1.14.2026

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OUR STORY

CASE MANAGEMENT

people

moved into

housing using case management services

In 2013, we began offering case management services to help anyone, with their needs — from obtaining identification cards and emergency cash for bills and food to accessing supportive programs and applying for housing vouchers. Our team builds long-term relationships with our vendors and other clients to understand their needs and help them create plans to achieve their goals.

people, including artists/vendors, used case management services in 2025,

Physical and mental health services, emergency cash assistance and housing services were provided hundreds of times over the last year.

of which were new clients.

THE TEAM

VENDORS

Abel Putu, Abraham Aly, Archie Thomas, Aida Peery, Akindele Akerejah, Alia Huag, Amia Walker, Andre Brinson, Andre Baltimore, Andrew Anderson, Angie Whitehurst, Angel Morris, Anthony Carney, Apollos Robinson, Bailey Green, Beverly Sutton, Brian Holsten, Brianna Butler, Cameé Lee, Carlos Carolina, Carlton Johnson, Charles Armstrong, Chris Cole, Chon Gotti, Conrad Cheek, Craig Thompson, Cynthia Herrion, Daniel Ball, Darrel Stone, Darlesha Joyner, David Snyder, Debora Brantley, Degnon Dovonou, Dominique Anthony, Don Gardner, Donald Davis, Drake Brensul, El-OHim, Elizabeth Bowes, Elynora Houston, Eric Glover, Eric Thompson-Bey, Evelyn Nnam, Faith Winkler, Flegette Rippy, Frederic John, Frederick Walker, Gerald Anderson,

Gloria Prinz, Gracias Garcias, Greta Christian, Henrieese Roberts, Henry Johnson, Invisible Prophet, Isaiah Brookings, Ivory Wilson, Jacqueline Gale, Jacqueline Turner, James Davis, James Hughes, James Lyles III, Jay B. Williams, Jeanette Richardson, Jeff Taylor, Jeffery McNeil, Jeffrey Carter, Jemel Fleming, Jenkins Dalton, Jennifer McLaughlin, Jewel Lewis, John Littlejohn, Josie

Brown, Julienne Kengnie, Kenneth Middleton, Kendarius Tucker, Kym Parker, L.Q. Peterson, Lawrence Autry, Leo Hughes Jr, Levester Green, Marc Grier, Marcus McCall, Mars, Maurice Carter, Melody Byrd, Melveon Harp, Micheal Pennycook, Michele Modica, Milan Stevenson, Morgan Jones, Nikila Smith, Nitin Khanna, Patricia Donaldson, Patty Smith, Paul Martin, Peggy Jackson Whitley,

The Cover

PHOTOS BY JELINA LIU, COVER DESIGN BY KEVIN AKAKPO

Phillip Black, Qaadir El-Amin, Queenie Featherstone, Rachelle Ellison, Randall Smith, Rashawn Bowser, Reginald Black, Reginald Denny, Reneece Brinkley, Ricardo Meriedy, Rita Sauls, Robert Vaughn, Robert Warren, Rochelle Walker, Ron Dudley, Ronnell Wilson, S. Smith, Sasha Williams, Shawn Fenwick, Sheila White, Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov, Starchild BLK, Steve Miller,

Sureyakanti

Sybil Taylor,

Tonya Williams, Tony

Tim

Victoria Green, Vincent Watts, Waring Label, Warren Stevens, Wayne Hall, Wendell Williams, Wendy Brown, William Hargrove, William Shuford, Willie Futrelle, William Young, Zero

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ashley McMaster, Blake Androff, Clare Krupin, Chris Curry, Cole Ingraham, David

In-demand rental assistance program gets a boost from extra D.C. tax revenue

AUBREY BUTTERFIELD

Applications for D.C.’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) reopened in November to high demand, as residents lined up for the chance to get help. Though the program closed applications in just a few hours, a late-game city budget update could give some tenants newfound hope.

On Dec. 24, D.C.’s Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee announced a $51 million budget increase for the current fiscal year, due to the District bringing in more tax revenue than expected, the Washington Post first reported. Large portions of the money are intended to target housing assistance programs, including a $10 million increase towards the Housing Production Trust Fund. ERAP, a city program that aims to support low-income residents in covering rent during housing emergencies, gained nearly $3 million.

This additional allocation brings ERAP’s budget for this year to $11.5 million, which is record low funding for the program since the pandemic. ERAP’s original $8.6 million budget signified a 68% drop in funding from the previous year. When creating the District’s 2026 budget, the D.C. Council wanted to increase ERAP’s funding, but ended up placing the program on a “contingency list” due to budget constraints. This list, which included other programs like the D.C. Health Care Alliance, would be the first to receive funding if extra revenue was located, leading to the program’s recent budget boost.

ERAP has consistently shown high levels of need, with D.C. residents this fall standing in lines wrapping around the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center to fill out an application for the program. Over the last year, ERAP has tightened its application process. The aid, according to statements from D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS) Director Rachel Pierre, is intended for homelessness prevention in emergency circumstances only. This clarification is part of a wider change to ERAP’s application process, which in November switched from an online portal system to in-person appointments. This year, residents had to make an appointment with the program to ensure eligibility. Budget challenges, in combination with ERAP’s change in application process, resulted in frustrating experiences for many D.C. residents when the program reopened this fall. The Nov. 19 reopening left those seeking rent support stuck in extended in-person waits or on unreliable phone lines. The program stopped taking applications within the day after staff scheduled more than 1,000 appointments.

ERAP is currently on an appointment pause, but the new funds might allow DHS, which runs the program, to reopen applications, though the agency has not yet confirmed its plans. Information on the status of ERAP’s application process can be found on the ERAP website, at erap.dhs.dc.gov.

EVENTS AT SSM

ANNOUNCEMENTS

□ The January vendor meeting is Friday, Jan. 23, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Come for pizza, business, and fellowship!

□ Applications for the vendor journalism fellowship are reopening this month. See Annemarie or Donte for more information.

□ Stop by the admin office to meet our new employment specialist, Esmat! He can work with you on resumes, job trainings and certificates, interviewing skills, applying for jobs, and more.

□ Is the office closed for a holiday or bad weather? Street Sense Media follows the federal government (opm.gov/ status). Also, you can call the front desk (x101), check your texts or emails from Thomas, or go to the vendor announcements page at streetsensemedia. org/vendor-info.

VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT

Read this democratically elected code of conduct, by vendors, for vendors!

BIRTHDAYS

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

OFFICER

Brian Carome

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS

Darick Brown

Frederic John Jan. 17

ARTIST/VENDOR

Alia Huag Jan. 19

ARTIST/VENDOR

Shuhratjon Ahmadjonov Jan. 20

ARTIST/VENDOR

DIRECTOR OF VENDOR EMPLOYMENT Thomas Ratliff

EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST Esmat Amin

VENDOR PROGRAM ASSOCIATES

Aida Peery, Chon Gotti, Nikila Smith

VENDOR PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS

Ann Herzog, Aiden Eisenschenk, Beverly Brown, Roberta Haber

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Annemarie Cuccia

DEPUTY EDITOR

Donte Kirby

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Alaena Hunt, Aubrey Butterfield, Dylan Cestaro, Elizabeth Short, Grace Copps, Kordell Martin, Jelina Liu, Shani Laskin

WEB INTERN Zachi Elias

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Dominique Anthony Jan. 20

ARTIST/VENDOR

Ronnell Wilson Jan. 22

ARTIST/VENDOR

INTERNS

Arisha Shumael, Kevin Akakpo

ARTISTS-INRESIDENCE

EDITORIAL VOLUNTEERS

1. I will support Street Sense Media’s mission statement and in so doing will work to support the Street Sense Media community and uphold its values of honesty, respect, support, and opportunity.

2. I will treat all others, including customers, staff, volunteers, and fellow vendors, respectfully at all times. I will refrain from threatening others, pressuring customers into making donations, or engaging in behavior that condones racism, sexism, classism, or other prejudices.

3. I understand that I am not an employee of Street Sense Media but an independent contractor.

4. While distributing the Street Sense newspaper, I will not ask for more than $3 per issue or solicit donations by any other means.

5. I will only purchase the newspaper from Street Sense Media staff and volunteers and will not distribute newspapers to other vendors.

6. I will not distribute copies of “Street Sense” on metro trains and buses or on private property.

7. I will abide by the Street Sense Media Vendor Territory Policy at all times and will resolve any related disputes with other vendors in a professional manner.

8. I will not sell additional goods or products while distributing “Street Sense.”

Andrew Chow, Annabella Hoge, David Fucillo, J.M. Ascienzo, Madi Koesler, Mark Rose, Nina Elkadi, Rick Young

Alexandra Silverthorne (Photography), Bonnie Naradzay (Poetry), David Serota (Illustration), Willie Schatz (Writing), Molly Pauker (Watercolor), Debbie Menke (Watercolor)

9. I will not distribute “Street Sense” under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

10. I understand that my badge and vest are property of Street Sense Media and will not deface them. I will present my badge when purchasing “Street Sense” and will always display my badge when distributing “Street Sense.”

DEFINING HOMELESSNESS

DEFINING HOMELESSNESS:

A glossary of terms related to housing and poverty

In 2024, Street Sense released the second part to its guide to reporting on homelessness: a glossary of 26 terms to know when reading or writing about homelessness, housing, and poverty. The launch coincided with our annual Homeless Crisis Reporting Project, which coordinates local newsrooms to publish stories on homelessness across one week in October. This month, we are running parts of the guide, lightly updated for current events, in the paper to give our readers a primer for upcoming reporting this year. This is the second half. The full guide can be found at bit.ly/DCHCRP.

HOUSING PROCESS

Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)

The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is a centralized online system homeless service providers use to gather and store information on the demographics and service needs of people experiencing homelessness.

An area’s Continuum of Care selects and maintains the HMIS software that best fits its needs, but all software must conform to standards set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The system contains information — including age, gender, racial and ethnic background, veteran status, and household composition — that is recorded when a person uses a service in the homeless services system. It also tracks people’s interactions with the system, identifying service providers they use regularly or housing programs they are eligible for.

Rapid Rehousing is a time-limited housing subsidy an individual or family experiencing homelessness can use to obtain housing quickly. The goal is to help people move in, increase self-sufficiency while receiving the subsidy, and remain housed long-term.

The subsidy comes with a situation-specific package of services, addressing challenges families or individuals face in obtaining a permanent residence. This can include helping participants obtain employment and increase their income.

Some added context: In some localities, people are not able to afford housing once the subsidy ends, and they cycle back into homelessness.

Rapid Rehousing (RRH) Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Vouchers

Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) vouchers are one of the most popular ways localities try to address chronic homelessness. Funded for an individual’s lifetime, the vouchers pay for recipients to live in an apartment and receive supportive services. The vouchers are provided through the local Continuum of Care to people with disabling physical or mental conditions who have experienced homelessness for over a year or multiple times throughout three years. Participants pay up to 30% of their income toward rent. Both local and federal programs fund PSH. Some areas have piloted a version of the program with even more support and services, called PSH+.

You can see an online version of this guide at bit.ly/DCHCRP under “Reporter’s Glossary.” It includes additional resources and links. The site also has a guide to reporting on homelessness, and articles from Washington, D.C.’s Homeless Crisis Reporting Project. If you have questions about either guide or terms you’d like to see added, email editor@streetsensemedia.org

Public Housing 19 VOUCHERS AND PUBLIC HOUSING

Public housing refers to rental units that are owned and subsidized by the government and rented to low-income people at a low cost. These units can be scattered across a city or county, but are often concentrated in apartment buildings. Both units and buildings may be reserved for families, the elderly, or people with disabilities.

Between 1.5 and 2 million Americans live in public housing. Their homes are managed by more than 3,000 public housing authorities nationally, and are partially funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Income limits vary, but a resident typically must be low-income or very lowincome to qualify for public housing. Residents normally pay no more than 30% of their monthly income on rent.

Some added context: Residents sometimes see public housing complexes as unsafe or inconveniently located, especially when concentrated in the poorest areas of a city. Units can be in poor condition due to aging buildings and limited funding for repairs. Plus, cities have a limited number of units. If they are full, potential applicants must wait until one opens up — sometimes for decades.

Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP)

The Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP), also called Section 8, is a federal program that provides housing assistance to low-income residents. While the program is managed by public housing authorities, it differs from public housing. Participants use HCVP subsidies to rent from private landlords across the city, rather than from the government.

Local housing authorities must set a maximum value for each voucher they distribute across housing voucher programs. Generally, housing authorities try to ensure the value is high enough participants can afford to live in many areas of the city or jurisdiction, but not high enough to raise rent prices for non-voucher holders.

For vouchers funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, localities set the rent through three steps.

First, there is the payment standard, which is the maximum a voucher can be worth anywhere in the specified jurisdiction. The payment standard is based on an area’s Fair Market Rent (FMR). Generally, the payment standard has to be between 90 and 110% of the FMR. Sometimes, housing authorities can make vouchers worth much more than the FMR if rent in the area is especially high.

Fair Market Rent (FMR)

The HCVP program is different from vouchers specifically for people experiencing homelessness, like Permanent Supportive Housing vouchers. However, program rules are often similar, and people exiting homelessness may receive an HCVP voucher.

Families can choose their units within a set price range and generally pay about 30% of their income toward rent. Recipients can keep their vouchers for as long as they remain eligible. Eligibility is based on income limits for the recipient’s jurisdiction.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds a limited number of HCVP vouchers, which means some areas only have vouchers available when a voucher holder passes away or no longer qualifies for the program. Local housing authorities keep waiting lists of people interested in receiving a voucher.

Housing Voucher Rents

Localities can then further account for differences in rent costs by setting higher maximum rents for more expensive areas of the city or county. For instance, the housing authority may agree to pay up to 110% FMR in the most expensive parts of town, but 100% everywhere else.

Finally, when a voucher holder finds an apartment, the housing authority must evaluate its rent. The authority checks to see if the rent is “reasonable” by comparing it to the rents of similar apartments nearby in a process called “rent reasonableness.” Voucher holders can only move into units that pass these checks.

Fair Market Rent (FMR) measures the monthly rent tenants pay in a given geographical area. It’s calculated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and used to determine the level of rent vouchers and other forms of housing assistance will cover in that area.

For a given city, county, or metropolitan area, HUD defines the FMR as the 40th percentile of gross rent among “typical, non-substandard” units occupied by recent movers. This means the FMR is slightly below the median rent for new tenants.

The agency then uses certain percentages of that FMR to determine how much the government will pay for Housing Choice Vouchers and other programs. HUD also calculates Small Area Fair Market Rent (SAFMR) for some metropolitan areas. These measures operate similarly to a normal FMR but within a specific zip code, rather than a whole county. This can help housing authorities determine a more precise figure, beacuse rents can vary within metropolitan areas. Cities and counties can generally choose whether to use FMR or SAFMR when calculating their voucher rents, though some areas are mandated to use SAFMR.

DEFINING HOMELESSNESS

Source of Income Discrimination

Source of income discrimination occurs when landlords, owners, or real estate brokers refuse to rent to a potential or current tenant because of their source of income, in this case, a voucher or other housing subsidy. This discrimination is banned in about one-third of U.S. states and D.C. When this discrimination is banned, landlords and brokers cannot publish advertisements indicating a preference for non-voucher holders. In states where source of income discrimination is not outlawed, landlords may use it as a proxy for other forms of discrimination that are illegal, such as turning away lowerincome people and people of color.

SOCIAL SUPPORTS

Social Safety Net

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The social safety net, also known as welfare, comprises a range of government policies and programs providing financial assistance and other support to families and individuals in need. These benefits help tens of millions of Americans every year by offering assistance at local, tribal, state, and federal levels. One of the main federal programs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), consists of a monthly payment to help pay for food, housing, utilities, child care, or job training. In addition to TANF, many programs fall under the broad category of the social safety net, including Unemployment Insurance, Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assiatance Program.

Welfare is considered a “social safety net” because it is designed to protect people from the harmful effects of job loss, disability, work injury, or other challenges. Programs also target children living through hardships such as extreme poverty. Eligibility for these programs and benefits is based on multiple factors, including employment, family size, and income level.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

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The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nutrition benefits to low-income families to make healthy food more affordable. The program was formerly known as “Food Stamps,” but in 2004 switched from distributing benefits via paper stamps to Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, which work like debit cards.

Benefits are calculated on a sliding scale based on income and family size. For instance, a household of two could receive between $24 and $546 each month, depending on income. In 2025, Congress added work requirements for households to stay on SNAP for longer than three months, with exceptions for age, disability, and caregiviers.

Individuals apply for SNAP through their state. Benefits are automatically loaded onto their EBT cards each month. The program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) through its nationwide network of FNS field offices. Local FNS field offices are responsible for the licensing and monitoring of retail food stores participating in SNAP. Households cannot use SNAP benefits to buy certain items like alcohol, tobacco, hot food, vitamins, medications, or cleaning and hygiene products.

Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) are federal programs that provide financial assistance to help individuals with disabilities and senior citizens meet their basic needs. Both programs are run through the Social Security Administration and serve people with similar medical conidtions, but their eligibility criteria and benefits are different.

26

SSI provides monthly benefits to around 7.4 million people who have limited income and are either 65 or older or have a disability. The average monthly payment is $714, though states can add additional benefits, and individuals who earn an income will receive less.

SSDI provides benefits to over 8.5 million people who are disabled and have a qualifying employment history, which means they are “insured,” through themselves or a family member. The average monthly benefit is $1,582.

Community and industry offer feedback on 988 tax bill

NIKILA SMITH Vendor Journalism Fellow

n Dec. 10, the D.C. Council’s Committee on Health debated with mental health providers, telecommunications company advocates, and city agency heads on the application of a 988 tax. Mental health and community groups, along with the city government, supported the tax, but advocates for the telecommunications industry opposed the bill. Nonetheless, all parties agree about the value of the hotline and its impact on D.C. residents.

The 988 Lifetime Support and Sustainability Establishment Amendment Act would make a helpful tool for preventing police involvement in mental health crises a fully funded fixture of the city budget through a monthly telecommunication fee on landlines, wireless, prepaid, and voice-over services. The 988 tax would be similar to the District 911 fee, with fees based on line type. All revenues would be deposited into the 988 fund and used only for directly related purposes.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is an emergency line people can call if they’re having a mental health crisis. It debuted three years ago, when the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline went from 10 digits to three while expanding its services. The program is currently funded through temporary federal grants and doesn’t have a designated local budget allocation, which the tax would create.

Barbara Bazron, the director of D.C.’s Department of Behavioral Health, said that at some point it may be necessary for D.C. residents to pay a tax to maintain the 988 line. 988 is federally funded at this moment, according to Bazron.

988 received 10,200 calls in fiscal year 2024, a slight increase from 9,700 calls in fiscal year 2023, according to Bazron.

Throughout the hearing, everyone supported 988. Organizations like community activist group Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, homeless services nonprofit Miriam’s Kitchen, and the network of community advocates Anacostia Parks and Community Collaborative all supported the bill.

But advocates for telecommunications companies such as AT&T and Verizon, like Jake Lestock, director of state legislative affairs at the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, oppose growing taxes to support the service.

“If this legislation were to be enacted, D.C. would have the highest 988 tax in the country,” Lestock said at the hearing. “Consumers already pay government fees and surcharges significantly higher than the sales tax imposed on goods and services.”

The bill would add a 76-cent per line per month tax on wireless and other telecommunications, the same as the 911 fee. Most states have not chosen to enact a new 988 tax on their residents, Lestock said, and only 11 states have chosen to fund these services through taxes. Under the new tax, a family with four wireless lines that pays $100 per month for a phone bill would pay an additional $36.50 annually, according to Lestock.

Jillian Burford, a policy organizer with Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, a community activist group focused on aiding Black lives at risk for state-sanctioned violence in the Washington D.C. area, testified for the bill.

The 988 crisis hotline gives the D.C. community another resource to assist with mental health issues besides police intervention, she said, which can lead to jail or death in the worst-case scenario. Instead of walking away and ignoring someone who needs help, the community has a number to call, and the data shows they are using it.

“By redirecting 911 to 988, we are decriminalizing mental health crises and saving lives,” Burford said. “A cop is a cop, and mental health is not a crime, so why do we call 911?”

Yearly vigil for people who died without a home emphasizes deaths are more than a statistic

DONTE KIRBY Deputy Editor

n a dreary Saturday evening in December, a small yet energetic procession followed pallbearers and a single coffin out of the Luther Place Memorial Church to Freedom Plaza. The somber and symbolic service was part of a weekend-long annual vigil beginning on Dec. 19, honoring those who died while unhoused in the District in 2025.

At least 78 people died while experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C., over the last year, according to the People for Fairness Coalition (PFFC), a group of unhoused and formerly unhoused people who advocate for and provide outreach to homeless community members and organize the vigil every year. The vast majority, 69, were matched to a housing resource, but were still sleeping outside or in shelters when they died, stuck in the city’s long voucher and subsidy process.

For over a decade, PFFC has gathered advocates for ending homelessness in the District on the longest night of the year to remember those who’ve lost their lives in what many consider preventable deaths. Over the past few years, the death toll has fluctuated. In 2022, 104 people died while experiencing homelessness in D.C., according to data from the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). In 2023, 101 people died. The vigils in 2023 and 2024 were held in remembrance of 90 and 120 people, respectively — the list for the vigil is assembled by the community, but the actual death toll reported by the medical examiner can be higher. In 2024, though, it was the opposite, as OCME only confirmed 43 deaths. The official 2025 death toll couldn’t be confirmed by the time of publication.

Unhoused individuals in the United States face about 3.5 times the mortality risk of people who are housed, with those in shelters facing a similar mortality risk as those at unsheltered locations, according to a 2024 study that tracked 140,000 people for over a decade. In 2023, the leading cause of death for those who died while experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C., was opioid overdose. The 2024 study also found drug overdose was a leading cause of death for those experiencing homelessness under 45, while for those experiencing homelessness aged 45-64, heart disease and cancer were the leading causes of death. People experiencing homelessness are generally more vulnerable to health concerns, as they may lack access to care or safe places to recover.

The vigil began on Dec. 19 with an advocacy day at the Wilson Building, where members of PFFC met with councilmembers and presented demands for changes to the next city budget to better support the unhoused.

Dana White, the advocacy director for Miriam’s Kitchen, illustrated the importance of political action during their speech at the service in Luther Place Memorial Church the next day, Dec. 20. “Policy can be a weapon or a lifeline,” said White. Equal parts advocacy and remembrance, the vigil was more than just a symbolic gesture.

Advocating for changes to D.C’s budget to better support those who are unhoused is especially necessary now, attendees said. At one point during the fiscal year 2026 budget process, the

mayor’s proposed cuts totaled a $100 million hit for social safety net programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, and the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. By the end of budget season, some funds were restored, but it was still the lowest level of financial support to homeless services in recent years. This fiscal year’s budget funded no new housing vouchers for individuals, which means if a single adult becomes homeless this year, there’s no voucher to help find them a home.

During the budget process, Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker proposed an eleventh-hour tax on the city’s wealthiest residents to fund vouchers for individuals, but it was defeated in a 7-5 vote.

At-large Councilmember Robert White discussed some of the legislation he spearheaded regarding voucher oversight during his speech at the vigil. Some of these efforts include increased transparency and community input at the District of Columbia Housing Authority, adding more community seats to the agency’s reform board. White’s legislative hits demonstrated the impact of the political will to fight homelessness, though he stressed they did not make up for the loss of life.

“Now I want to be careful, because policy cannot capture grief, but policy is one of the ways to prevent more grief,” White said.

These words held extra weight for the Street Sense community. After the vigil but before the year was out, Laticia Brock died. Brock was a Street Sense vendor who lit up every room she was in and always showed love to her tent family, died. It’s a name that hurts for the Street Sense community to see added to the list, like so many names before her.

This year’s service also hit extra hard for PFFC co-director Rachelle Ellison, who emceed the whole event. One of her close friends, Charles Evans, passed away in late 2024 and had his name added to this year’s list. Ellison never apologized for the tears and emotions she showed as she spoke at the vigil in remembrance of one of the people she considers family and stood by her, not only on the road to housing, but also to recovery.

“Each person we are remembering here tonight is more than a statistic,” White said at the vigil. “It’s a person. It’s someone’s family, someone’s son, daughter, brother, sister, sometimes parents, it’s someone with a name and a life that deserves safety, stability, and care that our city can give.”

Editor’s Note: Rachelle

D.C.’s low-income and immigrant residents feel the effects of diminishing access to health care

ALAENA HUNT Editorial Intern

Last month, over 50 District residents and advocates told the D.C. Council that recent changes to the city’s program helping some immigrants get medical care are already putting people’s health at risk.

The program, D.C. Health Care Alliance, provides medical assistance to District residents who are not eligible for Medicaid and Medicare and have no other health insurance. It primarily serves low-income and undocumented residents, connecting around 26,000 people to health care as of the start of 2025.

But in July, the city approved a budget that dramatically cut Alliance funding and created new eligibility requirements, making it harder to access the program and cutting off all coverage for people over 21 by the end of 2027. The council made these cuts because of a projected decline in tax revenue due to the loss of local federal government workers and growing scrutiny over programs that aid the nation’s poorest and undocumented residents, according to reporting from The 51st.

Now, advocates worry uninsured rates will spike, putting a tax on already burdened emergency rooms and hospitals, and people will go without the care they need.

“The severe budget cuts and drastic changes to the Alliance program are akin to the council using a sledgehammer to solve the District’s medical coverage crisis, when what they needed was a needle and some empathy,” Abraham Plaut, the enrollment coordinator at Bread for the City’s medical clinic, testified in December.

As of Oct. 1, no one over the age of 25 can enroll in Alliance coverage. Additionally, the maximum income someone enrolled can earn dropped from $33,600 per year – 215% of the federal poverty level – to $21,600 per year – 138% of the federal poverty level. After these changes went into place, 2,000 people lost their enrollment in the program, according to the Department of Health Care Finance. Those who still qualify can no longer use it to pay for their dental or vision care, transportation to doctors’ appointments, or any at-home care like nurses or aides.

At-large Councilmember Christina Henderson, chair of the council’s health committee, held a Dec. 3 round table on the immediate impacts of these changes. According to Henderson, during the budget process, the committee worked to reduce the mayor’s proposed cuts to Alliance, but was not able to get rid of the cuts entirely.

Some current Alliance members will transition to other programs, like Healthy DC, which receives federal funding. But Healthy DC is only offered to U.S. citizens and lawfully permanent residents, meaning some undocumented residents may not be eligible. It does not cover vision or dental procedures, so thousands of D.C. residents are expected to lose that coverage entirely.

“If you do not make the right decision to restore coverage and allocate funding to the Alliance program, you will not only be condemning our community to a slow death, but you will also be driving them into bankruptcy,” Claudia, a Ward 5 resident who did not provide her last name, testified in December. Claudia depends on Alliance for heart medication that keeps her alive, she said. If she loses access, she won’t be able to pay for it.

“Today, I want to tell you that if you eliminate the Alliance program, I will simply have no future. I will die,” she said.

Alliance started in 2001 after the city closed one of its only hospitals that treated people without insurance, D.C. General. Since then, the program has become a lifeline for some of D.C.’s most vulnerable, historically providing funding for regular check-ups, vision and dental care, mental health services, and associated costs like transportation and interpretation services. Many advocates testified Alliance helped dramatically decrease the uninsured rate in the city, which went from 18.7% in 1999 to 4.5% in 2024, one of the lowest rates in the country.

Although it is hard to see the full impact of this loss of coverage just a couple of months in, advocates warned it will have extreme effects in the coming years. People who no longer receive preventative care will wait to get help until their conditions are severe, they predicted, which will ultimately cost the city money.

Bianca Palmisano, a Ward 1 resident and nurse, stressed in her testimony D.C.’s health care system is already overburdened. When she worked out of the Medstar Washington Hospital Center’s ER, she said she saw the staff “pressed to the breaking point by their workload,” with the average wait time exceeding six hours.

Dr. Ida Vaziri, a neurologist, also worries about what the lack of comprehensive coverage means for people’s long-term health.

“Preventable strokes become permanent disabilities. Missed appointments turn into ICU admissions. Untreated symptoms in children become developmental emergencies,” Vaziri warned. Isaiah Livelsberger, a bilingual case manager who submitted written testimony, has seen this firsthand. One of Livelsberger’s clients, a 71-year-old homeless immigrant, has stopped physical therapy that was important to treating her autoimmune disorder because she can no longer afford it, he said.

Three weeks after advocates and residents asked the council to restore benefits, D.C.’s chief financial officer announced that, due to an unexpectedly high tax revenue, the council has $51 million that it can spend on underfunded priorities in the coming year. As the council laid out in the city’s budget, $21 million of the surplus will go to Alliance. But, Alliance lost $220.9 million dollars this year, so the $21 million will not fully restore the program. This leaves people at a continued risk of losing their Alliance membership.

People like Maria.

Maria, who used an alias when she submitted a letter to the council, lost her coverage. She said she is no longer able to pay for tests she needed on her eyes, and can’t receive mammograms, which she needs after discovering a small mass on her breast six years ago.

Maria wrote that reliable health care coverage means everything to her.

“It’s the difference between prevention and suffering. The difference between living with dignity and living with fear. The difference between being healthy and getting sick with no hope of getting better.”

Buddhism

In recent months, there has been a peaceful event going on, and there are many religious fanatics who are having an emotional crash out.

Peaceful Buddhist walkers have been stopped by religious groups, stating they are evil. One lost a limb after being hit by a car.

All the while, they walked in silence, minding their business, chanting energized mantras to bring peace within their polarity.

Because many U.S. citizens choose not to understand Buddhism is a practice of wisdom, love, peace, joy, and happiness.

Right now, some points of view see this Buddhist practice as a spectacle, while others are invested in their message and walk for peace. At their rest stops, they provide a meal and a bracelet as a blessing. If you don’t understand the energy mantra over the bracelets and then accept this gift, the polarity of their universe will provide an individual a lesson of virtue.

Dharma is a practice of patience (dhrti), forgiveness (kshama), self-control (dama), nonstealing (asteya), purity (saucha), sense control (indriya nigraha), intellect/wisdom (dhi), knowledge (vidya), truthfulness (satya), and non-anger (akrodha), promoting inner peace, ethical conduct, and spiritual growth.

Walking in meditation provides a sense of mindfulness. Sati means mindfulness or awareness, a crucial mental faculty for remembering to observe the present moment without judgment (such as the monks walking in bare feet with blisters and feet taped).

Maitri Buddhism centers on maitri, a Sanskrit term meaning loving-kindness, benevolence, and unconditional friendliness, rooted in friendship (mitra). (This means something within ourselves to lead with discernment).

In the history of Buddhism, Tibet had endured the same bull crap during a cultural revolution between 1966 to 1976. People threatened Buddhists, who suffered because many assumed their practice was a religion. Yes, some say that it is; however, others will disagree due to their experiences of the practice.

Temples, scrolls, libraries, homes, and villages were destroyed as a forced sinicization of Buddhism, where their culture had been combined with Confucianism, Taoism, and local beliefs. Some would agree this was part of communism, but others would disagree it was a democracy. There’s also the ideology of the Marxist vision.

Rebuilding has been a century-old process to feel at peace. In parts of Asia where Buddhism thrives, there are welcoming temples stating you are here for yourself, no matter your belief or religion.

I acknowledge that in Buddhism, the teaching is not to be abused or violated by another human being. I’ve been practicing since I was 20 years old, receiving targeted behavior from coercive violence. All the “professional” individuals say women are crazy and unfit.

Coercive abuse is disruptive toward healthy individuals healed from inherited trauma. If society states an experience, they are threatened to be silenced.

Buddhism assisted me with anger, frustration, and balance, practicing dharma and tolerance with discernment, especially involving abusive individuals in many aspects of life.

However, walking away does not mean I love someone; it means I’m greater than anyone who chooses to hurt intentionally. I’m working through mantras, and their intent as a woman who is not male-centered.

Honestly, I don’t know if mantras will protect anyone from violence and harm. My mental health and humanity is not in question when abusers create chaos.

How do I mantra away coercive violence with malice intent against life? Can mantras assist with rumination? Stay grounded. Do not disappear in ego.

Nam myoho renge kyo. Om tare tuttare ture soha.

Invisible Prophet is an artist/vendor with Street Sense Media.

Jails/prisons and rehabilitation centers: Effective rehabilitation

A

s soon as a person is arrested, a personal evaluation should be done. This evaluation must be part of the intake process. Ideally, it would be completed before any inmate leaves the intake/orientation housing unit for proper placement. Every inmate should be evaluated for mental health, physical health, educational history, work history, financial history, substance history, family support, community support, future plans, goals/achievements, and skills/talents/hobbies. All these need to be known, not only for each inmate’s proper placement and housing status, but also to provide proper help and rehabilitation for every person.

To make things clear, let’s keep it real: I, too, would like to blame “the system” for all my hardships, failures, and dysfunctions, as would everyone else who seems to become the product of that system. We are all products of a “system.” Your role and your status determine how that system will most affect you. Nevertheless, individuals are responsible for embracing the change that will give them the independence, self-sufficiency, and peace of mind a “normal” human must have to function as a productive citizen. I truly feel as though people who have been labeled as institutionalized, convicts, and criminals should “properly” be educated about what a “society” is and how to successfully become part of that society, even after being saddled with labels that make them the equivalents of societal misfits, outcasts, or rejects.

Questions to consider: 1. What does it mean to be institutionalized? 2. Is being institutionalized a good thing (why/why not)?

Writer’s note: There is more to come of this “Jails/prisons and rehabilitation centers” essay. I am only scratching the surface of what it truly means to be rehabilitated. Follow me as I dig deeper and explain the jail system’s role in homelessness. So, put on your thinking caps and be prepared to use your common sense. Stay focused and stay tuned!

Carlos Carolina is an artist/vendor with Street

Meetings

We gathered to talk about housing and things that are not helpful for our community. We talked about being bigger stakeholders and land ownership within the community, such as co-ops and better places for stakeholders in D.C. to have their housing and security. As these meetings keep happening, there is education on housing and accountability. How do we move forward to housing equality?

Ashes to autocrats

JAMES GREY Artist/Vendor

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

The road remains fused, infected with rust

Still, dove coos fill the entire room

Pollutions leak from the proposed solutions

Illusions of imagination cause mass confusion

Masks slip while the rationale of lies conflicts with the truth hidden in the vault

Harmful hypocrites hostilely hitch hope, hideously hurling hateful hearsay

Scream “conspiracy” and grab a shovel to dig deeper in the sand

Reverse the curse, reverse the curse, reverse the curse

Illusions of imagination once again ring throughout each telescreen

History repeats with every scroll, mass hypnosis flows with roadblocks

How is it that there are so few secrets, yet so many secrets?

The blind arms the weaponry in the darkest of nights

Blood spills, profits flow, funding both sides of the never-ending debate

World War III destroys all the trees, ruins the homes, and invades the mind

You think you can run when fires ignite the air?

You think you can duck when merging brain chips are suddenly stung?

The worst autocrat is yet to come;

An evil serpent slithering through each robotic-infused brain

Enough to make any rational person go insane

Yet I walk the earth, seeing complacency to the hypocrisy, Buying into the lie of separation and choice

Sometimes the quietest one can have the loudest voice

Nothing happens to save the human race, not even a fuss

They chant “for humanity,” yet march closer to the ultimate doom

With so few who shout, “don’t merge, guard your soul”

Truly making humanity itself become. . .

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

Happy New Year

RACHELLE ELLISON

Artist/Vendor

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year

Filled with joy, love, and cheer

This is an opportunity for life to change

Elevation to elevations, there’s a wide range

All it takes is a change in your thoughts and the daily things you do

To get through every day, doing something different to get yourself through Let’s be productive and at peace

This year, just release And set yourself free

To the many possibilities that are there, you see

So let’s just grow and shine, share your triumphs, and learn to tell It’s for others as well

As we heal, we help others

For in Christ’s eyes, we are all sisters and brothers

So, let go of the fear

And enjoy every day of this new year

Got it, but still waiting #WageTheft

LEVESTER GREEN

Artist/Vendor

Yeah, so my walls were buzzing as I was drying off and getting dressed from my late afternoon shower. It was 5 p.m., close to the mail delivery time. Not enjoying my moment to breathe and relax, I catch my breath and get up to see the mail hasn’t been delivered, and no one is around to answer my inquiry on the time of its arrival.

So I return a few minutes later, only to find the same thing. However, my phone still needed charging. It slipped my mind as I was waiting in the lobby. The clerk returns and says the mail isn’t here yet. Suddenly, at the same time, almost simultaneously, the postal worker pulls up, my phone goes out, and I feel a sharp pain, as one of the annoying folks in the wall has an evil, foul, intrusive spirit, like I don’t know, but go figure. The one that sounds like 50 Cent, but you’d think you were listening to the roll call from one of those Illuminati YouTube or Facebook videos... Yeah, but I’m baffled by this all at once, as are the collected voice vocals of familiar personalities in this now deep fake era!

I go charge up, not rushing the fella, but like, how long does it take to deliver one piece of mail!? I’m charging up all the way over on the other side of the lobby, away from the fella, when I hear something about a studio gangster floating up out of his mouth. I mean, I have been away from the studio since I was 22, as Social Security tells me, so maybe! I mean, it did take me to hit “sidewalk” bottom and bounce back up onto the first or bottom rung up off of if not out of street life, homelessness, that is, in particular, acquiring a documentary, but I’d say just the opposite, as I’ve been living it real live, as in real life! So anyway, I go press it like, “Am I good yet?”

He says, “Go ahead, I just got here.”

I say, “I know.” Because unbeknownst to him, I just got alerted to his presence by my moment of truth! It’s empty!

He repeats, “I just got here.”

I repeat, “I know.” Never mind, he did a walk around before he got started, but I chilled, not making any mention.

So I return once more to my room. I hear in the distance, “At least I know he ain’t coming back out here with a gun…”

Of course not, even though they’ve been trying me and assassinating my character as well as berating my senses, putting them on overload. The whole sense of the program is to stand down, which has worked for me because I’ve been productive, but it’s a drawback because now they’re being intrusive and are making me susceptible to their germs in addition to disturbances in, or rather through, the walls, sounding like surround sound! (Which would be the name of my former rap group I came out with in my studio days.) When my storage locker was double bolted in addition to the iron gate! So that’s like a double negative, to be getting fake pressed out into an overload by an inside game cheat code, and I don’t even live out in that Palmer Park area anymore, at the top of the hill like a real true HILL FIGURE shining ATOP A HILL!! It was fun while it lasted but now, after conquering the biggest hill of them all here in the most powerful city in the world, and after being deemed over the hill so to speak by my housing placement when I’m expected to respect my program in which I am the one setting the grade, grain, and standard in the same exemplary fashion as I displayed whilst I negotiated seven years straight in the streets! It’s jealousy in addition to misery in action when folks get this vindictive to the point of getting into the walls as well as my mind, spirit, and soul as they try to incorporate and intertwine their selves, outlooks, views, values, and opinions within my mind to the point of stifling my creative concepts and all while disrupting my livelihood and writing! Just as I was launching into something big, too! The next phase of my life, whilst bringing forth the past!

Furthermore, my PayPal card was stolen just as I had again finally renewed my activity with it at the recent Dave Chappelle’s December show at the Capital One Arena. Unfortunately, I realized it was missing too late, as I wondered and marvelled at a possible inside job! My apartment had been breached before, and I am still without a replacement mattress, let alone an apology for my ruptured air mattress. In fact, I now have a collection of my newly ordered Amazon appliances that are out of order, which I have not been able to successfully return, harming my account! Unfortunately, I’ve had no success cancelling the card from PayPal. I could literally see the $2 transactions eating up my paycheck, for which I have no answer or solution as to how they got it besides boldly! My phone numbers have even been snatched off my phone devices by new technology and more inside “man” game at these rogue telephone companies selling information to hackers in this ongoing deep fake era! At least I got my new check card safely. That’s a step in the right direction in a new year! That’ll be a better answer than the “it got lost in the mail” the bank manager gave me about the $40,000 check I found in my previous apartment addressed to me. I’m not so sure if I opened it and paused and forgot due to the timing of it or if it was just a straight-up plant! Either way, being a banker by mail, I nonchalantly mailed in, like really now how does he know that, yet I can’t get a straight answer from the guaranteed bank money insurance as to whether such a large check in my name was cashed or even valid after signing it and mailing it, off and out! I NEED ME LAWYERS!

Do intelligent beings dream?

BRIAN HOLSTEN Artist/Vendor

In a blissful world, we share connectivity with other living beings and consciously feel within our hearts their mortal and vulnerable lives. We hold a young pet, educate it about the disciplines necessary to coexist with our natural lives, and its intelligence and activities become entwined with our energy. When pets sleep, they twitch their ears, shudder bodily, and often snore within their baskets or on their beds. We provide them with warmth through pillows and blankets, and offer toys, such as stuffed mice or everyone’s favorite: the proverbial rubber duckie. These items help guide the pets to a pathway of resolution in the sky of peace against a dreaded nightmare. These times without our presence may be very dreadful, with vulnerabilities unimagined, in a world of animal abuse. The pets will find it untrue only upon being awakened. To see the pet on its bed is a reminder of its insulated love and care, a dream realized by compassion within the spirit of living life.

Regrettably, this animal world is rapidly fading into the world of extinction for many large populations of birds, cats, and dogs due to industrialized materialism.

Poet T.S. Eliot wrote many poems about a world with a vast cat population striving to survive amid materialism from industrial pursuits and the ensuing toxic products, such as pesticides. Eliot yearned to again hear the cries and meows that were becoming memories within an ever-changing world.

Temerity

RONNELL WILSON

Artist/Vendor

Temerity is definitely a part of me, Making it so strongly and plain to see. It’s what leaders need to stop catastrophes. It’s something I feel deep down inside of me.

When so many have the audacity, I’m not a fool; it’s just how God created me. Seeing beyond my feelings can be challenging, And temerity isn’t just rude behavior from me.

Being fearless of danger with tenacity, Never tearing down the walls of cities like D.C., Like I’ve seen many leaders perform right in front of me, Using prime examples of temerity.

While keeping the focus on never being a fool, Through life’s experiences, you’ll see it’s a priceless tool Being on a list including God’s number one rule.

Loving thy neighbor within our vicinity, All the while demonstrating temerity.

Wrong thing for the right reasons

WARNING LABEL Artist/Vendor

To whom this may concern,

Friends who hustle to feed their babies, sell drugs to keep roofs over their families’ heads, who fight for what they consider freedom… We all know acquaintances and friends who do the “Wrong things for the right reasons.” But remember: we are all sinners, one no better than the other. Our forefathers committed treason in their fight for freedom from a king to establish the birth of a new country. And one thing that country will never do is bow to another king.

Under God, we stand as one great nation. One people: Black, blue, white, purple; it doesn’t matter. As one, we Americans stand tall.

What I want in my life

Artist/Vendor

I want to change my ways in the new year because I get too mad sometimes. I want Robert White to run for mayor of Washington, D.C. Thank you so much, Mayor Muriel Bowser, for helping homeless people. Former District Chief of Police Pamela Smith did a nice job getting crime off our streets.

My code of conduct

I proudly practice the values of Street Sense: to uphold the values of honesty, respect, and support for the people who donate to Street Sense Media. I will always treat people well, talk with people, and support people the same way I would like to be treated. I will maximize my ability to write, to pray, and take donations on behalf of my homeless colleagues. I will be grateful. I will honor my talents and my time as I work to be the best vendor Street Sense Media has ever known.

Indifference

WILLIAM HARGROVE

Artist/Vendor

Knowingly or unknowingly, the university is producing young men and women who are well educated and will act intelligently in society, with the same indifference..

Homeless, whatever happened to human kindness and compassion? What has happened to the things that come from the heart, not the mind? Maybe I’m just an old man who doesn’t know anything, who shudders at the thought of the direction in which the world is proceeding. But I would sincerely hate to live in the world. (Never know!)

TO ALL KNOWN TITLES

EL-O-HIM

Artist/Vendor

“I AM THAT I AM — The living word, likeness and image of mother and father.”

I, a living man, created in the likeness and image of my mother and father, stand by divine right under the laws of nature and of the Almighty.

In honor of love, truth, peace, freedom, and justice, I declare and proclaim my divine inheritance and natural birthright as one with the source from which all life flows.

Divine proclamation

I AM THAT I AM, LIKENESS AND IMAGE. WORD BONDED.

I am the thought of mother and father — truth inherited in the flesh, as the union, XY, a complete understanding born of knowledge and wisdom.

As the honor of mother and father, I am the thought made flesh, and again I, mother and father, one, create value from thought as the manifest. And of the manifest, I AM THAT I AM, seed and fruit of every thought that was, is, and evermore shall be.

Time never was when I, man, mind, was not.

I am infinite, from mastery made and of the mystery making masterful mystery, mastered through breath and existence.

I AM THAT I AM, the understanding of one original man, and the original consciousness of mother — earthly salvation in, of, was, is, and evermore to be.

The reflection of mother I am — all of mother in likeness and image, bonded in virtues, invested love, and delight in senses of earth and body — the love at first sight, mother and son, one. With father’s divine salvation as the sun is to Earth, together our works are one.

I AM THAT I AM — source from source, with all rights inherited, mastery and mystery to resource, and all shall be added unto thee. The one and only divine purpose is the will of my father.

I AM THAT I AM — only my father’s work complete of wisdom, will, and love, in words, actions, and deeds willed to perfection.

I AM THAT I AM — EL-O-HIM of IS-RA-EL, the nation, the body resurrected from death.

In the blood is the right, and of the flesh is sacrifice, as the almighty will aligned, one.

The A of men — I exist as prayer, and all shall be added for the glory of one, all in all of one.

As one willed to consume the fruit, all gain knowledge, wisdom, and become the fruition as the understanding.

All ungainly parts are waste and destroyed, for they are death and not life-bearing fruit.

From the source as the resource to be source —

Man: Son, brother, father — all in one and one for all.

Woman: Daughter, sister, mother — all in one and one for all. Childhood, brotherhood, sisterhood — hear now, here now!

Original man — only fatherhood will not be without motherhood in one. Everlasting tree of life — from knowledge and wisdom comes understanding.

Again, the everlasting tree of life stands as the covenant of living truth.

Natural and Constitutional Covenant

By the divine covenant of natural law and the preamble to the Constitution for the United States of America, which secures the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, I recognize the living trust of the Almighty and claim my full inheritance as heir to the eternal kingdom of Heaven upon Earth. Governments, agencies, kingdoms, or empires are hereby noticed: This living man stands as sovereign under God’s law, owing allegiance only to the divine source, and bearing no separation from the father, nor subjection to the fiction of men.

Affirmation and witness: I make this declaration in peace and good faith, for record and for all posterity, without intent to harm or deceive, but to uphold truth, love, peace, freedom, and justice — perfected as one. In witness and testimony of living word, “freedom of speech” inherited from the most high to be “MOUTH ALMIGHTY TONGUE EVERLASTING.”

Valley Place

DEGNON DOVONOU Artist/Vendor

Once upon a time, in Valley Place, When I was in my difficult days, this house welcomed me. I have to reclaim my nights by the roadside, Which always betrayed and lied If I didn’t spend my days in that house, A house that provides me with housing and a bedroom. That beautiful house, the house of the people, Who ask for nothing but a bed to lie down on, A portion of food to eat, a drop of water to drink, To be counted among the worthy and dignified men of this earth.

That place has been for me the house of upright men, This paradise of striving men, This universe of men who think of their fellow beings welcomed me. When I was in the valley of homelessness and death, Valley Place welcomed me and calmed me down, If the opportunity were given to me, I would be the ambassador for the cause of Valley Place, A place that has contributed to my journey in life.

If I have a message to send to all the management members, I would say thank you to the entire board of directors and the donors. I am very grateful for your efforts. With the ability to impact and change lives, You have enabled us to regain our letters of human nobility today. I must ask all the benefactors to think of Valley Place. Let us work together to have many Valley Places. If the means are given to you, think of building rather than destroying.

Being homeless is like a disease that can be cured. It’s like a war with survivors. ...

When you think that you can never be homeless, it is at that moment you are. The experience has shown that being homeless is not cultural but multicultural. Being homeless is not racial but multiracial.

Being homeless is a framework of society.

Being homeless is a soldier who has served their country.

Being homeless is a journalist who yesterday was the best in their field, A business that has gone bankrupt,

Flush it and forget it

CHRIS COLE

Artist/Vendor

I was wary of coming back scared to show my embarrassed face Last time I was around I said some things in bad taste

I pushed friends away cussed at those I love I can be unbearable angry, undeserving of hugs

I can’t take back the things I did but apologize I will! There. Will. Not. Be. A. Next. Time because I’ll stay balanced on my pills

Instead of dwelling on the past I’m going to “Focus Forward” on the new year, new endeavors, new chapters. My future looks clear: I’m going to “flush it and forget it.’’ So cheers to two thousand twenty-six!

Fishing

WAYNE HALL

Artist/Vendor

Spring? Bring sand to the beach Please?

Jelly and fish? Sure!

Spring? Bring sand to the shore.

Vacation after porch

FUN & GAMES

Across

1. ____-Croation (Slavic language)

6. Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner Penelope (“Vicki Cristina Barcelona” - 2008)

10. Lawyers org. (abbr./init.)

13. Manicurist’s board

14. Prefix with -dynamics and space

15. Distinctive flair

16. President Mahmoud ____ of the Palestinian Authority

17. Give a makeover

18. Cozy home in a Cedar or Cottonwood

19. “Its a sour outcome alright, but it was them ____” (2 wds.) (2,2)

20. Attitude that’s often ‘telegraphed’ by a rigid stance and folded arms

22. Tongue-in-cheek

24. Prenatal nourishment source

28. British legal deg. (abbr./init.)

29. Type of music featured on “MTV Unplugged”

31. A kind of ____ Rain or ____ Rock

33. Vast, in verse

34. Coastal flier

35. Heavenly glow

36. Military pilot with 5 or more kills... or a feature of 9 other answers in this puzzle (2 wds.) (2,3)

37. “Oh, okay... yeah, sure, that makes sense” (2 wds.) (1,3)

38. Presidential inits. of a former W. W. II general

39. Word after “Roger” in ham radio lingo, or a Grammy winning rock band

40. Guesses, as ball pk. attendance figs., proj costs, etc. (abbr.)

41. Scatter, as a crowd (PRESIDES anagram)

43. Good name for a cook?

44. The price of something that is 100% free of charge (3 wds.) (3,1,4) (COTENANT anagram)

45. Causes to move, usually with force or pressure, as war refugees

49. The standard format for recorded music collectors before MP3s, iTunes and the iPod (2,5) (incls. abbr./init.) (MAD CLUB anagram)

52. Spotted rodent of S. America whose name consists of 2 state postal codes

53. Diva’s solo

56. Good name for an average guy?

57. Hue

58. “I am woman hear me ____...” (classic Helen Reddy lyric)

59. BTS or Blackpink genre (1-3) (incls. abbrs.)

60. ____ bin Laden, 2011 Navy SEALS target

61. Soccer ___

62. Uses needles, thread and a thimble

63. Novice gamers, informally

Down

1. ___ Tranquility (best known site on Earth’s moon) (2 wds.) (3,2)

2. Hug another tightly to oneself

3. Counter in court

4. It replaced Rio de Janeiro in 1960 as a S. Amer. capital city

5. Yiddishers’ laments

6. Gives a hoot (about)

7. Snorkeling site

8. Language of Pakistan

9. Asexual reproductive cells produced by some algae and fungi (ZOO ROPES anagram)

10. Barley brew

11. Undergrad degrees (abbr./init.)

12. Insect found in tarantulas, panthers and elephants?

15. Ties up, as tennis shoes or boots

20. Massage

21. College reunion attendee, briefly

23. Having attained geezer status

25. An explosive tryout? (1-4)

26. They get their kicks in used car lots

27. High school breakout

29. Good thing for a poker player (or one solving this puzzle) to have in the hole (2 wds.) (2,3)

30. Chanel of fashion

31. The “A” in A/V

32. Wave’s top

33. Photo blowups (abbr.)

35. Math function involving a + and an = (abbr.)

36. Dive shop inventory (2 wds.) (3,5) (RAN A SKIT anagram)

37. “Hmm... sounds about right; guess so” (2 wds,) (1,7)

39. Make (one’s way)

40. Some aliens, for short (abbr./init.)

42. Tempo setter at Indy (2 wds.) (4,3) (RACE CAP anagram)

43. Actor Alastair

45. Down in the ____ (glum)

46. NBC legal drama from 1986-1994 (1,1,3) (incls abbr.) (A WALL anagram)

47. Toothed grooming item immortalized by James Dean, Ed “Kookie” Burns and Elvis (2 wds.) (3,4)

48. Lee that “Nobody doesn’t like...”, and others

50. Bound along

51. By the sweat of one’s ____

53. Something to wrestle with

54. “Winnie-the-Pooh” baby

55. “How Dry ___” (2 wds.) (1,2)

57. Pro’s opposite

CROSSWORD Buried Treasure Puzzle by Patrick “Mac” McIntyre

This crossword puzzle is the original work of Patrick “Mac”McIntyre. It is provided to us courtesy of Real Change News, a street paper based in Seattle, Washington. Learn more about Real Change News and the International Network of Street Papers at realchangenews. org and insp.ngo.

ILLUSTRATION OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento Case Management Coordinación de Servicios

Academy of Hope Public Charter School

202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Pl. NE

202-373-0246 // 421 Alabama Ave. SE aohdc.org

Bread for the City 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 1700 Marion Barry Ave., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org

Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Marion Barry Ave., SE calvaryservices.org

Catholic Charities // 202-772-4300 catholiccharitiesdc.org/gethelp

Central Union Mission // 202-745-7118 65 Massachusetts Ave., NW missiondc.org

Charlie’s Place // 202-929-0100 1830 Connecticut Ave., NW charliesplacedc.org

Christ House // 202-328-1100 1717 Columbia Rd., NW christhouse.org

Church of the Pilgrims // 202-387-6612 2201 P St., NW (1-1:30 on Sundays only) churchofthepilgrims.org/outreach

Community Family Life Services 202-347-0511 // 305 E St., NW cflsdc.org

Community of Hope // 202-232-7356 4 Atlantic St., NW communityofhopedc.org

Covenant House Washington 202-610-9600 // 2001 Mississippi Ave., SE covenanthousedc.org

D.C. Coalition for the Homeless 202-347-8870 // 1234 Massachusetts Ave., NW dccfh.org

Father McKenna Center // 202-842-1112 19 North Capitol St., NW fathermckennacenter.org

Food and Friends // 202-269-2277

(home delivery for those suffering from HIV, cancer, etc) 219 Riggs Rd., NE foodandfriends.org

Foundry Methodist Church // 202-332-4010 1500 16th St., NW foundryumc.org/idministry

Identification services

Friendship Place // 202-364-1419 4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW friendshipplace.org

Georgetown Ministry Center // 202-338-8301 1041 Wisconsin Ave., NW georgetownministrycenter.org

Jobs Have Priority // 202-544-9096 1526 Pennslyvania Ave., SE jobshavepriority.org

Loaves & Fishes // 202-232-0900 1525 Newton St., NW loavesandfishesdc.org

Martha’s Table // 202-328-6608 marthastable.org 2375 Elvans Rd, SE

2204 Martin Luther King Ave. SE

Miriam’s Kitchen // 202-452-8926 2401 Virginia Ave., NW miriamskitchen.org

My Sister’s Place // 202-529-5991 (24-hr hotline) mysistersplacedc.org

N Street Village // 202-939-2076 1333 N St., NW nstreetvillage.org

New York Avenue Shelter // 202-832-2359 1355-57 New York Ave., NE

Patricia Handy Place for Women 202-733-5378 // 810 5th St., NW

Samaritan Inns // 202-667-8831 2523 14th St., NW samaritaninns.org

Samaritan Ministry 202-722-2280 // 1516 Hamilton St., NW 202-889-7702 // 1345 U St., SE samaritanministry.org

Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org

So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org

St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-363-4900 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org

Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org

Unity Health Care unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699

1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 850 Delaware Ave., SW, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 1151 Bladensburg Rd., NE, 4515 Edson Pl., NE

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org

The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable

Whitman-Walker Health 1525 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 1201 Sycamore Dr., SE whitman-walker.org

Woodley House // 202-830-3508 2711 Connecticut Ave., NW

For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide

Crew member

Chipotle // Bethesda, MD

Full time/ Part time

The crew member is responsible for preparing and serving fresh food, providing friendly customer service, and maintaining a clean, organized restaurant.

Requirements: N/A

Apply: tinyurl.com/6dmnk6bd

Customer service associate

FedEx // Arlington, VA

Full Time

Retail customer service associates are responsible for assisting customers with printing, shipping, and office services, processing orders, and handling transactions

Requirements: N/A

Apply: tinyurl.com/k9j2j8up

Warehouse associate

Bluecrew // Washington, D.C.

Full time/ Part time

Pick and pack items, prepare products for shipment

Requirements: Must be at least 18 years old, able to stand, walk, and lift items (up to 30–50 lbs), have reliable transportation to the job site and authorization to work in the U.S.

Apply: tinyurl.com/2pdh4b5j

Are you a SNAP recipient? If so, Street Sense’s new employment specialist can help you find a job, whether or not you’re a Street Sense vendor. Come by the office or contact us at esmat@ streetsensemedia.org to learn more.

Night eye/Praise

NIKILA

SMITH

Artist/Vendor

Night eyes are red

Death rides the night eye

I swear I see a shadow

Lost love brings

On the night eye

I’m a heavyweight

Carrying the burden of two

If you carry it alone

You have the potential

To succumb to the

Night eye

Share your pain

But share your gain

I don’t care about wealth

But I don’t mind being rich together

I want the night eye to take this ball of burden

It’s been a while since I have really seen light

Can you love me in the dark?

Can we step in the light together?

Can we step over the night eye, To reach lovely eyes?

I guess I will have to come out of hibernation to concur with the night eye

I’m not going to cry

Well, I lost a smile

That I like to see

A smile that changed me

Even when your smile was attacked

I was happy to speak even when you couldn’t

But you ranted and raved to me

I know you found a friend in me

You deserve peace

You deserve freedom

You are attacked with love

I’m a woman of faith

So I lift my hand

Because he’s able to take the pain away

Right now, I will keep the grief

And let it go when I’m supposed to

Praise, not rage

You’re no longer in a cage

Weeping hits you like Cupid

I try to dodge it like a dodgeball

I’m looking for friends

I didn’t want

But I crave to see your face

I’m older, I don’t have rage

I pray for no more suffering

You can’t be forgotten, Memories of your smile captured in an hourglass

When I don’t see you, I search silently

And out loud

You can see inside of me from your side, How I cared

Glory fills me with pleasure

How I look on the outside

Is a mask

My last moment

Was a smile and a hug I will hold onto I praise a life that is at peace

Moods

GRACIAS GARCIAS

Artist/Vendor sleepless hope free black mold black bird black night home free sleepless bold, walking, still, eyes shut wide; xmas white