Content categorized as COVID-19

With the public health emergency ending, what does that mean for evictions?

Evictions will start soon in D.C. But all is not lost. Tenants have a range of protections and resources available to help them navigate this process.

Summer on the streets

Artist/Vendor Carlton Johnson writes about the hot, sunny DC summer days.

Maskese

Artist/Vendor James Davis writes a poem on facemasks.

D.C. Council risks homelessness emergency if it doesn’t support those who suffered during the public health emergency

Amber W. Harding, an attorney for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, shares opinions on what DC must do to confront upcoming housing crises as COVID programs expire.

DC neighborhood commissions can continue meeting virtually

Advisory Neighborhood Commissions in the District can continue meeting virtually through January of next year, thanks to D.C. Council action last week. The hyper-local elected bodies have stayed active, helping District communities through the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to video conference tools and mobile apps.

Dear Street Sense Media…

Artist/Vendor Warren Stevens encourages readers to continue to stay safe from COVID-19 as summer arrives.

Let’s get vaccinated

Artist/Vendor Sybil Taylor discusses experiences with getting vaccinated and offers opinions on why others should take the shot.

Look at This a Street Sense Media Podcast: Episode Six

For many of the homeless men and women who sell the Street Sense newspaper in Washington, D.C., the COVID-19 pandemic was just another obstacle they… Read more »

The eviction bans are ending. Here’s how rental assistance can help people stay in their homes.

Professor Carolyn Gallaher writes on what the end of COVID-19 eviction bans means and how other programs could fill the gap for those in need of assistance.

Pandemic is Done Forever

Artist/Vendor Abel Putu writes on his gratitude for life starting to return to normal.

Just one more time

Artist/Vendor Rochelle Walker writes a poem on gratitude for seeing COVID-19 begin to improve.

DC begins to improve its central COVID-19 rent relief program, which applicants say is hard to reach and riddled with delays

Applicants to the District’s rental and utility assistance program said they haven’t received funding, confirmations, or updates months after requesting aid.

Bowser announces cash, groceries, Metro fare, a new car, and more to encourage D.C. Residents to get vaccinated

With 50% of D.C. residents vaccinated as of June 21, in an effort to encourage more vaccinations, Mayor Bowser created the “Take the Shot, D.C. Giveaway” which can be entered if residents get vaccinated at select locations from June 19-July 17.

Online court for involuntarily committed patients may continue post-pandemic

Virtual court proceedings for District patients involuntarily committed to treatment under the Ervin Act may continue, even post-pandemic, following recent recommendations made to the DC Council’s Committee on Health.

Being vaccinated

Artist/Vendor Aida Peery discusses her decision to get vaccinated from COVID-19 and shares her gratitude to readers for their support during this difficult time.

Until we pay the working poor a living wage, they will still need government aid

Artist/Vendor Wendall Williams provides his thoughts on why the government should consider a living wage based on lessons learned from COVID relief.

The DC region’s homelessness figures declined in 2021, but effects of COVID remain to be seen

The DC region experienced a decline in homelessness figures over the past year, but the true impact of COVID-19 remains to be seen as pandemic assistance programs expire.

DC Council says no to pressuring tenants to apply for rental assistance by threatening eviction

The D.C. Council voted down a controversial measure last week that would have allowed landlords to resume sending eviction notices during the pandemic, opting instead to revisit the proposal at a later date.

My biggest challenge

Artist and vendor Sheila White shares her greatest personal struggle and her concern that many others in the area will be affected by homelessness once pandemic-related eviction prohibitions expire.

Tech issues hobble US tenants fighting eviction in remote hearings

As legal proceedings shift online, many of the most vulnerable are left without the tools they need to show up in court. These problems, legal aid workers say, are affecting eviction hearings across the US.