Streetvibes June 2006 Edition

June 2006

STREETVIBES Two Prominent Community Development Organizations Merge, form Over-the-Rhine Community Housing - Providing Hope for Inclusive Re-Development of OTR housing in 1988. Over-the-Rhine Housing Over-the-Rhine Network focused its development efforts in the Community Housing will be responsible for the combined North Central area of Over-the-Rhine.

ReSTOC (Race Street Tenant Organization Coassets of the Housing Operative) was chartered in 1978 by volunteers of Network and ReSTOC, Drop Inn Center, a homeless shelter, to ensure the totaling a net worth of 5.5 existence of affordable housing in Over-the-Rhine. million in property and over ReSTOC was organized as a cooperative where 90 buildings in this neighborhood that spans one the board of owners was controlled by the tenants.

ReSTOC developed a strong education program, square mile north of serving as a site for 3,000 volunteers yearly on downtown. Of equal value and more difficult to quantify their Saturday Work Crews and Urban Plunges.

ReSTOC had focused its development efforts in are the people who live in the Washington Park area. those properties and the The community of Over-the-Rhine lost thousands of volunteers who over 1000 units of affordable housing over the past have volunteered over the 5 years. The loss comes primarily as the result of years and who continue to ReSTOC office gets a facelift for new merger the section 8 opt-outs where owners like Tom support the efforts of Denhart and Metro Management chose to leave ReSTOC and Over-theOver-the-Rhine — The boards of two the section 8 program that kept their buildings Rhine Housing Network. Roger Auer, board community development organizations, Over-theaffordable for the previous 20 years. Many of president of ReSTOC and now president of Rhine Housing Network and ReSTOC (Race those buildings have been vacated and sold for Community Housing put it this way, “We are Street Tenant Organization Co-Operative), voted development by market rate providers. grateful for support from within OTR and from the unanimously to merge, forming a new non-profit Contrary to the spin of the mainstream broader community of Greater Cincinnati. Beyond community development corporation—Over-themedia that affordable housing led to the problems the nuts and bolts of the work they do year in and Rhine Community Housing. that face Over-the-Rhine, the exact opposite is year out, they lift our spirits The merger became official and provide renewing energy.” true. As we steadily lost affordable housing in the this month. community over the past 5 years, open air drug Auer said he feels good about Like its preceding markets and gun violence steadily increased. As the talents of both boards. organizations, the mission of people were forced out, drugs and violence moved “The combined skills of our Over-the-Rhine Community in. board members and the Housing is to provide In 2001 the corporate sponsored supportive communities they affordable housing to residents Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation are affiliated with including the of Over-the-Rhine. The (3CDC) was created and Over-the-Rhine was religious, business, resident organization will play a key identified as one of their 3 areas of focus. 3CDC and education communities role in the development efforts has acquired about 80 buildings and vacant lots, allow us to receive input and of the neighborhood. spending more than $8 million during the past support from a broad range of With a staff of 16, perspectives. That feels good.” couple of years on acquisitions and board-ups. A Over-the-Rhine Community Walter Reinhaus, President similar strategy used by ReSTOC in the ‘80s to Housing will continue to secure and stabilize buildings for the sole purpose of the Over-the-Rhine provide housing to all existing of community control of affordable housing, Community Council believes tenants of both former the merger will be good for the Housing organizations. Mary Burke, community. “The merger the former director of Overseems like a natural or obvious cont. on page 8 the-Rhine Housing Network idea given Sharon Jones, Over-the-Rhine will serve as executive director Community Council the history of the new organization. Her and leadership style is one of collaboration and has a closeness of the two dedicated staff to build a strong team. Andy Hutzel organizations. It seems especially the former executive director of ReSTOC will so in these times of limited serve as the Operations Director. Both Mary and resources and increased Andy’s leadership roles will allow them to focus reporting requirements. more time on their areas of responsibilities and Additionally, the community will strengths. be able to go to one office to “We are excited about our future and the access a wider variety of housing potential for inclusive community development” and services. “ Burke said. “Bringing together the expertise of our About the former organizations two organizations bodes well for the future of Over-the-Rhine Housing Over-the-Rhine and the opportunity for a mixed Network was formed in 1983 as income community. We believe that we can model a resource for housing for our city the way to develop a mixed income development organizations in the community where all residents are valued.” neighborhood and began New board members of OTR Community Housing developing its own affordable

Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless

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GCCH Staff Georgine Getty - Executive Director Allison Leeuw - Administrative Coordinator Monique Little - Education Coordinator Kelly Carr - VISTA Andy Lawrence - AHA Coordinator John Lavelle - VISTA Melvin Williams - Reception Susan Smith - Volunteer Streetvibes Jimmy Heath, Editor Photography Mary Burke, Jimmy Heath Cover Over-the-Rhine Community housing board meets for new merger Streetvibes accepts letters, poems, stories, essays, original graphics, and photos. We will give preference to those who are homeless or vendors.

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City Council Keeps Panhandling Registration

by Streetvibes Staff At its evening meeting on Wednesday, May 10, Cincinnati City Council voted 7-2 in favorremoving the sunset provision from the “Improper Solicitation” ordinance (910-12). Without this motion, the registration requirement from the so called “panhandling ordinance” would have expired on June 20, 2006. For both lawmakers and homeless advocates, this motion means that the panhandling registration remains law indefinitely.

The improper solicitation ordinance requires that anyone wishing to panhandle in the city of Cincinnati register for a license.

Without a license, it is illegal to verbally solicit. The ordinance also provides restrictions for where and when one may panhandle, and it specifically defines aggressive solicitation.

Councilmember Crowley explained that he originally wanted the sunset provision because he was unsure of whether or not the registration program would be effective. He stated that after three years, he is convinced that it works.

Several employees of Downtown

Cincinnati, Inc., as well as downtown business owners and residents spoke before council in support of keeping the registration, claiming that they have seen a decrease in panhandling due to increased outreach and police enforcement.

If there has been a decrease in downtown panhandling, says Georgine Getty, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, it has little to do with the registration. “If you are at a point where you have been on the streets for years and have to beg for money day in and day out, eight hours in jail is not going to deter you from panhandling.”

She continues: “I have always opposed this ordinance based upon the First Amendment right to free speech, but as a taxpayer I am incensed that our city is wasting thousands of dollars arresting and jailing panhandlers for doing nothing more than asking for some spare change.”

Advocates for the homeless have continually denounced the registration as criminalizing homelessness by requiring individuals

to register for something they are guaranteed by the First Amendment.

What is needed, says Getty, is more outreach. Public officials and proponents of the panhandling ordinance cite outreach done through Downtown Cincinnati, Inc., as a major part of the success, even though there is no mention or provision for outreach in the ordinance.

Besides the registration, the ordinance specifically targets “aggressive” solicitation.

Councilmember Cranley – who, along with Cole, voted against the motion – stated during the Law and Public Safety Committee meeting on May 9 that he thinks existing laws already address the issue of “aggressive panhandling.” The actions involved in aggressive panhandling often encompass assault and menacing.

Those wishing to peacefully panhandle will still be required to register at the Elm Street Clinic for their license. Anyone soliciting without a license may be subject to an initial warning, followed by a violation that could result in a fine or time in jail.

Workers, Advocates Release Report Card of Exploitive Labor Halls Cincinnati, OH – On Thursday, May 4, 2006, a group of advocates and laborers called the Day Labor Organizing Project (DLOP) released their report card of day labor halls in Cincinnati. They surveyed over 100 day laborers on their experiences working at various labor halls and averaged the ratings of particular practices and overall quality.

Labor Hall Overall Scores One Force/Labor Solutions - DMinute Men - D CinTemp - C Quikstaff - D Labor Works - CTLC - D+ Every day in Cincinnati, hundreds of low-income and often homeless individuals turn to day labor halls as their primary source of income. These halls contract with local businesses to provide unskilled, manual labor on both a short-term and lonterm basis. Particularly for a worker lacking a permanent address, identification, and/or marketable job skills, this is the only immediate option for fiscal survival.

Labor halls such as One Force/Labor Solutions (208 W. Liberty St.) are known to provide low wages for long hours at undesirable jobs. Through interviews conducted by the Greater Cincinnati

Coalition for the Homeless and the Cincinnati Interfaith Worker Center over the past months, day laborers have voiced numerous problems with labor halls, including: long wait times for work, failure to pay, lack of restrooms, unsafe transportation, unnecessary and superfluous fees, wrongful termination, harassment, refusal of permanent employment, and racial discrimination, among many issues.

“Many of these workers wake up at four in the morning to wait for work,” says Georgine Getty, executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless.

“If they do get sent out, they work long hours at difficult jobs, only to be dropped back off at a shelter. After all the fees and deductions, someone might get less than $40 for over 12 hours of their time.”

The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless estimates that over 60% of homeless people work. Nevertheless, many simply do not earn enough to get out of the shelters and into permanent housing.

“On top of low wages and long hours, day laborers are often subject to poor working conditions, harassment by labor hall staff members, and termination at any time for any reason,” states Don Sherman, executive director of the Cincinnati Interfaith Worker Center. “This is an unregulated industry that exploits the most vulnerable of populations.”

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Members of DLOP began compiling surveys for the report card in order to document day labors’ experiences of different labor halls’ practices. Three labor halls – One Force/Labor Solutions, Minute Men, and Quikstaff – scored the lowest, particularly with regard to charging high fees for transportation, unfairly terminating employment, and not providing bathrooms. Advocates and workers hope to use the report card and other educational materials to raise public awareness in order to force day labor halls to stop charging superfluous fees and treat workers more fairly. They also hope to increase wages to workers by getting the labor halls to stop taking so large a percentage – often over 50% - of the amount the contractor pays for each worker.

Vincent Kirksey, a day laborer and member of DLOP, believes that he has been blacklisted from at least one labor hall due to his involvement in organizing workers.

Even with employment through the labor halls, he was unable to move out of homelessness. Now that he is blocked from employment, he can only continue working with DLOP and hope for the best.

“It’s bad enough that there are so few jobs available,” stated Getty. “Many of the jobs that are available are just not enough for anybody to make ends meet.”

Homeless News Digest

Compiled by Jimmy Heath The seven-county Denver metro-area homeless population dropped 11.5 percent last year to 9,091 - but by only 4 percent in Denver, according to a survey released last month.

While the study found an overall decline - the first since 2004 the number of homeless families increased 12 percent, and the chronically homeless surged 47 percent.

The homeless population also continued to concentrate in Denver, hitting a seven-year high. While Denver’s homeless population went down, the percentage of homeless in the metro area who are in Denver has gone up.

The survey was done on the night of Jan. 23 by the Metropolitan Denver Homeless Initiative and Mile High United Way. It found that just over half the 9,091 displaced people were in Denver, the greatest cluster there since the survey began in 2000.

Denver held 46 percent of the area’s homeless population last year, up from 40 percent in 2004.

“The Cats of Mirikitani,” a film documenting the life of a New York homeless JapaneseAmerican painter who had been sent to a U.S. internment camp during World War II, won the Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The documentary depicts in a somber manner the painful postwar experiences of Japanese-Americans through the life of Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani, an 86-year-old painter.

Linda Hattendorf, who directed the documentary, met Mirikitani in 2001 when she began documenting street people.

Calling himself a “peace artist,” Mirikitani told Hattendorf that he had drawn pictures of cats on the sidewalks in a Manhattan neighborhood.

As Hattendorf realized the homeless artist had been victim of discrimination in the United States, she decided to explore his past life.

The film chronicled how the long-time homeless man eventually deserted street life and began living on his own with Hattendorf’s help.

Born in January 1920 in Sacramento, California, Mirikitani studied painting in Hiroshima, Japan.

He did not want to go to war so he returned to the United States. But like most Japanese-Americans at the

time, he was sent to an internment camp and stripped of his American citizenship.

Robbed of his dream of becoming a successful painter, Mirikitani ended up living on the streets of New York.

New York businessman Frank Marzano decided to do something about the atrocities being committed against homeless people.

He teamed up with the National Coalition for the Homeless, songwriter Bervin Harris, and film producer Hedley Turk, with Harris and Turk donating their talents, to create an awareness program in song and dance. Aimed at youths and adults, the record and video entertain as well as educate. The audio visual project heightens people’s sensitivity toward the plight of the homeless as well as increases public and private support of projects to help the homeless and eventually eradicate homelessness.

The case of a Florida homeless man beaten to death with a baseball bat by a gang of violent teens shocked the nation. It brought to the public eye the problem of crimes perpetuated on the vulnerable homeless as they lay sleeping on public streets. Mr. Marzano’s motto is: “Instead of beating the Homeless with a stick, feed them a steak.”

He launched and funded the project not only to protect the homeless but to try and put an end to homelessness in America through help programs, education and behavior modification. To enable the men and women who sleep on the streets to become self sufficient and prideful is the ultimate resolution of the homeless problem. Marzano states, “There will never be an end to homelessness, but we can educate everyone to help them, not hurt them.”

In Wichita Kansas, Ricky Heuer, the 48-year-old homeless man who fell into the Arkansas River downtown last month, has died.

Heuer died at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus, a hospital spokeswoman said.

He was standing or walking next to the river when he lost his balance and fell into the water.

Alcohol may have played a role in the accident, police said.

D.C. Central Kitchen did not deliver 2,300 meals to eight homeless programs last month and is refusing to resume the

service until the city awards a new contract and makes changes in how it serves food to the homeless.

Robert Egger, founder and president of D.C. Central Kitchen, said that the nonprofit group had served meals for 17 years but could not continue to operate as the main provider of meals for the city’s homeless without more city funding.

“We can’t do this independently,” Egger said. He said the growth in the homeless population over the years has put a larger burden on the group and its homeless meal program, which costs $1.6 million annually and is funded almost entirely through private donations.

The city was to announce a contract for the meal service April 15, but the process got delayed, said Mike Ferrell, chief of program operations for the Community Partnership for the Homelessness, the nonprofit group that manages the city’s homeless programs. Ferrell said the contract will be awarded no later than May 15.

D.C. Central Kitchen had been receiving $50,000 monthly from the city since January for meals, but Egger said he was not informed about any funding in May, and without definite word from the city, the group suspended service.

In addition, Egger said the program is increasingly concerned about the nutritional value of the meals served to shelter residents with specific health concerns — people with diabetes Gov. Linda Lingle described as “pure shibai” one of the reasons Mayor Mufi Hannemann’s administration gave for moving homeless people out of Ala Moana Beach Park.

On the same day the state opened a temporary shelter in Kakaako Hawaii for the homeless who were displaced from the park, the governor criticized the city for not doing enough to help the homeless after they were evicted from Ala Moana.

“I think it should’ve been done in a different way,” Lingle told reporters.

Bill Brennan, the mayor’s press secretary, noted that had the city not closed the park at night, the state might never have stepped up to address homelessness in Hawaii.

“You can see by the fact that the state went into action after the Ala Moana Park closure that they can and they have the expertise and the resources to provide shelter for the homeless,” Brennan said.

The city began closing the park at night on March 27, moving out about 200 homeless people. City officials said the park needed to be closed at night to prepare for a major renovation of park facilities.

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But they also said that they wanted to close the park before the state began evicting homeless people living under the freeway at the Keehi Interchange.

Lingle said city officials were not honest in using the freeway eviction, which came after police reported illegal activities in the area, as an excuse to get rid of homeless people at Ala Moana park.

“Let me put it clearly: That is shibai, pure shibai. Let’s call it for what it is. Those two things were completely unrelated,” Lingle said.

“They wanted to paint some pavilions and move some sand around, and they wanted the people out of the park.”

In Los Angeles a homeless woman was stomped to death as she slept on a sidewalk in downtown’s Skid Row, police said, and a parolee suspected in the attack was arrested.

Witnesses said they saw an attacker repeatedly kicking Kristi Morales for several minutes. A passer-by attempted to intervene, but the attacker knocked the person down at least two times before an officer arrested him, police said.

Morales, 49, died Monday from her injuries. She was the fourth person killed on Skid Row this year as police try to crack down on crime in the troubled area.

Her death “highlights the plight of the homeless, and the danger they face every day living, indeed sleeping, on the streets at night,” Police Chief William Bratton said.

Gregory Hampton, 52, was being held without bail in connection with the attack, police said. A court hearing was scheduled for May 17.

Councilwoman Jan Perry said she will ask the state Department of Corrections to stop releasing parolees into the area. Hampton has a long record, mostly for property crimes, dating back to 1970, police said.

In Los Angeles County, more than 82,000 people were homeless on any given night in 2005, including about 48,000 within Los Angeles city limits, according to survey by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

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Does Cincinnati Need a Needle Exchange?

by Kelly Carr First off, what is a needle exchange? A needle-exchange, as controversial as it seems, centers around the concept of harm reduction.

Persons may obtain hypodermic needles and syringes in the exchange of a dirty/used needle.

Most centers such as Xchange point in Cleveland

or Tacoma Seattle’s exchange van utilize exchanges as an opportunity to educate addicts and provide outreach services in addition to their efforts in reducing blood-borne diseases. These facilities not only act as a vehicle to provide outreach and treatment services to addicts, but exchanges also ensure that dirty/used needles are disposed of properly rather than tossed in the street.

Needle exchanges prevent the sharing of contaminated needles, a major cause in the spread of HIV and hepatitis C. According to the United

States Surgeon General’s site “a third of all new HIV infections can be traced to needle sharing and almost 50% of long-term addicts have hepatitis C.” Needle exchanges provide the social benefits of reducing health costs. Simply consider what it would cost to provide an individual with clean needles verses the cost of providing treatment and medications for HIV or hepatitis C over an extended period of time.

Critics opposing exchanges believe such programs endorse injection drug use and do not provide encouragement for drug users to become abstinent.

However, European studies have found that needle exchanges do not cause a rise in drug use and credible scientific evidence flatly refutes such notions.

Support for needle exchanges and such findings have been endorsed by former United States Surgeon General Dr. Davis Satcher, former Director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Harold Varmus, and former Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala.

Needle exchanges make sense; however does Cincinnati need a needle exchange?

According to statistics provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s website www.usdoj.gov, heroin distribution and abuse are increasing in Ohio. The Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services data

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indicates the number of treatment admissions for heroin abuse increased overall from 6,878 in 2002 to 7,416 in 2003. The Cincinnati Post in 2000 reported heroin use and sales surging in the Cincinnati area, with the number of arrests involving heroin climbing from less than 20 in 1990 to more than 400 in 2000. In January of 2004 a report issued by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy provided a snapshot of Cincinnati. The reported indicated Heroin use has increased dramatically, especially among Whites. The increase is most likely due to OxyContin abusers switching to heroin as Oxy-Contin becomes less available. The report also determined the primary route of administering heroin was through injection.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, in 2003 Hamilton County reported a total of 3,624 persons infected with HIV/AIDS, HIV (without AIDS), and AIDS. Out of that 3624, a total of 244 persons were infected by injection drug use. There was no information regarding the spread of hepatitis C on the Ohio Department of Health’s website, however according to Office of National Drug Control Policy Clearinghouse more than one half of all hepatitis C cases in the United States are caused by injection drug use.

A needle exchange program in Cincinnati would increase an addicts chance of accessing services and education; and would decrease the infection rates of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C in our community. Would we rather an addict share a needle and toss it in the street or approach an outreach worker who can provide treatment and dispose of dirty/used needles properly?

Bells and Whistles

by Mike Henson Through the hazy, fog-wisped smalltown air of my schoolday morning I hear the bells for Mass at Holy Angels and the low, asthmatic whistles of the factories near the poisoned river.

My mother makes breakfast and I dress for school, but I know that men in gray work clothes will now swing lunch buckets off kitchen counters painted white.

My father is gone two hours already to his window at the Post Office, but my uncle is among these men and my neighbors and the fathers of my friends.

Across town and around the corner and in the next street over and in the slate-sided houses of Buckeye Terrace, men with gray knuckles clothes that smell of tobacco and machine oil and hearts thickening in their chests leave, under the call of the whistles, for Liberty Folder, LeRoy, Mack and the river-fouling tannery and the nameless foundries where my grandfather caught the red of his lungs.

They do not complain.

It is not in them to complain.

A word to the wife a word to the kids an ear to the great solemn bells toiling in the catholic steeple and out the door and into the chill, fog-dark, bell-bespoken whistle-haunted streets to the places where they make their living and their death.

Continuing struggle to aid the homeless NOTHING CAUSES a NIMBY response faster than a homeless shelter. The city of Hackensack NJ, reluctant host to the county’s homeless programs, has gained the upper hand in its own version of NIMBY that translates into Not In My Downtown.

Three programs to serve street people are in limbo at the same time.

To block a planned expansion of programs for the homeless into the Social Security Administration building on Sussex Street, Hackensack officials refused to sign off on federal funding to Christ Church Community Development Corp., which established Peter’s Place 10 years ago to offer food and overnight shelter for the homeless.

Talks are now under way for the county’s new 100-bed facility, to be relocated from East Kansas Street to River Street at the old S. Goldberg & Co. slipper factory.

Groundbreaking is almost a year behind schedule, And last, the soon-to-be-homeless Faith Foundation program is being forced to move from its State Street location to make way for condos.

It is not unheard of for homeless men and women to be unceremoniously deposited in the streets of Hackensack by outside police agencies bringing them in from other Bergen towns. Left to fend for themselves, they might end up anywhere. What Bergen needs at the county level is a Homeless Czar or Czarina to coordinate the scattered efforts.

The Faith Foundation’s program for Hackensack’s street people has a touch of home. Freshly washed white curtains hang in the

windows wrapping around the first floor storefront. But why bother? They’ll have to vacate soon. The storefront is styled with a look that says “Welcome” to the troubled, confused, alcoholic or just plain down-and-out clients who don’t fit in any place else and who have few other alternatives.

Inside the dingy storefront at 86 State St., Robin Reilly frets. As founder and director, she’s got her hands full looking for new space where her rescue program can provide a catchall of services for homeless people, from a bottle of shampoo to burial arrangements.

Reilly, honored by the city last year on Mother’s Day, volunteers her days, her car, and her compassion to keep them out of dangerous abandoned buildings or makeshift camps down by the river.

What she’s fretting about at the moment, however, is not the pending move, but the pending crisis with Pat’s leg.

One of the regulars, Pat, who asked me not to use his last name, may lose his leg. Over the past few months, his left leg has grown to more than twice normal size. Discoloration suggests circulatory problems, and a deep, jagged wound that won’t heal signals major infection. He should be in agony, but he can’t feel a thing. A lack of pain is dangerous.

The clients have virtually nothing, but they pool their skills in emergencies to take care of one another. Mary, showing all the talent of a trained nurse, which she might have been earlier in her life before seizures made it difficult for her to stay on track, removes Pat’s bandage without wincing or gasping, washes the gaping wound as clean a possible, and rewraps the leg.

‘Gray Areas’ Confuse Homeless Policy LAKELAND, FL — Prompted by the recent controversy over banning the feeding of poor or homeless people sandwiches or doughnuts at locations around downtown, city leaders met with representatives of the area’s churches and three shelters.

The officials agreed that keeping the homeless in the area of the shelters, where they can get food and services, was in the best interest of everyone.

But a Salvation Army worker didn’t get a clear answer from city officials when he asked whether his troops could search for homeless enclaves, offer people a hot dog and a cold drink and invite them to the downtown shelters for help.

The city officials said the answer was probably yes, but they’d have to do some research.

“There are a lot of gray areas” in community development and code enforcement, said Jim Studiale, the city’s community development director.

Studiale’s assistant, Steve Bissonnette, was the one to deliver the news last month to people associated with All Saints’ Episcopal Church that

they could no longer feed the poor Tuesdays behind the bus station or at a Sunday sidewalk worship near the church.

Bissonnette said providing a hot dog might be OK because it wouldn’t be done at the same time and place every week.

But Lakeland police Officer Todd Edwards, who often works with the homeless, said in most cases it would probably be a waste of time to try to attract people from homeless camps to the downtown homeless shelters.

He said people became isolated by choice and if they wanted to be in a shelter, they’d be in one.

Edwards said that if you ask a panhandler how much money he wants, he doesn’t say $1 or $5, “it’s $1.35. The price of a quart of beer.”

Salvation Army Capt. Edward Lee provided figures compiled by the local shelter.

The median length of time each resident spent in Lakeland before going to the Salvation Army shelter was just less than two weeks, meaning half the residents went to the shelter before that point and half went after.

Emergencies like that occur several times a week, sometimes after clients are released prematurely from local hospitals.

Faith Foundation’s furniture restoration business was started five years ago to give the homeless somewhere to go, when other shelters, hospitals, and programs refused to admit them.

Sometimes behavior associated with acute alcoholism, drugs, sickness, or psychological problems make them unwelcome in other settings.

With just a few more months to go before the lease ends, there are no prospects for a new site.

“Faith Foundation can’t close down, even if I have to do this out of my car,” she insists. “I need the city behind me. I help them keep order by giving my people a place to go.”

Business owners downtown see the shelters and the people who use them as undesirables. They draw attention to the long strips of distressed businesses and closed retail shops on Main Street. The street people are a walking advertisement for the lack of prosperity in Hackensack’s distressed downtown business area.

The Faith Foundation is only a short walk from where I work, but worlds away from the mainstream of downtown Hackensack business activity.

An industrial area would be an ideal spot to relocate Faith Foundation. But guaranteed, wherever Reilly’s program goes, she’ll be without much help except for the clients in their lucid moments.

Many homeless people who arrive in town head straight for the shelter.

But the average amount of time spent in Lakeland before seeking refuge in the shelter is 31/ 2 years. That’s because some residents live in Lakeland for years before eventually seeking help at the shelter and are figured into the mix.

The Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness was organized about five years ago, when downtown was a haven for the homeless and Munn Park often resembled a homeless reunion.

The solution — and it has worked well — was for homeless people to be invited to the huge yard at the Talbot House on the northern edge of downtown. Some days, there are more than a hundred people there.

The task force intends to meet every three months. Lakeland is fortunate, city officials said, because the leaders of the Talbot House, Lighthouse Ministries and the Salvation Army work with each other rather than against each other, as was sometimes the case 15 or 20 years ago.

Mayor Buddy Fletcher warned against people giving money to the homeless and becoming “enablers” who help people buy beer or drugs.

He said he recently bought a sandwich for a homeless man, “and I watched him eat it, too.”

Mayor’s homeless deal questioned CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. Questions about the city of Chattanooga buying land to develop a community for homeless people, including concerns about ground pollution, have prompted Mayor Ron Littlefield to say the city has contamination “everywhere.”

Littlefield said Chattanooga’s manufacturing history has left the city with the same pollution problems that affect many other urban areas. He said groundwater in any urban city is contaminated and

Chattanooga is a railroad city, and rail yards are inherently dirty.”

Downtown sites that he described as polluted include the Tennessee Riverwalk and the Enterprise South industrial park on the former Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant property.

At least three City Council members are questioning the mayor’s’efforts to build a homeless shelter on the nine-acre former Farmers Market

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property. The property is a former landfill which contains coal tar and other polluting manufacturing byproducts.

Councilman Manny Rico said he might ask Littlefield’s administration to produce an independent environmental survey of the land.

Councilwoman Linda Bennett said the mayor did not reveal the extent of the contamination and the conflicts in previous discussions.

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Letters To Whom It May Concern: As an advocate for the homeless (and taxpaying citizen of Hamilton County), I have worked with many community groups, including the United Church of Christ in Camp Washington. This church schedules work camp groups from all over the U.S. and with inner-city ministries, we have taken groups to Washington Park for Street Feeds for over six years. My role in this endeavor is as interpreter of the culture of homelessness. Being formerly homeless myself, I know many men and women currently homeless in Over-the-Rhine, and my presence gives a safer feeling to folks in the park and our out-of-town guests.

On March 22, 2006, during a street banquet in Washington Park, the Cincinnati Park Board approached us for the first time and said we needed a permit. So that very afternoon we called the Park Board and requested an application, which we received by fax. We

assumed securing a permit would not be difficult. By 5:00 P.M. that very afternoon, the Park Board decided there would be no more permits!

Armed with this information, I went to the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce meeting on April 4, 2006, to get clarification on the rules regarding permits. Three Cincinnati Police Officers at the meeting told me if the Park Board makes an executive decision not to grant a permit for a particular function or group, then the Police Department will have to enforce the Board’s decision – even if it is the reversal of previous policy.

Such a thoughtless and heartless policy grieves me. These people live outside – where else are we supposed to help them?

If this is an established Cincinnati Park Board policy, we’d like to see it in print. But as a national advocate (on the national board of Health Care for the Homeless), I would be ashamed of such a policy.

Bob McGonagle Outofself@hotmail.com

Congressional Spotlight: Budget, Tax, and appropiations During the week of May 8th, a conference agreement on tax cuts cleared the House and Senate; House leaders delayed action on the FY 2007 Budget Resolution as moderates continued to hold back support for a measure that underfunds domestic programs; the House Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2007 Agriculture Appropriations Bill; the House Agriculture Committee launched a web-based tool to solicit “producer” input on 2007 Farm Bill priorities; numerous school districts adopted wellness policies; Iowa farmers markets accommodated Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cardholders; the Texas Comptroller planned to audit the contractor operating the state’s call centers for enrolling people in the food stamp, health and other programs; and the budget stalemate in Puerto Rico kept children from school meals

and led thousands of furloughed public employees to apply for food stamps and other aid.

In the weeks ahead, the Senate may take up immigration legislation based on an agreement announced May 11th by Senators Bill Frist (R-TN) and Harry Reid (D-NV); also, the House could take up its FY 2007 Budget Resolution. The Coalition on Human Needs (CHN), the Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities (ECAP) and allies across the country will continue to urge House Members to reject the Budget Resolution. A House vote on the FY 2007 Agriculture Appropriations bill is likely before the Memorial Day recess.

Closing soon are deadlines for nominations for two important nutrition program awards: Victory Against Hunger (May 31st) and Hunger Champions (June 30th).

instead establishing Immigrant Communities Combat Criminalization citizenship, arbitrary eligibility thresholds.

by Juan Prada When House Republicans supported HR 4437, they were hoping they’d found the wedge issue they needed to improve electoral prospects for the 2006 mid-term elections. This has proven to be a gross miscalculation.

By passing legislation that would automatically make felons of an estimated 11 to 12 million undocumented immigrants, they blissfully ignored that those 12 million “illegal aliens” are the parents, children, nieces and cousins of yet millions more legal residents. Or, as Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina put it: “If we tell millions of people that we will make felons of their grandparents, we (the GOP) will suffer mightily.” It is no coincidence that the most remarkable aspect of the mass mobilizations in March and April, besides their overwhelming size, was the impressive participation of young people, particularly high school students.

Republican strategists seem to have read the polls to mean a majority of legal immigrants would favor restraining illegal immigration, but never considered to dig a little deeper. The most vocal supporters for unleashing massive state

repression on immigrant communities all come from states where immigrant numbers have been growing in recent years, but are still short of the definitive clout they wield in larger states where immigrants and their descendents comprise large slices of the population.

Had Reps. Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Tom Tancredo (R-CO) spoken to their fellow Republican governors of California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois before acting on their xenophobic whims, they would certainly have understood that this was indeed a very bad idea.

Even Gov. Schwarzenegger—who denied driver licenses to undocumented immigrants and loudly praised the Minutemen’s foolish vigilantism—opposed HR 4437 on the grounds that the U.S. rounding up and deporting 11 million people is an unrealistic expectation.

We can only guess that even the most ardent xenophobes will agree that such a proposition would be unenforceable, even if we were ready to bring the troops home from Iraq and deploy them in San Bernardino, Tucson, South Chicago, Queens, etc. Giving Republicans the benefit of the doubt (i.e., they might be evil, but not stupid), one has to consider that HR 4437 was a bluff by

Local Artist’s Welcomed

by Bernard Terrell Howard When you’re homeless it seems like the best things in life are free. For several months I’ve been homeless and as I begin my transition of getting reestablished I reminisce the day I had enough money toenjoy the night-life.

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Moving to Cincinnati late February this year I just missed the February 3 deadline to place my work into this year’s competition.

After contacting Saad Ghosn, who is in charge of the annual event, I received information about the Mockbee where almost every local aspirating or accomplished talent

House Republicans to force the President and the Senate to deal with an issue that everyone agreed needed confronting sooner or later.

The unexpected outcome was the outraged response of immigrant, particularly Latino, communities. What began as a series of small demonstrations and rallies by the usual handful of immigrant rights activists snowballed into the largest mass demonstrations that some American cities have ever seen.

HR 4437 managed to alienate not only immigrants, but has also split two key constituencies that together have ensured the GOP’s series of electoral victories: business interests and religious people.

Businesses using large pools of unskilled labor would lose their workers, and pastors across the nation would see their flocks ravaged by deportation and broken families.

As the legislative debate continues on Capitol Hill, and ever growing mass mobilizations reach the streets, it seems unlikely that HR 4437 will enlist enough supporters in the Senate to pass a similar bill.

Nevertheless, even the most “liberal” measures being presented as alternatives would come short of guaranteeing the rights of all immigrants to have a shot at has a chance to mingle and converse artistic thoughts. Jumping at a chance to attend a poetic event the Mockbee is free to everyone and not just exclusive to the rich folk.

The weekend events that concluded the festival were a poetry reading and multimedia

Streetvibes

No matter what kind of legislation we end up with, likely results will increase repressive measures along the border, as well as limit the ability of immigrants to challenge their detention and deportation in courts. It will also pretend to be “definitive”—since the last time immigration laws were subject to major reform was in 1986.

Whatever law we end up with, it will allow some to stay permanently and force others to leave or yet again become “illegal”. It will also intend to prevent others from coming in the future.

But even as the immigrant movement remains united in its demand for a full amnesty and equal rights, gearing up for more powerful mobilizations, no one is yet challenging increased border militarization, its body count and negative impact on everyone’s civil rights. Nor has there been any talk about the root causes of the recent surge in immigration: corporate globalization and “free” trade policies.

Until those factors are also figured into the equation, the migrating flow from the impoverished global South will continue, no matter how tall the fence is built.

performance on Saturday, and a wrap-up and closing held the following evening on Sunday. Since the event returns every year it’s a nice way to feel connected to something that can bring the best out of life, while being totally free.

Homeless man dies after beating WATSONVILLE, CA — Police are investigating the death of a 47-yearold homeless man found beaten and bloody in an alley just off Main Street last month. And the man who beat him says he had no idea his acquaintance had died.

Jesse Rodriguez was found lying on the sidewalk on Stoesser Way, an alley behind a municipal parking garage at Rodriguez and West Beach streets, when police and emergency personnel arrived at 5:20 p.m. after a 911 call from the nearby Discount Mall.

Rodriguez was taken to Watsonville Community Hospital, where he died less than six hours later of heart failure.

Rodriguez, who was lying in a pool of blood that had formed around his head, was alert when emergency personnel arrived and told them he had been drinking.

Sgt. David McCartney, who spent part of the day looking for evidence in what could be a potential crime scene, said an investigation did not begin immediately because Rodriguez’s injuries were first reported as a result of a fall.

“It’s not a crime to fall down,” said McCartney who was in the company of other detectives, including some from the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office.

Rodriguez’s death became the subject of a police investigation after detectives learned he had been beaten up, according to Watsonville police Capt. Eddie Rodriguez.

Detectives were waiting for the results of the autopsy to determine what direction the investigation moves, Capt. Rodriguez said.

Detectives interviewed a homeless man in the alley where the assault occurred.

Capt. Rodriguez said he could not disclose what the man, Barry Franklin Schrope, told police.

But two hours after police interviewed him, he told the Sentinel that he and Rodriguez had an altercation the previous Monday.

Schrope said he confronted Jesse Rodriguez about stealing money and pills from his uncle and told him to never do it again.

He said Jesse Rodriguez hit him and the altercation escalated.

Schrope said he kicked Jesse Rodriguez in the abdomen sending him to the ground. He said he left before police and firefighters arrived though he was later treated for an injury to his foot, the one he used to kick Rodriguez.

Schrope said he was shocked to learn Rodriguez died.

“I feel really bad now,” he said. “I’m not a bad person.”

Rodriguez’s homeless friends who spent their final hours drinking alcohol with him described him as a once married man who was divorced, had children and grew up in San Juan Bautista.

Jesse Rodriguez told the Sentinel weeks ago that his wife had died and that he was depressed and had a drinking problem.

Gary Anderson, a close friend who is also homeless, said Jesse Rodriguez told him on several occasions that he spent most of his life “in and out of prison,” and that he was a recovering heroin addict.

“He never went back to it, and all he’s been doing is drinking beer. But I think that heroin stuff fried his brain,” said Anderson, originally from the east side of San Jose who

now wanders the streets of Watsonville as did Rodriguez.

Police said Jesse Rodriguez lives on Kearney Street, though they described it as “shelter” and not a house. They said he was well known to police having arrests for being drunk in public, evading police and narcotics violations, but most of those were in the past.

Capt. Rodriguez said there is no indication that the incident is related to a recent shooting that injured two transient men Pajaro River bridge at Main Street.

Streetvibes

“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”

Mother Teresa of Calcutta “I knew at an early age I wanted to act. Acting was always easy for me. I don’t believe in predestination, but I do believe that once you get where ever it is you are going, that is where you were going to be. Was I always going to be here? No I was not. I was going to be homeless at one time, a taxi driver, truck driver, or any kind of job that would get me a crust of bread. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Morgan Freeman

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Housing cont. from page 1 although on a considerably smaller budget. ReSTOC was criticized for using this strategy, but now it is used by the corporate sponsored group.

3CDC is preparing to launch a $16.7 million redevelopment plan and recently went before Cincinnati City Council asking for a city grant of $2.4 million, along with up to $5.8 million in city tax-increment financing revenue. To date they have not made a commitment to include affordable housing in their projects.

Given these significant changes in the community, Over-theRhine Housing Network and ReSTOC realized that a realignment of resources and strengths was necessary. The merger and creation of Over-the-Rhine Community Housing provides us the opportunity to grow into an organization that can take advantage of the growing market interest to benefit the low-income community.

“The merger of ReSTOC and the OTR Housing Network will allow us to think and act more ‘strategically’, when it comes to Over-the-Rhine as a whole” according to Andy Hutzel. “We will partner with the community in developing and managing high-quality affordable housing units, and leverage additional resources to assist in many

community-building activities.

ReSTOC is not putting an end to its 29 history; instead we are evolving to meet the changing community. It is exciting to think of the possibilities with the new Over-the-Rhine Community Housing.”

Hope lies in the ability to refute the myths, to responsibly analyze the problems and then to seek solutions that build on our hopes instead of our fears. Solutions lie in creating more resources for affordable housing which will responsibly increase the supply and choice for low-income residents in our city. In part, it will be the responsibility of OTR Community Housing to educate and model a way to do things differently. Many espouse economic mix but it takes creative strategies and a political will to really make this happen.

Current Secretary of Overthe-Rhine Community Housing, Bonnie Neumeier says, “I’ve lived in Over-the-Rhine over 32 years.

Affordable housing has always been an issue here. The poor, homeless and oppressed people of our community are not to blame for the conditions of poverty and the increased violence on our streets.

It’s easy to target “too much subsidized housing” as the problem rather than looking at how our society has unfairly distributed resources that

Drop Inn Center Update

As many of you know, the SCPA arts school has been planning to become our neighbor for some time. I know that many are wary of this move; however, I have always felt that sufficient services for the poor and high-quality arts education are both compatible and we should not be made to choose between one or the other. We can have both.

Almost two years ago, we were approached by school planners who wished to acquire our 18-unit Transitional Housing complex for the school grounds. This caused some anxiety for us; nevertheless, we decided to move forward with discussions with one condition: that in exchange for selling our housing to make way for their project, we would end up with a completed facility that would be the same or better quality.

After conversations with our staff and residents, we determined that an ideal site would have a single point of entry, an interior courtyard, between 20-40 units and have office

HOG Survey Follow-up

by Streetvibes Staff This is a follow-up to the May 2006 Streetvibes article “Homeless Outreach Workers Take to the Streets.”

Volunteers from the Homeless Outreach Group found fewer than expected individuals sleeping on the streets during their street survey on the morning of Wednesday, April 26. All in all, they counted 49 individuals and

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engaged 23 with surveys and outreach.

“This is lower than we expected,” commented John Lavelle, Chair of the Homeless Outreach Group. “During the spring and summer, the number of individuals sleeping on the streets generally increases significantly.”

One reason may be that it was an unseasonably cold night, with temperatures dipping into the

favor the privileged while the poor are left out. Our society does not value every human being. It treats the poor, homeless and those on the margins as expendable. Economics and greed is taking over our hearts and minds. Over-the-Rhine Community Housing values a broader vision with bigger hearts that includes everyone. It takes courage, risk and a lot of faith to believe in something different for our world and our neighborhood. We are up for the challenge.”

Sharon Jones who is a 20+ year resident of Over-the-Rhine and proud parent of two, serves as Vice President of Over-the-Rhine Community Council. Sharon choose to serve on the board of Over-theRhine Community Housing because, “Over-the-Rhine is special. I like being involved in the community where I live and where I raise my children. I go after what I believe in and I take this Board to heart, I like the name, and I am proud to be here.”

Inspiration and Hope With the loss of affordable housing, the vacant and abandoned properties, litter and the increase in gun violence one can get discouraged. But inspiration for a beautiful Overthe-Rhine can be found everywhere. From the children space for our six case managers on site.

During the past two years we have had countless meetings with developers, funders, residents, social workers, city staff and have put many of the pieces in place for a workable replacement. We have gone through several sites, yet, each time, when it comes time to finalize the deal, we run into opposition from some of the same developers who asked us to relocate in the first place.

Over the last several months, a site for replacement has been identified that meets our needs: a former home for the blind located at 15th and Elm streets, three blocks away. It has all the amenities we would need to operate a successful project. The Over-the-Rhine Community Council has been approached and has given its overwhelming support. The Mayor’s

upper thirties. The Drop Inn Center reported a slight increase in intake for the series of cold nights that week.

Surveyors in the Over the Rhine area reported 18 individuals sleeping outside that evening, almost half of the number they found sleeping in below-freezing temperatures during the January survey. Two men in Washington Park reported that police had been sweeping them out routinely since

Streetvibes

playing in our parks, laughing, swinging on the swings, holding the water fountain for their friends. From the poetry of Alice Walker and John Lennon who inspire us to imagine a world of peace where all people are valued.

From the sunflower that magically grows tall out of the crack in the sidewalk behind the ReSTOC office every summer as if planted by the spirit of buddy gray, co-founder of both organizations, encouraging us to keep on keeping on.

Over-the-Rhine Community Housing won’t give up on ReSTOC and Over-the-Rhine Housing Network’s dream of food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, equality, green space and peace for all. In fact, this is what the merger is about. Together we can imagine a new way of developing our communities. Together, we can create the beloved community that Maurice McCracken, Martin Luther King and so many others have dreamed of.

Main Office address: 114 W. 14th St. Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-381-1171 Satellite Office address: 220 E. Clifton Ave. Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 513-369-0004 Office has been approached and has signaled support. We have even been given a chance to explain the project to the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce.

It’s important to remember that the Drop Inn Center is engaged in these discussions at the request of developers and school planners. We are taking the lead in developing a collaborative solution that meets everyone’s needs. The choice, as I see it, is this: We either move down the street, allow the Arts School to move ahead as well as provide a fair replacement for the Drop Inn Center OR we stay put where we are and put the Arts School at risk.

Unfortunately, there are some who are approaching City Council at the last minute, trying to turn this into a confrontational, win-lose situation.

We are asking people to call Council now to help defend us and our collaborative stance. the police presence was increased in Over the Rhine.

Most importantly from the survey, outreach workers were able to engage individuals and offer services. In one instance, and individual who had been previously engaged by outreach workers entered substance abuse treatment two days after the survey.

Members of the Homeless Outreach Group will continue to discuss the survey and compare it to results from previous surveys.

Denver’s homeless initiative touted as a model of success Matthew Windgate, 11, follows his brother Terry Combast, 15, to a basketball court at the Crossing, a transitional housing development for homeless families. A January survey showed an 11 percent decrease in general homelessness six months after Denver launched a wide-ranging strategy to combat the problem.

At a national homelessness summit in Denver on last month, Mayor John Hickenlooper’s campaign to end this “national disgrace” was hailed as a model success story among many communities cutting chronic homeless numbers nationwide.

The Metro Denver Homeless Initiative announced that a Jan. 23 survey showed an 11 percent decrease in general homelessness and a 40 percent drop in street-dwelling homeless six months after Hickenlooper and community advocates launched a strategy to end homelessness.

“Denver’s numbers are hardly aberrational. They’re simply part of a national trend,” Philip Mangano, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, told officials from 40 states attending the three-day summit at the Colorado Convention Center.

Hickenlooper, who was awarded the council’s “A Home for Every American Award” for his ambitious plan to end homelessness in a decade, was praised by Mangano as “a mayor who’s been on this issue literally from the first week that he took office.” The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless also received an award, along with other individuals and organizations from across the nation.

“We are at a point in history,” Hickenlooper told the gathering, “that in 10 years or 20 years all of us in this room are going to point back to this summit as the place where suddenly it became real: the fact that we could

actually step forward as communities, as a country, and end a blight that most people had come to accept.”

By creating a measurable “system of accountability,” the mayor said, Denver is tracking its success at getting people off the street and into treatment, job training and stable lives. Supporting homeless individuals by providing “Housing First,” Hickenlooper said, is saving money, cutting by 60 percent the number of program participants using hospitals, jail and detoxification centers. While traditional “Band-Aid” homeless services cost metro Denver $70 million, that’s been slashed to $13 million, he added.

Got The Vibe?

National Homeless Civil Rights Organizing Project (NHCROP) 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 homelesscivilrights@yahoo.com Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (513) 421-7803

This beautiful, original artwork depicts the vibrant role that Streetvibes plays in downtown Cincinnati and neighboring communities. Created by local artist and activist Mary Ann Lederer in collage form, this colorful 18" X 10" reproduction can be yours to own for only $10. Commemorating Streetvibes 100th issue, proceeds from this limited time offer will go to support the Streetvibes Program and Vendors.

Buy Streetvibes From Badged Vendors Only!

Streetvibes Vendors are required to sign a code of conduct and agree to abide by all the rules of the Streetvibes Vendor Program. If a Vendor misrepresents or breaks the rules, she/he may be removed from the Program. To report a Vendor, call 4217803. ext. 16

Visit the Greater Cincinnati Coaltion for the Homeless website at - http://www.cincihomeless.org Visit the Streevibes archives at - http:// www.cincihomeless.org/content/streetvibes.html Streetvibes

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Out of the Shadows

by Paul Rogat Loeb People marched because families and futures were at stake.

Seattle didn’t have a half million marching for immigrant rights, like Los Angeles or Dallas, or 300,000 like Chicago, But 25,000 marched for 15 blocks through the heart of our city April 10, and as many as 60,000 packed the streets on May 1.

“I heard it on the radio,” people said. “I heard it at my church.” “I heard it from a friend.”

This march didn’t rely on the online networks that have become the activist standard. It built on more intimate networks, and as coverage rippled out, people came and brought others, affirming that this was now their country too, and they wanted to be treated with dignity and respect.

“It moved me to tears to see people coming out of the shadows to find their voice,” said my friend Jay Sauceda, a community activist who grew up poor in South Texas. “There are so many people in this situation,” he said. “They’ve been so quiet.

Now they’re marching.”

Children paraded in strollers, teenagers laughed with their friends, elderly women helped each other walk step by step. The march was mostly Latino but also Korean, Filipino, Somalian.

There’s been a lot of flag brandishing for blind patriotism these days. The sea of American flags were part political strategy—a more salable image than a sea of Mexican flags. But they also felt proud and celebratory. People carried them high, waved them again and again to say that they were Americans too and

ask that this country honor promises of refuge and hope. The flags felt so far from the “we’re number one” belligerence of sealed-off Bush rallies.

Immigration politics are complicated — flooding this or any country with cheap labor will drive down wages, especially when unions are being busted and undocumented workers live in fear of deportation. If we don’t create enough global justice so desperate people don’t continue leaving their homes, then all but the wealthiest will succumb to the worldwide race to the bottom. These marches reminded those of us who

Paul Loeb are legal because our ancestors immigrated earlier on that even in the land of Microsoft, we cannot separate our fates from the fates of those who pick our crops, build our houses, and clean our office buildings — that we’re tied in what King called “an inescapable network of

Cincinnati Youth Council is Back YEP is happy to announce the return of the Cincinnati Youth Council (CYC) and report on the issues raised at the group’s first meeting in early April.

At the CYC meeting topics included job prospects; the difficulties of parents forcing kids out of the home before the age of 18; and the need to improve foster care conditions to prevent abuse and neglect. Of interest to all was the idea of helping youths to know their rights, both while they’re in foster care and after they exit the system. YEP will continue to assist the fledgling Cincinnati Youth Council as it gains strength and voice.

Some youths were interested in support services for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) young people especially those who are in social service settings or who are independently homeless. According to research, LGBT youths are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than non-LGBT; and

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transgender youths are at an even higher risk.

We would like to thank Kelly Carr, The Anthony House, and the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless for their support in helping YEP re-establish youth organizing in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati group had great energy and passion about their issues and YEP looks forward to reporting on CYC’s many future successes.

For information on how to become a part of YEP, please contact Nick Bates at COHHIO in Columbus at 614-280-1984 or at nickbates@cohhio.org. We can connect you with a local youth council or work with you in starting a new YEP chapter in your neighborhood. We are currently growing, and seeking to create new youth councils across the state. YEP works on leadership development, community service, and civic engagement by addressing issues that are youth-driven, including housing, education, young adults voting, and much more.

mutuality… a single garment of destiny.”

The marches may not have found perfect policy solutions: the ideal path to citizenship, the ideal way to respond to those who’d make this land their home without making things worse for others already at the bottom, the ideal way to pass and enforce workplace laws so employers pay a decent wage for all.

But they are more about recognizing those who participated and all they spoke for as having a core human dignity, being fellow children of God, deserving respect and gratitude for their innate worth and for the labors that serve us all. It was about their giving themselves a face and a voice.

Why can’t we have these kinds of marches to challenge the war or global warming, or Bush’s appropriation of the divine right of kings? True, Air America has a fraction of the reach of Spanish radio, and the Catholic churches that helped mobilize so many have been silent on most issues except abortion. But maybe it’s also because those more comfortable sit behind our computers so much that we come to believe we can do all politics with the click of a mouse.

Maybe the issues feel too abstract.

Unless you have a son or daughter

there, Iraq doesn’t hit home nearly as much as the raw callousness of Congressman Sensenbrenner’s plan to make 12 million people instant felons, as well as anyone who gives them water or food, education or medical care.

Here the stakes were clear and immediate. People turned out despite the risks of being deported, because had Sensenbrenner’s bill had gone through, as might well have happened without these massive outcries, life would have immediately gotten far harsher and crueler. So for those of us who didn’t march but claim to act for justice, we need to heed the lives these voices represent, and do what we can to ensure they are heard. We also need to link this issue of fundamental human dignity to all the threats that make it difficult for people to live and flourish on this earth. Maybe by finding their voice and courage, those who marched in America’s cities these past weeks can teach the rest of us how to come out of our own shadows and fears and join across our own divides.

Paul Rogat Loeb (www.paulloeb.org) is the author of The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear, named the numberthree political book of 2004 by the History Channel and the American Book Association, and winner of the Nautilus Award for best social change book of the year. His previous books include Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time.

Mr. Homeless Downtowner

Ms. Homeless Downtowner

Name: Cleo Wombles Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio Neighborhood: OTR Occupation: Streetvibes Vender If I could do something different for living: X-ray Technician I can’t stand it when: People rob and hurt me Favorite interest: reading the bible & playing basketball Favorite spot downtown: 5th & Walnut If I won the lottery I would: pay all my bills Placed I’d like to visit: Mexico cause I speak Spanish Happiness to me would be: having an endearing relationship with my daughter and grandkids What I like most about Cincinnati: the people, not all the people but I especially like the people at the homeless coalition What’s the one thing you desire most: a “normal” life?

Life’s philosophy: start everything with a prayer

Streetvibes

Name: Elizabeth Smith Hometown: Hamilton, Ohio Neighborhood: Lindenwold If I could have done something different: I wouldn’t have quit school I can’t stand it when: People drive too close to the side walk and puddles splash up on me Favorite Interest: walking Favorite spot downtown: on the river If I won the lottery I would: buy a home Place I’d most like to visit: a place to live and work What I like most about Cincinnati: all the lights of the skyline at night What’s the one thing you desire most, but are afraid? to go after: college Life’s philosophy: Whatever

L.A. decision tolls a bell for Portland’s policies on homeless (Street Roots, USA)

by Monica Goracke While the court explicitly limited its ruling to Los Angeles, relying heavily on statistics and evidence of the lack of shelter for homeless people there, cities across the country, and Portland in particular, will take note. “Human beings are biologically compelled to rest, whether by sitting, lying, or sleeping,” the court said. To criminalize such conduct, when it is involuntary and inseparable from the status of being without a home, is to violate constitutional protections. Yet Portland, along with many other cities, has enacted and enforced laws that implicate not only constitutional but also human rights concerns. As the Ninth Circuit recognized, we should not punish people for life-sustaining behavior that is unavoidably linked to their homelessness.

Skid Row, an area covering 50 city blocks just east of downtown Los Angeles, was the focus of the case brought on behalf of homeless people who were arrested or cited for violating Los Angeles’s ordinance. With the highest concentration of homeless individuals in the United States, it is “a place of desperate poverty, drug use and crime,” according to the court. This concentration is no accident: the city of Los Angeles has had a deliberate policy to concentrate and contain the homeless in Skid Row since at least the 1970s. Skid Row has space in SRO (single room occupancy) hotels, shelters, and other temporary or transitional housing for 9,000 to 10,000 people a night, but approximately 11,000 to 12,000 individuals live there. This means that more than 1,000 people are unable to find shelter each night.

The court also noted that in all of Los Angeles County, there are almost 50,000 more homeless people than available beds. As Los Angeles officials admitted, this 1,000-person deficit is “severely large.”

What is the magnitude of homelessness in Portland? As a smaller city, Portland has lower overall numbers of homeless people, but its rate of unmet need is almost the same as Los Angeles’: 27 percent for Portland compared with 30 percent for Los Angeles.

The one-night street count conducted on Jan. 26, 2005, covering Multnomah County and the cities of Portland and Gresham, found 2,355 people sleeping outside, in a vehicle or in an abandoned vehicle. 1,020 people had been turned away from shelters that night – very close to the number in Los Angeles. These

numbers are much higher than the previous street count from March 15, 2004, which found 465 people turned away.

An accurate determination of the number of homeless people in Portland is very difficult, but the City’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness estimates that in Multnomah County, 16,000 to 18,000 people experience homelessness annually, and 4,000 people experience homelessness on any given night. This number tries to take into account the “hidden homeless” doubled or tripled-up in other households, staying out of sight or otherwise missed by the counters. When you consider that the average length of homelessness is 21 weeks, and the average wait to get into a publicly-funded shelter is four to six weeks (up to 10 weeks in the winter months), the word “crisis” begins to seem woefully inadequate.

In Los Angeles, as in Portland and Cincinnati, increasing rates of homelessness mean that homeless people are more visible in public than ever before. Laws prohibiting the obstruction of sidewalks and streets have been used to move people along, including those who have few or no other places to go. The Ninth Circuit sharply criticized Los Angeles’s ordinance as “one of the most restrictive municipal laws regulating public spaces in the United States.” The ordinance prohibits sitting, lying, and sleeping in or on any street, sidewalk or other public way at any time of day or night within the city limits. The court distinguished LA’s law from similar ordinances in places such as Las Vegas, Seattle, and Portland which, it said, do better by requiring that some type of inappropriate conduct be part of the crime other than just sitting, lying, or sleeping in a state of homelessness.

While the court’s reasoning in criticizing the Los Angeles ordinance was sound, a closer look at Portland’s laws, along with evidence of how they are enforced, would have shown that it cannot be so easily distinguished. Portland’s two ordinances prohibit “camping” on public property and rights of way, and obstructing public sidewalks in a large downtown area. While the enforceability of the sidewalk obstruction ordinance is very much in doubt after a late 2005 ruling by the Oregon Court of Appeals, this ordinance is still used verbally by police and private security officials to move homeless people from sidewalks, although it is limited in time from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The camping ordinance, as

written, is not just about pitching a tent on the bus mall. It can be – and often is – used by police to cite people for simply sleeping in parks, under freeways and other out-ofway places, with so little as a bedroll or a piece of cardboard beneath them.

Just as in Los Angeles, homeless people in Portland often lose all their belongings when police cite them for unlawful camping. The camping law is enforced both day and night, even though many homeless men and women sleep during the day because it is so unsafe for them to sleep on the streets at night. Although Oregon state law requires 24-hour notice to homeless people who are in violation of camping laws, officers sometimes stage surprise raids complete with a work crew to remove and destroy homeless people’s personal property. Losing the few possessions you have – a blanket, clothing, but especially documents such as an ID or birth certificate – can be debilitating, to put it mildly. When homeless people in Portland are arrested, prosecuted, and lose their belongings for the crime of sleeping outside when they had nowhere else to go, it drives them even further into hopelessness and poverty.

The Ninth Circuit’s decision contains two important legal principles. First, it found that the homeless plaintiffs in this case had standing to challenge a law that criminalizes their involuntary conduct even though not all of them had been actually convicted under that law. When people are arrested, jailed, fined, and prosecuted for

violations of a law, the court found, they are subjected to the criminal process and therefore can challenge the law under the Eighth Amendment’s cruel-and-unusual punishment clause. Second, the decision finds, based on prior cases establishing that people cannot be punished simply for being poor or homeless, that the government cannot make criminal those acts that are “involuntary and inseparable from status” – specifically, physically resting in a public place when there is no other way a human being living in the city of Los Angeles who is homeless could meet this fundamental need.

The court’s distinction between Los Angeles’s sweeping ordinance and the more limited laws in Portland, Seattle, and other cities is likely to be read as foreclosing similar challenges. However, the court’s reasoning clearly applies to some aspects of local laws.

Portland has a 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness that acknowledges the destructive effect of laws criminalizing behavior that homeless people are forced to engage in, such as sleeping or sitting outside, because they are homeless.

For individuals, a criminal record of any kind makes it difficult to find housing and employment, which are so essential to escaping homelessness. For the community, criminalization imposes an enormous financial, physical, and psychic toll. We should not treat homeless people this way not only because it is costly, but because it is inhumane. We must find a better way.

“Don “Don’’t Leave Home W ithout IIt...” t...”

Streetvibes

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Streetvibes Vendor Code of Conduct All Vendors Sign and Agree to a Code of Conduct Report Any Violations to GCCH - 421-7803 1. Streetvibes will be distributed for a $1 voluntary donation. If a customer donates more than $1 for a paper, vendors are allowed to keep that donation. However, vendors must never ask for more than $1 when selling Streetvibes.

2. Each paper purchased from the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) costs 25 cents. Papers will not be given out on credit. Old papers can not be traded in for new papers.

3. Streetvibes may only be purchased from GCCH. Never buy papers from, or sell papers to other vendors.

4. Vendors must not panhandle or sell other items at the same time they are selling Streetvibes.

5. Vendors must treat all other vendors, customers, and GCCH personnel with respect.

6. Vendors must not sell Streetvibes while under the influence.

7. Vendors must not give a “hard sell” or intimidate anyone into purchasing Streetvibes. This includes following customers or continuing to solicit sales after customers have said no. Vendors must also never sell Streetvibes door-to-door.

8. Vendors must not deceive customers while selling Streetvibes. Vendors must be honest in stating that all profits go to the individual vendor.

Vendors must not tell customers that the money they receive will go to GCCH or any other organization or charity. Also, vendors must not say that they are collecting for “the homeless” in general.

9. Vendors must not sell papers without their badge. Vendors must present their badge when purchasing papers from GCCH. Lost badges cost $2.00 to replace.

Broken or worn badges will be replaced for free, but only if the old badge is returned to GCCH. 10. Streetvibes vendor meetings are held on the first weekday of the month at 1pm. The month’s paper will be released at this meeting. If a vendor cannot attend the meeting, he or she should let us know in advance. If a vendor does not call in advance and does not show up, that vendor will not be allowed to purchase papers on the day of the meeting or the following day. Five free papers will be given to those who do attend.

11. Failure to comply with the Code of Conduct may result in termination from the Streetvibes vendor program. GCCH reserves the right to terminate any vendor at any time as deemed appropriate. Badges and Streetvibes papers are property of GCCH, and must be surrendered upon demand.

The mission of the North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA) is to support a street newspaper movement that creates and upholds journalistic and ethical standards while promoting self-help and empowerment among people living in poverty. NASNA papers support homeless and very low-income people in more than 35 cities across the United States and Canada.

Streetvibes Vendor: 75 Cents (75 cent profit goes directly to the vendor)

Homeless Coalition

25 Cents

Printing and Production: 25 cents (this cost does not cover expenses)

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About the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless and Streetvibes.... earned. This program has helped The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless (GCCH) was formed in May of 1984 for one purpose: the eradication of homelessness in Cincinnati. What started out as a coalition of 15 volunteers meeting weekly in an unheated church basement has since grown into a Coalition of over 45 agencies and hundreds of volunteers dedicated to improving services for homeless individuals, educating the public about homelessness and empowering homeless individuals to advocate for their civil rights and housing needs.

Streetvibes is a tool of GCCH used to help us achieve our goal of ending homelessness.

On the one hand it is a selfsufficiency program geared towards the homeless and marginally housed individuals who are our vendors. Streetvibes vendors buy the paper for 30 cents per copy and sell it for a suggested one-dollar donation, keeping the profit that they have

hundreds of people find and maintain housing. The vendors also sign a code of conduct stating that they will behave responsibly and professionally and they proudly display their official Streetvibes badge while selling the paper. Our vendors put a face on “the homeless” of Cincinnati and form lasting friendships with their customers.

On the other hand, Streetvibes is an award-winning alternative newspaper and part of the international street newspaper movement. Focusing on homelessness and social justice issues, Streetvibes reports the often-invisible story of poverty in our community. Streetvibes is also proud to include creative writing, poetry, articles, photography and interviews written by homeless and formerly homeless individuals. Streetvibes enjoys a loyal reader base that respects the honest portrayal of the joys, sorrows, and challenges facing the people of Cincinnati.

Streetvibes is a member of the:

The International Network of Street Papers (INSP) unites street papers sold by homeless and people living in poverty from all over the world. INSP is an umbrella organisation, which provides a consultancy service for its partner papers and advises on the setting up of new street papers and support initiatives for marginalised people.

Where Your Dollar Goes...

The Streetvibes program maintains a minimal overhead cost so that our vendors can keep as much of the proceeds as possible.

Please call our office at 421-7803 for more information about the program. Many thanks for your support.

Streetvibes

Send your letters or comments to Streetvibes, 117 East 12th Street, Cincinnati Ohio 45202, or email to Streetvibes@juno.com

Buy Streetvibes

FRAC Report The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) is a leading national organization working to improve public policies to eradicate hunger and undernutrition in the United States. Founded in 1970 as a public interest law firm, FRAC is a nonprofit and nonpartisan research and public policy center that serves as the hub of an antihunger network of thousands of individuals and agencies across the country. www.frac.org House Subcommittee Passes FY 2007 Funding for Nutrition Programs (“House Subcommittee Passes FY 2007 Funding for Nutrition Programs,” frac.org, May 4, 2006) On May 3, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee reported out its FY 2007 funding bill for the Department of Agriculture. Highlights of some program funding have been released.

The Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee is not expected to take up its bill until after the Memorial Day recess. In general, the Administration’s proposal to eliminate CSFP and harmful proposals to WIC are not in the subcommittee bill. On the other hand, additional funding was not provided to expand the Simplified Summer Food Program (“Lugar Pilots”). The document describes subcommittee’s action on the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP); WIC; food stamps; child nutrition programs; TEFAP; farmers’ market programs; and fresh fruit and vegetable pilots.

Every Minute 10 Children Die from Malnutrition in Developing Countries (“Malnutrition Kills 10 Children Every Minute, Says UN,” independent.co.uk, May 3, 2006) Ten children die every minute as a result of malnutrition in the developing world, according to a new United Nations report. It found that 146 million children under age 5 suffer from insufficient food intake, repeated infectious diseases, muscle wastage and vitamin deficiencies.

Three quarters of the undernourished children come from just 10 countries, including 57 million children suffering from malnutrition in India and 8 million each in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Almost half of all children in south Asia are underweight, and girls have higher hunger rates than boys. In Iraq, 16 percent of children go hungry, a rate “substantially higher” than in 1990. China and Latin American nations have made progress in reducing childhood

hunger, but the overall decrease in hunger is considerably slower than the 2.8 percent annual reduction needed to fulfill the pledge by the world’s leaders to cut the proportion of the hungry in half by 2015. “Few things have more impact than nutrition on a child’s ability to survive, learn effectively and escape a life of poverty,” said Ann Veneman, executive director of Unicef. “We still have time to achieve … [the 2005] goal, but only if the international community acts now to deliver the commitments and resources it has promised.”

Food Insecure Mothers May Increase Child’s Risk for Obesity, Study Says (“Maternal Choices May Increase Risk of Overweight Children,” newswise.com, May 2, 2006) A study by researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health and Boston Medical Center found that lack of access to adequate food for an active and healthy life may affect maternal food choices, increasing the risk to children of becoming overweight. “What we have is a paradox. Mothers in households where food availability was either erratic or scarce had approximately twice the odds of giving their child food to boost calories or to stimulate the appetite,” explained lead researcher Emily Feinberg from Boston Medical Center. The findings suggest that the mothers may provide high-calorie nutritional supplements and that such supplements may increase the risk to a child of becoming overweight, particularly in households with food shortages. The researchers interviewed 248 mothers of normal and overweight Haitian and AfricanAmerican children, ages 2 to 12.

Growing Numbers of “Near Poor” Increasingly Exposed to Sudden Ruin (“America’s ‘Near Poor’ Are Increasingly at Economic Risk, Experts Say,” nytimes.com, May 8, 2006) With soaring costs of housing and medical care and a decline in low-end wages and benefits, tens of millions of people in lower economic ranks are living on increasingly shakier ground, according to studies focusing on what some scholars call the “near poor.” “There’s strong evidence that over the past five years, record numbers of lower-income Americans find themselves in a more precarious economic position than at any time in recent memory,” said Mark R. Rank, a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis.

For all age groups except those 70 and older, the odds of a temporary spell of poverty doubled in the 1990’s, Rank and two colleagues

from Cornell University wrote in a 2004 paper. Rank says the situation has worsened since the 1990s.

According to the analysis, during the 1980s, about 13 percent of Americans in their forties spent at least one year below the poverty line, while in the 1990s, 36 percent of people in their forties experienced at least a year in poverty. More people work in jobs without health coverage and other benefits or access to unemployment insurance. The real value of welfare has eroded, while the benefits are more difficult to secure.

The people behind these grim statistics suffer the consequences every day. “In the center of Orange County [ Calif.,], a world away from its polished coastal towns, borderline poverty is common but seldom visible. … Behind strip malls and fast food restaurants, families, sometimes two of them, cram into small, aging bungalows. “What look like tourist motels along Beach Boulevard are mostly filled by working families or single people who stay for months or years, paying high weekly fees.”

California waitress Machele Sauer tries to support herself and four daughters by waitressing four nights and two days a week, receiving food stamps (which cover food costs for about two weeks a month) and charity.

Beverage Industry Agrees to Halt Almost All Soda Sales at Schools (“Soda Distributors to End Most School Sales,” newsday.com, May 3, 2006) The nation’s largest beverage distributors have agreed to end nearly all sales of sodas to public schools, announced the William J. Clinton Foundation. Under the agreement, the companies will sell only water, unsweetened juice and low-fat milks in elementary and middle schools.

High schools will be able to sell diet soda and low-calorie drinks, as well as nutritious drinks, such as juice, sports drinks and low-fat milk. The new rules will apply to sales on school grounds during regular school hours and after school activities. But they will not apply to events such as school plays, band concerts and sporting events, where a significant portion of the audience are adults, according to Jay Carson, a spokesman for Clinton. The beverage industry move comes during a wave of regulation by school districts and legislators alarmed by increasing rates of childhood obesity. According to a recent report by the American Beverage Association, school sales of sports drinks, diet sodas and bottled water have been on the rise in recent years, while sugary soft drink purchases by students have been falling. The companies and the American Beverage Association agreed to make the changes at 75 percent of the nation’s public schools

Streetvibes

before the 2008-2009 school year, and at all public schools a year later.

Op-Ed: “Let Justice Roll” by Raising Minimum Wage (“Institutionalizing The Working Poor,” sltrib.com, April 28, 2006) “A just and living wage is what is needed in Utah and the nation,” writes Dan Webster, an Episcopal priest from Salt Lake City currently working in New York for the National Council of Churches.

The federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour has not changed since 1997.

“Can you imagine working for 10 years without a raise?” asks Webster.

People who work for minimum wage often take two or three jobs just to get by, hardly having time for their families and children. “Nowhere in the Bible does it say God helps those who help themselves. But a lot of people quote that as if it were a Bible verse,” Webster says. He notes that the Bible says: “You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needy laborers, whether other Israelites or aliens who reside in your land.” The failure of the recent proposal to raise Utah’s minimum wage is “frightening,” especially in the state that prides itself on hard work.

The National Council of Churches has been advocating for a living wage. “Let Justice Roll: Faith and Community Voices Against Poverty,” reads its banner. “That advocacy is based on scripture. The beginning of that slogan on the banner comes from the Hebrew prophet Amos: ‘Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.’.”

21 YEARS SERVING THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Empowering our neighborhood children through peace, art and education Peaslee Neighborhood Center 215 East 14th Street Over-the-Rhine Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

(513) 621-5514 Page 13

ReSTOC

By Bonnie Neumeier March 16, 2006 On occasion of our last official Board Meeting And before merging with Over-the-Rhine Housing Network In thanksgiving for all the people who made ReSTOC possible The place to be on Saturday mornings at 9AM Actually anytime in between How many times has this ReSTOC story been told And unfolded on the lips of those involved Gorilla crews doing the unthinkable, the impossible Without much modern machinery Just hard working hands Hundreds of hands In assembly lines Moving mountains of materials Piece by piece Out of buildings saved from the wrecking ball We were filled with dreams of how we can bring These buildings back to life Making homes for our people Taking a stand here on this Over-the-Rhine land We claim as our own.

A spirit of camaraderie and connection created While hands were deep in garbage Clouds of dust filling the air As crowbars yanked plastered walls down Pulling out endless nails from the wooden lath Fire escapes painted stroke by stroke Cracks and holes filled up brick by brick Those brown Rohs Hardware gloves our trademark Those white protective masks we wore covered up our mouths But not our laughter When the day was done We looked more like coal miners Bone tired but a joy sat on our chests I remember that night of terror When the Jimmy Skinner building on Vine caught on fire Flames high in the night sky I can still feel the trembles Hoping upon hope that no one was inside The City wanted it torn down But our wills to save it Were a deeper red than the flames that night Brick by brick hoisted up in a bucket We put it back together again And this became “buddy’s place” A home for the homeless Pleasant Street Garden Grapes and green beans Sunflowers and squash Raspberries and roses An oasis in the concrete city Gardeners meet and mingle Curious children climb over the fence With questions about smelly manure And how does a garden grow.

With a cheese sandwich in hand From the Bang’s corner store We’d go to the garden And sit on the wooden bench To hold a small meeting The stray cats slithered around Our ankles while our eyes admired The colors of the flowers A respite for ReSTOCers Catching our breath for the next

Page 14

Round of struggles Children from the streets Residents of Drop Inn Center College students Tenacious Tenants Church groups High Schools Friends and Parents People assigned to do community service A rainbow mix of talent and skill and personalities We had a common desire To be a part of something bigger than ourselves It was our way to build a circle of hope Much broader than just affordable housing We believed we were making a difference And we did and WE STILL ARE On a Sunday morning in May Our hopes for the Dunlap warehouse building collapsed Part of the roof caved in and onto the street below A crisis deliberation occurred on the street It was painful to let this one go We were torn with our decision.

ReSTOC office a grand central station So much can happen in one day A call to fix a leaky pipe, or a stopped up toilet, a lost key A quickly designed flyer to defend our homes from the latest attacks A displaced person looking for housing A newspaper reporter pushing to get our response about a pressing housing issue A person’s possessions in a plastic bag dropped here for storage A meeting or two or three to strategize our next move Pickups to make for donated refrigerators and stoves Trips to scrap metal for a little piece of change Bills to pay, deposits to make, thank you’s to write, Stacks of paperwork to organize And the determination to carry on despite obstacles And here in this ReSTOC place on 14th Street Once called Harriet Tubman/Mother Jones Folk School We laughed, we cried, we sang, And feasted on donuts and chips and pop We grew to appreciate our just anger We learned how to speak our truth We planned, plotted, and protested To defend our neighborhood’s 5520 low income housing units We made creative banners and cardboard signs Dreamed up beautiful murals Yes, our people’s hope will rise and stand tall like the sunflower And here in this ReSTOC place Many peoples eyes were opened up and made more aware Residents organized, made history and got a place to call home People got jobs, a second chance, and learned a trade Interns learned more than books could teach Activists were born and nurtured here Barriers of race and class were breached We worked; we loved, and experienced our solidarity This place has been home to the displaced and oppressed But all the while a proud people fighting for freedoms long denied.

Streetvibes

Republic Street Block Club Elm Street Block Club Cleanup Campaigns Gunther and Brick Laying Projects Tree Plantings Recovery Hotel buddy’s Place Tenant Christmas Parties Summer Picnics Miami Design and Build Studio ReSTOC Internship Program Adopt-An-Apartment Xavier Learning Semester Vine Street Community Project Tour upon tour Lobbying politicians To insist our voices be counted People living with us Dempsey, Howard, and Mary Eva, Anna, Betty and Bob Steve, Pat, Georgia and Jimmy, Demus, Catherine, Jerry and Janie Willie, Doyle, McDade The list goes on and on People who have shaped us, challenged us buddy, Bob, Mike, and Tom, Gary, Jenn, and Andy Roger and Butch and many others People with courage leading the way I remember Sitting on the side stoop at 1324 Race Street A plan was made to buy that first building Mr. Suder was going to sell the building to Mr. Denhart With knowledge of Denhart’s history Residents living there did not want Denhart as their landlord We sat there late into the night Under the dim light bulb Making a list of people we could approach To help us buy that building There was excitement in the air that night We were dreaming possibilities Little did we know where our dreaming would take us We just knew we had to act.

And act we did buddy’s relentless energy, our cornerstone And we all pushed out from there The ReSTOC name will not slide slowly off our lips ReSTOC is imprinted in our hearts forever ReSTOC made possible this pathway to our future ReSTOC has always been about risk taking So tonight we celebrate our history And give thanks for the blessings we all have received By being a part of this great story and vision The ReSTOC Stories, may they always be told And remembered The ReSTOC spirit, let’s carry it on

Cries Of The Homeless The homeless Misplaced Tears

by Bernard Terrell Howard I wanna cry not letting the world know.

Just by myself let my feelings show.

So much hurt that my tears are dry.

My cold heart that you cannot pray.

But nothing’s there as it’s been too long.

My pen has etched every right and wrong.

My tears are ink and stain with words.

A prison of sorrow like all caged birds.

Can’t crack my will, but you always try.

To hurt my spirit while inside I fly.

How can you touch where my father’s at?

If I’m a bird you’re a blood sucking bat.

You had to steal everything you got.

Blind of your ways inside you rot.

You hear the echo of your lying voice.

That fuels your ego you choose to hoist.

You’re like a curse that others can see.

To stray from God for the devil’s plea.

I write in pen all my misplaced years.

To ease the pain of my misplaced tears.

One check away

by Don Foran Ten men clamber out of the creaking van, Their sweaty bodies meeting a kiss Of cool night air.

They drift, silently, sullenly Toward the darkened church.

Mattresses lie, two or three to a room, Along walls decorated with children’s Drawings and almost casual crucifixions.

Carl, Eddie, Jake and the others Throw their worn packs and bags Onto the makeshift beds, and John, It’s always John, is first to ask If he can have his sack lunch now, Not in the morning as we had planned.

“Sure,” I say, almost as anxious as he To assuage this remediable hunger.

Several echo John, and soon all Are feasting on pb and j; apples, celery, And other healthy fare remains on the table, But they’re happier now, even communicative.

One thanks me for setting a new pair of white socks On each mattress. Another offers a juice cup To a friend. “Lights out!” Rick calls at ten, And no one argues, no one hesitates. Sleep Knits once more the raveled sleeve of care, Obliterates the hurt, soothes the jangled nerves.

Tomorrow will be another day, Another cheerless day embroidered With small triumphs, fragile dreams.

by James Chionsini twinkling stars can’t keep you warm when you’re sleeping in the park till he break of dawn newspaper pillow and a plastic tarp watching for he pigs that come out after dark lost your job got jacked and robbed your landlord said that’s not my prob doctor bills kill you can’t afford the pills now you’re shaking heart breaking drink as much as you spill waiting on the first to quench your thirst alleviate the discomfort of an asphalt earth trying to find a shelter to get some rest but nowhere seems safe without a knife proof vest if you could just get back to square one start to heal the disease that’s got you on the run feeling invisible going insane scowls and nightsticks fall like rain

Writers!

Submit your Poetry to STREETVIBES email your writing to Streetvibes@juno.com

by John McKay Withey She left her home in her early teens, In torn shirt and faded jeans.

Looking for the love she was never given, Away from her family she was finally driven.

She sits by the fountain every day, Her lovely young face looking cold and grey.

Her sad blue eyes slowly searching around, Looking for coins dropped on the ground.

With pleading eyes she holds out a hand, In pouring rain for hours she will stand.

All she wants is a little respite, And something warm for her teeth to bite.

Uncaring people pass her by, They see her plight and wonder why, So young a person has no home, And around the streets aimlessly roam.

Our pleas have gone unnoticed.

Our voices are unknown.

We roam the alleys and your streets, While searching for a home.

Our mouths do not know the taste Of food that’s off a plate.

We depend on scraps from others, After they have ate.

While money’s spent to fight our wars And build military might, We, the homeless, struggle on ~ With rags to warm the night.

Our brothers and our sisters Walk by and only stare, No kindness offered from their hearts.

The compassion is not there.

Saddened and discouraged, From disgusted looks we receive, We see the children laugh and point At what they do perceive.

They are made believe that we are dirt And have brought about our woes.

How very wrong for you to think.

How little that you know.

We are part of society, too.

But, we pay the ultimate price Of having lonely roads to walk, While governments roll their dice.

Politicians will not face us Or look us in the eye.

They seem to think we don’t exist And the problem soon will die.

Know the country is turning its back And ignoring human rights While we, the homeless, try to survive; So weak we cannot fight.

Priorities appear to get mixed up When juggled by a few.

Politicians who long for nothing, They’re so shiny and brand new.

The art museum must be given a grant To continue its marvelous work.

The elite would not know what to do, To satisfy their quirk.

Let’s not forget the pilot study.

Should we build a road through there?

Spend that money foolishly.

Governments simply don’t care.

Addicts and prostitutes, she knows them all, They tell her the dangers, if her pride should fall.

Often tempted, her back to the wall, When deep inside she hears a call.

And, don’t forget to toss more money To renovate some old house; The importance of who lived there, once, And the interest it would arouse.

Her bed is a box propped in a door, Often her body is tender and sore.

But when she sees those ever so younger, She forgers the pain caused by hunger.

These are a few of our misspent dollars, Being laid and put to rest.

Sadly enough, these politicians All think it’s for the best.

Up to the skies she will often look, Remembering words she read in a book.

The meaning now she can clearly see, “Suffer little children to come unto me”.

The words that I am trying to say Are meant to open some eyes.

When governments say they’re doing their best, That’s nothing but a lie!

So take a look around you, At where these grants should go.

Take the homeless off cold streets.

Let’s warm their hearts and soul.

Streetvibes

Page 15

569-9500

Formed in 1984, The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless is a membership organization. Our member groups serve the homeless through emergency shelter, transitional living facilities, permanent housing, medical services, social services, soup kitchens, and mental health/addiction services.

The Coalition also consists of individual citizens who want to take an active role in ensuring that Cincinnati is an inclusive community, meeting the needs of all of its citizens. Join the fight to end homelessness; contact the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless at (513) 421-7803, 117 East 12th Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

SHELTER: Both Anthony House (Youth)

SHELTER: Men City Gospel Mission 241-5525 Garden St. House 241-0490 Joseph House (Veterans) 324-2321 St. Francis/St.Joseph House 381-4941 Mt. Airy Center 661-4620 Volunteers of Amer. 381-1954

SHELTERS: Women and Children YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter 872-9259 (Toll Free) 1-888-872-9259 Bethany House 921-1131 Salvation Army 762-5660 Welcome Hse. 859-431-8717 Women’s Crisis Center 859-491-3335 Grace Place Catholic Worker House 681-2365 Tom Gieger Guest House 961-4555

If you need help or would like to help please call one of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless members listed below.

OTHER SERVICES: AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati 421-2437 Appalachian Identity Center 621-5991 Beech Acres 231-6630 Center for Independent Living Options 241-2600 Churches Active in Northside 591-2246 Cincinnati Health Network 961-0600 Community Action Agency 569-1840 Contact Center 381-4242 Center for Respite Care 621-1868 Emanuel Center 241-2563 Freestore/ Foodbank 241-1064

TREATMENT: Both N.A. Hopeline 820-2947 A.A. Hotline 351-0422 C.C.A.T. 381-6672 Talbert House 684-7956 Transitions, Inc 859-491-4435 VA Domiciliary 859-559-5011 DIC Live-In Program 721-0643

TREATMENT: Men Charlie’s 3/4 House 784-1853 Prospect House 921-1613 Starting Over 961-2256

TREATMENT: Women First Step Home 961-4663 Full Circle Program 721-0643

HOUSING: CMHA 977-5660 Excel Development 632-7149 Miami Purchase 241-0504 OTR Community Housing 381-1171 Tender Mercies 721-8666 Dana Transitional Bridge Services, Inc 751-9797

Caracole (AIDS) 761-1480 Friars Club 381-5432 Drop Inn Center 721-0643 Haven House 863-8866 Interfaith Hospitality 471-1100 Lighthouse Youth Center (Teens) 961-4080 St. John’s Housing 651-6446

Need Help or Want to Help?

Fransiscan Haircuts 381--0111 Goodwill Industries 771-4800 Coalition for the Homeless 421-7803 Hamilton Co. Mental Health Board 946-8600 Mental Health Access Point 558-8888 Hamilton Co. TB Control 946-7601 Healing Connections 751-0600 Health Rsrc. Center 357-4602 Homeless Mobile Health Van 352-2902 House of Refuge Mission 221-5491 IJ & Peace Center 579-8547 Justice Watch 241-0490 Legal Aid Society 241-9400 Madisonville Ed. & Assis.

Center 271-5501 Mary Magdalen House 721-4811 Mercy Fransiscan at St John 981-5841 McMicken Dental Clinic 352-6363 NAMI (Mental Health) 948-3094 Our Daily Bread 621-6364 Oral Health Council 6210248 Over-the-Rhine Soup Kitchen 961-1983 Peaslee Neighborhood Center 621-5514 Project Connect, Homeless Kids 363-1060 People Working Cooperatively 351-7921 St. Vincent De Paul 562-8841 Services United For Mothers 487-7862 Travelers Aid 721-7660 United Way 721-7900 VA Homeless 859-572-6226 Women Helping Women 872-9259 MIDDLETOWN/HAMILTON (Butler County) St. Raphaels 863-3184 Salvation Army 863-1445 Serenity House Day Center 422-8555 Open Door Pantry 868-3276

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Over-the-Rhine Community Development Organizations Merge Page one

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