Street Sense Media

McPherson Square cleared ahead of Trump rally

McPherson Square, a federal park with a large population of people experiencing homelessness, was cleared ahead of the riot and insurrection in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

PEP-V hovers around full capacity without enough housing options for vulnerable people

All three PEP-V sites have been at or near capacity for the past 5 weeks, stressing workers and residents who have to wait weeks to get their problems resolved.

A Black man speaks on a virtual screen over a banner that reads public hearing.

Anti-discrimination law to protect people experiencing homelessness dies in Council, again

The Michael A. Stoops Anti-Discrimination Amendment Act, which would make homelessness a protected class, stalled out for the second time in the D.C. Council.

Image asking "Are you at higher risk for sevre illness?" and saying "Based on what we know now, those at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 are: • Older adults People of any age with the following : •Cancer •Chronic kidney disease •COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) • Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies." Then recommending "limit contact with other people as much as possible and showing people staying inside to do so.

As the number of people in quarantine dwindles, DHS expands its use of hotel rooms to protect the most vulnerable

The D.C. Department of Human Services recently opened a third PEP-V site at the Fairfield Inn to accommodate individuals experiencing homelessness who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.

Photo of the Patricia Handy Place for Women

Patricia Handy Place for Women will close for renovations

The Patricia Handy Place for Women will close down for year-long renovations in November or December.

Caroline Kennedy, Althea Thompson, Lajuan Baylor and other Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter residents wait out on the lawn on Sept. 22, 2020. They left the building with all of their belongings packed into black garbage bags.

Low-barrier shelter residents say staff abuse them amid ‘terrible’ conditions during COVID-19

More than 100 women experiencing homelessness were cast out of the Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter during a Sept. 22 deep clean of the building. While out on the lawn, some told stories of verbal abuse from staff and guards. They say the rules and conditions are pushing them to their breaking point.

Photo of curved concrete government building with square windows.

Budget for public housing repairs is not enough to address ‘extremely urgent’ conditions

Mayor Bowser’s budget has allocated funding to public housing repairs in response to a decade-long federal disinvestment. However, advocates argue that more money needs to be shifted to establish a recurring amount of funding for these repairs.

At-risk youth hold peaceful demonstration in support of Black and brown lives

At least 100 formerly homeless youth took to the streets of Eastern Market on June 16 for a demonstration in support of their peers and the Black Lives Matter movement. They were all members of Sasha Bruce Youthwork, which houses approximately 150 runaway and homeless youth and provides counseling, education, and life- skill services.

Hundreds gather for #FundCareNotCops rally near Capitol building Friday evening

More than 100 activists gathered in John Marshall Park on Friday evening, just south of MPD headquarters and Judiciary Square, to urge D.C. officials to defund the city’s police force.

Photo of a man in a red hat bending over to examine the burned and now soaking wet remnants of his belongings.

A fire displaced 4 people from a homeless encampment last week. Residents believe it was intentional.

Several people living at an encampment in the NoMa neighborhood lost everything in an April 8 fire. They’ve been working to pick up the pieces with community support.

Tenants on strike describe the financial, medical, and emotional toll of apartments in disrepair

Local tenants who have been withholding rent since December describe the myriad problems with their apartments, including mold, bedbugs, leaks and broken heaters.

The movie poster of "The Invisible Class," where a homeless man is shown walking through a tunnel.

REVIEW: Josh Hayes’s “The Invisible Class” is a film meant to inform, not entertain

Josh Hayes spent the past 11 years making this documentary about homelessness.

A photo of a garbage truck visiting an encampment site in NoMa.

What is so complicated about homeless encampments in the District?

The subject of homeless encampments can be difficult to understand, and even more difficult to talk about. Homeless encampments affect not just the people who live in them but those who live around them. This article explores how this topic affects everyone.

Illustration of a giant walking up a hill carrying a sack over his shoulder. The sack is overflowing with housing at the top, but many people are falling out and being left behind through a hole in the bottom of the sack. There is a Washington, DC, skyline in the background, identifiable by the US Capitol building.

Problems with DC’s rapid rehousing program remain after years of concerted reform efforts

Despite years of reform efforts, DHS is still working to fix the many issues with rapid rehousing.

A photo of city workers and homeless residents at an encampment cleanup in D.C.

How cool indifference magnifies the summer heat

The summer can be an especially difficult time for homeless residents living in the District. Rising temperatures pose some unique challenges for people living without shelter. Here are some things readers can do to help relieve the heat.

A photo of a public notice for a public clean up..

When an encampment is a single person and their stuff

This is a story about how a person almost came to lose almost everything that he owned. What the word “encampment” means for people experiencing homelessness in D.C.

Photo of a man in a blue vest standing by a red door and a black gate.

Grosso makes a second bid to expand anti-discrimination protections to people experiencing homelessness

Though the Michael A. Stoops Anti-Discrimination Amendment Act did not gain traction in 2017, it was reintroduced to DC Council earlier this year.

Photo showing multiple apartment buildings in a fenced-off complex

The Douglass Community Land Trust is making its first investment to support community control among new housing development in Ward 8

The Douglass Community Land Trust announced its first project in Ward 8, facilitating permanent affordability to 65-unit apartment complex in Anacostia.

Urban farming in a food desert

With only one full-service grocery store to serve more than 80,000 residents, urban farming and a community-supported agriculture program are meeting important nutrition needs.

Residents in Ward 3 seek to understand homeless services

“We can be the government that ends homelessness,” said one councilmember.

Search Results For: "correction ("