If you’ve been around the neighborhood, you know the valuable mission of Street Sense Media: provide an outlet for telling stories for and by the homeless community, as well as provide a source of income for our neighbors with no permanent home. Today, Street Sense is launching a project called The D.C. Homeless Crisis, and it will be populated with stories about homelessness from local media. This is an important effort, as it’s necessary to have many eyes taking a look at the District’s homeless population and evaluate what is working and what isn’t, and how the District and its departments are helping and failing this very vulnerable yet important population. You can read more here about the project. Everyone is encouraged to join the Facebook group to keep the conversation going.
It’s hard to talk about people without a home. I find myself not knowing what term to use – are they homeless or is there a better term? However, the truth is that there are over 6,000 people in an otherwise powerful and upwardly mobile city who are sleeping under the portico at Union Station or the Amtrak underpasses –or squatting at the vacant restaurant down the street from my house. Shelters are overcrowded, have been closed or otherwise reduced in capacity, and can sometimes be places where people are robbed of the few possessions they own. Many homeless people need basic medical attention –especially if they have lost their home due to work-related injuries– or some sort of psychiatric help. It’s hard for them to apply for even the most basic of jobs because they have no permanent address, and many jobs accept only online submissions.
All of them need basic human compassion and a sense of belonging to their community, and this project is an excellent place to start. Get reading, get informed and let’s shine a light on our neighbors who need it most.