Help ensure that much-needed Human Services funding is restored to the DC budget.
The group of mostly homeless homeless advocates who’ve been meeting at the CCNV (Community for Creative Non-Violence) Shelter every week since April 26th, 2011 for Shelter, Housing, and Real Change (SHARC) will make a final push on Monday, June 13th to ensure that funds which Mayor Vincent Gray sought to take away from Human Services is restored by the DC Council.
We will impress upon the DC Council the need to go beyond simply funding shelters and to ensure the continual creation of AFFORDABLE HOUSING across the city as well as LIVING WAGE and other policies that will empower the poor community and enable them to become self-sufficient.
WE WILL NO LONGER SIMPLY ORGANIZE FOR SHORT-TERM GOALS LIKE SAVING SHELTERS AND RESTORING FUNDING FOR SERVICES THAT MAINTAIN HOMELESSNESS.
WE WILL DEMAND THE CONTINUAL CREATION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING ACROSS THE CITY AND THE REALIZATION OF HOUSING AS A HUMAN RIGHT!!!!!
People who DEMAND
“Shelter, Housing And Real Change”
will meet at:
The CCNV Shelter
425 2nd Street NW, Washington, DC
Nearest Metro station: Judiciary Square (Red line)
Buses: D6 and D3
Monday, June 13th
11 AM
To march to the Wilson Building at 1350 Pennsylvania ave. NW
Feel free to bring signs with you. Or you can make signs from 10 to 11 AM.
SCHEDULE
We will begin to gather at CCNV at 10 AM,
march at 11,
arrive at City Hall by 11:30,
speak to councilmembers and their staff until 12:30 PM,
and have regular 1 PM meeting at CCNV.
Now that we have a Council budget vote that may partially restore funding to safety net services in DC with an out-of-state bonds tax and zero increase in income tax for high-income residents, what happens next for people who depend on the city for housing needs?
Friendship Place's Welcome Center in Northwest Washington.
One answer lies outside the government altogether. Non-profit homeless service organizations like Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place receive only around 21% of their funding from the city, a figure that may soon decrease. Friendship Place depends mostly on corporate and private donors to provide temporary and long-term housing along with other services. Will this dependence become the de facto direction for all social service organizations in Mayor Gray’s “One City”? And if so, what does this mean for the direction of social services themselves?
Carolyn Darley (aka Candy) is a beneficiary of one of Friendship Place’s most successful programs, “Neighbors First”, which moves highly vulnerable homeless people into apartments without preconditions. The partially city-funded program is based on the “housing first” model which refuses to blame homelessness on mental illness, substance addiction, or other personal characteristics.
This spring I had the honor to hear and film Carolyn’s story on finding a home through the assistance of Friendship Place and throughout her lifelong struggles. As a Black woman and Panamanian immigrant who completed her degree at George Washington University and worked in nursing, Carolyn shares an important perspective on DC homelessness that is not often seen.
Time is almost up. The city budget is scheduled for a vote May 25, 2011. There are still a couple of things you can do to keep the outrageous cuts to the social services from happening. Call, email, or visit the members of the council who remain against the proposal to increase taxes on DC’s wealthiest citizens by a mere .4 percent. There names and contact information follow:
Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans
202- 724-8058
jackevans@dccouncil.us
Council Chair Kwame Brown
202-724-8032
kbrown@dccouncil.us
At-Large Councilmember David Catania
202-724-7772
dcatania@dccouncil.us
Critical, Unified Fair Budget Action: Social Services Walking Tour
Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
May 18th, 11 a.m. -1 p.m.
Even if the budget passes with a slightly more progressive tax code, many cuts to social services will remain. DC’s progressive activists work hard for positive outcomes during budget season, but the low- and moderate-income residents who are most affected by these budget cuts must deal with them year round. We should be organizing year round. The following video, “How to Be an Affordable Housing Advocate,” suggests that we stay informed about legislation and that we hold our elected officials accountable however and whenever possible. Enjoy.
The Grassroots DC is all about community media. Valencia’s It Is What It Is Mobile Talk Show is as community media as community media gets. With nothing but a flash video camera and access to the internet, co-producers Valencia Rutledge and Judith Hawkins have presented Southeast DC and PG County to the world in a way that the mainstream media could never accomplish. Their work is raw–mostly unscripted, unedited interviews of the people they meet on the street or community members trying to make things better. They made some effort to polish their work by taking classes at DCTV, but found that the prices were too high. What does it mean that even the public access station isn’t accessible to everyone? Making community media takes commitment. Making community media without technical or financial support is only accomplished by the most determined. Having worked with Judith and Valencia on their editing skills for a little over a month, I can say that the word determined describes them perfectly.
I’m posting just a few of their videos here for your consideration. If you live east of the river, watching their videos is like checking in with your neighbors. If the other side of the Anacostia is like a foreign country to you, then be prepared to have your assumptions challenged.
Valencia’s & Judith’s Corner
Valencia and Judith speak to audience about their concerns for the surrounding communities and make a pitch for financial support, so they can continue their work.
DC Shootings!
Valencia and Judith return to the scene of shooting.
Homelessness in DC
Being homeless is no picnic.
N-PUT FEEDS THE NEEDY AND THE HOMELESS
Have you heard of the N-PUT Organization? I didn’t think so. Community groups doing positive work in Southeast DC aren’t commonly on the radar of our most common news sources.
DC Evictions
This was the first video that Judith and Valencia edited at the Grassroots Media Project lab. There pitch for financial support did not garner enough support, and Valencia was evicted.
To continue following the adventures of Valencia and Judith on Valencia’s It Is What It Is Mobile Talk Show, subscribe to their Youtube channel @ iiwiitalkshow111.
Empower DC set up the PEOPLE’S SOAPBOX for the first time at last weekend’s Black LUV festival. In our first edition, Brian Anders has some ideas about how to deal with homelessness and DC’s affordable housing crisis. Do you agree with him or not?
