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April 28 - May 11, 2010StreetSense.org

Jeff McNeil Tells the Story of the

“Button Man”2

From Living on the Streets to Running for

D.C. Mayor Page 5

At the Earth Day Festival, Lawless Watson

Meets an Avatar!Page 14

35 cents for production

of the paper

65 cents for the vendor

April 28 - May 11, 2010

Where the poor and homeless earn and give their two cents

Jeff McNeil Tells the

Volume 7 Issue 13

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April 28 - May 11, 2010 StreetSense.org

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BOARD OF DIRECTORSKristal DeKleer Lisa EstradaTed Henson Mary Lynn Jones Sommer Mathis Brad Scriber John Snellgrove Michael Stoops Martin Walker David Walker Kathy Whelpley

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Our Mission Street Sense aims to serve as a vehicle for elevating voices and public debate on issues relating to

poverty while also creating economic opportunities for people who are experiencing homelessness

in our community.

Street Sense began in August 2003 after two volunteers, Laura Thompson Osuri and Ted Henson, approached the National Coali-tion for the Homeless on separate occasions about starting a street newspaper in Washington, D.C.

A street paper is defined as a newspaper about poverty, home-lessness and other social issues that provides an income to the homeless individuals who sell it. About 28 street papers operate in the United States and Canada in places like Seattle, Chicago, Mon-treal and Boston, and dozens more exist throughout the world.

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

For the first year, Street Sense operated as a project of the Na-tional Coalition for the Homeless, but in October 2004, the organi-zation incorporated and moved into its own office space. In March 2005, Street Sense received 501(c)3 status, becoming a nonprofit organization.

In October 2005, Street Sense formed a full board of directors, and in November the organization hired its first employee, a full-time executive director. A year later in November 2006, the organi-zation hired its first vendor coordinator and began partnering with several service providers. In February 2007, the paper started publishing twice a month and to support the increased production brought on its first full-time editor–in–chief in April. As of January 2010 the paper had 72 active vendors and prints about 30,000 issues a month.

The Story of Street Sense

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April 28 - May 11, 2010StreetSense.org 3Former Homeless Woman

Runs for State Office

Rena Moran was homeless 10 years ago, living with six of her seven children at a homeless shelter in Minneapolis, Minn. Now, Moran has a job, a house and a cam-paign to become a state lawmaker, the Pio-neer Press reports.

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

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

The primary will take place in August.

Mass. Churches to Fight State Rules, Help Homeless

A group of Cape Cod church volunteers are pushing back against state rules, saying that they’ll continue to help the homeless at

their facilities, The Associated Press reports.The new regulation mandates that

churches that offer sleeping facilities to the homeless make upgrades. Public safety of-ficials argue that the churches were not in-tended to be shelters. The rules also limit overnight stays to 35 per year and bans shel-ters entirely from June 15 to Sept. 15.

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

Homeless Man Robbed While Helping Stop a Rape

A homeless man in Columbus, Ga., was robbed while trying to break up an attempt-ed rape, WTVM-9 reports.

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

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

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

Bon Jovi Visits Nashville Center for Homeless Teens

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

The musician visited Nashville’s only center for homeless teens in order to un-derstand what he described to The Tennes-sean as “the new face of homelessness in America.”

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

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

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

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

Homeless Advocates Say Attacks Against Homeless on the Rise in Cincinnati

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

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

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

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

Compiled by Dianna Heitz, from previously published reports.

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

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

By Tim Young, volunteer

The District of Columbia's budget hearing on April 12 was interrupted by an unusual event - a walkout. Among the citizenry in attendance were roughly 50 activists from the group Save Our Safety Net, who filled an entire section of seat-ing in the council chambers. When Mayor Adrian Fenty rose to testify in front of the council, the group stood up quietly and left, leaving signs on their empty chairs spelling out the phrase "New Taxes Now."

The District of Columbia is currently faced with a nearly $500 million deficit. Considered the roughest fiscal crisis since the mid-1990s, the mayor’s office needed to make major cuts in order to slow the city’s debt. A sizeable portion of these cuts came from social programs which benefit the low-income citizens of Washington.These social programs are what have come to be known as the safety net.

Save Our Safety Net was started in July 2009 and has since grown in support from citizens and organizations alike. It is endorsed by more than 25 organizations, including the Service Employ-ees International Union, the AFL-CIO, Bread for the City and D.C.

Save Our Safety Net unites a broad group peo-ple who span every walk of life. Their mission: Stop severe budget cuts to vital social programs that help low-income residents ("the safety net") by changing Washington’s tax structure.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The group brought a much-needed spotlight to those programs in need in the District, accord-ing to Jones. This was the largest rally held so far by Save Our Safety Net. As participants walked to each of the councilmembers' offices, excitement was evident in their voices. "We really are making a difference," one protester said.

Jones, out of breath from running to attend the rally, happily looked on as the group dispersed. He summed up Save Our Safety Net's actions in two words: "Message delivered."

4

Facing the roughest fiscal crisis since the mid-1990’s, the Mayor’s office needed to make major cuts in order to slow the city’s debt. A sizeable por-tion of these cuts came from social programs which benefit the low-income citizens of Washington.These social programs are what have come to be known as the safety net. From top to bottom, members of Save our Safety Net listen to the April 12 budget hearing. As Mayor Fenty rose to speak, members rose and walked out of the hearing as a protest to cuts. PH

OTO

by Ti

m yO

ung

Save Our Safety Net Questions Tax Bracket Structure

April 28 - May 11, 2010StreetSense.org 5

Nestor Djonkam began his life in America on the streets. He now hopes to start a new chapter.

By Sonja Doty, editorial intern

Nestor Djonkam was born in Cameroon in 1960. De-scribing it as nondemocratized, he said he wants to use his upbringing to “see how people can benefit from my experience.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

When he came to the Unit-ed States, he says he found his

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He says he is not intimidated by the other runners who have more media exposure. “I’m not afraid or scared,” he said. “A $4 million campaign doesn’t scare [me]. ... No one’s above me except God.”

When Djonkam first came to D.C., he expected the quality of life to be much higher and found that at first. “I thought D.C. was heaven on earth” when first arriving, he said. “But the level of poverty is the same here.”

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

From the Streets to Running for Mayor

By Andy Freeze, volunteer

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

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

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

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

Major cost differences were appar-ent even among programs of a similar type. Housing and services cost as little as $581 per month for an individual at a Des Moines, Iowa, emergency shelter. On the high end, housing and services for a homeless family in D.C. cost $3,530 per month.

The study analyzed data collected from HMIS to identify individuals and fami-lies who accessed homeless programs for the first time between July 1, 2004, and June 30, 2005. The study then used the HMIS data to examine the programs each household used for 18 months (30 months in D.C.) since the day they first accessed those programs.

Across the board, Washington, D.C.'s shelter and services were more expensive than the other three cities/ar-eas. However, it is important t o n o t e t h a t some of D.C.'s less expensive emergency shelter options were not used in the calcula-t i o n s s h ow n in the table. The study ex-

cluded two less-costly programs in D.C. that place families in housing rather than the typically more-expensive emergency shelters, because there were not similar programs in other cities.

One program provides apartment-style emergency shelter for first-time homeless families, with a cost per day of $79.80, which is significantly less than the $117.66 calculated from the table. Howev-er this option still costs slightly more than the daily cost of transitional housing. An-other program, Community Care Grants, places qualifying families in mainstream permanent housing immediately after in-take, without a shelter stay.

It is also important to note that the study did not account for the tight and expensive housing market and long wait-

ing lists for assisted housing in D.C., ex-plained HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan.

D.C.'s high costs for family shelter and services could be attributed to the expen-sive housing market, or could be based on the programs left out which are less expensive.

However, HUD hopes this study and others will lead to more discussion at the local level of what type of housing/shelter and services are most cost effec-tive as cities make decisions for now and in future.

“Now we need to have serious discus-sion over what strategies are not only most cost effective,” Secretary Donovan said, “but how we can help individuals and families from falling into homeless-ness in the first place.”

D.C. Ranks as Most Expensive to House Families

Family Sites Emergency Shelter

Transitional Housing

Permanent Supportive Housing

Houston, Texas $1,391 $3,340 $799

Kalamazoo, Mich. $1,614 $813 $881

Upstate South Carolina $2,269 $1,209 $661

Washington, D.C. $3,530 $2,170 $1,251 *All costs are total monthly costs for housing/shelter and services. Table courtesy of HUD.

April 28 - May 11, 2010 StreetSense.org 6

Social welfare services struggle to catch up with economic growthBy Alistair Scrutton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GROWTH NOT EVENLY SPREAD

Welfare programs can help millions in a country that has a third of the world's poor. Some schemes work well in states like Tamil Nadu which has a tradition of better governance.

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

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

"There are areas where these schemes certainly work," said political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan. "They are blunt instruments. It is easier to hand out a kilo of rice than reform agriculture."

India's growth is slow at lifting poverty, in con-trast to China where child malnutrition, a key pov-erty indicator, is at seven percent.

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

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

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

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

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

It has sparked pressure for more welfare after Congress won several elections helped by prom-ises of cheap food as expectation of improved in-frastructure and broader economic dissipate.

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

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

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

NO AID FOR MONTHS

But in Madhoun, a village of some 80 families, inhabitants said they had not received government aid for months. A health worker appeared once a week, signed attendance papers, and left.

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

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

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

In theory, there is no end to welfare schemes. There is a midday school meal scheme, a pre-school scheme as well as the rural employment scheme. But few are felt on the ground.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Implications of India’s Economic BoomKids here just eat stale bread. We can’t get dal (dried beans, len-tils), and prices have doubled. We just can-not afford it. -Shreevai, a social worker in Bahuri, a cluster of villages near Lalitpur

April 28 - May 11, 2010StreetSense.org

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18. How do you perceive businesses and organizations that advertise in Street Sense?� Very positively� Positively� Neutrally� Negatively

19. What changes/improvements would you like to see to the paper?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. Are there new locations where you’d like to see Street Sense vendors selling the paper?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

21. What suggestions do you have for increasing awareness of Street Sense? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

22. I am interested in:� Volunteering for Street Sense.� Receiving periodic updates on

Street Sense.� Hosting an event to introduce

Street Sense to my personal and/or professional network.

� Making a donation in the amount of _____ to Street Sense.

� Purchasing a subscription for $40 so I can receive every issue of Street Sense at home.

1. Please select your age� Under 21� 21 – 30� 31 – 45� 46 – 65� 65+

2. Your gender� Male� Female� Other

3. Your zip code ____________

4. Your household income� Under $19,999� $20,000 – $39,999� $40,000 – $79,999� $80,000 – $119,000� $120,000 – $199,999� $200,000 or more

5. Your employment� Government� Legal� Media� Non-profit� Retail� Business� Education� Student� Unemployed� Retired� Other: ______________________

6. Your education level� Some high school� High school graduate� College student� Bachelors degree� Masters/Doctoral degree

7. Why do you buy the paper?� To support the vendor� For current news I can’t get

anywhere else� To learn about homeless issues� Curiosity� Other: ______________________

8. How often do you buy Street Sense?

� Several papers each issue� One paper each issue (two per

month)� One paper every month or two� I’ve only bought a few times

9. How long have you been buying Street Sense?

� I just bought my first issue� 3 months – 1 year� 1 – 2 years� 2 – 3 years� 3+ years

10. How much of the paper do you read?� Nearly everything� About half of the paper� Mostly the news� Mostly the vendor features� My favorite section(s) only, which

are ___________________________________________________.

� I usually just glance at it� I usually just throw it away

11. Do you purchase from the same vendor?

� Exclusively� Usually� Periodically

2010 Readership Survey

A Message from Street SenseThank you for your continued support of Street Sense! Street Sense distributes about 30,000 copies to readers each month, and we want to make sure that we are providing you with valuable information that you can’t get anywhere else. In an effort to make sure the paper is meeting your needs and helping to put our vendors on a path out of homelessness, please take a few minutes to participate in this short survey. We appreciate your feedback and your recommendations for the future.

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By participating in this survey, you will be entered into a raffle to win:

4 Tickets to the National Museum of Crime & Punishment;2 Quarts of Soup from TheSoupergirl.com; orA 6-class Pass from Tranquil Space Yoga


Cuts

By Joaquin M. Turley, Jr., volunteer

I am a person ...

I am a person on the street,

Feeling weak from the lack of food there is to eat.

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

Have lost every material thing

And now lost my human rights just because I sleep outside.

These cuts on my body are symbolic,

Stemming not from abuse but from pride.

Having none because of the life that is mine,

Hanging on to existence by a shallow vine,

Wanting a place to live life and shine.

Cuts.

Cuts.

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

Cuts that bleed in the wind.

Causing me pain from within.

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

They say homeless people cheat and steal,

If the government takes our funding, how else do we get a meal?

Every slash in the governmental budget falls upon my skin.

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

Now I bleed down life's page.

Reading another article in the paper that recites the news to you but dictates my life to me

And I sit watching the news unfold seeing America's greed

People's selfishness giddy with glee,

Corruption and discrimination then also comes and joins the party,

Creating the axis of evil, the power of three.

Cuts.

Cuts.

Cuts fall upon the homeless more than you know,

Causing us to walk and grow slow, stunting our growth

In a life where just getting up is hard enough.


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


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Need Help?The Next Step Program is a self-help approach offering:

Samaritan Ministry’s Next Step Program helps people who are homeless, have HIV/AIDS, and others in need make changes for a better life. Program participants meet with staff members to set goals in employment, housing,

health care and other areas. Goals are reached one step at a time with staff providing resources and offering encouragement and support. There are no religious requirements for participation.

www.samaritanministry.org

Next Step Program,

By David Rubin, vendor

Answers

A Reconciling Congregation Invites you to join us in worship on Sundays at 9:30 and 11:00 AM Homeless Outreach Hospitality: Fridays 9:00 AM Foundry United Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 (202) 332-4010 www.foundryumc.org

FOUNDRY

April 28 - May 11, 2010StreetSense.org 11Will Write For Food: Writer’s Groupmeets every Wednesday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Street Sense office.

The Writer's Group needs laptops; email: [email protected] if you can help

Reggie’s Reflections- Socialr Icon?By Reginald Black

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

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

Reggie hosts The Writer’s Group Meeting. Contact: [email protected].

An aged picture of the earth. Find the faded and oldest colors.

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

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

Earth how seen, then you draw how they are.

God is omnipresent.

I sing an earth song full of sorrow, slightly flat and partially off key. Who will take the time to sing with me?

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

Looming tall looming large. Over an earth of people big and small. When I was created my limbs were meant to last forever.

Reaching from the top to the bottom of the crust heaven created. My hands sprout out and feed the animals who often climb my being.

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

Consumed with his greed for industrial living. Creatures that were put here naturally are no longer safe.

On an earth lacking God’s grace. An earth where no one cares for their fellow man and isolation has become

normal. Where the things that are most important hold no value.

I sit and watch these earthly transactions occur on a daily basis and I weep. As my sister the willow does, for earth’s humanity.

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

An earth filled with struggle, hate and strife. I sing an earth song full of sorrow, slightly flat and partially off key. Who will take the time to sing with me?

Joaquin also attends Morgan State University. Contact: [email protected].

WHO CAN HEAR THE EARTH SHAKE QUAKE? AWAKE OLD BONES, YOUR TIME IS ALMOST HEAR. EARTH BONES SHAKING MINDS AWAKENING.

NO MORE WAR OR HATE, HUNGER NO MORE OLD BONES. DON’T YOU FEEL THE EARTH SHAKE AS IT MOVES TO ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER

THOUGHT OF MIND?

NO MORE RUMBLES OR CRIES, OR LITTLE CHILDREN'S WEEPING EYES. AWAKE OLD BONES CAN YOU NOT FEEL THE MOVEMENT OF TIME TO BE

ALIVE? THE CHANGING OF SATAN LIES.

HE WHISPERS TO YOU, EARTH CRIES. WHO CAN HEAR THE EARTH SHAKE? ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE, A SIGN OF THE TIMES FOR THOSE

WHO ARE ALIVE. WAKE UP OLD BONES DIDN'T YOU HEAR ABOUT THE EARTHQUAKE? GOD NEVER LIED. IT IS TIME TO WAKE UP OLD BONES.

ARE YOU STILL ASLEEP? YOUR BONES SHAKE FROM EAST TO WEST. NO LAND IS THE BEST.

PLEASE CAN YOU WAKE UP OLD BONES. WAKE UP WAKE UP!! IT’S YOUR TIME. FOR GOD�S SAKE

WAKE UP OLD BONES.

Robert is a member of The People for Fairness Coalition. Contact: [email protected].

An ant to a giant. A beauty you can't defy.Look at us, can't even comprhend how birds fly. True elegance and grace just

past us by.

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

it just like a face, simply pretty.

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

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

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

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

Old Earth Bonesby Robert Warren

Last Earth Pictureby David Rubin

Beauty n Beautifulby Reginald Black

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

Sing An Earth Songby Joaquin Turley

Learn writing from Lee McAuliffe Rambo, 35 years as a print and broadcast journalist working for media outlets

in Paris, New York, Los Angeles and the District. David volunteers and is writing his own novel. Contact:

[email protected].


By Jeffery McNeil, vendor

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

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

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

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

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

Dameon was living the American dream. He had a beautiful wife, two healthy chil-dren, and a dream career where he could travel the world.

That is, until the day he came home, turned on the television, and saw the news. His company was filing for bankruptcy be-cause the CEO misreported earnings and lied about its financial health.

Overnight, Dameon was unemployed. The lack of money put a severe strain on his family. There were arguments, scream-ing, yelling.

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

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

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

the family pets.Dameon was dev-

astated; he was left with only the clothes on his back and a small duffle bag. He was broke, unemployed and home-less, drifting a l o n g t h e Jersey turn-p i k e w h e n a red pickup truck pulled him aside and asked where he was headed.

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

The driver of-f e re d D a m e o n a ride to Washington, D.C. He hopped into the truck and the two laughed, drank, shared stories and spent a night in a hotel.

The following day the driver dropped Dame-on off at Union Station. They said their goodbyes and good lucks. The driver gave Dameon 10 bucks and drove off into the hot sum-mer night.

Soon, Dameon realized that he had nowhere to go. He had never experi-enced homelessness or survival on the streets. Dameon tried sleeping in a bus terminal, only to be thrown out by security. He then found a dumpster be-hind an abandoned building and crawled inside for a night’s sleep.

The night was chilly because he had

no blankets, nothing to keep him warm. When morning came, Dame-

on, hungry and thirsty, began won-dering where to find food.

All of a sudden he saw a white truck, and then a line around the

truck. It was a c h u r c h group giving out sand-wiches.

Dameon had never been t o a s o u p

line before; a l t h o u g h h e

grew up poor, he always had a

meal.This was a new ex-

perience. People cut-ting in front of him for food, fights over iced tea and chicken wings. To make matters even worse, no businesses would let him use their restrooms.

He b e g a n t o t a l k to those who lived in the shelters. They told

Dameon about a shel-ter down the street. He

checked in with his belong-ings, and the shelter assigned

him a bed. Hard and narrow, the bed smelled awful and was dirty, but Dameon, who was exhausted, wasn’t worrying about a dirty bed.

He tried sleeping until he started to scratch uncontrol-

lably. He decided to crawl out of bed, when he noticed welts all over his body. Taking off his

shirt, he saw small brown bed-bugs crawling on his shirt.Dameon lived like this, bounc-

ing around from park benches to shel-ters, eating in soup lines, trying to beg for a couple of bucks to get a cheeseburger or a

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

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

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

As the man did his pitch, Dameon no-ticed that people were buying his buttons. Dameon asked the button man, “Where do you get buttons?”

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

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

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

“Okay, sell me 10 more,” Dameon said. He then sold those buttons and soon was buying 20 buttons at a time.

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

Dameon was a button-selling machine. In the rain he sold buttons; in the snow he sold buttons; in the heat he sold buttons.

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

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

10 Buttons Lead to a Fresh Start12

Alysha ChadderdonAndrew MorrisonCate PuzoCenter for New American Security

David Martin McCormickJessica BarberichJodi L. WesemannJoseph F. Lipari

Michael StoopsOccasions CaterersPatricia A. O'SheaRichard S. and Rita Edley

Robert J.DavisSherry B. SchwartzVasudha Desikan

Thank you Street Sense Supporters!Street Sense wishes to thank its recent donors who make it possible to enable homeless men and women

in D.C. to earn an immediate income and get on a path toward financial self-sufficiency. Your donation makes a difference!


By David Denny, vendor #276

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

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

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

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

The Homeless Look

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

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

Follow us www.facebook.com/streetsense acebook :on

streetsensedcwitter :andwww.youtube.com/streetsensedc:

Earth Day Concert Rocks Vendors Socks!

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

By Lawless Watson, vendor #107

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

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

Avatar takes place on a distant world, but it is really about this miracle planet we have right here. Avatar dramatically demonstrates how human invasion almost destroyed the fabric of life on the planet Pandora. The movie shows that all living beings are connected and that those who seek to exploit nature rather than respect it will only destroy themselves.

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

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April 28 - May 11, 2010StreetSense.org WASHINGTON, D.C.SHELTERCalvary Women’s Services110 Maryland Ave, NE (202) 289-0596 (Office)(202) 289-2111 (Shelter)www.calvaryservices.org

Central Union Mission (Men)1350 R Street, NW(202) 745-7118www.missiondc.org

CCNV (Men and Women)425 2nd Street, NW(202) 393-1909users.erols.com/ccnv/

Community of Hope (Family)1413 Girard Street, NW(202) 232-7356www.communityofhopedc.org

Covenant House Washington (Youth)2001 Mississippi Ave, SE(202) 610-9600www.covenanthousedc.orgHousing, education, job prep

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

My Sister’s PlacePO Box 29596Washington, DC 20017Office: (202) 529-526124-hr. hotline: (202) 529-5991Shelter and other services for domestic violence victims

N Street Village (Women)1333 N Street, NW(202) 939-2060www.nstreetvillage.org

801 East, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital (Men)2700 MLK Avenue, SE (202) 561-4014

New York Ave Shelter (Men 18+)1355-57 New York Avenue, NE(202) 832-2359

Open Door Shelter (Women)425 Mitch Snyder Place, NW(202) 639-8093

FOODCharlie’s Place 1830 Connecticut Avenue, NW (202) 232-3066 www.stmargaretsdc.org/charlies place

Church of the Pilgrims (Sundays only)2201 P Street, NW(202) 387-6612www.churchofthepilgrims.org

Thrive DC (Breakfast Mon-Fri, 9:30-11, all welcome/Dinner for women and children, Mon-Fri, 3-6 pm)St. Stephen’s Parish Church1525 Newton St, NW(202) 737-9311www.thrivedc.org

Food and Friends219 Riggs Road, NE(202) 269-2277www.foodandfriends.org

Miriam’s Kitchen2401 Virginia Avenue, NW(202) 452-8089www.miriamskitchen.org

The Welcome TableChurch of the Epiphany1317 G Street, NW(202) 347-2635http://www.epiphanydc.org/ministry/welcometbl.htm MEDICAL RESOURCESChrist House 1717 Columbia Road, NW(202) 328-1100www.christhouse.org

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

Whitman–Walker Clinic1407 S Street, NW(202) 797-3500; www.wwc.org

OUTREACH CENTERSBread for the City1525 Seventh Street, NW (202) 265-2400 AND1640 Good Hope Road, SE(202) 561-8587www.breadforthecity.orgFood pantry, clothing, legal and social services, medical clinic

Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place4713 Wisconsin Avenue, NW(202) 364-1419; www.cchfp.org Housing, medical and psych care, substance abuse and job counseling

Bethany Women’s Center1333 N Street, NW(202) 939-2060http://www.nstreetvillage.orgMeals, hygiene, laundry, so-cial activities, substance abuse treatment

Father McKenna Center19 Eye Street, NW(202) 842–1112

Green Door(202) 464–92001221 Taylor Street, NWwww.greendoor.org

Housing, job training, supportive mental health services

Friendship House619 D Street, SE(202) 675–9050www.friendshiphouse.net Counseling, mentoring, educa-tion, youth services, clothing

Georgetown Ministry Center1041 Wisconsin Avenue, NW(202) 338–8301www.georgetownministrycenter.orgLaundry, counseling, psych care

Martha’s Table2114 14th Street, NW(202) 328–6608www.marthastable.orgDinner, education, recreation, clothing, child/family services

Rachel’s Women’s Center1222 11th Street, NW(202) 682–1005http://www.ccdsd.org/howorwc.php Hygiene, laundry, lunch, phone and mail, clothing, social events

Sasha Bruce Youthwork741 8th Street, SE (202) 675–9340www.sashabruce.org Counseling, housing, family services

So Others Might Eat (SOME)71 “O” Street, NW(202) 797–8806; www.some.orgLunch, medical and dental, job and housing counseling

ADDITIONAL RESOURCESAcademy of Hope GED Center601 Edgewood Street, NE 202-269-6623www.aohdc.org

Bright Beginnings Inc.128 M Street NW, Suite 150(202) 842–9090 www.brightbeginningsinc.orgChild care, family services

Catholic Community Services 924 G Street, NW(202) 772–4300www.ccs–dc.orgUmbrella for a variety of services

D.C. Coalition for the Homeless1234 Massachusetts Avenue, NW(202) 347–8870; www.dccfh.orgHousing, substance abuse treat-ment, employment assistance

DC Food Finder Interactive online map of free and low-cost resourceswww.dcfoodfinder.org

Community Family Life Services305 E Street, NW

(202) 347–0511www.cflsdc.orgHousing, job and substance abuse counseling, clothes closet

Foundry Methodist Church 1500 16th Street, NW(202) 332–4010www.foundryumc.org ESL, lunch, clothing, IDs

Gospel Rescue MinistriesDrug, alcohol program (Men)810 5th Street, NW(202) 842–1731; www.grm.org

Hermano Pedro Day Center3211 Sacred Heart Way, NW(202) 332–2874http://www.ccs–dc.org/find/ services/Meals, hygiene, laundry, clothing

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

Jubilee Jobs1640 Columbia Road, NW(202) 667–8970www.jubileejobs.orgJob preparation and placement

National Coalition for the Homeless2201 P Street, NW(202) 462–4822www.nationalhomeless.orgActivists, speakers bureau

National Student Partnerships (NSP)128 M Street NW, Suite 320(202) 289–[email protected] resource and referral agency

Samaritan Ministry 1345 U Street, SE , AND1516 Hamilton Street, NW(202)889–7702www.samaritanministry.orgHIV support, employment, drug/alcohol addiction, health care

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church1514 15th Street, NW(202) 667–4394http://stlukesdc.edow.org Food, counseling

St. Matthew’s Cathedral 1725 Rhode Island Avenue, NW(202) 347–3215 ext. 552 Breakfast, clothing, hygiene

Travelers Aid, Union Station 50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE(202) 371–1937www.travelersaid.org/ta/dc.htmlEmergency travel assistance

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U Street, NW (202) 328–5500www.legalclinic.org

WVSA Literacy for Life1100 16th Street, NW(202) 296-9100www.wvsarts.orgGED preparation and work force education

MARYLANDSHELTERInterfaith Works114 W. Montgomery Avenue Rockville(301) 762–8682www.iworksmc.org

The Samaritan Group Inc.PO Box 934, Chestertown(443) 480–3564

Warm Night Shelter311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant(301) 499–2319www.cmpgc.org

FOODBethesda Cares7728 Woodmont Avenue Bethesda(301) 907–9244www.bethesdacares.com

Community Place Café311 68th Place, Seat Pleasant(301) 499–2319; www.cmpgc.org

Manna Food Center614–618 Lofstrand Lane,Rockville(301) 424–1130www.mannafood.org

MEDICAL RESOURCESCommunity Clinic, Inc.8210 Colonial Lane Silver Spring(301) 585–1250www.cciweb.org

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

ADDITIONAL RESOURCESCatholic Charities, Maryland12247 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring(301) 942–1790www.catholiccharitiesdc.orgShelter, substance abuse treat-ment, variety of other services

Mission of Love6180 Old Central Avenue,Capitol Heights

(301)333–4440; www.molinc.orgLife skills classes, clothing, housewares

Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless600–B East Gude DriveRockville(301) 217–0314; www.mcch.net Emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services

VIRGINIASHELTERAlexandria Community Shelter2355 B-Mill Road, Alexandria(703) 838–4239

Carpenter’s Shelter930 N. Henry Street, Alexandria(703) 548–7500www.carpentersshelter.org

The Arlington–Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless3103 9th Road, NorthArlington(703) 525–7177www.aachhomeless.org

FOODALIVE!, Inc.2723 King Street, Alexandria(703) 836–2723www.alive–inc.org

Our Daily Bread10777 Main Street #320Fairfax(703) 273–8829www.our–daily–bread.org

MEDICAL RESOURCESArlington Free Clinic2921 11th Street South Arlington(703) 979–1400www.arlingtonfreeclinic.org

ADDITIONAL RESOURCESA b u n d a n t L i f e C h r i s t i a n Outreach5154 Eisenhower AvenueAlexandria(703) 823–4100www.anchor–of–hope.netFood, clothing, youth develop-ment, and medicines

David’s Place Day Shelter930 North Henry Street, Alexandria(703) 548–7500www.carpentersshelter.orgLaundry, shower, workshops, hy-pothermia shelter

Shelter Hotline: 1–800–

535–7252

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Documents

robert warren

robert mccray

robert fulton

robert broome

robert basler

joseph walker

kim walker

david shere