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Where the poor and homeless August 4 - 17, 2010

August 4 - 17, 2010

earn and give their two cents Volume 7 Issue 20

D STE GE ON G I S U N AT DO

65 cents for the Vendor

35 cents for Production of the Paper

Remembering the Hunger Artist LIVE! Or like it...

Street Soccer!

Page 6

See page 4

Local Political Pundit Tim Young Comments on a Mayoral Forum Page 11

See Page 4

Jeff McNeil Reflects on His One-Year Sobriety Mark Page 12

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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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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.

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

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 full-time 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.

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.

9. 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.

1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 347–2006 Fax: (202) 347–2166 info@streetsense.org www.streetsense.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lisa Estrada Ted Henson Brad Scriber Michael Stoops Manas Mohaptra Sommer Mathis Kristal DeKleer Robin Heller Jeffery McNeil Jordan Rummel John Snellgrove Dameon Philpotts Martin Walker

We are proud members of:

North American Street Newspaper Association

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR International Abby Strunk Network of EDITOR–IN–CHIEF Street Papers Mary Otto MANAGING EDITOR/NEW MEDIA DIRECTOR Lisa V. Gillespie COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & PROGRAM MANAGER Amy Vokes INTERNS Mary Yost, Jon Howell, Eric Falquero, Adam Sirgany, Cathy Bueker, Priya Anand FOUNDERS Ted Henson, Laura Thompson Osuri VOLUNTEERS/WRITERS Robert Basler, Jane Cave, Robert Fulton, Steve Gilberg, Jane Goforth, Joanne Goodwin, Roberta Haber, Erica Hall, Annie Hill, Diana Heitz, Phillip Hoying, Maurice King, Brenda K. Lee-Wilson, Kim O’Connor, Gabriel Okolski, Michael O’Neill, Katinka Podmanickzy, Lisa Razzi, Diane Rusignola, Willie Schatz, Jesse Smith, Sara Kruger, Jami-Lin Williams, Marian Wiseman

VENDORS Charles Armstrong, Jake Ashford, Lawrence Autry, Daniel Ball, Donna Barber, Cyril Belk, Kenneth Belkosky, Tommy Bennett, Phillip Black, Reginald Black, Emily Bowe, Andre Brinson, Melody Byrd, Cliff Carle, Percy Carter, Peggy Cash, Conrad Cheek, Virginia Clegg, Aaron Conner, Anthony Crawford, Louise Davenport, Charles Davis, James Davis, David Denny, Ricardo Dickerson, Muriel Dixon, Alvin Dixon-El, Roger Dove, Charles Eatmon, Deanna Elder, Richard Embden, James Featherson, Craig Fleming, Samuel Fullwood, Roger Garner, David Ger, Barron Hall, Dwight Harris, John Harrison, Patricia Henry, Shakaye Henry, Phillip Howard, James Hughes, Richard Hutson, Margaret Jenkins, Carlton Johnson, Donald Johnson, Alicia Jones, Mark Jones, Clinton Kilpatrick, Hope Lasister, Brenda Lee-Wilson, Michael Lyons, Jonnie Malloy, Kina Mathis, John Matthews, John C. Matthews, Charlie Mayfield, Herman Mayse, Robert McCray, Marvin McFadden, Jermale McKnight, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jeffery McNeil, Kenneth Middleton, L. Morrow, Tyrone Murray, Charles Nelson, Sammy Ngatiri, Evelyn Nnam, Moyo Onibuje, Franklin Payne, Edward Perry, Gregory Phillips, Tracey Powell, Ash-Shaheed Rabbil, Ed Ross, Melania Scott, Chris Shaw, Ronald Simms, Veda Simpson, Gwynette Smith, Patty Smith, Franklin Sterling, Warren Stevens, James Stewart, Garland Stroman, Leroy Studevant, Beverly Sutton, Sybil Taylor, Paul Taylor, Steve Thomas, Larissa Thompson, Deborah Tibbs, Carl Turner, Christopher Walker, Jeanette Walker, Joseph Walker, Martin Walker, Robert Warren, Lawless Watson, Paul Watson, Gregory Wells, Michael Welsh, Edna Williams, Wendell Williams, Susan Wilshusen, Ivory Wilson, Charles Woods, Tina Wright

S treetS ense.org U.S. Schools See Uptick in Homelessness Among Students Nearly one million homeless students attended public schools during the 2008-2009 academic year, the Argus Leader reports – a 41 percent increase over the previous two years. The report, based upon federal data, said almost 680,000 students were homeless in the 2006-2007 school year. For the next academic year, the number climbed to 957,000.

Homelessness was defined as those without permanent, reliable housing.

Homeless advocates are asking Congress for $140 million in stimulus funds to help the students, but even if granted, money may not be available until 2011. But advocates say this should be a priority since schools can have a major impact on individuals’ lives.

“Schools are uniquely positioned to provide safety, structure and services for homeless children,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus, which released a report with the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.

Hawaii Buys Plane Tickets for Homeless Back to the Mainland To combat a 15 percent increase in homelessness over the past year at a cost of $35,000 per head, Hawaii is buying individuals oneway tickets to their home states, Newser. com reports. Proponents of the measure say it will help reconnect families and decrease

August 4 - 17, 2010 the homeless population in Hawaii, but some say the problem is just being moved to another state and returning to their home states does not mean someone will find his or her family.

Other states have already implemented a similar program – New York has flown at least five homeless individuals back to Honolulu.

Sacramento Mayor Disappointed in Homeless Programs Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson says he is unhappy with efforts to find housing for the homeless and wishes programs were making more progress, the Sacramento Press reports.

“I am disappointed that we are not further along,” Johnson said at a press conference.

“This is not about finger pointing, this is about all of us collectively together figuring out a way that we get to where we need to be.”

About a year ago, Johnson set in motion a plan to find 2,400 housing units for homeless people over the next three years.

From October 2009 to May 2010, 833 households have received housing assistance through Sacramento’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said. “ We h a v e m a d e v e r y g o o d p r o g ress on the broader issues of homelessness, which are permanent

housing, but I think the pace to get a resolution is not the ideal pace,” Johnson said.

Advocates for Homeless Struggle to Win Over Dallas Neighbors Residents in many Dallas neighborhoods claim they have been blindsided by a move to find 700 homes for the homeless, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance and Dallas Housing Authority leaders counter that they will give neighborhoods notice about housing plans, create “good neighbor agreements” at each location and with help from churches, begin a citywide education campaign about the overall project.

“So much of the pushback is about fear and misunderstanding about the people who will live there,” said Mike Faenza, president and CEO of the homeless alliance.

Officials add that the homeless placed in housing will receive counseling and those who fail to meet the lease agreement terms will be evicted.

Man Walking from Pa. to N.Y. to Highlight Homeless Plight Beginning Aug. 1, Sean Guiney, a Pennsylvania resident, will trek – on foot – from Pennsylvania to New York and back over the course of 30 days, Main Line Media News reports. Guiney plans to raise money for and

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spread awareness of homelessness. During the 300-mile journey, he will stay mostly in tents, and under a bridge on the first night.

“I’ll be essentially living like a homeless person to raise awareness of the situation,” said Guiney. “I didn’t want to do another fundraiser that just lasts a day and then it’s over.”

Guiney’s goal is to raise $10,000 to put toward homeless programs.

L.A. Champions Safe Overnight Parking for Homeless In a crusade to aid the rising number of homeless people in Venice, Calif., Los Angeles is working to establish an agency to manage a “safe overnight parking” program to offer individuals safety, counseling and hopefully, housing, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Contracts and codes of conduct would be strictly applied to those sleeping in their vehicles in the designated areas, and hygienic facilities would also be provided. The project would be executed in the 11th district, and Councilman Bill Rosendahl has procured $750,000 to fund the program.

“This is a smart and cutting-edge program that builds on the successes of similar programs in other cities and improves and tailors them for our community,” Rosendahl said.

Compiled by Dianna Heitz from previously published reports.

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Celebrating 40 Years of Struggle Community for Creative Non-Violence marks its own history and remembers Mitch Snyder

by Adam Sirgany, editorial intern The struggle to end homelessness is still far from over. But after more than four decades of fasting, praying and working for the cause, the Community for Creative Non-Violence is pausing to celebrate and remember.

On Saturday, September 11, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., CCNV will hold a 40th anniversary celebration at its 1,100 bed-shelter which is located at Second and D Streets NW, a corner now known as D Street and Mitch Snyder Place. In the spirit of CCNV, the party will include free food and health care, as well as music. And of course, there will be reminiscences about Mitch Snyder.

Many people have made CCNV what it is. But it is hard to imagine CCNV without flamboyant, driven and ultimately tragic Mitch Snyder. Founded by Father Ed Guinan and a group of Georgetown University students in early 1970s, CCNV started out seeking to end the Vietnam War with peaceful protest and public education. But the organization slowly evolved with the times. It branched into working for social justice, first opening a soup kitchen; then working to find shelter for the growing ranks of homeless people in Washington. CCNV is where Snyder honed his skills and found his voice and changed the way the entire nation thought about homelessness. Gone for 20 years this summer, his story bears repeating.

He was born in 1943 to atheist parents of Jewish background. His father, an electrical firm executive, left the family for another woman when Snyder was only nine. He

PHOTO ILLusTrATIOn by ErIc FALquErO FILE PHOTOs cOurTEsy OF nATIOnAL cOALITIOn FOr THE HOMELEss

S treetS ense.org and his mother, Beatrice, fell from a comfortable middle-class lifestyle into semipoverty, a situation which Snyder said later on brought the two closer.

However he struggled without a father figure and eventually joined a street gang, quit school and got arrested over a dozen times by his 16th birthday. He was sent to a reform school, from which he dropped out in less than a year. He returned to his native Brooklyn in pursuit of work and night school.

During this period, Snyder met future wife Ellen Kleiman, with whom he eventually had two sons. He found work selling vacuum cleaners door to door, making a living doing what he enjoyed most: chatting with strangers.

Yet underneath it all, Snyder felt something was amiss. He could not settle for a capitalist lifestyle.

“I think anyone who works for money is stark raving mad, because prostitution is bad, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re standing on 14th Street or in a boardroom for AT&T,” he once said.

In 1969, he left his family and took to the road. A year later, he was convicted of car theft in Las Vegas (though he always maintained he was innocent). He spent most of his jail term in Danbury, Connecticut, where he met and studied the Bible with radical Catholic priests Philip and Daniel Berrigan. The experience moved him to focus his political energy on opposition to the war in Vietnam.

After completing his full sentence, throughout which he participated in hunger strikes and other protests about prison rights, Snyder was released in 1972. He tried to reconcile with his wife afterwards but failed. At the recommendation of a friend and fellow inmate from Danbury, he moved to Washington, D.C., to join a religious protest group working in the city.

When he arrived, the war was ending, and factors such as a lack of transitional programs for veterans were causing the number of homeless Americans to increase dramatically. Snyder and the CCNV began to turn their attention from ending the war in Vietnam to supporting its survivors -- from a war against war to a war against poverty.

At the time, although he had never been homeless, he was well-informed about it, as his love of chatting to strangers had resulted in many conversations with homeless persons. He easily channeled the protest fervor he developed in prison to the specific cause of homelessness.

The shift was physically, emotionally and spiritually trying. But Snyder was an energetic, engaged and engaging volunteer. He worked on many tasks, from community organizing to shelter management. His unique sense of creativity and ability to draw attention to issues were what made him most important to CCNV and the homeless community as a whole.

Years passed, and Ronald Reagan became president in 1981. For many, the years of the Reagan administration are remembered for

August 4 - 17, 2010 social affluence and a booming economy.

However, those who were poor and homeless in that era remember it most for a dramatic reduction in services and constant reminders of their plight, like the myth that “welfare cheats” across America were at fault for their own poverty. “Mr. Reagan and Congress’ housing cutbacks are directly responsible for the homeless problem,” Snyder said of the administration. He felt more and more that it was time to intensify the protests.

On Thanksgiving in 1981, tents appeared across from the White House in Lafayette Park. A sign hung amid them read “Reaganville: Reagonomics at Work.” The tent city, an intentional throwback to the Hooverville encampments of the Great Depression, held 20-25 homeless persons and activists each night for the next four months.

As a self-proclaimed actor, this was exactly what Snyder wanted. A fine line had been drawn for observers between what was real and what was theater. A master of social pageantry and what now would be dubbed “street theater,” he was famous for his insatiable motivation to create a public scene.

His exploits include orchestrating a blood spattering on the Capitol steps; sloshing through the world’s biggest pie yelling, “It’s all mine!”; fasting—nearly to death—three times; frequently jumping the White House fence; and sitting outside the White House, in the old Irish tradition of a person waiting outside the home of one who had wronged him or her without remorse.

Snyder was criticized for protests that some called manipulative. Still, his flamboyant activism made him a minor celebrity.

News groups often covered CCNV’s Snyderled protests, including a 60 Minutes episode featuring clips of him fasting to demand that the federal government repair the Federal City Shelter to make it livable for its 1,000plus inhabitants. The episode aired just before Reagan’s second presidential election, and the federal government budged. Regardless of whether he was manipulative or not, Snyder was undeniably effective.

Indeed, it seems that, if not cameras, at least eyes were always on Snyder. Not only the news captured his activities: he was also the subject of books, the PBS documentary Promises to Keep and the TV-movie Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story, starring Martin Sheen as Mitch.

Snyder had an ability not only to make homelessness interesting, but also to make it the topic of the day. One might say he never “went Hollywood”; rather, Hollywood “went Mitch”. Sheen and other actors were so moved after working with him that many donated time, money and resources to the homelessness cause. Sheen even protested with and was arrested with him.

With Snyder as its vocal leader, the homeless movement grew tremendously. In his time, he saw significant change not only for Federal City Shelter but for D.C. as a whole and America as a nation. His work was key

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FILE PHOTO cOurTEsy OF nATIOnAL cOALITIOn FOr THE HOMELEss

Michael Stoops (left) and Mitch Snyder (right) before a 48 day protest to improve the Federal City Shelter.

FILE PHOTO cOurTEsy OF nATIOnAL cOALITIOn FOr THE HOMELEss

Martin Sheen, center, who played Snyder in a TV movie also joined him on the streets sometimes.

in pushing homeless rights locally and nationally. He contributed to such legislation as Initiative 17, which was meant to mandate shelter for all, and the McKinney-Vento Act, which originally provided federal homeless assistance and now focuses on education for homeless children. He helped ensure that the Federal City Shelter became the CCNV, which continues to provide long-term shelter for more than 1,300 D.C. residents.

Snyder achieved many accomplishments by the time he reached age 46. But all the effort exerted took its toll. Struggling against the devolution of homelessness policy in D.C. as well as a series of personal misfortunes, he hung himself in his room on the fourth floor of the CCNV on July 5, 1990.

It was a rainy day in Washington, D.C. when Carol Fennelly, Mitch’s partner of 13 years, explained to a crowd of mourners that Mitch believed that good things happen when it rains. “Today,” she said to them, “he was wrong.”

July 5, 2010, the 20th anniversary of his passing, was a hot day for the District. And summer’s oppressive heat is no worse on Mitch Snyder Place than at 14th Street and

Pennsylvania Avenue. The number of homeless persons in D.C. has increased by around 5 percent in the last year due to America’s economic downturn. Jobs are slim, and many do not pay a living wage.

However, the CCNV now hums with the sound of residents returning from a day’s work, as 65 percent of the shelter’s residents are employed. The Fenty administration recently housed its 1,000th formerly homeless person. And the Obama administration has established a comprehensive 10-year plan to end homelessness, which it announced just two weeks ago.

Despite this, homelessness continues, demoralizing those who have lived it. Yet even within bureaucracy, Americans are increasingly viewing homeless people as human beings with the respect they deserve.

Though the work to end homelessness is far from complete, significant progress has been made. While this is to the great credit of all who have worked for the cause, it is only appropriate to give special remembrance to a homelessness advocate who was unique in his time and will stand out as such for all time.

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Kicking Out Homelessness Street Soccer tournament returns to D.C.-Russia, though, takes the win Jami-Lin Williams Teams from 20 U.S. cities and Russia arrived in the District last week to kick off the fourth annual Street Soccer U.S.A Cup. Only in its fourth year, the tournament featured a program that combined athletics, music and social change for an event that offered a little something for everyone.

The SSUSA Cup began on the evening of Friday, July 31, with a parade and an appearance by Mayor Adrian Fenty. Players dressed to represent their respective cities, while the drumming of the all-female samba/reggae percussion group Batala set an exciting and intense tone.

In the wake o f t h e F I FA World Cup, the SSUSA Cup gave soccer

Photo courtesy of DC Street Soccer DC Knights team member Javier takes on a player from the San Francisco team in the opening match for the Street Soccer USA cup over the weekend of July 30th.

enthusiasts a chance to watch live games while lending support to an organization that seeks to kick out homelessness – one player at a time. Members from La Barra Brava, known for their passionate cheering, came out for the opening match featuring D.C. and San Francisco. Complete with a pupusería stand and hip-hop and Latin beats provided by volunteer Tyler Hall, the tournament appealed to an impressive array of people. Among the audience were families, youngsters and individuals from a range of cultures.

While the rules of street soccer, played four-on-four in 15-minute games, allow for a fast-paced and dynamic game, a clear emphasis was placed on sportsmanship and camaraderie. Even in the middle of a tough game, smiles could be found on the faces in the crowd and on players alike. As many volunteers and fans said, the positive atmosphere was due largely in part to the enthusiasm of announcers Chris Lodgson and Joe Tripodo.

Though soccer was undoubtedly the focal point of the tournament, Saturday’s events included a dance contest, skills clinic and performance from

multi-platinum producer Kevin “Khao” Cates.

As much fun as the SSUSA Cup is for both fans and players, the event’s organizers hope to see different faces every year.

The 2010 New York team, for example, featured only a handful of its 2009 players. As Andres Garvey, one of the tournament’s directors will tell you, that is a good thing. When a player does not come back, it means that he or she has found a way off the streets.

“You don’t want to see [the players] next year,” says Garvey. “You want them to make it.”

The Street Soccer program provides its participants with access to a variety of resources, including workplace readiness, pro bono legal services and substance abuse and trauma counseling. Additionally, the program’s emphasis on teamwork and goal-setting builds a sense of trust and community that many individuals experiencing homelessness lack. Within a year of joining the program, 75 percent of Street Soccer players will have moved off the streets – a testament to Street Soccer’s innovative, holistic approach.

For more information about Street Soccer and photos of the tournament, visit www.streetsoccer.org.

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Fenty Blocked: Funds Saved for Homeless

By Adam Sirgany, intern

Team Russia (above) won the tournament play, but offered the championship to San Francisco

PHOTO cOurTEsy OF MEgAn HusTIngs

Football is Happiness, Football is Responsibility.

By Cathy Bueker, editorial intern The third and final day of the Street Soccer U.S.A Cup saw an effort dampened neither by fatigue nor rain. The weather was just another reminder that the teams were truly in D.C. Here, a sunny summer day of only 78 degrees Fahrenheit is prohibited from finishing as such, so it had to rain in the afternoon.

After dozens of matches the previous two days and several more that morning, the champions were determined that afternoon. Entering the finals were San Francisco, after beating Los Angeles, and Russia, after beating Montgomery County.

Russia scored first in the tense game with swift and concentrated moves, avoiding the falls taken on the rainslicked playing field by previous players. Though San Francisco met the challenge with good offense of their own, the two teams tied with one minute before the half, Russia attained a score of 3 to 1 after two penalty kicks.

During the interval, the announcer urged the crowd to do the wave and auctioned off a pair of men’s Nike shoes after their raffle-winner failed to claim them, continuing the non-soccer entertainment held simultaneously with the games. The first to tweet a tongue-twister to the U.S. Cup’s Twitter account would win a pair of shorts.

The Minnesota team waved its two flags, watching from the bleachers.

The level of ferocity increased in the second half, the ball bounced more and more often over the low court walls and into the stands. San Francisco, as a team of players from one city against a team of players drawn from a whole country, could not match the skills of the Russians. At five minutes left, the St. Petersburg-based team was in the lead. When the clock reached zero, they were irrefutably number one, with a score of 6 to 3.

The closing ceremonies began at five and all the players and coaches gathered on the field to reflect on everyone’s significant achievements. “We’re here because we use sports for social change,” the MC reminded them.

The tournament had agony, triumph, despair and hope, but it culminated in celebration of all the players’ performance. Clinking sounds resounded as medals were handed out to almost every person.

One man in the stands told his friend, “I’d really like to get involved in this.”

Arkady Tyurin, of the Russian team, addressed the crowd. He thanked Washington, Street Soccer, “all people of the United States” and the tournament organizers.

“Football is happiness, football is joy, football is responsibility.”

Dear Street Sense Vendors, Volunteers, Supporters, Interns, and Staff: Street Sense is proud to introduce our “Vendor of the Month” program as a way to recognize the myriad achievements in our vendor community. Nominations will be accepted by e-mail at amy@streetsense.org Categories: -Paper Sales (increased paper sales or stellar selling techniques) - Effort (good attitude and a willingness to take calculated risks in selling strategy) - Personal Achievements (for example: getting a new job, enrolling in job training or

continued education, moving into housing, clean & sober time, reconnecting with family, etc.)

- Community Involvement - Citizenship (continual compliance with Street Sense Code of Conduct as well as excellent citizenship outside of the Street Sense community) In your written nomination, please describe how the vendor has excelled in one or more of the categories outlined above.

In an action on Aug 3. the D.C. City Council blocked an effort

by Mayor Adrian Fenty to shift $4.3 million in federal money for poor families to a summer program that employs young people.

The vote followed a heated debate and testimony from representatives of the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) who reported their successes, as well as from providers of services to poor and homeless families, who spoke of their struggles to serve growing needs.

The discord arose over the Summer Youth Employment Emergency Amendment Act of 2010, in which the Mayor proposed changing the current six week program limit and adding an extra seven days of employment for SYEP participants.

The addition of seven days to the program would have required an additional $4.3 million for the program’s budget, money that would be better used for homeless services, according to City Councilman Michael A. Brown.

“To put this in context,” said Brown, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Workforce Development said, “we received testimony that this $4.3 million could result in more than 250 homeless families being housed for a full year.”

The funds would have been moved as part of an $8.4 million shift from the DC Department of Human Services (DHS) to the DC Department of Employment Services (DOES).

The money would have come from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds. TANF, a federal block grant program meant for work, welfare, and temporary assistance, replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS), and the Emergency Assistance Program (EA). TANF provides funding to states and regions in order to bolster existing programs that provide services in the aforementioned categories.

In DC’s case, TANF funds can be moved within the budget by the mayor’s office. But, when Mayor Fenty proposed moving $8.4 million of those funds, which program was most worthy of receiving them became a point of contention.

In testimony to the DC City Council, SYEP reported the success it has had over its 30 years of work and in its recent years. In 2009, 91 percent of the SYEP participants surveyed rated it as a ‘good’ or an ‘excellent’ program for themselves and for other youth.

On the other hand, several homeless service organizations explained their recent and increased needs.

“DHS does not have sufficient financial resources to meet the needs of the most impoverished residents of the district. To try and meet some of those needs DHS has already cut into essential programs,” testified Nechama Masliansky and Kurt Runge of So Others Might Eat, or SOME. Other opponents of the shift of funds pointed to a history of cost overruns by the summer youth program. Ed Lazere, Executive Director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute put it bluntly. “…the Summer Youth Employment program is yet again over its budget and the plan to use TANF funds to fill the shortfall raises several concerns.”

While the council denied the Mayor’s proposal to use $4.3 million in TANF funding to extend SYEP employment by 7 days, some TANF money will go to the youth program. SYEP ran $4.1 million over its budget this year, a gap which will be filled by TANF funds.

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August 4 - 17, 2010

“I love Street Sense because it’s a simple yet powerful

concept: Help the homeless help themselves. I’ve also learned so much about homelessness and the issues surrounding it since I’ve started reading Street Sense.”

Expense|$204,650

13% General Admin

– Marsea Nelson, Falls Church

VENDOR ACHIEVEMENTS

EDITORIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Chris Shaw is took writing courses at *UHHQ 'RRU 3DWW\ 6PLWK WRRN DQ 2IÀFH Support Specialist course at CTI; Louise Davenport took a CPR-First Aid Course; and Carl Turner and Sammy N. Ngatiri completed computer classes offered by MLK Library.

Top 10 News Headlines

Sybil Taylor, Lawless Watson, Donna Barber, Kenneth Belkosky, Jeffery McNeil and John C. Matthews and others obtained housing.

Vendors secured employment at the National Portrait Gallery, the Census Bureau, CSC Events and Jubilee Jobs.

Others have sought rehabilitation services at Pathways, Cataada House and the Psychiatric Institute of Washington.

10% Fundraising

77% Program

HINI: Coming to a Shelter Near You? Carrie Hopper, November DC Weighs Cost of Homeless Services Mary Otto and Bob Blair, May N Street Village Cinderellas Ready for Ball Mary Otto, January

Revenue|$193,389

1% Subscriptions

Back to School? Growing Number of Homeless Families Struggle to Keep their Kids in School Karen Thomas, August

6% Advertising

Who Really Counts? 2010 Census Attempts to Count Homeless Marcus Williams, September

22% Paper Sales

From L.A.’s Skid Row to Capitol Hill Bob Blair, April City Cuts Vital Services Shivan Sarna, October After War, Homeless Veterans Continue to Fight Marcus Williams, July Who’s Attacking the Homeless?

Mary Otto, January

33% Individual Donations 5% Grants

Tribute to Randy Evans [using photos he took of his life] November Homeless Speak out on City Council &RQÁLFW ZLWK &DWKROLF &KDULWLHV RYHU Gay Marriage Marcus Williams, November Please Say No to Closure of Mental Health Clinic at 35 K Street JoAnn Jackson, January This is About Gun Control Ken Belkosky, August Fashion Preview: Street Sense Style Vanessa Voigt, September

1% Corporate Sponsorships

6% Fundraisers

13% Contributed Goods & Services

Policy Experts Address Smoking Rate Among Homeless Individuals Shivan Sarna, November

Additional Articles of Note

13% Workplace Giving

Paper Sales|2005 - 2009 $50,000

$40,000

$30,000

$20,000

$10,000

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

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August 4 - 17, 2010

Street NewS Service

No Place to Go in Kenya

By Brigitta Moll, Street News Service

flicKr/The AdvocAcy ProjecT

Vumilia, Kenya--Joseph Mburu is sitting on an empty plastic water canister in front of his tent. Since Kenya’s post-election violence of 2007, he has been living in this small shelter roughly ten square meters, always waiting for donors to come and bring food or clothes, or for the government to help him rebuild a home. “There is no work for me around here. I can be glad if I get casual work from time to time,” Joseph says.

Joseph, forty-five, with deep wrinkles running from his nose down to the corners of his mouth, used to be a farmer in Timboroa, 150 kilometers further north from here. He had cows and sold their milk, which enabled him to sustain his family and to send his kids to school. But this was all before the post-election violence.

“Now I don’t have enough money to always pay what the school asks me to. Right now, they want to build a new latrine, so they asked for money again.” This is despite claims made by the government that school fees would be taken charge of by the state. Joseph points to the eleven-year-old boy sitting a few meters away from him, his son Patrick, who the local school teacher sent home. “I usually spend my time collecting firewood or playing with my friends,” Patrick explains.

Joseph gets up from his canister and slides aside the canvas cover of the entrance to his tent. The mid-day sun is shining high over Vumilia camp some 100 kilometers north of Nairobi. Inside the tent it is gloomy, stifling and dusty. Joseph shares this space with his wife Mary and their nine children.

In the awning, the family keeps their pots and cutlery. In the main tent, blankets are spread over the ground; a wooden cot for the youngest children stands right next to the entrance. The low height of the tent does not allow walking upright.

Outside, Joseph’s wife Mary is bent over a dirty bucket, washing clothes. She does not talk much. Will she take part in the referendum that occupies Kenya at the mo-

A few of many tents that internally displaced people live in in Undugu Society in Kenya.

ment more than any other event? “No, I’m not going to vote. I don’t see what should be good about voting,” she says determinedly.

Her husband does not hesitate either.

He has not even registered on the voter list.

“The last time I took part in elections, it brought me into the situation I am in now.

If I vote, it will again cause me trouble.”

While he would consider voting if it was helping him to get out of his tent, he is convinced that voting would not change anything for him. Joseph says most people in the Vumilia camp think the same.

Only Phylis, his fellow camp inhabitant who is sitting with the Mburu family in their little courtyard, tries to change his mind. Phylis is wearing sunglasses, and she laughs a lot. “I went through the provisions in the draft constitution and I am going to vote, because I think it can make a differ-

ence for me,” says Phylis. For her, the most convincing provisions are the guarantee of equal access to land as well as the prohibition of gender-based discrimination in land questions.

Joseph hates to depend on well-wishers and the government. He wants to rebuild a home. But not in Timboroa. He and his family belong to the Kikuyu tribe, which is the biggest among Kenya’s 40 different ethnic groups. After the elections in 2007, a violent group from the Kalenjin tribe looted Joseph’s village. “We had to flee because these people burned down our house, and they killed seven villagers.”

I cannot go back to the place where my enemy is waiting.” Joseph recalls that every five years, his property was destroyed in violent clashes after elections and he does not want another repeat of this. The government has so far not kept its promise

to resettle them.

Meanwhile, lunch is simmering in a pot over a small fire. The Mburu’s kitchen nowadays is outdoors, encircled by some sticks that are holding another plastic cover. Mary has cooked the typical Kikuyu dish of githeri. “We don’t always have enough vegetables to cook. So I just make do with what I get.”

The government provides 40 kilos of maize for three months. For a family of eleven, this does not meet their needs.

“The children are still healthy, thank God,” Mary affirms. Neighbor Phylis says she will continue to convince the Mburus to vote in the referendum. She knows, though, that the people in Vumilia have other issues to care about first. © www.streetnewsservice.org

S treetS ense.org

August 4 - 17, 2010

11

A Dry Year...In a Very Good Way

By Jeff McNeil, vendor Yesterday was my one year anniversary of sobriety. This time last year, my doctor gave me an ultimatum: to drink is to kill yourself - either stop drinking or, in essence, commit suicide. My blood pressure then was off the charts, so I had to make life-altering changes. I was wretched, shaken and weighed 120 pounds.

Being told to quit something you love is depressing, but I didn’t have to quit drinking alone.

There were so many people behind me that the encouragement was awesome. I found out my true potential without being burdened by a drink. Today I can walk down the street and not have to apologize for my behavior the night before. I am grateful for the little things normal people do, like washing clothes and taking showers. I am in bed by 9 p.m. so I can get up in the morning to sell papers.

I kept a written journal of my year of not drinking. Here are some excerpts from my journey to this point.

August 3, 2009, 9 p.m. The date of my last drink. What I remember was that I couldn’t remember anything I had done the night before. I left a family reunion in Ohio, and on the way home I picked up a drifter and went to Wheeling, W.Va. After partying I arrived at the Greyhound bus terminal in D.C. liquored up.

I was so drunk I fell asleep in a park off of 5th and K streets. When I woke up, there were two transvestites involved in a love triangle fighting over this guy who ran off with another transvestite to smoke crack.

This was the low point of a sad existence. I looked at my bottle of vodka, poured it out and haven’t been back to that park or taken a drink since.

To quit drinking is like climbing Mount Everest. Sometimes it is awe-inspiring, sometimes there are hazards. Maybe sometimes it is an inspiration, sometimes it is a struggle..but there is no worthwhile achievement without struggle.

September 3, 2009. My bunky was a junkie. I was one month sober, sleeping on my bunk, and I bought a pair of brand new sneakers. I was proud of them because I didn’t waste my money on my usual six-pack. I had a pair of white pants that matched the shoes. I was going to be the coolest cat at my shelter. My bunky had just been released from a penitentiary and

I could feel his negative energy. I set a junkie trap.

When my trap ensnared him it was high noon time; I woke up and shrieked and then I tried to kick him.

Then I lost it. I connected flush in the gut and as we struggled, the lights in the shelter went on and I got kicked out. It was unfair, but gave me motivation to never have to live in a shelter. I didn’t take a drink over being put out.

September, 2009. I went to see my doctor because I needed to get my prostate checked. My doctor ran a few tests on me. While I waited, I reflected on a failed life. There was no legacy; I had never been married and I prayed to God that day that I would do His will, not mine.

The doctor came out and said all I had was high blood pressure. I hugged him like I had hit the lottery. I was feeling joyous on my way to Union Station, when all of a sudden I crossed the street and a cab driver came barreling around the corner and almost hit me. I became enraged and I flipped him the bird. But I didn’t drink.

October, 2009. Two months without a drink. When I used to drink, my favorite ritual was throwing mail in the trash.

Credit cards, I.R.S invoices, medical bills; it didn’t matter. I never read them. I was two months sober, so I decided to open my mail. I even called a few creditors. I noticed all the wonderful phrases they would use, like “if you don’t…” and “very urgent” and “you must call this number…”

Then, I made the mistake of giving my phone number out to one of these creditors. The barrage was relentless. I finally melted and started paying my debts, so they don’t call me anymore. But I didn’t drink over paying my bills.

November, 2009. Three months sober.

My odyssey of being homeless and living in soup lines became a thing of the past. I began treatment bipolar disorder and depression. I finally moved out of the shelter and felt the love of all my customers. Many helped me with everything, from supplying me with furniture to helping me apply to college. It feels good today that I do not have to carry all my belongings. November used to be a depressing time because I was usually alone for the holidays, but this time I got invited to many dinners and events.

It was a wonderful time for me. It was brutally cold this winter and we had a blizzard, so sales were shut down for a period.

I struggled and paid my bills religiously. And I didn’t drink over cabin fever. Even with cabin fever, I still didn’t drink.

March to May, 2010. As winter cold weather turns to spring, the snow melts, birds reappear and so do the junkies and beggars. Many gather on P Street by the Whole Foods. Unlike places like New York and Philadelphia, I rate Washington, D.C. at the top for having the best addicts in the world. They will wash your car, carry groceries home, anything you need. One day I even dropped a couple of dollars and to my shock, one gave me my money back.

June, 2010. Life is so great. I hit several milestones, I got a date after several attempts, my doctor gave me a clean bill of health, and I am currently trying to get my driver’s license back. I was going to cash in on my newly found sobriety. I played a lottery number religiously for almost six months-one day I went to church and

heard a preacher give a fine sermon on doing the right thing. Tears ran down my eyes when I thought about my sinful ways, so I decided I should quit playing the lottery.

To my dismay I saw on TV that my number won, and even more sickening it came out double. But the silver lining was I was now 11 months sober.

July, 2010. Life truly gets better. Since I quit drinking I have had many blessings. I became a board member for “Street Sense,” and I was invited to many events such as speaking in front of a synagogue and speaking to a PR firm on why “Street Sense” is vital. I became an overnight celebrity by having an article published in “The Washingtonian” and doing an interview for Channel 8 News. If I had known sobriety would be so joyous, I would have quit drinking a long time ago.

I am looking forward to many, many more years of sobriety.

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August 4 - 17, 2010

Debate Shows No Signs of Debate Gray and Brown Vow to Work Together to Improve City at UDC Forum

By Tim Young,volunteer Defeat Poverty DC’s mayoral and council forum, held last Thursday night, became an arena not of challenges and critical thinking, but a display of gratuitous agreement between two supposed rivals who only highlighted their similarities.

In attendance were just Vincent Gray, current City Council chair and candidate for mayor, and Kwame Brown, current councilman and candidate for City Council chair. Mayor Adrian Fenty, who seems to shy away from public forums where his policies can be questioned, and Vincent Orange, who assigned roughly six volunteers

(It) became an arena not of challenges and critical thinking, but a display of gratuitous agreement between the two supposed rivals

and lined the streets outside with his signs, were conspicuously absent.

While the forum was conceived as an open dialogue of ideas and not so much as a debate, it simply grew into a friendly conversation between current council members and colleagues Gray and Brown.

They talked about their visions for the future of the city and how they cannot stand the current mayor.

Both Gray and Brown spent part of the night outlining their similar plans for the city to defeat poverty and increase its residents’ employment. Each blamed unenforced First Source agreements as a major factor in the city’s joblessness. These are contracts companies from other states make with the city; the agreements require 51 percent of the workforce and 51 percent of resources to be hired and purchased in the District of Columbia. This is certainly one unemployment culprit, but there is no strong evidence showing it is an outstanding reason for job loss. They also agreed that in order to lower the city’s increasing unemployment rates, there must be a focus on expanding vocation education and reforming the department of employment services.

In discussing their methods to improve the job market and lower homelessness in the city, Gray and Brown started touting

the success of their universal pre-k education program. Unique to the District of Columbia, it provides an early start on the education of all children younger than kindergarten age. Brown argued that alongside the pre-k program, the District needs “world-class middle schools” in order to keep children engaged in education, considering how many begin to “fall off” and drop out by 8th grade.

Gray concurred, citing the pattern of homelessness among at-risk youth, which he hopes these programs will help eliminate. According to Gray, children in the city who struggle with poverty issues are much more likely to eventually drop out of school, which limits them when in the job market. Both candidates openly mocked the power of the mayor’s office, saying that right now it answers to the chancellor of the school system, when really it should be the opposite.

They also discussed - not debated - the state of the District of Columbia’s finances.

The city’s “rainy-day” fund has rapidly depleted over the past few years. This dearth has threatened spending for social safety net services, such as job counseling and housing programs for the city’s poor. Both candidates agreed, once more, that instead of continuing to take money out of the city’s rainy-day fund, the council and mayor’s offices should consent to use a pay-as-you-go strategy, which would take limited amounts of money out of the rainy-day fund only in necessary cases, instead of pulling millions

Nothing came out of the evening that no one could not have read on the respective candidates’ websites; the discussion bored the crowd out at the beginning of every fiscal year.

But pay-as-you-go just gives the appearance of higher sums in the city’s bank account until the programs, which are still scheduled to occur and be paid for, actually happen. This really doesn’t fix any of the city’s financial woes and only gives the illusion of still having money. The Home Shopping Channel calls it “easy-pay,” which means it’s still going to cost the same thing in the end, but you can spread it out to make you feel good about your bank account.

In the end, nothing came out of the evening that one could not have read on the respective candidates’ websites; the discussions bored the crowd, which trickled out early. There is nothing less exciting than two candidates competing in the same race acting friendly and agreeable with one another in a forum. Indeed, the only surprise was the announcement that Vincent Orange (not Mayor Fenty) would be absent.

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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August 4 - 17, 2010

13

Shouldn’t the Poor Be Able to Live in D.C.?

A Letter From Parcel 42’s Tent City Everyone was excited.

It started with a community block party on July 10, attended by close to 200 people.

Then, roughly 100 of the partiers marched to a vacant lot in Shaw, known as Parcel 42 to set up tents, tables, lawn chairs, beach umbrellas and a sign on the chain link fence declaring the encampment “The Land of Broken Promises.” And as of this writing, we are still taking action on the “Take Back the Land Campaign.”

Going into this, we have a twopronged goal. First, we want to call out Mayor Adrian Fenty on his broken promise to put 94 units of affordable housing on this vacant lot, Parcel 42, and get other local politicians to commit to making good on this promise if the present mayor won’t. Our second goal is to educate Washington, D.C. on the affordable housing crisis.

People’s greatest fears, being shut down by the police before we even got started and possibly going to jail, have not materialized.

Different groups of police have stopped by repeatedly to ask the same questions. But they have yet to evict us. We think they may be fighting a war of attrition, just waiting for us to get tired and go home.

But every evening, six to ten people spend the night here at the tent city and some of them even go to work in the morning. Another group of six to ten people have manned the information table during the day and engaged the public in discussion about D.C.’s affordable housing crisis.

The support and interest from the community is heartening. Dozens of people come when they get off from work to spend time with the campers and project a movie onto the exterior wall of a building on adjacent property. Many individuals, as well as representatives of Busboys and Poets and Food Not Bombs, have brought food and drink. Children come by each evening to play on the vacant lot. Some adult chaperones even brought their children’s summer activities groups to visit and learn about the pertinent issue.

A Georgetown University professor was making arrangements to bring her class of 20 students, studying about inner-city issues, to the tent city to learn about D.C.’s affordable housing crisis.

City Councilman Michael Brown visited our campsite on the evening of July12, but apart from that, we haven’t had much luck with politicians. Nonetheless, we’ve garnered plenty of media coverage. We’ve been interviewed by ABC 7 News, Blue Lagoon (grassroots media), WPFW and the Associated Press.

Some of the media outlets that have in-

PHOTOs by eric sHePTOck

By Eric Sheptock, advocate

Top, Shaw Tent city stands proudly against a backdrop of despair on the affordable housing climate where Shaw residents make on average $25,000 to $35,000 a year. Bottom, residents of the city scurry by the tent city, while some stop to show support. terviewed us have posted those interviews the surrounding counties’ suburbs. City ofWe have requested a meeting with the on their websites, which has given way to ficials originally planned to make this hous- mayor and are awaiting his response. We some rather crass, uninformed remarks ing affordable to those making at least 60 aren’t certain we’ll realize victory by having from readers, most notable among them: percent of the AMI, or $62,100. That would affordable housing built on Parcel 42. But those who can afford a cell phone or iPod seem like a kind gesture, until you consider we have raised people’s social consciousshould be able to pay rent. Some would go the fact that residents of the Shaw neigh- ness and we see that as a victory in and of so far as to say that gentrification is a good borhood generally earn $25,000 to $35,000 itself. We plan to remain here until the pothing or that their tax dollars shouldn’t go per year. lice shut us down. toward helping the poor to live in the city.

We won’t see the closure of the tent city Building a property in this neighborhood Yet residents of the Shaw neighborhood that is affordable for those making $60,000 as the end of our direct action, but rather as have praised our efforts. or more would raise the value of surround- the beginning of something much bigger - a ONE DC and the mayor have haggled ing properties and the property taxes would renewed culture of speaking truth to power over the degree of affordability this property follow suit. This would raise rents, and peo- and of making demands on our politicians. should have for some time now. The Wash- ple who have lived in the neighborhood for No matter how it ends, we win. ington, D.C.’s area median income presently many years would be priced out of their stands at $103,500 for a family of four be- homes. Such a move would constitute gencause it includes the salaries of people in trification.

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August 4 - 17, 2010

VENDOR PROFILE Clinton Kilpatrick

Street Papers Scraping By Street Sense goes to Chicago for annual conference

By Mary Otto, editor

On his way to the Street Sense office, Clinton Kilpatrick always passes by the White House, his favorite historical landmark and a monument that inspires admiration and respect.

Kilpatrick’s proudest moment came at a time in his life when he went by the names “Mr. Clinton” and “Mr. Kilpatrick.” During this time, he worked as, in his own words, “an ambulance chaser,” and helped injured clients claim money for accidents. In this position, he made good money; but more importantly, he was treated with respect.

Since that time, Kilpatrick has faced many hardships and spent a number of years on the street. He now works a number of odd jobs around D.C., including home improvement, cleaning and street promotion for a stage theater. Even though he feels he has begun to pick himself up, he still wishes for the respect he once had.

Kilpatrick enjoys working with people and feels his strength is in communications. He dreams of one day being a broadcaster or a voiceover announcer.

Sitting just outside the Street Sense office, he demonstrated his skills as his voice instantly took on a smooth lilt while intoning the advent of an upcoming show. He saidpeople know him around town because of his “trademark” voice.

Kilpatrick, who has been a vendor on and off for two years, sees Street Sense as a means to an end. It is “a stepping stone to earning respect.” He hopes that the income earned through selling Street Sense will help catapult him into better-paying positions.

“I want to be a productive citizen and bring positivity by showing love to people,” Kilpatrick said.

PhoToS By Amy voKeS

By Mandy Toomey, volunteer

Street newspapers, dedicated to news of poverty and nearly always sold by homeless men and women, are often shoestring operations by nature, and, like their vendors, simply struggling to survive.

This year, the nonprofit trade group representing more than 30 street papers throughout the United States and Canada is also going through tough times. At its annual conference, held in Chicago from July 29 to August 1, North American Street Newspaper Association board chairman Israel Bayer announced the organization was forced to lay off its sole staff member.

Citing the nation’s ongoing recession and fundraising difficulties, Bayer told delegates that due to a lack of funds, the board had no choice but to lay off executive director Andy Freeze at the end of August.

Freeze, whose office is in Washington, D.C., was hired in late 2008, but grant money that paid his salary has been spent and no new funding is on the horizon. Prior to hiring Freeze, NASNA, like many of its member papers, was run through volunteer efforts. Bayer, who is executive director of the Portland street newspaper, Street Roots. said for the time being, NASNA’s member services will be provided out of Oregon, from Street Roots offices.

NASNA has 31 members, 23 in the United States and eight in Canada. Several more are in various stages of development.

These small publications comprise a diverse group. Chicago’s StreetWise, which helped host the conference, is a glossy weekly magazine with plain yet comfortable offices and professional staffers. But others are humble tabloid newspapers, published twice a month or monthly. Some have no paid employees at all and a few do not even have an office to call their own.

All, however, see their mission as informing the public about issues of poverty and homelessness. And nearly all the publications are sold or distributed by poor or homeless vendors who, with the help of their newspapers, are trying to work their

Top, executive director Abby Strunk and editor mary otto stand in front of Buckingham fountain in Grant Park for the North American Street Newspaper Association annual conference. Bottom, otto and community development & program manager Amy vokes glory in an art installation.

ways off the streets. The journey is seldom easy for the vendors, or for the papers themselves.

At the conference, newspaper directors, editors and vendor managers exchanged stories of hard luck and success, strategized about how to keep their publications alive and readable and how to assist their homeless salespeople to reach their goals of selfsufficiency.

Host publication StreetWise nearly closed last year due to declining revenues, but ultimately won a second chance after

rallying community support. At this year’s NASNA conference, StreetWise Executive Director Bruce Crane outlined his hopes for the magazine’s continuing survival through aggressive reorganization and fundraising.

He said he has been busy cultivating “angels,” who donate everything from office supplies to food for the vendor’s lunches to help keep StreetWise offices open.

“We even have a paper towel and toilet paper angel,” said Crane.

S treetS ense.org

the District 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

August 4 - 17, 2010 9:30-11, all welcome/dinner for women and children, Mon-Fri, 3-6 pm) St. Stephens 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-hour 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. 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 www.churchofthepilgrims.org Thrive DC (breakfast Mon-Fri,

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 St 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, healthcare 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. P.O. 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 (301)333–4440

15

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

THE LAST WORD

August 4 - 17, 2010

You helped your country.

Now your country can help you.

Have you served your country in the military? You could qualify for no-cost health care, housing and employment assistance, and other benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Call 1-877-222-VETS (8387) or visit one of these local VA facilities:

By Cathy Bueker Last weekend, spectators enjoying the U.S.A Homeless National Soccer Tournament were treated not only to games from dedicated players, but also an opportunity to win some treats. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Next in the raffle, we got some Nike sneakers here,â&#x20AC;? the MC announced during a gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s halftime. His words echoed off court walls, which held logos and names of sponsors - Nike, with a splash of Deloitte and Microsoft. Just when I escaped Deloitteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relentless recruitment posters at school, my foe and I were face-to-face again.

But why should I be surprised? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just part of the growing trend of corporations sneaking into good causes for a squeakyclean façade. Microsoft is also listed a â&#x20AC;&#x153;benefactorâ&#x20AC;? on the Sierra Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website, though the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing goodâ&#x20AC;? link to a page on how they help nature brings up a 404 error. Well, ignore how their empire symbolizes ubiquitous PCs assembled by underpaid workers in unsafe working environments. (Apple, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not off the hook either.)

And remember when BP rebranded itself as Beyond Petroleum? It took out pages of ads in weeklies like Newsweek for bubbly depictions of nature, rendered in bright, yet soothing cartoon shapes, to assure us of the progress the company was making toward defeating the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oil addiction.

Brand management reigns supreme. Ev-

eryone, whether a business or nonprofit, needs a logo and slick website. In fact, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s treet ense.org sometimes hard to tell which is which. Coca-Cola, donated $2.5 million to the National Park Service in 2007 to encourage citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; support of parks. The company could address how it hinders our enjoyment of parks with landfill-occupying packaging that litters the outdoors, or how its products make Americans so obese they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go for a long forest walk.

Nah, too hard.

A 3D Imax Smithsonian film, though ostensibly educational, has a cartoon clip andtrailers at the beginning. A cheery bird flies along, sees power being wasted and tries to pull out the plug. But, being just a bird, it canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. A human comes over and helps it. Soon, we see a community engaged in a happy dance of responsible living: riding bikes, recycling cell phones, composting, etc. A narrator comes on at the end, saying we, unlike big corporations, can each do our small part to help the environment. A logo crops up. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the big corporation change wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come from? Ah, this time the source of the message is Nokia.

Next time a company tries to remind you its bad practices are for a worthy cause â&#x20AC;&#x201C; say, Starbucks trumpeting the good it does for farmers while failing to provide recycling for plastic cups â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just accept it. After all, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just one big company with tens of thousands of employees - what else do you expect them to do?

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