Nestled between residential homes in D.C.’s Ward 8 lies a sanctuary for homeless LGBTQ+ youth. The Wanda Alson Foundation formerly offered housing in two single-family homes before consolidating into two dormitory-style buildings in Ward 8 last year. https://bit.ly/4jfYiYM

Thank you to everyone who purchased an in-kind donation for our vendors! Our Holiday Celebration was a tremendous success, in no small part thanks to the items you sent us. You, the customers, are an essential part of our community. Thank you and Happy Holidays!

On Dec. 10, the D.C. Council’s Committee on Health listened to public testimony on three bills, two of which could affect the unhoused community. Read more here: https://streetsensemedia.org/article/two-bills-improve-mental-health-and-substance-abuse/

Our new edition is out ! With holiday gift wrapping made out of our vendors’ art - get yours for the holidays!

After a protracted legal battle in late November, Victor Vsay Hucks and his makeshift antique store on Rhode Island Ave, "Victor's Treasures", are facing eviction. Read more here: https://streetsensemedia.org/article/victors-treasures-curbside-antique-store-facing-eviction/

City leaders didn’t fund new individual housing vouchers in this year’s budget, stripping away the hope of housing support for single homeless residents. Read more here: https://streetsensemedia.org/article/delays-subsidy-shortage-housing-voucher-homeless/

When the federal government reopened, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) quietly unveiled a major shift in how it plans to fund homelessness programs. Read more here: https://streetsensemedia.org/article/fed-shifts-from-permanent-housing/

In the first of two special holiday issues, you'll find gift wrap featuring designs by our vendors! Find your vendor over the next week to pick up a sheet (or two) to grace the goodies under your tree. 🎄

The first stories from our new vendor journalism fellowship are out now! Read stories from our journalists-in-training about food insecurity, mental health, and social work on our website now. https://streetsensemedia.org/article/freshfarm-helps-fight-food-insecurity/

Get your copy of our new ✨Holiday edition✨ ! Wrapping paper featuring the art of our vendors included !

The deadline to apply to our spring internship is TONIGHT !

D.C. did not see a spike in the number of people involuntarily admitted to area hospitals during the federal takeover, according to data from city agencies, despite concerns. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/339fx22y

Come intern for us in the Spring ! Send your resume and 3 work samples to [email protected]

While D.C. residents received their November SNAP benefits earlier this month, that won’t be the end of the story as a region with “persistently high” food insecurity faces ongoing changes to the federally-funded program. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/8ebnxb5c

Unhoused families in D.C. and Maryland face numerous obstacles when accessing affordable childcare, including programs with age restrictions, strict shelter rules, lack of transportation, and lack of long-term support. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/4tv76f5c

The D.C. government is attempting to respond to long-standing concerns from residents in wealthier parts of the city about people exiting homelessness moving into their buildings. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/ppemuxam

Street Sense is looking for winter/spring interns to help us report and write articles, design our paper, and run our social media accounts. Apply by Dec. 1 by sending a resume, cover letter, and three clips/work samples to [email protected]. https://bit.ly/4hW7wbs

A documentary following Street Sense vendor Sheila White will now be available for the community to watch! Catch it on WETA tonight, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m. or anytime after on WETA+ as part of the Community Voice Lab at American University series. https://bit.ly/47UVc8v

Despite a decrease in scheduled encampment closures, sweeps at the MLK Library downtown have caused uncertainty among those who frequently sleep outside it. “It makes everyone go like, ‘When they coming? When they coming around?’” Al Benny Morales said. https://bit.ly/4rb6fSi

D.C.’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) reopened this morning after being closed for over a year, transitioning from an online portal-based application system to an appointment-based system. Read more here: https://streetsensemedia.org/article/erap-reopens-nov20/

Street Sense Vendors are gearing up for winter. And our case management team REALLY needs hand warmers, gloves and toiletries. An in-kind donation goes a long way! https://tinyurl.com/WinterVendorNeeds (Let us know if you know an Amazon alternative.)

DC is debating whether to make DC Flex, a rent subsidy program the city has piloted since 2017, a permanent option for residents. DC Flex provides eligible low-income participants with a fixed annual subsidy that they can access for rent. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/y5en4k9v

Have somewhere you always want to see a vendor? What about a question about homelessness you've been wanting someone to dig into? Let us know in our audience survey at bit.ly/SSMsurvey2025. But don't wait - it'll just be open til Nov. 18!

Marcus May is the executive chef at Miriam’s Kitchen, a D.C. outreach organization that caters to people experiencing homelessness. “We may be categorized as a soup kitchen,” May said. “But there’s nothing soup kitchen about what we do.” Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/ycxsc2tf

The D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) has drafted the city’s winter plan as the District heads into hypothermia season with shelters nearly full. Read more here: https://streetsensemedia.org/article/d-c-drafts-winter-plan-shelter-beds/

We're planning our 2026 at Street Sense! Let us know what you think we can work on by taking our audience survey at bit.ly/SSMsurvey2025. It's only open for one more week and will just take a few minutes!

From Oct. 7 to Oct. 29, D.C.’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS) cleared seven encampments across the city, including one that was the scene of a recent fire. https://streetsensemedia.org/article/encampment-updates-d-c-continues-regular-closures-throughout-october/

The D.C. Council is considering a proposal that would close a loophole in the city’s housing policy which lets rent-controlled buildings charge voucher holders more, eroding the power of rent control. https://streetsensemedia.org/article/rent-stabilization-to-housing-voucher-programs

Our new issue is out! Look for a vendor to read about affordable housing changes in the city, D.C.'s new approach to hypothermia season, and the "souper" kitchen that feeds hundreds each day.

We want to hear your voice! Tell us what you think about our newspaper and take our audience survey here! http://bit.ly/SSMsurvey2025

We’re hiring! We are looking for an employment specialist. See more information and apply here! https://bit.ly/47U9XZ0

Since mid-September, unusual small groups of uniformed health care providers from the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) have been spotted around D.C., speaking with people experiencing homelessness. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/3fw7798e

Rachel Pierre is poised to be the next head of D.C.'s Department of Human Services (DHS), which oversees homeless services in the city. Pierre, who has served as the acting DHS director for the last year, was nominated by the mayor this summer. https://tinyurl.com/mr49a3ww

A new halfway house for formerly incarcerated men is set to open in Ward 7 on Dec. 1. The facility, HeRise Growth Center, will be the only halfway house for men in D.C after the closure of Hope Village in 2020. Read the full article online at https://bit.ly/3LhuFZU

We're gearing up for winter! But our case management team already has most of the clothing items we need for now. So we could really use toiletries! Can you help out with an in-kind donation? Thank you! https://tinyurl.com/WinterVendorNeeds (And let us know if you know an Amazon alternative.)

A new proposed bill to create a deposit-based bottle reclamation program could provide some homeless and low-income D.C. residents with a small but steady monthly income. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/5n96e6z9

We are hiring an Employment Specialist (Full-Time) to assist Street Sense media vendors in their transition to further full-time employment. Apply here: https://tinyurl.com/3pp28pyz

A city plan to significantly reduce poverty in the District by 2026 and eliminate it entirely by 2036 is still in the works, nearly two years after the group tasked with making the plan first convened. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/ne4324f7

Since mid-September, unusual small groups of uniformed health care providers from the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) have been spotted around D.C., speaking with people experiencing homelessness. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/bdfx8tpt

New issue out now !! Find your local vendor and buy a copy. Thank you for helping us sell out our previous issue, let's do it again ! 🗞️

The newly launched D.C. Resource Bridge (DCRB) streamlines the search for low-cost legal assistance by creating a hotline — 202-933-HELP (4357) — which people can call to be matched with a lawyer to speak to about their case. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/44rjuape

Three years ago, Alan stood at the intersection of Missouri and Georgia Ave. He had $8 and nowhere to go. After buying a case of water and finding a cooler outside of the nearby Walmart, he went to work selling water. Read the full story here: https://tinyurl.com/y88cx7f2

On Sept. 11, The National Alliance to End Homelessness filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) over restrictions on federal housing grants for people experiencing homelessness. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/2ca8j3my

Here's the last batch of reporting for the Homeless Crisis Project, with stories from Washington Informer and City Cast and roundups from 7:30 DC and Washington City Paper. You can now read 15+ stories on homelessness at bit.ly/DCHCRP - thanks so much to all our partners for their great work!

Following a year of delays, D.C.’s E Street shelter opened its doors to residents Sept. 22, according to the D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS). The new, dorm-style shelter expands on the District’s goal to offer non-congregate shelter options. https://tinyurl.com/2hdc8znc

Today, we put out three stories for the crisis project, including one from Street Sense and The 51st on rising eviction levels. Find your weekend reading at bit.ly/DCHCRP, and watch your inbox, because some of your favorite newsletters may be sending something special!

Two awesome stories hit the wires yesterday as part of the crisis project: a follow-up on the federal takeover from WAMU and a profile of Alan's Oasis, the drive-by water business that's taken over a busy intersection. Read them both at bit.ly/DCHCRP.

The Homeless Crisis Reporting Project is almost half over, and we've got two more great articles for you - read them at bit.ly/DCHCRP and stay tuned for more articles throughout the day!

In collaboration with @Slate.com we followed six people who were displaced during the takeover. Two of them have chosen to flee D.C. entirely for green space in Virginia. Four have stayed in D.C. Read the story now 🔗 https://bit.ly/3J2Y7SG

Street Sense and our partners put out four stories yesterday for the second day of the Homeless Crisis Reporting Project, in honor of World Homeless Day this Friday. Read them all at bit.ly/DCHCRP.