D.C.’s system for matching homeless people with housing was stymied by the pandemic, so they are prioritizing people who are most vulnerable to the virus.
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DC government restarts referrals for housing, focusing on people at high-risk for COVID-19
Thinking of My Father
A collection of pieces by vendors reflecting on their experiences with their fathers and father figures.
Mayor’s budget cuts money for street outreach
The proposed budget for fiscal year 2021 eliminates $2.1 million in one-time funding for street outreach and advocates are worried about the possible impacts.
Uncle Willie: Father’s Day
Uncle Daddy.
The crushing knee of systemic racism
Street Sense Media CEO expresses solidarity with the Black Lives Movement and explains how structural racism and discrimination causes Black Americans to experience higher rates of homelessness .
A home gone to ruins
A formerly homeless man writes about how the federal response to Black Lives Matter demonstrations in DC has cut some homeless people off from a place sleep and receive help from others.
Inconsistent mail delivery in Ward 8 suppresses vote-by-mail participation during the pandemic, lawsuit says
Ward 8 residents sued the D.C. Board of elections claiming that focusing on absentee ballots unfairly left out residents of the ward because mail is not reliably delivered there.
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.
New Jersey Ave encampment cleanup challenges CDC COVID-19 guidelines, witness says
According to a witness, encampment cleanups are continuing amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
While DHS works to shelter and quarantine homeless residents, housing referrals have been put on hold
New referrals to the District’s coordinated entry housing program were suspended last month. Service providers say the process should be resumed virtually until the public health situation subsides.
This woman is leading a charge to aid King Greenleaf residents
In less than a week, Taylar Nuevelle has organized significant mutual aid for women residing at the emergency shelter within King Greenleaf Recreation Center.
DC health clinics adjust operations in face of COVID-19 pandemic
Day-to-day operations look different now in many of the District’s health care providers that serve low-income and homeless residents. Whitman-Walker Health, Community of Hope, Unity Health Care, and La Clínica del Pueblo are re-orienting care to virtual platforms and instituting protocols for personal protective equipment to keep both patients and providers safe.
Five shelter residents have tested positive for COVID-19, DHS says
DHS Director Laura Zeilinger confirmed that five shelter residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and are being treated either in quarantine or in a hospital. Individuals in quarantine are being housed in one of three local hotels.
Poor and homeless people are included in the CARES Act stimulus, but will probably have to “raise their hand” to get it
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides for stimulus payments to every adult and every child with a valid Social Security number. The legislation is more inclusive than previous recession relief packages but experts say D.C.’s most vulnerable residents are still the farthest away from receiving help.
Despite COVID-19 closures, restaurants and other nontraditional sources are feeding people in need
More than 20 District restaurants, agencies, and organizations are providing free meals to those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.
From our CEO: Street Sense Media suspends print newspaper publication amid public health pandemic
Street Sense Media’s CEO announces the temporary suspension of print publication of Street Sense and calls for support and donations for homeless vendors.
A text-alert service for DC’s homeless community is tracking which services are still open during the COVID-19 outbreak
The text-message based notification service is maintaining guide to service providers that are staying open while D.C. deals with the coronavirus.
DC service organizations to stay open amid coronavirus-related closures
As the District copes with the spread of COVID-19, more than a dozen organizations that provide essential services to the homeless said they will stay open.
Rent Strike: Facing eviction, tenants rally outside courthouse demanding repairs
After local tenants withheld their rent to demand repairs, their landlord sent them eviction notices. A rally was held the morning of their court date.
Community meeting aims to prepare K Street encampment residents for eviction
The clearing of people and their possessions from the K Street underpass between First and 2nd streets NE will take place on Thursday, Jan. 16 regardless of weather conditions, according to Jessica Smith, a policy analyst for the Office of the Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services.
