. As participants walked to each of the councilmembers' offices, excitement was evident in their voices. "We really are making a difference," one protester said.

Jones, out of breath from running to attend the rally, happily looked on as the group dispersed.

He summed up Save Our Safety Net's actions in two words: "Message delivered."

Facing the roughest fiscal crisis since the mid1990’s, the Mayor’s office needed to make major cuts in order to slow the city’s debt. A sizeable portion of these cuts came from social programs which benefit the low-income citizens of Washington.These social programs are what have come to be known as the safety net. From top to bottom, members of Save our Safety Net listen to the April 12 budget hearing.

As Mayor Fenty rose to speak, members rose and walked out of the hearing as a protest to cuts.

PHOTO by Tim Young

Rally to save D.C.’s safety net puts focus on larger issues

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April 28 - May 11, 2010

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From the Streets to Running for Mayor Nestor Djonkam began his life in America on the streets. He now hopes to start a new chapter.

By Sonja Doty, editorial intern Nestor Djonkam was born in Cameroon in 1960. Describing it as nondemocratized, he said he wants to use his upbringing to “see how people can benefit from my experience.”

He arrived in the early ‘90s for “a better life and better education.”

The main platform he will run under is “children and teachers first,” the first words out of his mouth. Djonkam plans to raise educational standards in order to compete in the foreign market, proposing that all children must learn three languages in school. He also proposes that the homeless should be given vocational education for free.

“People complain about no manpower,” he said. “Vocational education … would fill the need.”

When he arrived in the United States and the District in 1990, Djonkam said, he spoke no English and had “no penny.” He was homeless for six months on the streets in the winter, but was soon able to take English classes from the International Language Institute, the Lincoln Tech-

nical Institute of Maryland in vocational work, and the Institute of World Politics in anti-terrorism studies, which he attributes to being able to get off the streets.

Djonkam had previously studied mechanical engineering at the College de la Salle in Egypt, but completed his engineering studies with classes from the National Association of Power Engineering.

When he came to the United States, he says he found his inspiration to go far within the homeless community, where he met many skilled and talented people who simply could not find a job or get training.

He believes that unemployment and homelessness can be solved together through vocational training.

He envisions the homeless could be housed cheaply and efficiently by claiming 250 neglected housing units in the District and making them affordable. In addition, he theorizes that “a high-rise out of the ground like a mushroom” could sufficiently provide housing.

Though he didn’t expand on the details, Djonkam described himself as completely in favor of the recently passed health care reform act.

“Anyone in the District should have full coverage. We should be able to provide,” he said. “Health care is a human right.”

Djonkam imagined that each issue cannot be taken individually, but be considered as part of a whole. Educating and housing the dispossessed, he argued, would make crime and unemployment rates go down.

He described it as a “grassroots campaign” running on the phrase “change is here.” Although he has not yet officially entered his bid for mayor, he plans to by the end of May and has been running his campaign through radio and door-to-door canvasing .

Djonkam has been involved in local politics, as well as the campaigns of former President Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, and, most recently, President Obama. He ran for mayor in 2006 as a Democrat.

“I did not have the money or exposure,” he said. “It was excitement for me just to be qualified.”

He says he is not intimidated by the other runners who have more media exposure. “I’m not afraid or scared,” he said. “A $4 million campaign doesn’t scare [me]. ... No one’s above me except God.” When Djonkam first came to D.C., he expected the quality of life to be much higher and found that at first.

“I thought D.C. was heaven on earth” when first arriving, he said. “But the level of poverty is the same here.”

Djonkam looks forward to the campaign as an opportunity to raise up the District’s quality of life.

D.C. Ranks as Most Expensive to House Families

By Andy Freeze, volunteer A study recently released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) titled "Costs Associated with First-Time Homelessness for Individuals and Families" reviewed data from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to determine differences in the costs associated with family homelessness. HUD looked at four cities: Houston, Texas; Kalamazoo, Mich.; Washington, D.C.; and upstate South Carolina to learn more about the costs of first-time family homelessness.

“These studies expand our knowledge of the true costs of homelessness and raise other questions that go far beyond dollars and cents,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan.

The study identified great variation in costs from city to city. Houston, with over 2 million people in 2004, was the largest city studied and had 477 homeless families. With a population less than 600,000, D.C. had almost as many homeless families, at 410.

Houston had the most expensive transitional housing, while D.C. had the most expensive emergency shelter system for families. D.C. also topped the list for the most expensive permanent supportive housing.

Major cost differences were appar- cluded two less-costly programs in D.C. ing lists for assisted housing in D.C., exent even among programs of a similar that place families in housing rather than plained HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan.

D.C.'s high costs for family shelter and type. Housing and services cost as little the typically more-expensive emergency as $581 per month for an individual at a shelters, because there were not similar services could be attributed to the expensive housing market, or could be based Des Moines, Iowa, emergency shelter. On programs in other cities.

One program provides apartment- on the programs left out which are less the high end, housing and services for a homeless family in D.C. cost $3,530 per style emergency shelter for first-time expensive.

However, HUD hopes this study and homeless families, with a cost per day of month.

The study analyzed data collected from $79.80, which is significantly less than the others will lead to more discussion at HMIS to identify individuals and fami- $117.66 calculated from the table. Howev- the local level of what type of housing/ lies who accessed homeless programs er this option still costs slightly more than shelter and services are most cost effecfor the first time between July 1, 2004, the daily cost of transitional housing. An- tive as cities make decisions for now and and June 30, 2005. The study then used other program, Community Care Grants, in future.

“Now we need to have serious discusthe HMIS data to examine the programs places qualifying families in mainstream each household used for 18 months (30 permanent housing immediately after in- sion over what strategies are not only most cost effective,” Secretary Donovan months in D.C.) since the day they first take, without a shelter stay.

It is also important to note that the said, “but how we can help individuals accessed those programs.

Across the board, Washington, D.C.'s study did not account for the tight and and families from falling into homelessshelter and services were more expensive expensive housing market and long wait- ness in the first place.” than the other three cities/arFamily Sites Emergency Transitional Permanent Supportive eas. However, Shelter Housing Housing it is important to note that Houston, Texas $1,391 $3,340 $799 some of D.C.'s less expensive Kalamazoo, Mich. $1,614 $813 $881 emergency Upstate South Carolina $2,269 $1,209 $661 shelter options were not used Washington, D.C. $3,530 $2,170 $1,251 in the calculat i o n s s h ow n i n t h e t a b l e. *All costs are total monthly costs for housing/shelter and services. Table courtesy of HUD. The study ex-

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April 28 - May 11, 2010

Implications of India’s Economic Boom Social welfare services struggle to catch up with economic growth

By Alistair Scrutton MADHOUN, India - India's government is spending billions of dollars on welfare schemes, and plans even more this year. But that is news to Poona, whose daughter may soon die from that stain on India's growth story - malnutrition.

Poona, who married at 14 and breaks quarry stones for a living, shielded her daughter's sunken face from a harsh summer sun with her blue sari. She does not know Urmila's weight, but the whimpering 18-month child looked more like a new born baby.

"She eats nothing," said Poona, a lower caste woman from a northern Indian tribal community in Uttar Pradesh state. "I feel scared of losing my child."

Since helping the Congress party win re-election last year, welfare has fast become the government's knee-jerk answer to policy dilemmas as it tries to ease food inflation, help growth trickle down to the poor, and win hearts and minds in a Maoist insurgency, many experts say.

But these often corruption-ridden and badlyrun programs may add to deficit spending and hinder India from following rival China by broadening an economic boom to transform millions of its population from poverty to well-fed middle class consumers.

In Madhoun village, a mobile phone tower stood near. But, while symbols of modernity seep in, welfare lags. Villagers complain no officials come here, and that upper castes siphon off preschool porridge meals to fatten their buffalo.

Sonia Gandhi, Congress party head, has drafted a food bill to give each poor family 35 kg of grains a month, as the government provisionally upped its estimate of the poverty rate from 27.5 percent to 37.2 percent of the 1.2 billion plus population.

It also comes after Congress introduced a "revolutionary" program to ensure 100 days of jobs for villagers each year.

I’ve never seen a country with such fast economic growth with such pathetic levels of nutrition.

-Lawrence Haddad, director of the U.K.-based Institute of Development Studies

But these schemes' foundation stones may be built on sand, many experts say, threatening India's ability to narrow a yawning income gap that may endanger its economic success story despite Congress’ promises of "inclusive growth" since its 2004 election.

GROWTH NOT EVENLY SPREAD Welfare programs can help millions in a country that has a third of the world's poor. Some schemes work well in states like Tamil Nadu which has a tradition of better governance.

But ridden by graft and often ill-conceived, welfare may have become an easy populist tool that is a second best solution to government reluctance to embrace difficult policies, like freeing up agriculture to markets - that may make deeper inroads.

Sonia Gandhi's assassinated husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, famously said that out of every rupee spent on welfare, only 15 percent reached recipients.

"There are areas where these schemes certainly work," said political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan.

"They are blunt instruments. It is easier to hand out a kilo of rice than reform agriculture."

India's growth is slow at lifting poverty, in contrast to China where child malnutrition, a key poverty indicator, is at seven percent.

Malnutrition in India has fallen only six percentage points, to roughly 46 percent, since economic reforms began in 1991. GDP per capita boomed by 50 percent during the same period.

"There has been no improvement here," said Shreevai, a social worker in Bahuri, a cluster of villages near Lalitpur. "We want to be like the rest of India, but we don't have the income."

India ranked 65th out of 84 countries in the Global Hunger Index of 2009, below countries including North Korea and Zimbabwe - hindering India's ambitions to channel its demographic dividend to fuel its global economic ambitions.

"I've never seen a country with such fast economic growth with such pathetic levels of nutrition," said Lawrence Haddad, director of the U.K.-based Institute of Development Studies.

It is a stain that riles many in Congress after hopes its re-election would see it take on difficult issues like agricultural reform needed to boost incomes and productivity in the countryside where still half the population lives.

It has sparked pressure for more welfare after Congress won several elections helped by promises of cheap food as expectation of improved infrastructure and broader economic dissipate.

Welfare counts for a growing part of the budget, worrying investors that it will make cutting a 16-year-high deficit from last year hard.

The rural employment scheme now costs one percent of GDP, while the food bill would cost an added $2 billion.

"People like (Sonia) Gandhi see their future as tied to how the underclass and poor see them," said Rangarajan.

Kids here just eat stale bread. We can’t get dal (dried beans, lentils), and prices have doubled. We just cannot afford it.

-Shreevai, a social worker in Bahuri, a cluster of villages near Lalitpur NO AID FOR MONTHS But in Madhoun, a village of some 80 families, inhabitants said they had not received government aid for months. A health worker appeared once a week, signed attendance papers, and left.

Children stood aimlessly, many with potbellies and lighter-than-normal hair, malnutrition telltale signs. Few children go to school, spending instead days in quarries. Seven children recently died in one week in a bout of diarrhea.

Poona said doctors asked for a 1,000 rupee ($22) bribe for treatment - a charge echoed across several villagers.

"I cannot afford to eat. How can I afford that?"

Poona asked.

In theory, there is no end to welfare schemes.

There is a midday school meal scheme, a preschool scheme as well as the rural employment scheme. But few are felt on the ground.

"These programs have not been successful at targeting those that need it most," said one senior UN official, who asked to remain anonymous. Another UN aid worker estimated that only about 65 percent of preschool foods reached the children in Lalitpur.

The schemes have also done little to alleviate food inflation at an 11-year-high. Prices of lentils, mainstay of India's diet, jumped by around 40 percent last year. So valuable are they that quarry owners paid villagers in lentils rather than cash.

"Kids here just eat stale bread. We can't get dal [dried beans, lentils], prices have doubled. We just cannot afford it," said Shreevai.

In one of the few child nutrition centers in Uttar Pradesh, there were only six beds, three filled in a sign of the lack of awareness and distrust of government doctors by many villagers.

Kranti Sitaram said she has food. She can even afford a cell phone. But her seven-month-old daughter Kirti lay listlessly, ill since the mother had fed her cow milk mixed with water from a well.

"For the rest of her life she will have problems," said Shipli Sahariya, a health worker.

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

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Under 21 21 – 30 31 – 45 46 – 65 65+

2. Your gender � Male � Female � Other 3. Your zip code ____________ 4. Your household income � Under $19,999 � $20,000 – $39,999 � $40,000 – $79,999 � $80,000 – $119,000 � $120,000 – $199,999 � $200,000 or more 5. Your employment � Government � Legal � Media � Non-profit � Retail � Business � Education � Student � Unemployed � Retired � Other: ______________________ 6. Your education level � Some high school � High school graduate � College student � Bachelors degree � Masters/Doctoral degree

� To support the vendor � For current news I can’t get anywhere else � To learn about homeless issues � Curiosity � Other: ______________________ 8. How often do you buy Street Sense? � Several papers each issue � One paper each issue (two per month) � One paper every month or two � I’ve only bought a few times

15. Rank your section preference from most (1) to least (8) favorite. � Local News � Pics n’ Poems & Writer’s Group � National/World News � Politics � Editorials � Vendor Profiles � Reviews � Games

17. How could the vendors reach more customers (select all that apply)? � A louder, clearer sales pitch � Neater appearance � More knowledge of the paper � Signs explaining the paper � Marketing materials about the paper � Other: _____________________ 18. How do you perceive businesses and organizations that advertise in Street Sense? � Very positively � Positively � Neutrally � Negatively 19. What changes/improvements would you like to see to the paper? _______________________________ _______________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 20. Are there new locations where you’d like to see Street Sense vendors selling the paper? _______________________________ _______________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ 21. What suggestions do you have for increasing awareness of Street Sense? _______________________________ _______________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

16. How would you rate the balance between, on the one hand, news and stories relating to 22. I am interested in: homelessness/poverty, and, on the � Volunteering for Street Sense.

9. How long have you been buying other hand, human interest stories, � Receiving periodic updates on Street Sense? vendor art and “lighter” content.

Street Sense. � I just bought my first issue � I’d like to see more hard-hitting news. � Hosting an event to introduce � 3 months – 1 year Street Sense to my personal � The hard-hitting news is � 1 – 2 years and/or professional network. important, but I like to see more � 2 – 3 years � Making a donation in the amount “lighter” content. � 3+ years of _____ to Street Sense. � I like the current balance.

10. How much of the paper do you read? � I think Street Sense should � Purchasing a subscription for � Nearly everything $40 so I can receive every issue expand its content to include: � About half of the paper of Street Sense at home. ___________________________. � Mostly the news � Mostly the vendor features � My favorite section(s) only, which are ________________________ Name (required): _________________________________________________ ___________________________. Email (required): _________________________________________________ � I usually just glance at it Phone: _________________________________________________________ � I usually just throw it away Address: ________________________________________________________ 11. Do you purchase from the same Please share any additional comments you have about Street Sense with us: vendor? ________________________________________________________________ � Exclusively ________________________________________________________________ � Usually ________________________________________________________________ � Periodically Thank you for participating in this survey and providing your contact information so we can enter you in our raffle!

Contact Information

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April 28 - May 11, 2010

Cuts

By Joaquin M. Turley, Jr., volunteer I am a person ...

I am a person on the street, Feeling weak from the lack of food there is to eat.

Feeling meek and ready to attack because of the after effect the government has had on my life.

Have lost every material thing And now lost my human rights just because I sleep outside.

These cuts on my body are symbolic, Stemming not from abuse but from pride.

Having none because of the life that is mine, Hanging on to existence by a shallow vine, Wanting a place to live life and shine.

Cuts.

Cuts.

Cuts on my skin from a faulty government causing me to live in sin.

Cuts that bleed in the wind.

Causing me pain from within.

And I think to myself will I ever win the battle of life when I reach the end?

They say homeless people cheat and steal, If the government takes our funding, how else do we get a meal?

Every slash in the governmental budget falls upon my skin.

The pen signing it into effect as sharp as a blade going across my chest.

Now I bleed down life's page.

Reading another article in the paper that recites the news to you but dictates my life to me And I sit watching the news unfold seeing America's greed People's selfishness giddy with glee, Corruption and discrimination then also comes and joins the party, Creating the axis of evil, the power of three.

Cuts.

Cuts.

Cuts fall upon the homeless more than you know, Causing us to walk and grow slow, stunting our growth In a life where just getting up is hard enough.

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April 28 - May 11, 2010

Heather Farrell received her graduate degree from American University and has lived and taken photographs in the Washington metro region for almost five years.

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April 28 - May 11, 2010

Street Sudoku

By David Rubin, vendor

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Foundry United Methodist Church

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Hospitality: Fridays 9:00 AM

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Homeless Outreach

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Invites you to join us in worship on Sundays at 9:30 and 11:00 AM

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A Reconciling Congregation

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Need Help?

The Next Step Program is a self-help approach offering: s (ELP lNDING A JOB s 2ESUME WRITING s !SSISTANCE APPLYING FOR BENElTS s #OMPUTER MENTORING

s 2EFERRALS TO OTHER COMMUNITY AGENCIES s ()6 !)$3 SERVICES INCLUDING BEREAVE MENT SUPPORT BURIAL ASSISTANCE AND A RETREAT PROGRAM

#HANGING 9OUR ,IFE /NE 3TEP AT A 4IME )F YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN THE Next Step Program, VISIT ONE OF OUR OFlCES BETWEEN AND A M ANY WEEKDAY MORNING (AMILTON 3TREET . 7 7ASHINGTON $ #

5 3TREET 3 % 7ASHINGTON $ #

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1500 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 332-4010

www.foundryumc.org

www.samaritanministry.org Samaritan Ministry’s Next Step Program helps people who are homeless, have HIV/AIDS, and others in need make changes for a better life. Program participants meet with staff members to set goals in employment, housing, health care and other areas. Goals are reached one step at a time with staff providing resources and offering encouragement and support. There are no religious requirements for participation.

Will Write For Food:

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Writer’s Group

April 28 - May 11, 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

Reggie’s Reflections- Socialr Icon?

Earth Day! Earth Day is a day the world stops to recognize that our planet is and always be our home. This is the one day all of humanity have a common cause, the welfare of the Earth.

Sing An Earth Song

by Joaquin Turley

I sing an earth song full of sorrow, slightly flat and partially off key.

Who will take the time to sing with me?

I am earth creature.

I am life’s light, no longer strong enough to fight.

Looming tall looming large. Over an earth of people big and small.

When I was created my limbs were meant to last forever.

Reaching from the top to the bottom of the crust heaven created.

My hands sprout out and feed the animals who often climb my being.

I grew in a peaceful place that is now being destroyed by the manufactured man.

Consumed with his greed for industrial living.

Creatures that were put here naturally are no longer safe.

On an earth lacking God’s grace.

An earth where no one cares for their fellow man and isolation has become normal.

Where the things that are most important hold no value.

I sit and watch these earthly transactions occur on a daily basis and I weep.

As my sister the willow does, for earth’s humanity.

Is this the picture that God wanted us to paint with the brushes of life to be placed in the mural of earth?

An earth filled with struggle, hate and strife. I sing an earth song full of sorrow, slightly flat and partially off key.

Who will take the time to sing with me?

Joaquin also attends Morgan State University. Contact: Joaquin.Turley@ yahoo.com.

Beauty n Beautiful

by Reginald Black An ant to a giant. A beauty you can't defy.

Look at us, can't even comprhend how birds fly. True elegance and grace just past us by.

How foolish, how we coast through life. The wonders you see stretch as far as the sea. From the smallest honey bee, to the creation of the human city. All of it just like a face, simply pretty.

No need to gather in groups. Just pick up a flower, you'll see the truth. The earth is beautiful and so are you.

A perfect creation, meant to be one nation and to apprecitate their habition.

A whole world to take of. Yes my friends it will take all of us.

If earth is our bus, then we must work to maintain and keep it up.

Learn writing from Lee McAuliffe Rambo, 35 years as a print and broadcast journalist working for media outlets in Paris, New York, Los Angeles and the District.

By Reginald Black I was beginning to come back to some normalcy. I had a place to stay, and was becoming a better vendor. The director started giving me events to attend. This particular one was a Hip-Hop summit for the Homeless. I played the background as usual. Soon it was my turn to take the stage. It was a great day and the live atmosphere gave me self-worth. I was baffled by people asking for my autograph.'' Could it be?'' I thought. ''Am I now the center of social attention?'' The entire day I was an artist, not just homeless. I didn’t even bother chatting online, but the question was Am I now a social icon? All the evidence seem to make that point, but could I really have change status so quickly? Unsure, I pressed on anyway.

Reggie hosts The Writer’s Group Meeting. Contact: Rblackstreetreporter@gmail. com.

Old Earth Bones

by Robert Warren

WHO CAN HEAR THE EARTH SHAKE QUAKE? AWAKE OLD BONES, YOUR TIME IS ALMOST HEAR. EARTH BONES SHAKING MINDS AWAKENING. NO MORE WAR OR HATE, HUNGER NO MORE OLD BONES. DON’T YOU FEEL THE EARTH SHAKE AS IT MOVES TO ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER THOUGHT OF MIND? NO MORE RUMBLES OR CRIES, OR LITTLE CHILDREN'S WEEPING EYES. AWAKE OLD BONES CAN YOU NOT FEEL THE MOVEMENT OF TIME TO BE ALIVE? THE CHANGING OF SATAN LIES. HE WHISPERS TO YOU, EARTH CRIES. WHO CAN HEAR THE EARTH SHAKE? ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE, A SIGN OF THE TIMES FOR THOSE WHO ARE ALIVE. WAKE UP OLD BONES DIDN'T YOU HEAR ABOUT THE EARTHQUAKE? GOD NEVER LIED. IT IS TIME TO WAKE UP OLD BONES. ARE YOU STILL ASLEEP? YOUR BONES SHAKE FROM EAST TO WEST. NO LAND IS THE BEST. PLEASE CAN YOU WAKE UP OLD BONES. WAKE UP WAKE UP!! IT’S YOUR TIME. FOR GOD S SAKE WAKE UP OLD BONES. Robert is a member of The People for Fairness Coalition. Contact: Robertwarren47@yahoo.com.

Last Earth Picture

by David Rubin An aged picture of the earth.

Find the faded and oldest colors.

You will need rest and faith to bring anew your work. Strength to draw from Saint Magdalene.

Not paid money for work done, if working, paid with happiness.

Earth how seen, then you draw how they are.

God is omnipresent.

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

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

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April 28 - May 11, 2010

10 Buttons Lead to a Fresh Start

By Jeffery McNeil, vendor

Some seem to have the world as their oyster, while others get the short end of the stick. Dameon is someone who has gone through the wringer of life.

He grew up in the projects of East Orange, N.J., not too far from Newark Airport. He attended East Orange Campus High School, a public high school which was ranked 263 out of 314 schools in New Jersey, while Millburn High School, in the same county, was ranked third.

Dameon didn’t grumble or complain about his circumstances. He played the cards he was dealt and managed to get good enough grades to go to college. After graduating in four years, he got a masters degree in finance.

He got a job as an insurance broker for a large firm in Manhattan, rising through the company to become regional supervisor. There he met his girlfriend, Carla, who would later become his wife.

They started a family with a daughter, Regina, and a son, Lebron, and moved from East Orange to the Jersey Shore.

Dameon was living the American dream.

He had a beautiful wife, two healthy children, and a dream career where he could travel the world.

That is, until the day he came home, turned on the television, and saw the news.

His company was filing for bankruptcy because the CEO misreported earnings and lied about its financial health.

Overnight, Dameon was unemployed.

The lack of money put a severe strain on his family. There were arguments, screaming, yelling.

This was only the thundercloud; soon the tornado would appear.

Dameon suddenly learned he would become a grandfather, when his 16-yearold daughter became impregnated by her 15-year-old boyfriend. Then Lebron, 14, was caught selling marijuana to sixth graders in a school zone. The judge put him in juvenile detention until age 21.

Soon after that, Carla filed for divorce. A judge awarded her the house, the cars, even

the family pets.

Dameon was devastated; he was left with only the clothes on his back and a small duffle bag.

He was broke, unemployed a n d ho me less, drifting along the Jersey turnpike when a red pickup truck pulled him aside and asked where he was headed.

“I h a v e n o w h e r e t o g o ,” Dameon replied.

“I lost everything!”

The driver offered Dameon a ride to Washington, D.C. He hopped into the truck and the two laughed, drank, shared stories and spent a night in a hotel.

The following day the driver dropped Dameon off at Union Station.

They said their goodbyes and good lucks. The driver gave Dameon 10 bucks and drove off into the hot summer night.

Soon, Dameon realized that he had nowhere to go. He had never experienced homelessness or survival on the streets.

Dameon tried sleeping in a bus terminal, only to be thrown out by security. He then found a dumpster behind an abandoned building and crawled inside for a night’s sleep.

The night was chilly because he had

no blankets, nothing to keep him warm. When morning came, Dameon, hungry and thirsty, began wondering where to find food.

All of a sudden he saw a white truck, and then a line around the truck. It was a church group giving out sandwiches.

Dameon had never been to a soup line before; although he g re w u p p o o r, he always had a meal.

This was a new experience. People cutting in front of him for food, fights over iced tea and chicken wings.

To make matters even worse, no businesses would let him use their restrooms.

He began to talk to those who lived in the shelters. They told Dameon about a shelter down the street. He checked in with his belongings, and the shelter assigned him a bed. Hard and narrow, the bed smelled awful and was dirty, but Dameon, who was exhausted, wasn’t worrying about a dirty bed.

He tried sleeping until he started to scratch uncontrollably. He decided to crawl out of bed, when he noticed welts all over his body. Taking off his shirt, he saw small brown bedbugs crawling on his shirt.

Dameon lived like this, bouncing around from park benches to shelters, eating in soup lines, trying to beg for a couple of bucks to get a cheeseburger or a

pack of cigarettes. Dameon had lost hope; he thought this was his lot in life, to stand on a corner and beg for a sandwich.

He decided it was time to pull himself up by the bootstraps and get himself out of homelessness. He was broke and desperate but was willing to do anything to earn a little income.

After spending another night on a park bench, he heard a chant: “Holler, holler for a dollar, wear a button on your collar! I’m your button man!”

As the man did his pitch, Dameon noticed that people were buying his buttons.

Dameon asked the button man, “Where do you get buttons?”

The button man took one look at Dameon and decided this wasn’t someone looking for a few dollars to get high but someone who had a desire to get out of homelessness and rebuild his life.

The button man gave Dameon 10 buttons and specific instructions on how to sell them. “Only sell them for a dollar apiece, and then you’ll have 10 dollars.”

Dameon was desperate and sold his buttons, then came back to the button man and asked him to give him some more. The button man said, “I sell them for 40 cents apiece.”

“Okay, sell me 10 more,” Dameon said.

He then sold those buttons and soon was buying 20 buttons at a time.

He got a little button vest, and those who lived in the shelter started cracking jokes and calling him “button man.” While they rode the yellow bus back to the shelter, Dameon was out everywhere selling his buttons.

Dameon was a button-selling machine.

In the rain he sold buttons; in the snow he sold buttons; in the heat he sold buttons.

He saved everything he made and was always polite. Never once did he grumble if someone didn’t give him the full amount.

Sometimes he even gave his buttons away.

Dameon now has a smile on his face; he no longer eats in soup kitchens or in shelters. He has found a new wife and started his own button business.

Thank you Street Sense Supporters!

Street Sense wishes to thank its recent donors who make it possible to enable homeless men and women in D.C. to earn an immediate income and get on a path toward financial self-sufficiency.

Your donation makes a difference!

Alysha Chadderdon Andrew Morrison Cate Puzo Center for New American Security

David Martin McCormick Jessica Barberich Jodi L. Wesemann Joseph F. Lipari

Michael Stoops Occasions Caterers Patricia A. O'Shea Richard S. and Rita Edley

Robert J.Davis Sherry B. Schwartz Vasudha Desikan

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April 28 - May 11, 2010

The Homeless Look

By David Denny, vendor #276

PHOTOs by David Denny

"You don't look like you're homeless," the lady says, looking on dubiously as she gives me a $2 donation for a Street Sense newspaper. When people think of the homeless they picture those who sleep in storefronts or who trudge down the street with way-too-heavy loads in grocery carts. I must admit, that's the epitome of the homeless look. But I explain to my benefactor that there are different degrees, levels and facets in the homeless community.

Some homeless are storefront sleepers, some are park bench sleepers and some are shelter sleepers. As you get more experienced at being homeless, you go from one stage to another.

Some people sleep in storefronts to hide their homelessness. Some move to sleeping on a park bench, as sometimes you have this need to be around people who are going through the same thing. Some avoid shelters because they don’t want to be seen by people they know. But moving into a shelter shows that you have come to terms with your situation. Also, the streets can be violent, and freezing temperatures are equally dangerous.

Some homeless suffer from mental illness, addiction and/or hopelessness. Some are just running from their past and from the ghosts that pursue them. But whatever the case may be, the homeless should not be treated with misconceived callousness because they choose not to fit into a mold that others are comfortable with. The homeless who have shed the "homeless look" are earnestly trying to re-enter mainstream society and become productive members of it. In fact, some of us are neatly dressed in part because of clothing donations from concerned benefactors. A lot of these generous souls are well-to-do, so we wear the secondhand clothes of the rich. Don't judge a book by its cover.

The value of life spirals downward when society allows some of its weakest members to die of exposure in the winter, or looks on with indifference while allowing others to live like animals. Homelessness is a very bad scar on our community, and it shows a failure in our society as a whole. We should take an involved look instead of expecting the homeless look.

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Earth Day Concert Rocks Vendors Socks!

Street Sense vendor Lawless Watson attended the Earth Day Climate Rally on the National Mall on Sunday, April 25. Speakers and performers included Sting, John Legend, the Roots, Jimmy Cliff, Jesse Jackson and James Cameron with the cast of Avatar. Clockwise from the top right: John Legend, Watson and an Avatar, and Sting.

PHOTO by Malu JiMenez

PHOTO by TyrOne MOOre

I stood there in awe as I watched the world-renowned musician/activist Sting drink from a plastic water bottle as he led into one of his many mega-hit songs, “Message in a Bottle.” For myself and what I have been led to believe was around 200,000 other people, Sting’s performance of that song was one of the simplest, yet most effective ways of portraying the message spawned by the massive climate rally hosted by Earth Day Network.

Washington, D.C., the epicenter for the first Earth Day in 1970, participated in its 40th anniversary celebration. Director for the hit movie Avatar, James Cameron, said that “we find ourselves facing the greatest challenge of our time: saving our natural world from ourselves.”

Avatar takes place on a distant world, but it is really about this miracle planet we have right here.

Avatar dramatically demonstrates how human invasion almost destroyed the fabric of life on the planet Pandora. The movie shows that all living beings are connected and that those who seek to exploit nature rather than respect it will only destroy themselves.

Acting on that realization, President of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Mike Dunn, said, “At the core of Avatar lies a message of empowerment and self-discovery. Our initiative to plant one million trees allows us to promote a healthy, sustainable planet while hopefully empowering others to get involved.”

PHOTO by sHivan sarna

By Lawless Watson, vendor #107

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 witter : streetsensedc and ...and, as always, find us online at www.streetsense.org.

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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

April 28 - May 11, 2010 Thrive DC (Breakfast Mon-Fri, 9:30-11, all welcome/Dinner for women and children, Mon-Fri, 3-6 pm) St. Stephen’s Parish Church 1525 Newton St, NW (202) 737-9311 www.thrivedc.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

John Young Center (Women) 119 D Street, NW (202) 639-8469 www.catholiccharitiesdc.org

Unity Health Care, Inc. 3020 14th Street, NW (202) 745-4300 www.unityhealthcare.org

My Sister’s Place PO Box 29596 Washington, DC 20017 Office: (202) 529-5261 24-hr. hotline: (202) 529-5991 Shelter and other services for domestic violence victims

Whitman–Walker Clinic 1407 S Street, NW (202) 797-3500; www.wwc.org

N Street Village (Women) 1333 N Street, NW (202) 939-2060 www.nstreetvillage.org 801 East, St. Elizabeth’s 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/charlies place Church of the Pilgrims (Sundays only) 2201 P Street, NW (202) 387-6612 www.churchofthepilgrims.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/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 Street, NE 202-269-6623 www.aohdc.org Bright Beginnings Inc. 128 M Street NW, Suite 150 (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 JHP, Inc. 1526 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE (202) 544–9126 www.jobshavepriority.org Training and employment Jubilee Jobs 1640 Columbia Road, NW (202) 667–8970 www.jubileejobs.org Job preparation and placement 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, health care 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 Massachusetts Avenue, NE (202) 371–1937 www.travelersaid.org/ta/dc.html Emergency travel assistance

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW (202) 328–5500 www.legalclinic.org WVSA Literacy for Life 1100 16th Street, NW (202) 296-9100 www.wvsarts.org GED preparation and work force education

MARYLAND SHELTER Interfaith Works 114 W. Montgomery Avenue Rockville (301) 762–8682 www.iworksmc.org The Samaritan Group Inc. PO Box 934, Chestertown (443) 480–3564 Warm Night Shelter 311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant (301) 499–2319 www.cmpgc.org

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

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

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(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 Alexandria Community Shelter 2355 B-Mill Road, Alexandria (703) 838–4239 Carpenter’s Shelter 930 N. Henry Street, Alexandria (703) 548–7500 www.carpentersshelter.org 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 2921 11th Street South Arlington (703) 979–1400 www.arlingtonfreeclinic.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Abundant Life Christian Outreach 5154 Eisenhower Avenue Alexandria (703) 823–4100 www.anchor–of–hope.net Food, clothing, youth development, and medicines David’s Place Day Shelter 930 North Henry Street, Alexandria (703) 548–7500 www.carpentersshelter.org Laundry, shower, workshops, hypothermia shelter

Shelter Hotline: 1–800– 535–7252

April 28 - May 11, 2010

THE LAST WORD What Happens if Homelessness Does End?

By Kim Walker, volunteer In one of the stories in this issue, Street Sense covers a report comparing the cost of housing homeless individuals and families in permanent housing and the cost of placing them in emergency shelters. The numbers don’t lie -- it’s much cheaper to get people off the street and into permanent housing as quickly as possible than it is to provide temporary shelter beds.

The facts provide validation to all of us who advocate affordable housing as a solution to homelessness: Not only does putting people into permanent housing provide a long-term solution to homelessness, it’s cheaper than the alternative. Who doesn’t want to save money? And who doesn’t want to end homelessness?

Well, some might wonder: If we do put all the pieces together and move people into permanent housing, provide the services they need and help them find jobs that afford financial stability, what comes next? Not just for these previously homeless individuals, but for the people who serve them? Will we have a bunch of unemployed social workers, program managers and soup kitchen owners on our hands?

Rest assured, eradicating homelessness, once we get there, won’t eradicate the need for other social services and social service employees. The caring, well-trained people who serve in these positions will simply see their roles shift and help fill the remaining needs of those who are struggling. Perfect example: The federal government is shifting more and more resources toward prevention, as seen in the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP) and the new Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, and we will probably see similar patterns in the future.

So perhaps instead of serving as intake workers, social workers will assist more families on the brink of homelessness; instead of housing authorities hiring people to process Housing Choice Vouchers (federal government program that enables low-income families to afford safe housing), they’ll hire more people to help prevent evictions.

Whatever the future looks like, there will always be a need for people who care and who are willing to take action to improve the lots of individuals and families who are suffering. No matter what the condition of others, there will always be a place for compassion in this world.

S treetS ense.org

Reggie Black

VENDOR PROFILE

By Roberta Haber, volunteer Reginald Black was born in D.C., attended Anacostia High School and got his diploma from Potomac Job Corps. He has been a Street Sense vendor for almost two years.

One of Reggie's favorite activities is writing. He started as a fiction writer but now prefers nonfiction. Reggie is active in the weekly Street Sense Writer’s Group and edits the group's page, a regular feature in the paper.

His main interest is human rights. Not surprisingly, the issue that gets his attention is homelessness. Reggie has been homeless, but now he's living with friends in a good situation.

Reggie's wish is to see at least one city in the United States drop its homeless count to zero. He proposes that cities use resources that already exist such as unused hotel rooms and apartments. Cities could also turn abandoned buildings into low-barrier shelters; this would require legislation.

Reggie always carries a book and likes to read about history, politics and spirituality. He is fascinated with other cultures.

Reggie likes exploring the city looking for new and different types of events. He says that D.C. looks different every day.

Favorite food: Grapes, all kinds Favorite movie: Ronin Warriors: The Legend of the Inferno Armor and other good Japanese animations Favorite kind of music: Japanese pop Favorite place to go with friends: Anacostia Park Favorite place to spend a quiet afternoon: Botanical Gardens

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