SINCE 2002
( ) what is a look at the concept & realities of shelter in turbulent times (pg. 14)
SHELTER? nothing stops a bullet like a job (pg. 8)
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bringing harm reduction home (pg. 19)
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whats up magazine
& The Homeless Empowerment Project Empowering St. Louis since 2002
Vendors Edward Little, Kathy K., La Maar Williams, John Edwards, Laura Thomas, Al Spinks, Kenneth Hayes, Pat Malone, Lloyd Anderson, Greg Brown, Greg Boyd, Mike Johnson, Demitres Graves, Clifton Sims, Isaiah Dyson, Anthony Adams, Diane Crudup, and Kelvin Dawson, Gail Chambers and Brian McDonald. Program Director Jay Swoboda Features/Copy Editor Elizabeth Swoboda Contributors/Volunteers RJ Koscielniak, Annie Wentz, Virginia Williams, Ryan Albritton, Alejandro Oyarzabal, Terry Austin Sr., Vladimir Noskov, Rachel Brandt, Kate Ewing, Raju Mukhi and hopefully you! Development & Events Coordinator Amy Gonwa Volunteer Coordinator Call 314-241-7744 to find out how you can get involved! Printed By Woodard Printing Services - www.woodwardprinting.com Cover: DESIGN CONCEPT & IMAGES FROM GREGOR TIMLIN Magazine Layout: Bootstraps Design The paper’s mission aims to alleviate miscommunication between communities by educating the public about housing and poverty issues, and by giving the homeless a voice in the public forum. Whats Up also informs the homeless of shelter and occupational assistance, and acts as a creative self-help opportunity for those individuals who wish to participate.
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All correspondence can be sent to: Whats Up Magazine 906 Olive St., Suite PH10 Saint Louis, Missouri 63101 For information call: (314) 241-7744 or editor@whatsupstl.com Member of the North American Street Newspaper Association [www.nasna.org & www.streetnewsservice.org] Whats Up Magazine is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Contact us to find out how you can support our efforts! Submissions: All articles should be sent to the attention of the
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editors at the address above. For further submission info, visit our website or contact us. We may edit submissions for clarity or length. Whats Up needs writers, photographers, graphic designers, marketers, administrative assistants, editors, and grant writers. Thanks to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, Bascom Foundation, The McPheeter Family, The Stern Family, Raj Sandhu & Mary Henry, Amos Harris, EHOC, Sadhu Vaswani Mission, Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral, Christian Service Center, WU’s Dept. of Student Activities, Justine Petersen Housing, Whats Up Boston, NASNA, and all the homeless vendors for all the time and energy that they have shared. Articles that appear in Whats Up reflect the opinion and perspective of the author and not the editors of Whats Up. Articles should not be construed as attempts to aid or hinder any legislative body.
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Volume 10 Issue 1
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PERIENNIAL VOLUNTEER AMY GONWA REACHES OUT TO A GANG INTERVENTION PROGRAM IN LA 14 what is shelter? A LOOK AT THE CONCEPT OF SHELTER AND HOW IT EFFECTS ALL OF US 18 10 year plan shows progress HALF WAY THROUGH THE 10-YEAR PLAN THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS AWARDS ANOTHER $8.6 MILLION 19 harm reduction THE WAR ON DRUGS HAS NOT ELIMINATED THE PROBLEM. THIS JOINT ARTICLE EXPLORES HOW ADDICTS ARE BEING HELPED TO STAY ALIVE 27 arts & awareness
Keep in Touch!!! If you’ve got a comment or suggestion, we’d love to hear from you. Here’s how to contact us:
Whats Up Magazine 906 Olive St. Suite 1212 St. Louis, MO 63101 editor@whatsupstl.com Also, if you know any group or organization that may be interested in this magazine contact us!
UPCOMING EVENTS TO BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY AND THIS ORGANIZATION. HOPE TO SEE YOU OUT! [ concept ] Whats Up Magazine serves as a community-based media source. Our content combines social awareness and entertainment in a way that encourages the population of St. Louis to be socially conscious. Whats Up is also a human service provider aiding the homeless and economically disadvantaged by offering transitional employment. The homeless and disadvantaged take part in sales, advertising, and production of this publication. Street vendors are given twenty free isssues, and then pay 25 cents for additional copies. We are always looking for enthusiastic people dedicated to our causes of encouraging awareness and providing opportunities to the disadvantaged. volume 10:1 whatsupstl.com
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The Vendors of Whats Up Magazine
WORKING NOT BEGGING NEED CASH???
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WHATS UP MAGAZINE IS BOTH AN ALTERNATIVE MEDIA SOURCE AND AN ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE IN NEED OF ONE. VENDORS PURCHASE COPIES OF THE MAGAZINE FROM WHATS UP FOR A QUARTER AND SELL THE MAGAZINE IN THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS FOR $1 ON THE STREETS FOR THEIR PROFIT. DON’T SUPPORT PANHANDLERS... REFER HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS TO US @ 314-241-7744!
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vendors, please contact the office @ 314-241-7744 or editor@whatsupstl.com
to Vendor WHERE YOUR 75 cents:18Directly cents: Printing Costs Services DOLLAR GOES... 5 cents:2Vendor cents: Administration
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Whats Up Magazine vendors are instructed to adhere to the following codes of conduct: * Prominently wear and present a vendor badge and permit while selling the magazine. * Sell the magazine for no more than its $1.00 cover price. * Refrain from asking for donations without a magazine or with just one magazine. * Avoid obstructing public walkways or selling near any stadiums or Bi-State property. * Do not follow customers more than 10 feet from contact or approach people in vehicles. * Be clean and sober when selling the magazine * All checks must be made payable to the vendor if vendor is to get any part of the amount. 6
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[ director’s corner]
guts, goals and hope I have a Thomas Merton quote above my desk that reads, “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.” Pretty simple. When thinking about the future of our little organization and its place in the community I realized that there is no other reliable source encouraging the community to keep their hearts and minds open to issues that relate to our brothers and sisters on the streets. I was going to lay down and allow this magazine to die a peaceful death... but I realized that I would be doing EXACTLY what society has done to people on the streets. I would be giving up, ignoring the problem and going about my daily life. Sure I’d have the Google search links and memories of my attempts at muckracking - but what would become of those we hoped to empower - those men and women struggling mightily
against the daily grind of apathy, ignorance and injustice? So, without much ado, I am commiting this organization to another year of publishing - our 10th to be exact. I hope that I can be strong enough to ask for help and I hope that each one of you can, in your own small way, commit to making a difference in another person’s life. It doesn’t take much to smile or to start up a conversation - but if we don’t get over our apathetic disguises and social aloofness we will not have much to celebrate when another year is behind us. Don’t give up - Make a difference!
Jay Swoboda, Editor/Program Director (editor@whatsupstl.com)
How YOU Can With Housing & Homeless Issues! Work at a shelter Take an evening or overnight shift. Help with clerical work such as answering phones, typing, filing, or sorting mail. Serve food, wash dishes, or sort and distribute clothes. Help build or fix up houses or shelters Check with your local public housing authority, or find the nearest chapter of Habitat for Humanity by calling (314) 371-0400 or visiting (http://www.habitatstl.org). Share hobbies Teach your hobbies to a group of people staying at a homeless shelter. Ask them about their hobbies and have them teach you. Invite the homeless to a community event Invite people who are experiencing homelessness to a worship service, public concert or picnic, city council meeting, etc. Organize an event at a shelter Plan an evening program such as a board game or chess night, an open mike poetry reading, a guest storytelling or musical performance, or a holiday party.
Get Involved - Make a Difference volume 10:1 whatsupstl.com
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NOTHING STOPS A BULLET
LIKE A JOB
words amy gonwa
( ) how one man took on the gangs of los angeles - and made an impact.
...for the young men and women born into gang-infested communities, the lack of healthy role models, drugs on every corner, and oftentimes abuse and neglect, lead them to face a devastating crossroads. Many choose gang membership as an alternative to following in their parents’ footsteps or simply as a means to survive in an unsafe environment. Hector Verdugo, Assistant Executive Director of Homeboy Industries, explained to me that when he was young, gangs were there with open arms preaching a ‘false brotherhood’ to kids who had to get out of their current situations and did not see a lot of options. Young people join and remain in gangs because of the money, the girls, and the 8
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IT IS NOT UP TO US, THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH WE ARE BORN , AND THE FAMILIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS THAT SURROUND US AS WE GROW UP. BUT....
glory, Hector explains, “They are always fleeing from something.”
epidemic of gang violence in East Los Angeles. However, over the past three decades he has created a model for Gang membership leads to a hard road Gang Intervention that is a cutting-edge of violence, imprisonment, addiction, and program to empower people whose lives hopelessness. And resolving the problem have been ravaged by histories of gang is twofold: there is not a lot being done to membership and violence. I recently had prevent or break down the gangs in all of the great pleasure of speaking with Father our cities, and the reality, is that we, as Greg on his experience that has led him to a society, have turned our backs. Well, his life today. everyone but one dedicated priest in Los Angeles who is challenging the way we After several missions out of the country, think about gang members and how we Father Greg Boyle asked the Church to, should re-invest in our neighborhoods and “send me to the poorest place you can send me.” He landed at Dolores Mission in East fellow citizens. Los Angeles, where, when he arrived, there Father Greg Boyles claims it was never were eight gangs engaged in a war that his intention to face and take on the was destroying the neighborhood, ruining
families, and recruiting young people into a life of violence and hopelessness. The church was located at the epicenter of two large housing projects, in fact the two made up the biggest housing project west of the Mississippi. Father Boyle describes a time where he was, “burying too many young people and he knew something had to change.” He came to see what he calls a “lethal absence of hope” that plagued his parish. With what little resources he
for the same cause. This is the great feat of Homeboy Industries: putting people together who have shed blood on the opposing sides of street violence and have been indoctrinated by their former gang to hate and disregard any member of the opposing gang.
shares the lives of some of his homeboys, like Hector Verdugo.
Hector’s parents were both heroine addicts, and his father died from the addiction before Hector’s birth. Verdugo describes the houses that many young men and women in his old neighborhood To learn more on his beginnings as a lone grow up in and says, “I wanted to flee from priest riding his bike through the barrio, that, and there was a false brotherhood of I would recommend reading Fr. Greg’s gangs and they were there with open arms,
”Father Greg Boyle asked the Church to, ‘send me to the poorest place you can send me.’ He landed at Doleres Mission in East Los Angeles, where, when he arrived, there were eight gangs engaged in a war...” had, he began Homeboy Industries, and over the next three decades, empowered hundreds of men and women to turn their lives around and embrace a life free from gang membership.
new book, Tattoos on the Heart, as he recounts his journey with his homeboys. He does not write with an air of sympathetic injustice, but only with unabridged truth, and even a dose of humor.
Homeboy Industries is a combination of suppor t programs, employment opportunities, and training that challenges the paradigm the general public has of gang members. Ex-gang members walk into the doors of Homeboy Industries willingly and can utilize a variety of services, including the 12-step program, case management, legal and employment services, and even laser tattoo removal. Father Greg describes his program as, “an exit ramp,” for re-entry into society and emphasizes it is only for people who are dedicated to changing the course of their path into positive and healthy living. Homeboy Industries provides jobs at the company or job training for meaningful work that the ex-gang member is interested in pursuing. Operating under the philosophy that ‘nothing stops a bullet like a job’, at Homeboy Industries, ex-rival gang members have to work side by side in its bakery, silkscreen and press workshop, maintenance crews, and most recently, the Homegirl Café. Father Greg describes the situations where rival gang members are employed as, “difficult at first… until they discover that there is a bond there,” and both people are working
The story that really resonated with me was that of a mother named Soledad who lost two of her four children to unfair and horrific crimes, leaving her broken. One of the sons had not been involved in gang activity and had joined the Marines. He was walking down the street at night to get some food when he was stopped and hustled by some gang members. They asked which gang he was from and before he could get the word ‘Marines’ out, they shot him ‘four times in the back and twice in the head. They had shot his hand off.’ (Boyle, pg 184)
and really what else can a young person do?” Hector says that gang membership is always about members fleeing from their unhealthy home lives and from dealing with their demons. And, what follows is a cycle of violence, prison, and complete emotional destruction. But, there is a way out and Hector is living proof.
When Hector first met “Fr. G,” he was in juvenile hall. All of his homies kept telling him, “man, you gotta go check out this Fr. G,” but he was really hesitant to put any faith or trust into some priest that he didn’t know. Hector went on to explain that, “the only adult men I trusted in my life was my older homeboys (in his gang), and I never had a father figure, so why would I trust this guy?” But Hector did check out one of Fr. G’s sermons and he knew that this man was for real, but Hector was just not Father Greg recounts visting Soledad ready to stop the cycle. after the mass “Forget Kleenex. Forget Hankerchief. Soledad is sobbing into a In the years that would follow, he frequently huge bath towel. And the few of us there stopped by Homeboy Industries and talked found our arms too short to wrap around to Fr. Greg. Hector said that the reason he this kind of pain.”(Boyle, pg 185) kept coming back is that, “people don’t want to see you (when you are a gang With his book, he hopes for readers member)-they don’t want to make eye to make a personal connection to the contact, but Fr. G would actually see you, people who we push to the margins of our he would give you a nod.” After three society and to erase the notion that we are more stints in prison, Hector thought disconnected to the people with whom we of that nod and entered the doors of share our cities and neighborhoods. And Homeboy Industries ready to change. He he tells stories of triumph and loss, and describes the process of being accepted volume 10:1 whatsupstl.com
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into Homeboy and becoming an employee as, “Very significant, especially where I came from, because there is no ritual, they just say ‘here’s your shirt,’ and the people around you become your brothers and sisters”.
“Father Greg
describes homelessness as ‘a community health issue,’ and gang membership as a similiar but more highly criminalized lifestyle.”
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institutions free of charge, an opportunity they would probably not have any other way. He is no longer afraid and as a result of his work with Homeboy Industries, he has created a life that does not resemble the one he used to live, and he is helping others do the same. That is the message Employing men like Hector Verdugo, who of Homeboy Industries: When you are is now second in command at Homeboy, is ready to change, we are ready to serve part of the reason that the program works. you. Young people see people like Hector who used to be in their shoes and feel they can The model that has been built by Homeboy trust him because he has been there. He Industries can be applied to other social counsels young people who come in by service empowerment projects. Father letting them know he understands exactly Greg stated, “in the earlier days, the goal what they are thinking and that he will help was to put a face on the issue,” but it took them navigate a way out of this and into a off from there. The model is to confront better life. However, Homeboy Industries the problem head-on, by gaining the does not recruit and will not take in those trust of the people who need support. who are not ready to change. Hector said, Then, to identify what exact resources “That’s the thing about Homeboy, we don’t can be utilized to get the person out of go out and pull people in…but all gang their current situation and into a new members need this place.” life that can be sustained as healthy and productive. Hector says now that after all of his work at Homeboy Industries (he’s been there for At Whats Up Magazine, we share this nearly five years), he really understands view, and work hard to connect with the how Fr. Greg has been so successful vendors to understand them and to see at turning people’s lives around. “It’s what we can do to get them out of a cycle genuine love, I feel like Fr. G. is limitless of homelessness that is not dissimilar to in his love and compassion.” Hector and that hopeless cycle of gang membership. other Homeboys learn what it means to Street publictions share this mission of experience the power of love and to find investing in disenfranchised and homeless spirituality and God through Fr. G. Hector people and giving them the tools they need explained, “I really have to study this guy, to make a change. That is why Whats Up and the more I do, the more settled my Magazine is interested in the Homeboy life becomes, and now I understand the project, as it focuses on empowerment power of love.” instead of using the same social service methods that have proved themselves Hector is now a successful leader at unsuccessful through the years. Our Homeboy Industries and a loving father to vendor program provides an alternative to three children. With the collaboration of panhandling and selling this magazine is Homeboy and schools across the country, the first step to growing their self-esteem he has been able to send his children to as they begin the transformation into a private Catholic schools, away from where healthy and housed person. they might fall into a gang. This is another benefit of working at Homeboy Industries, Gang members and the homeless make as they work with private schools to set people uncomfortable, ”but if we can up scholarships for the children of the change the way that we think about this,” employees so that they can go to these notes Fr. Greg, we can come up with
HISTORY •
Founded in 1988 at the Delores Mission Church in Los Angeles,
•
Created by then-pastor Fr. Greg Boyle S.J.
•
Created first business, Homeboy Bakery, in 1992
•
Much of the staff and businesses were laid off due to the economy in May 2010
PROGRAMS solutions to issues that have engraved themselves on the streets of every U.S. city. Father Greg describes homelessness as “a community health issue,” and gang membership as a similar but more highly criminalized lifestyle.
That is the reality: there are children born into lives that they had no choice in living. Child soldiers exist here in America and not just in Third World countries. Society has a responsibility to stop ignoring these issues and to destroy the illusion that there is an ‘us’ and a ‘them.’ Father Greg’s “Whether on skid row or in a gang- goal is to help people to realize the ‘us’ infested housing project, the notion by in our communities and stop turning our which we as a society serve you is the backs on our neighbors who are born into same for the most part. The legislation cycles that perpetuate gang membership in place criminalizes a lifestyle of which and violence. people do not necessarily choose and that legislation has been proven to be weak Father Greg Boyle was able to singleand disconnected to the people it intends handedly shake the earth underneath to serve.” his parish at the Dolores Mission, and it begs the question of whether or not the Here in St. Louis, there are programs in potential to create social change in our own place bent towards dissolving gang social communities is being realized. The reality structures here in St. Louis. Father Boyle’s of most cities is not a pretty one, however, point of view is, “What if we were to invest it’s a reality that Father Greg and Homeboy in these people instead of locking them Industries are working to change everyday. up? What if we start seeing them as our fellow citizens who deserve an open door to a better life than the one they were amy gonwa is the Events Coordinator and a contributing writer for Whats Up Magazine. born into. When I talked to Father Boyle, he had just had a meeting with a family who came to him for gang tattoo removal for their adopted son. Their son is only nine years old.
•
Ya’ Stuvo Tattoo Removal
•
Mental Health Counseling
•
Legal Services for Clients
•
Employment Services
•
Education Support
•
Job Training & Placement
LEARN / READ MORE •
Tattoos on the Heart (Fr. Greg Boyle S.J.)
•
G-Dog & The Homeboys (Fremon / Brokaw)
www.homeboy-industries.org
Her research includes social structure within the homeless culture and the effectiveness of social service programs that support the homeless. She has been working with other dedicated members of the community to empower homeless St. Louisans for ten years.
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WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! Writers - Positions open to those who can work collectively to brainstorm, assign, write & edit articles. Report on a variety of social and entertainment issues. Help implement the upcoming Homeless Writing Workshop. Vendor Team - Work with others to distribute the monthly magazine throughout Greater St. Louis. Act as a liason between the vendors and the magazine.
Vendors - Earn money by selling Whats Up on the streets of St. Louis. No experience necessary. Enthusiasm for supporting the homeless and promoting a socially conscious magazine a must!
IF YOU HAVE A MIND FOR ACTIVISM OR THE ARTS JOIN THE WHATS UP MAGAZINE STAFF OF WRITERS, ARTISTS, AND PHOTOGRAPHERS 12 whatsupstl.com volume 10:1
Interns - Assist the magazine with tasks ranging from editorial and production duties, to vendor and community outreach.
CHECK OUT THIS GREAT PROJECT FROM WHATS UP VOLUNTEER RYAN ALBRITTON: http://www.stlloud.org
S T R E E T Federal Officials Join National “Homeless Count” With other high-ranking federal officials Mr. Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) patrolled Washington DC’s streets, alleys and parks during a cold January evening in 2011. U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Director Barbara Poppe questioned a weathered fellow wrapped in a grey blanket, sheltered in the doorway of a bank on K Street. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Scott Gould interviewed a homeless man wandering the snowy night, who spoke about his failure to graduate high school. For a single day and night each year, volunteers in virtually every community in the United States pitch in to interview homeless individuals and families in soup kitchens, emergency and day shelters, campsites and transitional and permanent supportive housing programs. The responses they collect are then compiled and assembled into local and national annual reports. According to HUD, 643,000 homeless people were included in the 2009 count. Also, the number of chronically homeless people in the country dropped from nearly 176,000 in 2005 to roughly 111,000 in 2009.
In Nashville, TN: Be Invisible or Be Arrested Due to Local Laws Not all Nashville’s homeless are covered by the city’s shelters and transitional housing programs. With no place to go, some face the prospect of citations for offenses such
N E W S as sleeping on park benches. In a city with a homeless population of 4,000 but only 1,500 beds at shelters, thousands are left with only two options: be invisible or be arrested. In 2008, Mayor Karl Dean stopped Metro (Government of Nashville & Davidson County) from bulldozing Tent City and asked the Homelessness Commission to oversee the camp and assist its residents in accessing permanent housing. For two years, they have worked toward that goal in hopes of eliminating the need for a tent city, but in May of this year, flood waters destroyed the camp displacing approximately 140 residents and over a dozen pets. Even after the waters receded, residents were not allowed back because the area was deemed a “health and safety hazard” by Metro. With enough housing, every advocate in town would be thrilled to no longer worry themselves with replacing tent cities, but despite Nashville’s Strategic Plan to End Chronic Homelessness implemented in 2005 - the city is still a long way off.
Whats Up Magazine is a member of The North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA) exists to support and build effective, self-sustaining street newspapers that promote power and opportunity for people living in poverty. NASNA wor ks closely with the International Network of Street Newspapers, which represents street papers in other parts of the globe. As a sister organization to the INSP, NASNA works to build and promote the street newspaper movement in North America. The mission of the Nor th American Street Newspaper Association is to support a street newspaper movement that creates and upholds journalistic and ethical standards while promoting selfhelp and empowerment among people living in poverty.
Homeless Veterens Still Huge Part of Homeless Populations According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans Fact Sheet, 26% of the country’s homeless population are veterans, and 33% of the male homeless population are veterans. The Department of Veteran affairs estimate that nearly 196,000 veterans are homeless on any given night, and approximately 400,000 veterans experience homelessness each year. To make matters worse, 70% of homeless veterans struggle with substance abuse problems, and 45% suffer from some form of mental illness.
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what is SHELTER?
words virginia williams & jay swoboda
images gregor timlin & clayton holmes
( ) a look at the concept & realities of shelter in turbulent times
*Compiled with concepts from Clayton Holmes’ book Constructing Alternatives and inspiration from Gregor Timlin’s Shelter Cart concept. Images used with permission. 14 whatsupstl.com volume 10:1
apar tment, apar tment hotel, barn conversion, breakfast, B&B, bedsit, boarding house, bothy, prison cell, choultry, condominium, cottage, county extended stay hotel, farm stay, flatshare, flophouse, service, hospitality exchange, hostel, hotel, house, boutique hotel, mansion, minshuku, monastery, motel, * psychiatric hospital * public house * public housing a traditional japanese inn * sanatorium * sleeping * vacation rental, may also be in a mobile structure * ramada (shelter) * snow cave * mobile* airplane ocean liner * bus * camper, caravan, or trailer * car *
barracks, cantonment, military camp, bed and bungalow, capsule hotel, casino hotel, castle, cave, jail, dormitory, ear th sheltering, ear th house, guest house, or guesthouse hospital, hospitality home or abode, hut, slab hut, inn, log cabin, longhouse, nursing home, palace, pension, prison * resort * retirement home * roundhouse * ryokan, car, on a train * train station * tree house * turbaza * villa * bivouac shelter * emergency shelter * igloo * bender tent * boat, ship, ferry, cruise ship or caravan parks * houseboat * portable building * yurt
”...While tens of millions struggle daily to provide even rudimentary forms of shelter from our planet’s increasingly turbulent weather - others were finding ways to extract increasing levels of equity until the bubble burst.” It is a simple action. Taken for granted every day by those of means. Removed from pockets, bags or purses are keys that open locks to a shelter. This simple act identifies the key holders of society as individuals with access - individuals of worth and importance. Outside of the developed world, the concept of lock & key isn’t closely linked to housing but rather jail cells and banks. In conversation with those transitioning out of homelessness it has been noted that the handing over of their key (a first for some) to a new apartment is one of the most empowering and emotional events in their long slog out off the streets. Even for those first-time homebuyers able to convince a lender of their willingness to repay a 30-year amortized mortgage - this transfer of access is one of the most exciting and memorable moments to witness at real estate closings around the world. Housing and related industries reflect a huge portion of the global economy, and while tens of millions struggle daily to provide even rudimentary forms of shelter from our planet’s increasingly turbulent weather - others were finding ways to extract increasing levels of equity until the bubble burst. The economic engine of the United States was brought to its knees by toxic home mortgages
leveraged 1000 times over as financial instruments representing collateralized wealth adding hundreds of billions to the balance sheets of financial firms with absolutely zero concern for the impact of their actions. The focus of our national conversation in the United States has for the past couple years centered on recovering from the fallout of years of failed policies and loose restrictions. This was a everpresent issue for those manufacturers whose cash flow was frozen and whose businesses were at risk of having a losing quarter. At the same time, most of the world was too poor to notice or care that the world’s largest economy was on the rocks. Even in the United States, where nearly 15% (43.6 million) of the population lives in poverty, most of the vulnerable members of society were busy just figuring out how to keep a roof over their head and have little or no concern that Bear Stearns was no longer in business. A study by the World Institute for Development Economics Research at United Nations University reports that the richest 1% of adults alone owned 40% of global assets in the year 2000, and that the richest 10% of adults accounted for 85% of the world’s total assets. The bottom half of the world adult population
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“Should shelter be a human right? Should the world’s
wealthiest country be compelled to provide housing for all 300+ million citizens?” owned 1% of global wealth. In 2010, 3,076 homes in Orange County, California sold for $1 million or more, the highest number in three years according to housing market tracker DataQuick Information Systems. And while a $1 million home is a shocking price tag, they all pale in comparision to the the most expensive home transaction ever in California. The 2000 sale of an 8-acre estate in Bel-Air to financial executive Gary Winnick for $95 million. $95 million could have built 13,500 two-bedroom concrete homes in Haiti according to Habitat for Humanity International. The same $95 million could provide dignified housing for war-torn African refugees with over 200,000 dwellings according to the UNHCR. With such decripencies in wealth the definition of shelter seems relative to the standard of living, Gross Domestic Product, and political environment of the country where a person finds themselves seeking protection from the elements. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
How does a person protect and enforce their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without shelter? It could be said, that despite all our political, religious and economic differences that after providing for food and water the next great unifying factor at any income level is the need for shelter. What is shelter? Do societal norms alter the definition of shelter? Is the United States’ definition of shelter the same as the definition in China? Is your personal definition of shelter different from your neighbors? What form of shelter do you need to meet your needs? What are you willing to give up for your shelter? In the 1950’s the housing experiment of Pruitt-Igoe (see image above) was presented as a solution to inadequate, unsafe and crowded living condition in the City of St. Louis, Missouri. By the 1960’s the 33 high-rise, high-density buildings were in a state of decay and become the example of what not to do in urban housing. Would this same development be looked upon as a success in urban housing by those living in the slums of Mexico City?
“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, While urban planners preach the benefits of mixed-use, mixedsickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood income transit-oriented development that discourages city in circumstances beyond his control.” leaders from pursuing giant projects such as Pruitt-Igoe - the 16 whatsupstl.com volume 10:1
cost of creating all levels of shelter must be weighed against the benefits to people, communities and the environment.
women and children we call our brothers and sisters don’t have an address, protection from the elements or a key.
Based on their income and expenses, each individual and family unit has to make a unique calculation as to what percentage of their budget can be allocated to shelter. This percentage has been established by guarantors of mortgage debt in the United States to be no more than 29 percent of total income for homeowners.
Many of the benefits of shelter are intangible and difficult to value. The difficulty of the cost-benefit analysis is no easier for our political leaders deciding how much to cut from the Housing & Urban Development Budget in 2011 as it is for a family or individual to decide what to sacrifice to live within their budget. These are not easy topics, but they draw us back to the original question of what is shelter and how important an issue it remains to be questioned and discussed.
Finding affordable housing for lower income individuals and families is increasingly difficult in our current economic times. Many find themselves exceeding these recommended ratios for housing expenses, and as a result, end up depending on highinterest personal - often predatory - credit to meet their daily needs. This vicious cycle leads many to question the cost and value of shelter when faced with the difficult decision to provide food or shelter.
virginia williams/jay swoboda both work in the development of affordable housing. we drew on our experience from the challenges creating shelter that is both affordable and sustainable. this collaborative piece was developed with inspiration from clayton holmes & gregor timlin.
Those economic par ticipants who drank the Kool-Aid of homeownership from 2003 to 2008 across the United States overwhelmingly find themselves “renting” with mortgages. The banks seem pleased to accept monthly principal and interest payments from underwater homeowners knowing that in the event of foreclosure the home value will not likely cover the associated mortgage. Despite all of this, these homeowners have shelter something 800,000 other Americans cannot claim. Shelter creates stability for those with access to it. Studies have shown that children with reliable housing perform better in school. Having a home (owned or rented) provides a person with a sense of identity and connects people to communities. Shelter provides not only protection from inclement weather - but protection from crime. Should shelter be a human right? Should the world’s wealthiest country be compelled to provide housing for all 300+ million citizens? Seems like a modest goal when over 3 million men,
ORGANIZE CLIMBS AND RAISE FUNDS FOR POVERTY EFFORTS WORLDWIDE volume 10:1 whatsupstl.com
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10-Year Plan Shows Progress in St. Louis
bringing the total number of beds for the chronically homeless to 299. • Concurrently, the City of St. Louis experienced a 20% reduction in chronic homelessness since 2005. • Despite the troubled economic times, the overall number of homeless people in the City has decreased over the past five years, from 1,485 in 2005 to 1,305 in 2010.
CITY RECEIVES $8.6 MILLION HUD GRANT TO SUPPORT EFFORTS Mayor Francis Slay and Human Services Director Bill Siedhoff released a five year report on St. Louis City’s (the City) 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness reflecting significant progress since the plan was implemented in 2005. The report shows that all of the five-year goals are being met or have been exceeded in the first half of the 10-Year Plan. In conjunction with the update of the 10-Year Plan, City officials and HUD Field Director James Heard also announced that the City received an additional $8.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the 2010 Continuum of Care Competition Awards. This money will support the ongoing effort to address the needs of homeless people in the City. The City competed with thousands of cities across the country to successfully secure this award that provides funding for over 20 local programs and organizations. “The homeless service providers and members of the Continuum of Care have put forward an outstanding effort over the last five years, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development has contributed tens of millions of dollars to our housing programs,” said Mayor Francis G. Slay. “Without this funding, our progress would not have been possible.” The progress report outlined many noteworthy achievements. Some of those achievements are as follows: • Between 2005 and 2010, over 400 new permanent supportive housing beds have been created. • The number of beds specifically designated for chronically homeless persons has increased from a mere 70 beds to 217 beds. An additional 82 beds are currently under development, 18 whatsupstl.com volume 10:1
“This additional funding will provide the City the needed resources to continue to accomplish the specific outcome measures established in the 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness,” said Human Services Director William Siedhoff. “The City is on track to achieve all outcome measures and goals of the 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness.”
The following organizations will receive funding under the 2010 HUD award: Benedict Joseph Labre Center Transitional Housing Project $298,832; Catholic Family Services - $57,790; Community Alternatives Housing for Future Families - $211,332; Covenant House Transitional Housing Program - $261,450; Doorways Delmar - $101,991; Doorways Jumpstart $241,010; Doorways Maryland - $752,684; Employment Connection Project Homecoming - $176,705; Humanitri ANCHORSS Program - $158,811; Humanitri Transitional Mentoring Housing Program - $200,586; MO Department of Mental Health SCL Shelter Plus Care - $1,465,992; MO Department of Mental Health SCS Shelter Plus Care $688,548; MO Department of Mental Health SCY Shelter Plus Care - $374,316; Shalom House Transitional Housing Program - $239,053; Society of St. Vincent de Paul Project MORE – $288,582; St. Louis Office of DD Resources Great Horizons - $179,467; St. Louis Office of DD Resources Horizon Club House - $198,278; St. Louis Transitional Hope House - $766,669; St. Patrick Center Employment Program - $304,722; St. Patrick Center Project Protect Housing $435,301; St. Patrick Center Rosati House - $528,764; St. Philippine Home Transitional Housing Program - $599,564; and YWCA Phyllis Wheatly Transitional Housing Program $78,465 For more information on these and other homeless services programs, please contact the Homeless Services Division of the Department of Human Services at 314-657-1704.
harm reduction
Canada and the U.S. are making significant strides toward mainstreaming harm reduction, but there are still walls to knock down
words katie hyslop
The North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA) features 33 members. This is our third collaborative article. With the War on Drugs widely seen as a failure, Katie Hyslop investigates how activists and governments are beginning to use harm reduction policies in order to help keep addicts alive.
which has caused epidemics of hepatitis and HIV. So harm reduction is a way of trying to make drug use safer for people who use drugs, without demanding that they stop using drugs.” Harm reduction can include a range of services from needle exchanges and condom distribution to safe consumption sites and access to addiction services such as methadone and Hundreds of doctors, politicians, researchers and frontline buprenorphine treatments and detox facilities. workers met with drug users and ex-users in Austin, Texas, in December 2010 to openly talk about drug use. But instead Supported by the United Nations and over 93 countries worldwide, of reaffirming their commitment to the decades-long war on harm reduction remains controversial. While over half of the 158 drugs, the eighth National Harm Reduction Conference featured countries where drug use has been reported say they support discussions on opening needle exchanges, legalizing and harm reduction, only 82 countries have needle exchanges, just regulating the drug trade, and overdose prevention methods. 73 provide opiate substitution therapies like methadone, and a measly eight countries have safe drug consumption facilities. “What we do in (the United States) is make drugs as unsafe as There are only two safe consumption facilities in North America, they possibly can be, and we do that through laws, which means both in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. that, if you get busted with drugs, you go to prison for a long time. And that’s designed as a deterrent to make people stop “Insite” into harm reduction using drugs, which obviously it isn’t,” said Allan Clear, executive “We were coming to work and people were overdosing and people director of the Harm Reduction Coalition, which runs the national were dying, and at its height it seemed like it was happening every conference. “We do things like take syringes out of circulation, day, and it just seemed unnecessary. If people were dead, there volume 10:1 whatsupstl.com
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”Injection drug users have a mortality rate 14 times higher...with an HIV rate of 4 in 10 and a hepatitis C rate of 9 out of 10 users. 484 overdose interventions were performed in 2009 - with no fatalities.” was no chance of detoxing,” said Mark Townshead, executive director of the Portland Hotel Society, which runs Insite, one of the two safe consumption sites in North America, open since 2003. Insite is located in the city’s Downtown Eastside, often referred to as Canada’s poorest postal code. Injection drug users in that area have a mortality rate 14 times higher than the rest of B.C., with an HIV rate of 4 in 10, and a hepatitis C rate of 9 out of 10 users. The facility consists of 12 safe-injection booths, monitored by nurses, where clients are provided with clean syringes, cookers, filters, water, and tourniquets, as well as education on safe injection practices that limit the spread of diseases like HIV and hepatitis C. Injection drug use is illegal in Canada, but Insite applied for and received an exemption from the federal government to run the site, though the current government is trying to shut down the facility.
the Dr. Peter Centre has not applied for a government exemption for its safe injection room. “The College (of Registered Nurses of British Columbia) confirmed for us that it was within the scope of registered nursing practice to supervise injections for two purposes: for the purposes of promoting health and preventing illness. And they went on to say that this is particularly so with a high-risk population,” said Maxine Davis, executive director of the Dr. Peter Centre. Davis estimates there are 50 people out of the clinic’s 325 registered patients who inject drugs at the Center. The clinic is only open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., however, so they also provide people with clean needles to take home, as well as providing a place to have their methadone delivered.
A different story on the island The Canadian federal government opposes safe injection on moral There are approximately 12,000 registered clients at Insite, but in and ethical grounds, and this stance has prevented other Canadian 2009 only 5,447 used the clinic, with an average 491 injections cities from opening their own safe injection sites, including B.C.’s per day. Four-hundred-and-eighty-four overdose interventions capital city Victoria. While drug users in Vancouver have access to were performed that year, with no fatalities – in fact, no one needle exchanges all over the city, Victoria lost its only fixed-site has died at Insite since it opened, but the long lines mean some needle exchange in 2008 after complaints about noise, crimes, people walk away without injecting. garbage and human waste in the area. Because the local health authority funds it, Insite acts as a gateway to other medical services, such as treating infections and diseases and referrals to mental health treatment. In its second year alone, Insite made 2,000 referrals to outside services, including 800 to addiction counseling. There is also a detox center called Onsite located upstairs if people want to quit.
The Vancouver Island Health Authority secured another location for the needle exchange in March 2008, but complaints from neighbours resulted in an indefinite hold on a fixed-site needle exchange. Volunteers drive mobile exchange vans in the city, but they were banned from that neighborhood, commonly referred to as the “no-go zone.”
Vancouver’s second safe injection site is less well known, likely because its clientele is limited to people living with HIV/AIDS. Located in the nursing clinic of the Dr. Peter Centre West End, safe injection is only one of the services offered, including access to medication, counseling, and art and music therapy. Unlike Insite,
“Not having a space where people can be and to feel like they can meet their peers in a safe location is huge. So you have people being very spread out and finding spaces where they can congregate, in spaces that aren’t that safe,” said Kim Toombs, a member of Harm Reduction Victoria. “People don’t want to be
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using drugs on the street, in front of other people. This is a private thing, and they’d rather be doing it indoors on their own terms, whether it be in their house or whether it be in a safe space. But they’re in a position where they don’t have any other options.” A study released by the city’s Centre for Addictions Research this year found that in 2009, 23 per cent of Victoria’s drug users reported sharing needles, compared to eight per cent of Vancouver’s; 89 per cent of Victoria’s users injected daily, compared to 29 per cent of Vancouver’s. Despite the sharp reduction in services to Victoria’s drug users, the City of Victoria adopted a harm-reduction policy framework in 2004 and is working on a harm-reduction strategy. The public at large also supports it, with 74 per cent of residents from Victoria and 12 surrounding communities agreeing with harm reduction in Victoria.
and now clean needle distribution has gone underground. Legal harm reduction comes in the form of mobile outreach vans run by groups such as Street Works, which offers free HIV testing, condoms and lubricant to drug users, sex workers, and the homeless. Leslie Davis, outreach team leader for Street Works, has been doing harm reduction work with the organization for 10 years. Davis says needle use is actually down in the city, likely because the grade of heroin has improved and can be snorted or smoked instead, which decreases the chance of contracting HIV/AIDS. Davis wants more than clean supplies to pass out, though. He also wants to see drug use decriminalized and treatment focused on lifting users out of poverty, as well as counseling for the personal traumas that led them to drug use in the first place.
“There are success stories around. At Street Works, we have No needles in Nashville The story is different in the United States, however, where the several success stories … people celebrating five or six years
“Like Tennessee, needle exchanger are illegal in Ohio unless they are sanctioned...but it’s a different story in Cincinnati, where it’s a crime to possess a dirty syringe, regardless...”
first needle exchange opened in 1987 in New Haven, Connecticut, but it was only last year that a ban was lifted on federal funding for needle exchanges, introduced by former Republican Sen. Jesse Helms in 1989. The government has yet to provide any guidelines for funding the programs, however, and many states are unwilling to move forward without knowing if their programs will receive funding. In addition, needle exchanges are only legal in 36 states, leaving 14 states, such as Tennessee, without one.
clean. … (But) the odds of turning your life around are not good,” he said. “I’ve seen ’em die in this town and never get clean.”
Conservative Cincinnati Like Tennessee, needle exchanges are illegal in Ohio unless they are sanctioned by a city’s health commissioner under an emergency order. Such an order was issued in Cleveland, where a needle exchange has been operating since 1995. At that time, Nashville, Tennessee’s capital city, runs harm-reduction programs according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 on both sides of the law. The city’s Annual Vulnerability Index, per cent of the city’s new HIV infections were among IV drug released in October 2010, interviewed 885 homeless people (out users. Today that number has dropped to 3.4 per cent. of an estimated 4,000) and found 64 per cent abused substances at some point, while 44 per cent had received addiction treatment. But it’s a different story in Cincinnati, where it’s a crime to possess a dirty syringe, regardless of whether you’re the user There was a tolerated needle-exchange program in 2001- or a volunteer at a needle exchange. While both the city’s mayor 2002, recognized by Nashville City Hall as well as the local law and health commissioner say they support a needle exchange enforcement, but for reasons unknown the exchange died off, in theory, STOP AIDS Cincinnati, a local AIDS prevention and volume 10:1 whatsupstl.com
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support group that operates on a harm-reduction model, must make the case for a needle exchange to the entire city council and health board.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are 60,000 to 90,000 injection drug users in Chicago, but only 7,000 to 8,000 use CRA’s services per year. Biggs says some areas of the city see no service at all, particularly the southwest side, which has high rates of injection drug use.
“Cincinnati is notably a fairly conservative city, and we have some groups in the city who kind of coalesce around what they identify as being family and community values, that are a little further out Rocky Mountain High there than most of the community. But they do a good job rallying Colorado became the 36th state to gain a legal syringe exchange program this year, but each county’s public health board has to their forces,” said Amy McMahon, CEO of STOP AIDS. opt into the program, and only after that can a harm-reduction HIV/AIDS levels among IV drug users in the city are five to 10 per organization apply to become a needle exchange. Nor will cent for HIV, while hepatitis C is much higher at 35-38 per cent. users be fully exempted from state paraphernalia laws once the It’s numbers like these that drive McMahon to push for needle exchange opens—volunteers will be exempted, but it’s a class II exchange on top of the condoms, lube, and testing STOP AIDS misdemeanor for a user to be caught with a needle, dirty or clean. Denver, Colo., has an illegal needle exchange program, however, Cincinnati already supplies. that’s been running since 2007, although previous exchanges “While there are certainly statistically high-risk groups, IV operated in the late 1990s and in 2003-2004. Unlike some other
“Treatment is not available to most people who want it. Right now I can’t get you into methadone treatment unless you have good resources – money. But I can get you a cell and court date for $50,000 a year.” drug use crosses all socio-economic groups, racial and age boundaries,” she said. “People with hepatitis C, people who contract HIV do also. Statistically, is it everybody equally? No. But the risk exists because it’s your behavior that puts you at risk, not the color of your skin or your gender or your income.” Methadone not covered in Midwest state Needle exchanges are legal in Chicago, Illinois, but since the federal ban has been repealed, Dan Biggs hasn’t seen a flood of government money coming in. Instead, the Chicago Recovery Alliance (CRA), of which Biggs is founder and director, is funded by the Chicago Health Department and the Illinois Department of Health and has become one of the largest harm-reduction outreach programs in the country. CRA provides the clean rigs and condoms common to harm reduction in other parts of the world, but also offers free vaccines for hepatitis A, B, and C, as well as the flu and pneumococcal pneumonia, through their mobile van and their office. But thanks to federal law that limits distribution of opiate substitutes to specialized clinics, CRA can’t provide methadone or buprienorphine to marginalized drug users. “(Treatment is) not available to most people who want it. We are in juggernaut to most brutal, ineffective approach. Right now I can’t get you into methadone treatment unless you have good resources – money. Most insurance don’t pay for it. (It costs) $60 a week,” Biggs said. “But I can get you a cell and court date for $50,000 a year. What kind of insanity is that?” 22 whatsupstl.com volume 10:1
illegal exchanges, the Underground Syringe Exchange of Denver actually has funding from the North American Syringe Exchange Network, the only group that will fund underground exchange programs. “We average probably, on one day of exchanging, seeing 5-10 people and exchanging 200-800 syringes in a three-hour block,” said Andrew, one of the founding members of the exchange, who requested his last name be withheld. Andrew assumes the large numbers of needles per user is people doing secondary exchanges, where they take dirty needles for friends and exchange them, giving their friends clean rigs in return. Denver faces other challenges in getting a needle exchange, stemming from previous attempts to set up the service. A city ordinance on syringe exchanges was actually passed in the late 1990s, though no exchange was ever established. However the ordinance remains and restricts the number of needle exchanges to a maximum of three, they must be one-for-one exchanges, and they cannot be within 50 feet of a dwelling. With an estimated 10,000-15,000 IV drug users in the city, the ordinance needs to be changed in order for the program to be effective. “The fact that there’s still nothing happening is why we still have an underground syringe exchange. And it’s going to continue until we have an effective exchange running in Denver,” Andrew said. Support for Harm Reduction The fight for harm-reduction services, particularly needle
exchanges and safe consumption sites, has gained ground in politicians, not the public, who are holding back harm reduction, both Canada and the United States, but there are still hurdles and with the retraction of funding bans on needle exchanges in to overcome. the United States and the support of safe injection sites by the provincial courts of British Columbia, the future of harm reduction Despite being the subject of 30 peer-reviewed studies by the in North America is one of growth. BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, which showed a significant reduction in public injections and in HIV and hepatitis C infections, “The funny thing is that topic opinion polls, the few that exist, as well as an increase in the number of users seeking treatment, have always been pretty consistent that the general public Insite is in danger of being shut down by the Canadian federal actually supports them. It’s not overwhelming, but they are pretty government, which cites moral and ethical issues with safe consistent. It’s something like 55 to 45, or 52 to 48 in favor of injection. After two separate cases before the B.C. Supreme Court syringe exchange programs. The general public has always been and Court of Appeal, which ruled in Insite’s favour, the decision fairly supportive, especially if it’s explained what they are for,” now lies with the Supreme Court of Canada. Clear said. “The Canadian Medical Association, normally a very conservative body, has stepped in twice to defend Insite, and they will be intervening in the Supreme Court to say, ‘This is ridiculous. (Prime Minister) Stephen Harper needs to give his head a shake,’” Townshead said. “You can find an opinion from a fool, but ultimately the information is in and the evidence is utterly clear.” It’s not just the government that stands in the way, however. Members of the public who don’t experience the realities of drug addiction in their lives often do not understand the reason for harm-reduction services, particularly because illicit drug use is illegal in North America. “We live in a society that doesn’t often turn its thoughts to those who are least among us,” said Andrew of the Underground Syringe Exchange of Denver. “And injection drug use affects a very small portion of the population, so, since it’s not on their radar, and it’s one of those icky topics that they’re not interested in delving into because it challenges their moral boundaries. They just kind of look at it and say, ‘You know, let ’em die off,’ basically.” But Clear of the Harm Reduction Coalition believes it is the
“And I think that the changing in the legislation around the federal ban on the funding on needle exchange means that some of those programs that have been around for a while, but have not strictly been legal, will be tolerated a lot more by their local health departments. Hopefully we can build upon that, and then they can get funding and be legal and everything.” WEBSITES • http://www.harmreduction.org/ • http://www.ihra.net/ NASNA / Katie Hyslop A big thanks goes to Katie Hyslop for all her hard work putting this piece together and for all the editors and writers who contributed to this article. The NASNA collaboration articles show the power of our network and the potential of what we can achieve when we combine our strengths and work together. An extra thanks to Greg Flannery for editing the article and for organizing and facilitating this process. All injection photos by Ken Hawkins/Street Roots. Photos of injection site from Jay Black.
FIND OUT HOW YOUR COMPANY CAN BE FEATURED IN AN UPCOMING ISSUE!!!
CALL JAY SWOBODA @ 314.241.7744
volume 10:1 whatsupstl.com
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STREET SOURCES
INFORMATION FOR THE DISADVANTAGED AND HOMELESS OF ST. LOUIS AND THOSE WILLING TO HELP, AID AND ASSIST THEM IT IS A REQUIREMENT OF ALL SHELTERS THAT CONTRACT WITH THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS OR SAINT LOUIS COUNTY THAT INDIVIDUALS ACCESS SHELTER VIA THE HOUSING RESOURCE CENTER’S (HRC) HOUSING HOTLINE. LOOK FOR THE
HRC
LOGO IN THE SERVICE DIRECTORY.
Almost Home, Inc. 3200 Vincent See Key for Description W St. Louis, MO 63104 314/771-4663 Almost Home is a transitional living home for homeless young women who are primarily teenage. The young women may or may not be pregnant, or may have one or two children. The program is nine months and may be extended. Clients must be homeless, drug- and alcohol-free, and willing to participate in structured, goal-oriented programs. They must be willing to utilize counseling; seeking to live a functional, independent life in appropriate or permanent housing; and willing to change unsatisfactory living patterns. Clients will attend classes in budgeting, parenting, and child development. Gateway Homeless Services 1000 N. 19th Street F W HRC St. Louis, MO 63106 314/231-1515 The Christian Service Center is a 90-day, 24-hour shelter for 135 single women, single women with dependent children, married couples with or without dependent children, and single fathers with dependent childeren. Services provided include basic shelter services, individual case management, life skills program, medical and psychological services, educational assistance, permanant and transitional housing placement, self-esteem, emergency assistance, tutoring, employment referrals and activities for homeless youth. Centenary Methodist 55 Plaza Square W F M St. Louis, MO 63103 314/421-3136 This downtown faith community reaches out to the downtown homeless with compassion and a whole list of community resources from 7-9 AM for breakfast and 12 - 12:30 PM for lunch Tuesday-Saturday. Good Samaritan Center F 2108 Russell St. Louis, MO 63104 314/772-7720 The Good Samaritan Center offers stabilization and resettlement services for homeless families coming out of the shelter system. Services include transitional housing, case work training, support groups, life skills, follow-up, and referrals. Clients must be at least 18 years of age, have a family or children living with them, employable, and willing to work at their resettlement.
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Grace Hill Neighborhood Services: MORE Transitional Housing Program 3815 North 20th St. S W St. Louis, MO 63107 314/539-9659 Grace Hill provides transitional housing and emergency assistance (when funds are available) for single women and mothers. Clients must meet several criteria, including 1.) being homeless or in imminent danger of becoming homeless; 2.) having no more than two small children; 3.) having income or being eligible to receive income assistance; and 4.) being willing to participate in self-help activities (i.e., employment, training or GED classes). Haven of Grace W HRC 1133 Benton St. St. Louis, MO 63106 314/621-6507 Haven of Grace assists homeless, pregnant women ages 16-21 with shelter, goal-setting, education, employment, parenting, household management, and permanent residence. Hope House 1611 Hodiamont Ave. F St. Louis, MO 63112 314/382-3801 Hope House offers 50 transitional housing apartments for homeless families, comprehensive social services, family development, vocational and educational counseling, housing placement assistance, on-site living skills classes, and day care center. Clients must be prior St. Louis City residents and in a shelter for 15-30 days or referred by Housing Resource Center. After completing a comprehensive screening, the average stay is 12 months. Housing Resource Center 800 N. Tucker Blvd S M W St. Louis, MO 63101 Hotline for Services 314/802-5444 The Housing Resource Center provides centralized, comprehensive housing assistance for families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The focus is on prevention, but when prevention is not possible, emergency shelter placement and post-shelter placement is provided. Services include intake, assessment, and screening. Clients must be city or county residents (based on last permanent address). New Life Evangelistic Center (NLEC) 1411 Locust St. Louis, MO 63103 S W M F 314/421-3020 NLEC provides Christian outreach ministry to meet mental, physical, and spiritual needs of the City’s endangered residents. Among its services are: 24-hour hotlines, counseling, overnight emergency shelters at three locations (singles, men only, women only and families), rental/mortgage assistance, women’s services, utility assistance, transitional housing programs and shelters. Olive Branch W F HRC 5029 Vernon Ave. St. Louis, MO 63113 314.367-7676 Olive Branch provides 24-hour maternity shelter care for homeless/pregnant adolescents. Mother and baby may stay for up to three months after birth. Our Lady’s Inn W HRC 4223 S. Compton St. Louis, MO 63111 Phone: (314)351-4590 The Inn is an emergency shelter for homeless pregnant women. Clients must be pregnant, 18 years old or older, and City or County residents. Peter & Paul Community Services, Inc. Emergency Shelter/Transitional Housing 711 Allen M HRC St. Louis, MO 63104 314/621-5520 Peter & Paul Community Services assists homeless and near-homeless single men in several ways: a 50-bed year-round emergency shelter, a 20-bed year-round transitional program, meals, showers, lockers, medical referrals, living skills classes, and case management. Federal poverty guidelines apply and clients must be 18 years or older. Candidates for the transitional program must be sober and drug-free for a minimum of 30 days and have a willingness to continue treatment. Grace Chapel Ministries M 1230 California St. Louis, MO 63104 314/995-5013 Grace Chapel Ministries provides emergency and transitional housing for men, food pantry, clothing for homeless, permanent housing assistance, job placement, and transportation assistance for health services. The services are for adult male homeless clients with no serious chemical dependency problems.
ALSO, BE SURE TO CHECK OUT ST. LOUIS AREA RESOURCE DIRECTORY: http://www.StartHereSTL.org
Salvation Army CIP: Transitional Housing Program F HRC 4100 Snow St. Louis, MO 63120 314/389-9293 CIP offers 30 transitional housing apartments for homeless families in recovery. The center also accept homeless families that are not in drug recovery program and willing to work in our program. Families must have been in a shelter for 30 days prior to a referral being made. Covenant House Missouri Y HRC 2256 S. 39th St. St. Louis, MO 63110 (314) 772-6530 Covenant House Missouri provides emergency and long-term (12-24 months) transitional housing to prepare single women and men ages 17 to 21 for independent living. Services include individual counseling, family therapy and group counseling. Clients are homeless, single men and women 16 to 21 years old who need residential care and skill training to live independently, and who are willing to comply with program activities and structure. Redevelopment Opportunities for Women, Inc. W 2229 Pine Street St. Louis, MO 63103 314/588-8300 ROW effects positive change on behalf of homeless, abused and/or indigent women and families through programs and services that help individuals pursue economic self-sufficiency. Services include adult basic education and literacy, economic education, personal and life skills development, parenting education and support, domestic violence support and advocacy, and an early childhood program. Someone Cares Mission S 2718 N. 13th Street St. Louis, MO 63107 314-621-6703 Someone Cares Mission, a subsidiary of Christian Service Center, Inc., provides fresh and nutritious brown-bag lunches, personal hygiene products, and blankets for homeless and impoverished individuals and families five days a week. The Mission also distributes approximately 20,000 pounds of food daily to benefit bi-state regional homeless shelters and food pantries. St. Martha’s Hall W P. O. Box 4950 St. Louis, MO 63108 314/533-1313 St. Martha’s Hall is a confidential shelter for abused women and their children. Services include individual and group counseling, legal advocacy, information, referral, and follow up. Clients must be female victims of domestic violence, 18 years old and up. The Hall does not admit males older than 13 years of age. St. Patrick Partnership Center S 800 N. Tucker St. Louis, MO 63101 314/802-0700 The Partnership Center provides home living skills training and open market housing for individuals referred by agencies within the Homeless Services Network. Casework, employment training, child care, GED, and vocational referrals are available. The Center provides furniture and supplies to graduates of homeless and at-risk people referred by a member of the Homeless Network Board. St. Phillipine Emergency Shelter F 1015 Goodfellow Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63112 314/454-1012 St. Phillipine offers families with children 60-day shelter, providing hot meals, laundry and bathing facilities, referrals to transitional housing to women and children, medical referral, and access to City of St. Louis Homeless Services classes. St.Vincent de Paul Society S 4141 Forest Park Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63108 314/531-2183 St. Vincent de Paul assists with transportation for the homeless. Service needs to an out-of-town location would be referred to Mullanphy Travelers Aid, and local needs would be provided by the Society via bus and MetroLink passes when available. Serves families and individuals facing homelessness in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Jefferson County, and St. Charles.
CALL THE HOUSING HOTLINE
314-802-5444
Sunshine Mission M 1520 N. 13th St. St. Louis, MO 63106 314/231-8209 Sunshine Mission offers a men’s emergency shelter, men’s long term rehabilitation program, women’s emergency services, food pantry, and youth programming. The men’s shelter is first-come, first-served. The Salvation Army F 10704 Page St. Louis, MO 63132 314/423-7770 This Salvation Army program is a year-round 50-bed shelter for County families who are homeless. Life skills training, legal assistance, child care, GED, and assistance into permanent housing are available for homeless families and abused women and children. United Methodist Metro Ministry Shalom House W 1040 S. Taylor St. Louis, MO 63110 314/534-1010 Shalom House is a 90-day shelter, which provides medical and dental services through Grace Hill Neighborhood Services, mental health services through St. Louis Mental Health Center, and a drug/alcohol day program through BASIC, D.A.R.T., or C-STAR programs. Clients are females (predominately mentally ill) aged 18 and older only. Veterans Affairs Homeless Veterans Program Healthcare for the Homeless 915 N. Grand Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63106 V 314/289-6547 The veterans’ program provides intake, assessment, referral, counseling, consultation for rehabilitative services, and residential placement through the program contract. The program serves honorably discharged veterans homeless for at least 30 days. C.A.L.L.-4-Life, Inc. S 4144 Lindell, Suite 136 St. Louis, MO 63108 314/652-0003 C.A.L.L.-4-Life outreaches St. Louis City residents who are homeless and were in special education while in school, and/or have a developmental disability. Services include connection to benefits, healthcare, housing/shelter, and long-term case management. Women’s Safe House W P.O. Box 63010 St. Louis, MO 63163 314/772-4535 The Women’s Safe House is a shelter for battered women and their children. Services include legal advocacy, community speaking and education, housing referrals, support groups, children’s programs, and limited transportation. YWCA-Phyllis Wheatley W HRC 3820 West Pine Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63108 314/533-9400 The facility provides housing for single women (up to two years). Personal and career development services include: Case Management Services, GED Certification, Educational and Vocational Assessment, Counseling, Job Readiness Training, Job Search and Referrals, Life Skills. Clients are single women, homeless or about to become homeless, 18 and older, and employed a minimum of 20 hours per week or with current written verification of income.
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THE BEST WAY TO HELP IN THE FIGHT AGAINST HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY IN OUR CITY
IS TO HELP US REACH OUR GOAL!
WE NEED 100 PEOPLE TO GIVE A $10 TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION
Our organization has no paid staff and your support helps us continue our vendor and education programs. Yes! I am making a tax deductible donation of: (please circle one) $500 $250 $100 $50 $25 $10 $_____ Yes! I would like to sponsor a vendor for $50/month. This allows a vendor of your choice to receive 200 magazines each month. Yes! I would like a subscription to WHATS UP. Enclosed is my check for $20 made out to WHATS UP MAGAZINE. Name (Please Print) Address City
State
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Thank you for supporting WHATS UP!!!
WHATS UP MAGAZINE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
WHATS UP MAGAZINE / The Homeless Empowerment Project 906 Olive Street, Suite PH10 St. Louis, MO 63101 314-241-7744 or www.whatsupstl.com 26 whatsupstl.com volume 10:1
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arts & awareness
OPEN / CLOSED CONFERENCE EXPLORING VACANT LAND IN ST. LOUIS MARCH 18 & 19, 2011 MORE INFO: @ www.nextstl.com
!
REALLY...YOU’D RATHER STAY HOME???
GO SEE SOME LIVE MUSIC!! {WWW.KDHX.ORG/CALENDAR} {WWW.BOTTOMSUPBLUES.COM}
UPCOMING EVENTS FOR WHATS UP!!! 2/27 - Funkfest: Hosted by BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups featuring Cletus Whiteheart, Bone Hound, Boog E’ Men, & The Nancy Boys. Starts @ 3 PM! $10 Donation. 4/2 - Whats Up Trivia Night: Hosted Downtown @ Tables on 8th (316 N. 8th) starts at 7 PM. $15 entry w/ silent auction.
3/23 - Dizzy Spell # 7: Get your spell on Scripps-Style. Hosted by The Royale at 3132 S. Kingshighway starts at 10 PM. $10 donation gets you registered to spell & one free half-pint draft beer. Great fun for a great cause! 4/22 - Dizzy Spell # 8: Get your spell on - with teams at The Archive at 3215 Cherokee at 8 PM.
(events subject to change , so check our website!)
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The future is in your hands Every day, 114 street papers like this one help homeless people worldwide to escape poverty. So far, thanks to millions of readers like you, 200,000 vendors in 40 countries have earned a living and changed their lives. Learn more and get involved at www.street-papers.org/2010 28 whatsupstl.com volume 10:1