Most Improved Newspaper - Street Sights, Providence Ri

Most Improved Newspaper Street Sights March 2007

STREET SIGHTS Special Issue: Welcome Arnold Closing We are the people of the Street Sights News. We range from different levels of the community, from students and advocates to the homeless. Our goal is to shed light on the subject not often addressed, and to some degree, ignored. Our focus is mainly on or near the Providence area. We of the Street Sights hope that upon reading this paper, you will leave with a better idea of what is happening in your area. Thank You.

Homeless community responds to closing of Welcome Arnold Advocates Believe Governor’s Plan will Endanger Scores of Shelter Residents David St. Germain and Kate Johnston

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overnor Carcieri intends to close Welcome Arnold on the morning of Thursday, March 15th, leaving up to 50 residents, including approximately 15 women, with no beds in which to sleep. The building, located in Cranston’s Pastore Complex, shelters over 100 residents each night. It will be demolished to make way for new headquarters for the Rhode Island State Police. The governor planned to begin demolition last spring, but he agreed to postpone his plans after repeated protests by the homeless community made it “Keep Welcome Arnold open until clear that he had failed to consider the consequences for displaced shelter residents. In June everyone has a bed!” 2006, he responded to these protests with a pledge: “While this move will require the relocation of the existing Welcome Arnold homeless shelter, I have pledged to ensure that every individual using that facility is accommodated.” The homeless community emphatically maintains that, by not providing beds for all of the displaced residents before closing the shelter, the governor is breaking his word. One advocate said, “By not providing an adequate place for these men and women to go, the governor is deliberately putting them in danger. Human beings are being shoved out the door long before replacement beds can be provided, or even planned for, just so state troopers can have a fancier office.” A Welcome Arnold resident said, “We can find a warm and safe place for our homeless pets to go in this state, but the governor won’t find room in the budget for us? He can find the millions to build a new place for the police— why can’t he find just a few dollars for a bed for me?” In December 2006, Gov. Carcieri announced the creation of Operation First Step, a plan to replace the 100 beds at Welcome Arnold. The governor described the program as a scattered-site, apartment-based system of smaller emergency shelters. Each of five non-profit agencies would be awarded contracts to provide these services for 20 former Welcome Arnold residents. Initially, the plan was greeted with a great deal of excitement by the homeless community. For many years, the state’s homeless citizens and homeless service agencies have condemned Rhode Island’s practice of warehousing homeless residents in large congregate shelters with as many as 100 people sleeping in one room. Congregate shelters inevitably cause safety concerns, illness, bed bugs, Table of Contents shelter-staff abuse, crumbling facilities, and inadequate services, making day-today life extremely difficult for homeless men and women. Operation First Step I. Welcome Arnold article seemed like a promising shift towards a smaller-shelter model with improved II. Opinions social services. III. Creative Writing However, the community’s excitement quickly gave way to concern IV. Resources when the state published the program’s details. Less than a month (continued 1

Page 2: Opinions Introducing “Street Sights”

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treet Sights is back! We must rush on this issue because we ourselves are being rushed by the political backing to close Welcome Arnold. In the future we will work to expand our content to include more comprehensive coverage of the many issues affecting individuals who are homeless in Rhode Island. We aim to be a voice for the voiceless, the faces you see on the street: the homeless.

Letter from Welcome Arnold resident

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omewhere along the way, I think we lost the focus. We’ve lost touch with the ones we set out to help. Okay, so we need another state building. Why, I don’t know, but the one thing I am sure of is that we’re not doing what we set out to do. The

whole goal was, as it was explained, was to improve on an already reasonably stable shelter, but all I see that’s happened is that a lot of people like myself were deceived into giving personal information for no apparent reason. So I ask you, was it really

worth the effort put forward to shuffle us around, and to make it appear that you are doing something good? Welcome Arnold resident

Editorial: Learn from the Past Starr

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ecently, I have researched a small article regarding the closing of the Welcome Arnold shelter in Cranston, Rhode Island back in 1989. They even had some kind of dispute about closing back then. About 55 men and women were living there at the time. The officials extended the date of the closing to make sure that everyone had a place to go. My question is…why

can’t they do something similar this year to make it easier on the people? Instead of rushing the program they should carefully listen to the needs of the people and place them in a safe place pertaining to their situation instead of rushing the program. Rushing will only create problems for everyone and hurt the existing homeless population everywhere with the overflow. If you really care, please

think about your actions before you carelessly carry them through. Please try to help…not hinder. It should all be in our hearts to take a stand on the homeless situation now and not wait until tomorrow and hope that it will go away. Stop procrastinating! Please react ASAP. We really need the support of everyone.

Come Have Coffee with Ralph!... And get a real warm feeling Location: Grace Church Corner of Westminster and Mathewson St. (Downtown) 2

Creative Writing: Page 3 Introduction We are the people who most see and are forgotten within a block’s time. Those who are homeless and are still part of the general population, and the stepping stones of those above us, and this is our voice. This is our opinion of the way we see the city and the people.

A Neverending Journey A poem by Stan

“WAKE UP!!! It’s Six o’clock… time to pack your stuff and leave.” A somewhat simple task… But sometimes difficult to achieve. NO MERCY – from “Big Brother.” Who wants it done just right. NO MERCY – for the wayward soul On their burdened plight. So as the ritual begins… Without any reason, or rhyme; The mind goes on a-wanderin’ Into the sublime. Processed wayward souls, With nowhere else to go… Uncalculated drone-like movements, Journeying to and fro. The destinations most uncertain, Yet the “Song Remains the Same”… Searching for a place that’s high and dry, Just another routine of the “GAME” So scrounge what you can along the way, Dodge bad weather if you can. The journey’s turned full-circle,

Not even a bench to sit on

Twist A poem by Cygnus

When one is brought into this Earth, one experiences a constant downward spiral until they die. The cycle then repeats itself as their energy is thrown back into the collective consciousness, only to bounce back into the mortal coil. The only way to prevent this unending torture (which most are too blinded by society to even notice) is to manually reverse the downward spiral by understanding this aforementioned truth to its fullest, and living their lives accordingly. Once this is accomplished, the energy of the being in question, once separated from the physical body, is returned to the collective consciousness forevermore, and will be one with the very essence of that which we call God, which is, in reality, only the infinite feeling that is love. 3

Page 4: Resources (cont. from page 1) was set aside between when the program was announced and when contracts were awarded. This was not enough time for homeless people and advocates to work with the state to properly develop the plan. Operation First Step initially called for Welcome Arnold to be closed by March 1st, and that left extremely little time for agencies to guide residents through the application process, hire staff, set up housing, and develop the details of their own programs. From beginning to end, the application process has been shoddy and rushed, with residents filling out state questionnaires with the help of untrained college students instead of knowledgeable case workers. More alarming still, Operation First Step’s budget has been insufficient to provide beds for all Welcome Arnold Residents from the very beginning. While hundreds of men and women rely on the building for shelter, only 83 have been guaranteed placement in Operation First Step programs. 48 men and women living at Welcome Arnold right now have been offered no alternative arrangements, and “overflow” shelters in the area have already been well above capacity in recent weeks. Advocates fear that these 48 neglected residents and many others who rely on the shelter will be forced to pack into the common space at Crossroads RI, and sleep sitting up on stacking chairs, or else be left in the cold. People to End Homelessness and members of the homeless community will hold a rally today, Wednesday March 14th, at 2:30 pm on the statehouse lawn. After the rally, they plan to set up tents in front of the statehouse to illustrate that when Welcome Arnold closes there will be people with nowhere else to go. They will insist that the Gov. Carcieri postpone closing Welcome Arnold until he really has “accommodated” the men and women who depend on it for shelter and services. Additionally, they plan to protest outside of Welcome Arnold when residents are asked to leave the building permanently at 6:30 tomorrow morning. They invite you to stand with them and hold the governor to his word. In the RESOURCES SECTION we will offer information about housing and job opportunities, shelters, drop-in centers, meal sites, support for veterans, and information about health care, clothing, furniture, and legal clinics.

HELPLINES Crossroads RI Helpline…………………………………401-351-6500 or 1-800-367-2700 RI Domestic Violence Hotlines……………………………………………1-800-494-8100 RI Child Abuse Hotline…………………………… …………………….1-800-RI CHILD Teens/Runaway Youth…………………………………………… ………..401-521-SAFE Gay and Lesbian Hotline (call from 7-10 pm)……………………………… 401-751-3322 RI Council on Alcoholism…………………………………………………1-866-252-3784 Sexual Assault and Trauma Resource Center………………………………. 401-421-4100 Samaritans-Suicide Hotline……………………………1-800-273-8255 or 401-272-4044 Aids Project Rhode Island……………………………………………… 1-800-726-3010 Dept. of Elderly Affairs Protective Service Unit ……………………………401-462-0555 Victim of Crime Hotline…………………………………………………1-800-494-8100 Gambler’s Hotline……………………………………………………….1-800-9GAMBLE 4

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e would like to let all interested know that Street Sights is a paper for the people, by the people, so your help would be appreciated. We have an e-mail address and a regular mailing address for your participation, so any suggestions would be looked over and considered for publication. You are invited to our meetings at Palmer House, at 33 Chestnut Street in the basement on Sundays at 3:30 PM. Thank you. su participación! ¡Q ueremos ¿Escriba Ud. artículos, cuentos cortos, o poemas? ¿Le gusta dibujar? Si quieres participar en un periódico local, mande sus artículos, poemas, y dibujos a Street Sights (La vista de la calle), el periódico de las personas sin casas de Providencia. O se puede Ud. mandar sus trabajos a [email protected] o se puede Ud. dejarlos en Palmer House (33 Chestnut Street). Le invitamos a Ud. también a nuestros reuniones en Palmer House a las 3 los domingos. Gracias. Submissions: Palmer House 33 Chestnut Street Providence, RI 02903 [email protected]

Weekly Sunday Calendar: 2:00 pm: People to End Homelessness meeting Beneficent Church, 300 Weybosset Street 3:30 pm: Street Sights meeting Palmer House, 33 Chestnut Street

Most Improved Newspaper Street Sights May 2009

www.streetsights.org

Youth help build affordable homes

May 2009

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RALLY FOR HOPE -Homeless people and advocates rallied for reforms at the State House in early April. See story, page 3. Photo by Brian Young

Homeless people turn to Woonsocket church for help By Louisa Smith Technical Editor

Four identical blue tents surround a towering pine tree on a sunny but windy day in late April. Each is emblazoned with Workers with YouthBuild help restore low-income housing Photo by Erin Rachel Oliver

By Erin Rachel Oliver Staff Writer

On a cloudy April morning in the heart of Providence’s Olneyville neighborhood, two young men stand on scaffolding, finishing up the siding work a new single-family home. Although it might appear to be a typical scene in many neighborhoods throughout the city, there is something unique about these particular workers – they are students diligently hammering away at their schoolwork. This house, along with many others before it, is the fruit of a program called YouthBuild, created by the Providence Plan, a joint nonprofit venture between municipal and state government

agencies. It is a sort of alternative school that combines GED preparation with community service and job training. YouthBuild students are young people between the ages of 16 to 24 who come from low-income families in Providence. Many have been involved with the prison system, foster care, and have been homeless. Althrough Youth Build, they are offered opportunities that had previously been unavailable to them. The students are paid a stipend and earn an AmeriCorps Education Award at the end of their service. They work on building playgrounds, houses, and community gardens. The projects See BUILD on page 11

building manager, Laurel Boulanger, has retaliated in subtle ways against them and five other tenants who testified in front of the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights in support of their complaints. A request by Street Sights to the management for its views on the allegations went unanswered. Grace Church Apartments is a HUD rent-subsidized, privately owned building. For people who live there, answering nature’s call in a timely manner as they arrive in the building can be difficult. In fact, it can take as long as seven minutes for en elevator to get to the eighth floor of the building.

Methodist Communities, right outside the doorway of the church’s Matthew 25 Center. When the seasonal shelter at Harvest Community Church closed its doors in mid-April, many men began the yearly ritual of taking a tent out into the woods of Woonsocket. But recently Rev. Brian Souza of United Methodist Communities had been hearing complaints about old tents that weren’t holding up against the weather any more. Since his church has served as a drop-in center for homeless people for eight years, Souza had a strong relationship with many chronically homeless people and knew something needed to be done. More than 60 new tents were given out, but that wasn’t enough. There was a need for a community among the homeless, a need for safety in numbers. The tent city that had been erected in Providence several months earlier kept coming up in conversation, and Souza and others helped to bring the idea to Woonsocket. “I see it as a natural exten-

See GRACE on page 11

See TENTS on page 11

a logo of Mount Everest and the name of the first man to reach its summit, but these tents haven’t been pitched on the tallest peak in the world. Instead, they fill the courtyard of the Woonsocket campus of the River United

Grace tenants object to locked bathrooms By Mike Scarlatti Staff Writer

Two residents of Grace Church Apartments on Washington Street in Providence are waging a campaign for better living conditions at the building, starting with access by all residents to bathrooms on the ground floor that are locked and off-limits to some tenants after 4:30 P.M. weekdays and all weekend. Two officers of the building’s tenants association took their complaints to the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights and the Providence office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) about one year ago. They say they believe the

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May 2009

Our Mission

www.streetsights.org

Stre e t Sights se rv e s as a forum for a d v o c a te s , h o m e le s s a n d fo r m e r ly h o m e le s s pe ople , stude nts, state offic ials, and th e g e n e r a l p u b lic to s h a r e a c c u r a te a n d h o n est information about issues relating t o h o m e l e s s n e s s . O u r g o a l i s t o s h e d l i g h t o n a subje c t not ofte n addre sse d and, to s o m e d e g r e e , ig n o r e d . W e a im to p r o v o k e d is cussion and give a voice to voiceless p e o p l e i n o u r c o m m u n i t y . W e p r o v i d e a s p a c e fre e of judgme nt in whic h we re c ognize th e d ig n ity a n d wo r th o f e a c h p e r s o n a n d in doing so e mpowe r the group as a whole .

Editorial:

Street Sights successes

We fight injustice, we mourn our losses, we beg for understanding, and every so often we get to pause and celebrate. This month there is much to celebrate in the Street Sights community. This past month staff writer Pamala Therrien was accepted into the Rhode Island College School of Social Work for her masters degree. She is committed to using her first-hand experience to help others. After one year in the Crossroads Women’s Shelter, Pamala plans to move in to her own apartment. We are sure her grandson will love to visit her in her new home! After six years living in the streets and shelters, staff member Don ‘Sarge’ Mather moved into his own apartment at Dexter Manor. There is nothing like

seeing him walk into our office with a pair of keys in his hands and to hear him yelp with pride, joy, and relief. Photojournalist Brian Young had his article about Tent City printed in East Side Monthly. We are grateful that Brian continues to volunteer countless hours to Street Sights. His talent is clearly respected in the larger field. Dave Eisenberger will start working at the Veterans Administration. Dave looks forward to a range of employment options at the VA. We are sure that the VA community will greatly benefit from Dave’s passion and life experiences. We are happy to announce that Fred Pece moved from the Urban League Shelter to transitional housing run by Oasis. We support Fred as he moves

into a stable home environment. Dan Meltzer, staff writer, jack of all trades, and Brown University student, completed his thesis, titled, “Dissemination of Information about Health Care to Homeless People in Providence and Surrounding Areas, and its Effects on Health Outcomes.” Danny points to the need for clear and transparent sharing of health resources information within the homeless community. Health care, along with needed and often-neglected dental care, is indeed a human right. We urge the service provider community to submit your health care services to Street Sights which we will happily publish. Street Sights hopes that our successes this month are among a greater many success stories in our community.

Thank you ♦ Sponsored 1 Issue:

McAuley House Corporation for Supportive Housing Crossroads R.I. George Hunt Center Lynn and Peter Meltzer Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless ♦ Sponsored 1/2 Issue: Alan Flam and Judith Semonoff Jewish Federation of R.I. William Thorn Sheldon and Leslie Weinstein ♦ Sponsored 1/4 Issue: Poverty Center House of Hope CDC www.VisitNewEngland.com Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere Amos House Sponsorship Opportunities: One full issue, $600; One-half issue, $300; One-quarter issue, $150; One-eighth issue, $75

because he really cares about people, not just African Americans. I feel the same as he feels because what happened in 2009 we have a new President and he did not get there because he was black. He got there because of what Mr. Perry said, “Get past your anger, broaden your communication skills. Realize that it’s not about you. Think global-

ly. Be great at your craft. Train, study, prepare yourself.” As an older black man I didn’t think that way and my life passed me by. But I’m happy now my kids can be somebody. As a minority race we do have to deal with the unique challenge of living in two cultures—the hood and corporate America. In my day I live for the moment and never

Subscribe today and show your support for Street Sights Bishop Thomas Tobin Celebrating the births of Emma Natalie and Harry Sidney Dweck ♦ Sponsored 1/8 Issue: RI State Council of Churches Episcopal Diocese of R.I. Yaacob and Julie Dweck In Memory of Milton Goldstein Barbara and Bernard Grandis Brown/RISD Hillel Margaret Smith Anonymous SWAP

♦ Donations:

Edwin Boger Julia Salinas Serena Eisenberg Yaron Simler TA22

Susan Shapiro Oasis / Mental Health Consumer Advocates of R.I. Mindelle Goldstein in memory of Ruth Ochs Monica Villegas Anna Cortes * Becca Lindan * Mark Smith, $175 * Peter B.J., $300 * ♦ New Subscribers: * new Dorcas Place* sponsors Ralph Davis * and Louis Houlihan * grants ♦ Grants: Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel Alumni Venture Fund Haymarket Peoples Fund Dexter New Roots Technical Assistance

One-Year Subscription: Individuals, $25 Organizations, $50

Make out tax-deductible checks to the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless and put “Street Sights” in the memo line.

Robert and Rosemarie Capon ♦ Sponsored 1/16 Issue:

Coordinating Editor Elizabeth Ochs

Webmaster & Technical Editor Louisa Smith

Creative Writing Editor Stan Kapelewski

Resources Team

Jesse Cohen ♦ Mike Scarlatti

Staff Writers Herb Anthony ♦ JoAnn Dyes ♦ David Eisenberger ♦ Frank Goodness ♦ Eugene Gomes ♦ Ed Homer ♦ Don Mather ♦ Dan Meltzer ♦ Erin Rachel Oliver ♦ Owl ♦ Fred Pece Pamala Therrien ♦ Willa Truelove

Photo Editor Brian Young

Photographers Pete Desimas ♦ John Moniz

Columnists

Letters to the Editor To the Editor: This is a response to April’s “As the Shelter Turns” column. Let me start by saying I’m a black man who has been down the road, too. I have lived in the shelter with Mr. Perry and we had long talks about the shelters on how they are run and we didn’t like how they ran them. I always look up to Mr. Perry

Staff

thought about what 2009 would be like. My hat is off to Mr. Perry for your communication skills and for making a difference in my life and in others. Keep up the good work and hats off, too, to Jim Ryczek and his resources team of great people who care about making a difference. PS: Oh yes, pull your pants up, and realize the value of a belt. I was homeless but thanks to the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless for helping me bring out the best in me as a man and as an African American now I can give back and help others. Thank you Mr. Perry. Kevin L. Vines

Karen Jeffreys ♦ Joseph Perry Catherine Rhodes ♦ David St. Germain ♦ Jim Ryczek ♦ Kristen Sherman Heather Snyder

Artists Paul Botelho ♦ Samath Kang

Outreach Coordinator Jenny DiTomasso

Fundraising Amy Peters

Student Intern Alyssa Mason

Advisors William Bentley ♦ Rev. Mary Margaret Earl ♦ Alan Flam ♦ Alan Harlam ♦ Charlie Hathaway ♦ Jon Howard ♦ Dave Layman Catherine Rhodes ♦ Jim Ryczek Matthew Silva ♦ Steven Triedman Linda Watkins

Everyone is invited to get involved Meetings: Sundays and Wednesdays at 4 p.m. Submissions: Street Sights receives letters in drop boxes at Amos House, McAuley House and Crossroads, via e-mail, at and meetings.

Staff Positions Open

Photographers, staff writers, distribution team, fundraisers. If interested, please email or attend a meeting.

Contact Us

Meetings: 33 Chestnut Street First Floor Providence, RI 02903

Mailing Address: Street Sights c/o Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless 160 Broad Street Providence, RI 02903

[email protected] ♦ www.streetsights.org ♦ 401-421-6458

News

www. streetsights. org

May 2009

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Reed bill would bolster homeless prevention efforts By Mike Scarlatti Staff Writer

A former pro bono lawyer for Amos House returned there in March to continue his effort to help less-fortunate people in our society. Sen. Jack Reed announced bipartisan legislation to provide $2.2 billion for specific programs that help homeless people. This legislation is cosponsored by Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO). Their bill is the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009; it has 11 original cosponsors and was endorsed by groups such as Habitat for Humanity, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). The HEARTH Act seeks to reauthorize the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 and federal homelessness aid programs for the first time since 1989. It would simplify and consolidate three competitive U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

(HUD) homelessness assistance programs into one program and require HUD to provide incentives for communities to implement proven strategies to significantly reduce homelessness. This legislation was crafted by listening to the people who work with the homeless and it allows for flexibility in the spending of the monies. Reed explained to the audience at Amos House that the methods used by many agencies to solve homelessness are different for the urban areas of Rhode Island versus California, as they are in different rural areas. The senator said it is easier to keep a family or an individual in housing than it is to get them back in housing once they are homeless. Toward that end, the bill would allocate up to $440 million for homelessness prevention initiatives such as a mortgage payment or a utility payment, and it would create initiatives aimed at preventing an increase in homelessness by addressing the immediate needs of those about to be evicted or living with friends or relatives

or in other unstable housing conditions. Another provision of the bill would be an expansion of the definition of homeless to include what the Mc KinneyVento Act calls “doubling up,” that is, living in someone else’s home. Also, the definition of a “chronic homeless” person would be expanded to include a person or the head of household who has a serious mental illness, developmental disability, post-traumatic stress disorder, brain injury, or chronic physical illness or disability. The current recession has placed an additional 1.5 million Americans at risk of becoming homeless over the next two years, according to estimates by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. The number of shelter residents in Rhode Island who cited foreclosure as their reason for becoming homeless tripled in the last eight months. Along with an increased need for community services, this may mean more traumas for children and their families and a disruption in the children’s

Sen. Jack Reed

schooling. Studies show that children are most likely to experience hunger, chronic health problems, and long-term damage as a result of being homeless. Although a House version of this bill needs to be intro-

By David Eisenberger Staff Writer

Housing groups sponsored a rally at the State House in April to encourage legislators to stimulate the economy by growing healthy communities. People at the rally encouraged the state to build affordable housing, stop foreclosures, create jobs, fund state homeless programs adequately, and use the stimulus money wisely. The rain and wind didn’t dampen the spirits of the 40 people who walked from either Crossroads RI or Hope City, a tent city in Providence. The two groups of marchers joined at Burnside Park in downtown Providence before proceeding to the State House. Marchers from Hope City carried crosses with the names of homeless people who have died in the past two years. The rallying cries of the march included: “Bail out the people, not the banks”; “Stop foreclosures now”; and “The people united will never be divided.” Members of Hope City placed a tent outside the State House to represent what they say homeless people are dealing with — lack of affordable housing and lack of responsiveness from the provider community. Inside the State House lobby, organizers used

the symbol of a garden to promote their cause. They gave legislators a shovel, seeds, and instructions on how to grow healthy communities. More than 250 people rallied at the State House. People spoke about the cause or about their own plight due to foreclosures or evictions. Various speakers vented their displeasure about how the system has treated them, either as a homeowner or as a renter in a house that has been foreclosed. Linda Watkins, vice president of Amos House and master of ceremonies of the event, said, “It’s time for the legislators to start representing the people again. The infrastructure needs repair. Put stimulus money to work for Rhode Islanders!” Watkins said, “We hope that this rally will send a clear message that the legislature will act, use the stimulus funding, stop foreclosure, and use it wisely. It’s to help our most vulnerable citizens and our state. Otherwise, it’s unacceptable.” Rally sponsors included the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, RI Bank Tent & Homeowner Association, Homeless People’s Action Committee, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, Housing Action RI, Housing Network, Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere, Street Sights, DARE, and Jobs with Justice.

duced and passed and there may be some compromise with the Senate on wording or some other goal before it is sent to President Obama to sign, Reed is cautiously optimistic the bill will be law in two to three months.

Miriam program aims to streamline and focus detox treatment By David Eisenberger and Jennie DiTomasso Staff Writers

Rally calls for renewal

Photo by Brian Young

As the final segment of this three-part piece on the detox program at Miriam Hospital, here we will summarize the organizations involved and the program’s overall goals. To review, Drs. Nicholas Zeller and Josiah Rich, from Miriam Hospital, are working on the prototype of a new detox program. The program is designed to both divert funds to the detox program and to bring together the efforts of many organizations that could benefit from the new protocol. Many individuals and organizations are collaborating on this project, including Riverwood, with Housing First; Judy Fox, with MHRH (Mental Health, Retardation, and Hospitals); Joe Hyde, from DATA R.I.; Robin Frye, coordinator of the Jet Foundation; Lifespan; Providence police and fire departments; the Providence Center; and doctors from the various hospitals in the Lifespan group.

While difficulties are expected in coordinating so many institutions, organizers hope to divert funding sources into a single program where employees from various locations can come together in support of a successful and affective detox program. Drs. Zeller and Rich emphasize the urgent need for this program and that Part 3 of 3 its overall purpose is to offer a safe place for detoxification. People with drug and/or alcohol addictions suffer from a serious disease that can, in some cases, lead to homelessness. The program seeks to give those who struggle with addiction the dignity and respect they deserve, according to these two doctors. Working against social stigmas, the program will improve public awareness among citizens and in the media. Given the need and the possibility of improving these people’s lives, the doctors insist that the hospitals need funding and cross-training between organizations. “It’s time to make some noise,” said Dr. Rich.

(See whole series at streetsights.org)

4 May 2009

www.streetsights.org

Faces of Homelessness

Success Story

Featured Artist

Out of a tent and into a house By Brian Young Staff Photographer

Mike Mogayzel lived at a tent city in Providence from February 16 until March 20. “I accomplished more here in a month than I did at the Providence Rescue Mission for three months,” Mogayzel said of his time at the tent city. The Provi-

dence Center referred Mogayzel to Lynn Saxton, a realtor for Providence Center clients. Mogayzel now has his own apartment in Providence and feels more confident about gaining employment and being able to help others take the steps he did. Now Mogayzel wants to give back, so he is working with the homeless, attending classes

Benton delivers music and service to Amos House Mike Mogayzel

for anger management and trying to change his life around for the better. His goal is to get into college in the near future.

Rainbow Award

Former addict reaches higher By David Eisenberger Jennie DiTomasso

and

Staff Writers

Congratulations to Shirley Flores, of Praise Tabernacle Church, who serves others by giving makeovers at the church. She also works for a program called Reaching Higher, which offers employment assistance, including help with resumes and job leads, and training in life and recovery skills. Reaching Higher runs from 9 to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays. Anyone who needs assistance can turn to the church’s in-house counseling. Flores also serves as a certified interpreter for Massachusetts. Flores is a former addict, who, at one point, realized that she was one step away from being homeless. With the help of her sister, Lexannie, and her family, Flores survived her addictions and worked through recovery by going cold turkey.

Reaching Higher is a motivational outreach program, designed to stabilize lives. Flores counts herself as one of the program’s success stories. After her recovery, Flores worked as a bus driver and began to see the need for outreach that specifically helps women. Praise Tabernacle began offering makeover days in December of 2007, with 40 women showing up the first day. Since then, over 300 women have been served with makeovers, facials, hairstyling, pedicures, and manicures. Flores’s sister is the program’s hairdresser and she provides any color or style requested. Approximately every six weeks, the church announces which Saturday will be the date for makeovers the church. Makeovers are done from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Flores sees the immediate blessings that have been returned to her and she is often

Photo by Brian Young

By Brian Young Staff Photographer

Shirley Flores

told, “you guys are the best.” These blessings, she says, come with “the satisfaction of serving a homeless person. It’s our goal.” Finally, Flores works as an independent consultant for Arbonne International, a company that sells skin-care products. Flores can be contacted by email at [email protected] or at Praise Tabernacle at 935-8502.

A Day in the Life

... of Frank Wiley, 61 By Frank Goodness Staff Writer

Frank Wiley, 61, has been homeless and mostly jobless since 1973. Six months ago Wiley entered the First Step program at Crossroads of R.I., and now is living in the First Step transitional housing unit run by Oasis. It is a three-story house with three two-bedroom apartments, with at times four people living in each apartment. “Every morning around 6

a.m., I go out and start to look for any kind of work that is available,” Wiley says. “If I do find any, it is usually only for a couple of hours and hopefully the place where I am working will give me something to eat. When I can’t get work, I go to the soup kitchens, food pantries, Crossroads (for cosmetics and medical needs), and occasionally the Salvation Army (for clothing). At around 4 p.m., I head back home to do my share of

Now a case manager for the Amos House on Friendship Street in Providence, Joe Benton has traveled from a life sentence in prison to the Rainbow House and on to the MAPP program. He has been very active in the community he lives in. As an outreach counselor and case manager he has helped many people with different needs. Benton also has a talent with music. He is known for singing gospel music and playing the guitar. He has performed in concerts and also has a website where tracks can be heard and CDs purchased. Benton is known for performing with The Benton Brothers at various lo-

cations as well as on street corners. Benton is very busy at the Amos House trying to be productive and to be a help to his community. He has a variety of clients who all have needs he tries to fulfill. Sometimes just a listening ear is helpful. “I work here because I believe in our community. There are those outside the community who would like to put an end to the work behind the cause, but the work will go on,” Benton said. For more information about his CDs, visit www.cdbaby. com. Benton can reached at Amos House at 272-0220 ext. 209 and by e-mail at [email protected]. The website for Amos House is www.amoshouse.com

One of Us Interview by Frank Goodness Staff Writer

the housecleaning and to cook my dinner if I was fortunate to get food. After I clean up, I watch some television and then go to bed. Every day, my hopes and dreams are to find a full-time steady job, and to get an apartment so that I can finally call it my home.

Name: Juan Madera Duration of homelessness: One year Background: Housekeeping Interests: Getting out of the shelter system and having my own place. What have you learned?: How to cope with life better. Plans: To get a full-time job and buy a house to help the homeless. Dreams: I would like to find a good woman and get married.

Humanitarian Award

News

Grace Church and its pastor serve kindness by the cup By David Eisenberger Jennie DiTomasso

May 2009

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Spotlight on ...

Access/RI Access/RI provides intensive case management for chronically homeless people in Rhode Island. At the Access office, clients can use the showers and telephone; get hygiene products, food, and donated clothing; and use the Access address to receive benefits. A psychiatrist is available four hours a week to help clients. Clients work with case managers to set goals such as housing, applying for benefits, family unification, and sobriety. Access/RI has an outreach worker who meets clients where they are; takes them food, blankets, and hygiene products; and encourages them to seek services at the agency. Since Access/RI case managers have no more than 15 clients, they can more easily help their clients attain their goals and receive the support they need. For more information, contact Sheryl Marshall, program director. Access-RI, 286 East Avenue, Pawtucket, 401-726-2422

and

Staff Writers

Congratulations to Pastor Bob Brooks, Carolina Boyle, Judy McGill, Andrew Wright, and Jeff Meyers at Grace Church for winning this month’s Humanitarian Award. These people help provide a coffee hour and various other functions to homeless and lessfortunate people. The volunteers serve free coffee from 9 a.m. to noon on weekdays. In the winter, coffee is served from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the church also provides needed warmth on days when the weather is inclement. The coffee outreach was started by the people of the parish who wanted to open the church to the public. The outreach is now staffed by homeless volunteers who know the clientele the best. The church wants the people to be respectful of the church, inside and outside, and to keep the property clean. For a while there was friction between the neighborhood and the church. Neighborhood businesses were blaming homeless people for the mess, even though it was actually caused by the buildup of debris when the bars in the neighborhood close down. Grace Church doesn’t offer only coffee. It hosts A.A. meetings, Young Voices, leadership

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Roving Reporter Members of Grace Church coffee outreach. Photo by Don Mather

training, Grace Church Apartments (a HUD program, overseen by the church, with 100 units), and it does maintenance at Grace Cemetery at Trinity Square. The church supports PICA by opening its doors for free meals on Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Wednesday afternoons at 12:30 p.m. In addition, the church also works with high school and college students, doing outreach in the United States and South Africa. According to Pastor Bob, Grace Church aims to focus on vitality, diversity, and authenticity through all the programs it offers its members and the larger community. The current economic crisis hasn’t hit the parishioners yet,

Life Cycles Births Warren and Angela Charron announce the birth of a daughter, Kristian Scott Charron, April 7, 8 lbs, 13 oz. Barbara announces the birth of her daughter, Charisma Hope

Passing Dan Daley, activist, former Street Sights member Dan Daley died April 20 after several months of steady decline due to cancer. He was an activist’s activist. He made his presence known as soon he walked into a room. He made

sure that people knew he was Dan the Man.

but the future is uncertain. Due to the difficult times, the church plans on expanding its outreach to serve the community. Since the problem of homelessness is not solved, the church wants to make the conditions more hospitable for homeless people. The church hopes to be a part of the rotating shelter system next winter. In order to continue the free coffee outreach, Pastor Bob stressed, “We can’t compromise the integrity of the church; people need to be respectful of the surroundings in order to lessen the tension between the businesses and the church.” Street Sights congratulates Pastor Bob Brooks and all the volunteers at Grace Church.

Are beds in shelters not being used? By Brian Young Staff Photographer

Street Sights posed this question to the public after hearing some reports that beds in some shelters were being left unfilled.

“No, beds fill up fast on a first come, first served basis.” -- Bryant

“No, all beds are being used.” -- Patricia

“No, they will give you a place to sleep.” -- Rebecca

“No, I am grateful to have a bed.” -- Nicole

Church seeks funds for fire safety work A fundraiser concert was hosted May 3 by Heads Up, the Mathewson Street United Methodist Church’s nonprofit organization, in order to pay for a new fire protection system to meet current fire codes. This work is needed to comtinue the Friday night meal site. Send tax free donations to: Heads Up, Matthewson Street United Methodist Church, 134 Matthewson Street, Providence, RI 02903. For more information, call 401-331-8900.

Photos by Pete Desimas

Project Homeless Connect brings help to Pawtucket A variety of service providers gathered April 15 at St. Joseph’s Church in Pawtucket for RI Project Homeless Connect.

Guests could could obtain IDs, get legal help, sign up for health screenings, learn about their housing and employment.

6 May 2009

Creative Works

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Composition for a Fellow Journeyer By Stan Kapelewski

Would you like your Writing on the Wall? Put your creative writing and poems in the drop boxes located at Crossroads, Amos House, and McAuley House or send an e-mail to Stan Kapelewski, Creative Writing editor, at [email protected]. Visit our website for more fun at www.streetsights. org. Include your name and contact number so we can get your photo.

Decisions

By George Lopez In life, sometimes we make choices …some good, some bad. When they’re GOOD we feel happy for what we did; On the other hand, when they’re BAD we regret the choice we made. The BAD eats you up inside like it was starving to death… …we feed into it by beating ourselves up ‘til the pain kills us. The tears flow down the more we think of it. So to feel better and heal the pain and the wounds; you should forget about the bad choices you’ve made and start making GOOD DECISIONS.

WE ALL are on our own personal quests to solve our true purpose, or mission in life. Most people try, but then quickly give up. Those that endure will eventually figure out that the only reason we are continually put in these physical states of being (the shell we live in), is because our mission is not yet completed. WE ALL will continue to die, over and over again, until we get it right…accept it. WE ALL have arranged each of our own “Life forces” to welcome in the Destinies, as well as Disasters in our well cultivated lives. WE ALL (in essence) have chosen each of our fates. WE ALL must keep a keen eye on our perspective (use it…or lose it). In any one of our lifetimes, we must always be true to ourselves… WE ALL need the faith, and belief of our thoughts, and actions.…for being true to anyone, or anything else, is not only impossible, but also very distracting from our goal. WE ALL live with so much confusion, primarily

A Love Poem

caused by the illusion of the “Reality” of existence. Let your spiritual self have a playful time, for that is the “True You.” WE ALL have an inner learning; never, ever turn away from any possible experiences (whether good, or bad) unless, you can honestly say that you have nothing to learn from them. WE ALL encounter problems along the journey. When we tackle the problem, we learn that sometimes they provide us the gift of accomplishment. We then in turn, seek to challenge more problems in order to receive the gifts they are bearing. WE ALL must then raise our field of vision well beyond the horizon… Practice being fictional for awhile, you will then more clearly under-

stand that sometimes fictional characters are more real than people with bodies, or heartbeats. WE ALL must extinguish the self-adopted greed and corruption in our lives… …while at the same time increase the compassion that is calculated in “The Human Factor” that WE ALL should live by. That is when you then can truly See (and not just look) …Past The “Horizon of Life.”

(dedicated to Quinten Hood)

By Samantha Pfister

With every passing day my love for you grows deeper I never want to go a day without your love I want to spend every day of my life with you here by my side My life just wouldn’t be right without you in my world

Words can’t express the love I have for you But deep down inside, I know my love is true You are my best friend, my world, my everything For me you are a Godsend, my Guardian Angel I never thought that I could ever trust a man again But you just held my hand and made me whole once more The walls I once built, that used to stand so tall Came crashing to the ground, so you could have it all

You are my strength, when I’m ready to give up You are my hope, when nothing seems to go right You make me whole, you are my other half You’ve got my mind, body, heart and soul… …And I love you to death.

Spring By JoAnn Dyes Spring is coming Softly, slowly creeping Spring is coming The buds are peeping On the trees all around

The sun is stronger Flowers are popping Days are getting longer Things are hopping Grass is greening

Spring is returning Slowly but surely Nights are warmer Mornings are early The colors bursting

Creative Works

I’ve Earned My Wrinkles By Carolyn J. Schwartz I’ve earned my wrinkles, every one I’m down before the day is done My aches tell me when it will rain And exercise is but a strain.

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May 2009

7

Thoughts to the Thoughtless By Josh Hicks

I don’t recognize the songs they play Or understand them, anyway I misplace so many things It seems my time has taken wings. I dreaded growing old you see I thought no one would notice me My hair would turn a torrid gray And all my talents slip away. Not to be noticed in a crowd A little old lady much too loud But younger people sort me out And listened to the words I spout And my hands, loose skin and all Could still lead others that were small

Illustration by a member of MHCA-OASIS

There are precious things that are not taught To people who are sold or bought Born of greed and vanity Justified with Christianity Thought is not a valued thing Nor fallacy like wedding rings The book that they had never read Leaves the author cold and dead His bullet ripped right through his head His pen fell to the floor People who thought him as a chore Sigh… “He’ll waste our ink no more”

Kindred spirit By Samath Kang What is Love when you can’t Love the one you wanna Love It hurts so much losing that touch Not knowing what to do I tried my best to be good to you but I guess you don’t feel the same. Thinking to myself… … am I the one to blame? I closed my eyes as I started to pray Every night and day Never thought it would end this way. Today I try to stay focused I try so hard but still can’t let it go. Love hurts deep inside Not knowing…but to think If she really Loves you too, And it’s hard for me to think…

By Deborah Shepard Softly I dream ... Summer moons kiss glistening While sleeping magic hears our utterances Wonderment in all twilight skies, spirit be Telling us angels shall arise

Assent

Kindred totems ... hearing each homeless Gentle moons peaks kindred shawls Hopes and dreams shed the tears to star anew Each celeste shall breathe softly to Our utopia is reflected in each kiss to azure Kindred totems ... hearing each homeless Each dawns rose shall dance with falling words With ethereal opening to our future Shifting the heavens gates to see the live growing lives Angels utterances, as the quiet stillness is solace in Mother Earth’s smiles

By Silent Lotus Lemon Rose petals Dusted with moonlight Float upon a threadbare runner Of courtyards and marble floors A sentry sings of silence And the fragrance Returns seed Shores

Anonymous By a shelter employee

 I go to work    and see your face            for days                   weeks                    months

I go to work    and hear you’re gone              to where                    when                      why

 I go to work     And hope you know               I care                  pray                  wonder

Christopher D’Ambra

8 May 2009

Columns

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CDCs help support healthy communities By Willa Truelove

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ommunity Development Corporation (CDC) is a broad term referring to not-for-profit organizations incorporated to provide programs, offer services, and engage in other activities that promote and support a community. Healthy communities are based on the amount, quality, and provision of services to the community. It is up to the people to tell the CDCs what they need for a healthy community. Much of the economic crisis

that we are suffering from can and should be addressed within our own communities, creating stimuli for local growth and commerce. Successful communities need access to services that create economic development and allow them to thrive. Many of the CDCs throughout Rhode Island are working on complicated projects that directly involve the people of the communities. Solving the economic crisis starts with you in your own neighborhood. Get involved in your neighborhood and help to

make your community stronger and healthier. We need to think globally but act locally, starting with neighborhoods. Rhode Island Community Development Corporations: ♦ House of Hope provides sustainable housing for homeless people and people in danger of becoming homeless. The House of Hope works directly with referrals from Crossroads to place people into housing. Information: 463-3324 or www.thehouseofhopecdc.org.

The Legal Beat

Wiping the legal slate clean By Kristen Sherman

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Columnist

art I of this series described eligibility for expungement and the effect of having a record expunged. The second part describes the expungement process. Expungment is a legal process that permits qualified people to have their criminal records sealed or destroyed. Under Rhode Island law, a person seeking expungement must file a motion to expunge in the court in which the conviction took place. A motion is a legal document that asks the court to take some action. The motion will need to list the details of the case to be expunged, including the disposition of that case. If the file for the case involving the conviction is more than four or five years old and is no longer stored at the courthouse, it may be necessary to obtain a certified copy of the disposition in the case from the Judicial Records Center in Pawtucket. In most cases, the motion is prepared and signed by an attorney. However, for people without an attorney, some courts offer a form called Motion to Expunge. The court clerk should be able to guide you in completing them. When the motion to expunge is filed, the party seeking expungement must get a hearing date for the motion to be heard by a judge. The clerk will help get the motion assigned to the

court calendar. By law, a party must give the Attorney General’s office and the police department that brought the charge notice of the hearing at least 10 days before the hearing. Notice is provided by sending them a copy of the motion to expunge. Send this material by registered mail or certified mail or handdeliver it to the attorney general’s office and the police department. On the date of the hearing, the judge will consider “all relevant testimony and information.” The judge has discretion to grant or deny the motion to expunge. Certain criteria must be met. The burden is on the petitioner to demonstrate that he or she has not been convicted or arrested for any felony within the ten-year period (or five year period in the case of a misdemeanor) before the motion to expunge being filed; is not the subject of any pending criminal proceedings; and has exhibited good moral character in the period before seeking expungement. In addition, the judge must conclude that the petitioner has been sufficiently rehabilitated and that expungement serves the public interest. If the judge grants the motion to expunge, he or she will sign and enter an order, a legal document that reflects the judge’s decision and usually directs that certain actions be taken. The order will direct that all records relating to the case that is expunged be removed from

the public record. The petitioner should come to the hearing with a draft order ready for the judge to sign. Once the judge signs the order, the petitioner must take it to the clerk’s office and should obtain certified copies of the order. Those certified copies must be sent to the Bureau of Criminal Information, the Attorney General’s office, the police department that brought the charges and any other law enforcement agency that has copies of the records. It may be prudent to keep a copy of the motion. Kristen Sherman is an attorney and a partner in the Litigation Department at Adler Pollock & Sheehan, P.C.

Providence Revolving Fund helps preserve Providence’s architectural heritage and stimulating community revitalization through advocacy, lending, technical assistance, and development in historic areas. This is done by partnering with community-based organizations, retaining and developing affordable housing, collaborating with others to preserve and develop real estate, and serving as a catalyst for investment. Information: 272-2760 or www.revolvingfund.org ♦

♦ Smith Hill Development Corporation creates affordable housing, promotes economic development, and fosters community in the Smith Hill area of Providence. This CDC is taking applications for rental properties and has several home ownership options available. Information: 521-0159 or visit www.smithhillcdc.org ♦ East Bay Community Development Corporation was founded in 1989 to determine what could be done to energize and revive the blighted neighborhood surrounding the former Kaiser Mill complex. East Bay CDC creates and maintains affordable housing for the town’s low-income to moderate-income citizens. Information: 253-2080 or visit www.ebcdc. org ♦ Joslin Community Development Corporation offers

many services, including day care, Project Key, the COOL after-school program, a food pantry, furniture bank referrals, clothing collaborative referrals, heating assistance, translation services, advocacy, and referrals to other resources. Information: 421-8062. ♦ Woodlawn Community Development Corporation was established to support the low-income residents of the Woodlawn neighborhood of Pawtucket. This CDC strives to improve the economic and social well-being of the Woodlawn community by empowering its residents through education, advocacy, and innovation. Information: 475-7632 or visit www.woodlawncdc.org. ♦ Volunteer Center of Rhode Island connects people and opportunities for community service by promoting volunteerism, building the capacity for effective volunteerism through training and consultation, and collaborating with community stakeholders. Information: 475-7632 or visit www.volunteersolutions.org ♦ Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation’s mission is to create jobs, help companies expand their workforce, and identify opportunities to bring new companies into Rhode Island. Information: 278-9100 or www.riedc.com/ business-service/financing.

Charlie Hall

Columns

As the Shelter Turns

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Joseph Perry and Kevin Paulino

ive key issues the service providers must look at are jobs and the economy, education, health care, energy and the environment, and crime and punishment. In each of these areas, shelter clients also have a responsibility to take action. Jobs and the Economy What shelters and clients need: Rhode Island shelters need help with shelter clients. The state must develop a shelter infrastructure bank modeled after the World Bank. The state government and financial institutions should help jump-start the ailing economy by infusing funds to help rebuild and put shelter clients to work. What shelter clients can do: Handle your own business. Pay bills on time and avoid adding new credit. A good credit score is the key to securing financing to pay for everything from a home, to a car, to college tuition, as well as access to a credit line you may need to tap in a down economy. And increasingly, employers are checking credit history of potential workers as a qualification for employment. Stay current on your education. A high school or college degree evens the playing field more than any federal program or government handout. Studies have shown that as education attainment by African Americans rises, their earnings, as a percentage of white earnings, also increases. According to recent Census Bureau statistics, an African American with a high school degree earned 81 percent of the pay level that similarly educated whites earned. For collegeeducated African Americans, the percentage increases to 87 percent. Education What shelters and clients need: The state government and the shelter providers must push to close this persistent achievement gap, and take a lead in improving the physical conditions of the shelters, providing needed structure and supplies, and changing a culture that allows the case managers and other administrators to justify low expectations for their clients. We need a statewide desegregation program that would reverse what some people have called “resegregation” of the shelters. What shelter clients can do: Shelter clients must take responsibility for their own failures and successes. The shelter manager, leaders, and case managers must be active in the lives of the clients. Shelter managers should have clients volunteer for events and fundraisers. Above all else, don’t settle for an inferior emergency shelter services system. [Continued next month] My name is Joe Perry and I am a seasoned ‘allspice’ 72-year-old citizen. I have been part of the shelter system for many years by living, volunteering, and by working on the staff there. I wish to share my experiences with all. Send comments to [email protected].

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Affordable rents out of reach in RI

A Five issues to tackle

May 2009

national report released in April shows that affordable rental housing remains out of reach for average Rhode Islanders. Rhode Island continues to have one of the highest rental costs in the country, coming in at number 13. Three other New England states, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire, remain in the top ten for unaffordablity. Hawaii had the highest rental costs in the country; Puerto Rico the lowest. Additionally, the report highlights the growing housing cost burden shouldered by Rhode Islanders. Rhode Island was second in the country, behind only Hawaii, with the highest percentage growth of the two-bedroom housing wage with a 64.4 percent increase from 20002009. This growth indicates the increase in what someone needs to earn to be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment at the

Fair Market Rent. The report, “Out of Reach 2009,” was released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a housing advocacy group. The report provides the Housing Wage and related data for every state, metropolitan area and county in the country. The report highlights the fact that low-income renters were in the midst of a housing crisis before the current foreclosure crisis struck, with 70 percent of low-income renters spending more than half of their income on rent. Additionally, the report shows that there already was a shortage of 2.8 million affordable units and that only 38 units were affordable and available for every 100 households. The release of the report raises serious concerns for the

affordable housing community as it comes at a time when the foreclosure and unemployment crisis is hitting Rhode Islanders particularly hard. Rhode Island Housing reports that Rhode Island’s foreclosure rate ranks tenth in the country. And Rhode Island has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. Advocates have seen first-hand how the unemployment and foreclosure crisis have exacerbated the barriers low income renters have encountered in their search for housing. Jim Ryczek, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless states, “This report reminds us why the state programs that support affordable housing are so critical. Now, more than ever, we need our elected officials to act boldly to prevent more Rhode Island residents from slipping into homelessness.” -- Karen Jeffreys

March for food stamp help organized by Wiley Center

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s part of a one-year campaign to help Rhode Islanders who need food assistance, the George Wiley Center chapters organized five marches on RI Department of Human Services (DHS) offices on April 4. The marches, scheduled to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, were an opportunity to bring the plight of poor families and those who have lost jobs to the attention of DHS officials who process food stamp applications on Saturdays behind locked doors. In Woonsocket, Pawtucket, Providence, Warwick, and Middletown, Wiley members rang door bells and rapped on the locked DHS doors, demanding that staffers accept applications from people who cannot get to the offices during the week. At some of the sites, DHS officials met with the Wiley contingents to explain that they were processing food stamp applications as fast as possible. The state officials’ claims were rejected by the marchers who demanded that DHS hire many more food stamp application workers, open DHS offices evenings and Saturdays, and shorten the current food stamp application form to four pages. The form is now 28 pages long.

Editor’s Note:

Opinion articles represent the opinions of the people who submitted them. We welcome your opinion pieces (up to 200 words). We do not publish material

The Wiley Center demands are longstanding. Too many Rhode Islanders who need food stamp assistance cannot get their applications processed because they cannot get to a DHS office during the week. Others who do complete the lengthy form wait weeks for their application to be processed because of a shortage of food stamp workers. Announcing that “we are not going to wait any longer for action to help hungry Rhode Islanders,” Henry Shelton, coordinator of the Wiley Center, announced that Wiley members would meet with Governor Carcieri to demand that state officials do a better job helping citizens to get access to the food that they need. Standing in the cold morning air on a blustery Saturday morning, members of the five-city Wiley contingent stood hand-in-hand outside the five DHS offices and sang “We Shall Overcome.” “We are committed to helping workers who have lost their jobs and children who are hungry – we will prevail,” said one marcher. -- Julie Silvia

we deem to be racist, sexist or classist in nature. We also do not publish material that includes personal (as opposed to policy) attacks against individuals, organizations or groups of

individuals. Street Sights reserves the right to edit material. Contact information should be included with any submission whenever possible.

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May 2009



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Opinion / Columns

Spring brings warmth and joy of renewal

Group helps people with mental illness By Kate Salvi NAMI -- Rhode Island

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Phil Edmonds

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Community Activist

eginning in March, the signs of the coming of spring multiply each week. More daylight hours, the yellowing of the willow branches and the budding of the maple trees, the return of the chickadees and the redwings, and as the month moves along, there are usually a few days when the temperature reaches 60 degrees. Though a New England winter has its own beauty, it’s the coming of spring that lifts everyone’s spirits, especially on those warmer days. On any city bus, people are beginning to warm up – there is a little more banter going on, and a few more smiles. For those of us who have a place to live indoors, this is the time we begin to see more of our neighbors as they venture

outdoors more often. This is a great opportunity to get to know those neighbors we never got to know. For those of us who do not have place to live and who are forced to spend a lot of time outside, survival becomes a little bit easier as a layer or two of clothing comes off while the sun slowly warms the body. Surely this is a time to celebrate. What better way than to show more kindness to those we pass each day, and at the same time, to give thanks in our own way to the returning wonders of springtime.

Take hope: recovery is possible Jim Gillen Clinical Coordinator of Recovery Services The Providence Center

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ecovery begins with a notion and with a healthy mix of ingredients like abstinence, peer support, and community resources. Recovery can become a way of life. As inhabitants of this world, we have a right to live a life of dignity and be treated with respect. What part can we play in that? Over the years as a person in recovery myself, I have found that treating others with the same respect that I would ask for goes a long way in helping me see the world from a healthy, positive perspective. Recovery is not from any one thing. It can be from sub-

stance abuse, including alcohol. It can be recovery from physical or mental health concerns, trauma, etc. Recovery is about healing. We are often wounded warriors, from wounded families and communities. This doesn’t mean that we should settle for a quality of life that is less than the general public is entitled to. It has to start with us. Our elders teach us: “A great learning must occur.” It is important to have a plan to carry out our learning and our dreams. It is good to have dreams and goals. They are achievable.

Even though these goals and dreams, and life in general can seem overwhelming, that is when peer and community support can be so helpful in taking some of the fear out of life. Our goal as a recovering community at the Providence Center is to be of help and to be supportive of you as you can be to others. It’s part of the pay-it-forward theory and it works. Believe me when I tell you, it works. There are a lot of good things coming down the pike and together we can enjoy them. Recovery is possible!

Housing bills in Assembly By Brenda Clement Housing Action RI

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s the General Assembly returns to work from spring break, much remains to be done on several issues important to the affordable housing community. Before the break, the General Assembly passed a supplemental budget that did little to

address the state’s current financial deficit. Hearings have begun on next year’s budget (which goes into effect on July 1, 2009), and housing advocates are seeking restoration of funds to the Neighborhood Opportunities Program (NOP). The governor’s proposed budget does not include any funding for this critical program. House Bill H-5987, introduced

by Majority Leader Gordon Fox and Rep. Thomas Slater, would provide $7.5 million in state funds to NOP. While Rhode Island is receiving some federal housing dollars through some new federal initiatives like the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the Homeless Prevention See BILLS on pge 11

ental illnesses are medical conditions that affect a person’s feeling, thinking, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. A mental illness is a medical condition that often results in a diminished capacity for coping with the demands of life. Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and borderline personality disorder. With gainful insight and proper treatment, recovery is possible. Most people in our communities haven’t heard about the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI Rhode Island is an independent organization that provides support to those whose lives are affected by mental illness and educates professionals, families, students, and the public about mental illness. NAMI Rhode Island is on a mission to increase its recognition by the public. It wants to be recognized as the first resource for people struggling with mental illness. NAMI needs support from psychiatrists, consumers, family members, therapists, health centers, hospitals, etc. Chaz Gross, executive director of NAMI Rhode Island, says, “If people don’t know about us, they can’t access the wonderful education, support and advocacy programs we have to offer.” NAMI Rhode Island advocates at every level to ensure the rights and dignity of those with mental illness, and actively promotes research in the science and treatment of persons with mental illness. NAMI Rhode Island is part of the family of more than 1,200 affiliates across the country; there are currently eight affiliates in Rhode Island. NAMI Rhode Island presents education programs, including the NAMI family-tofamily education course. It is a free 12-week course for family

and friends of people affected by serious mental illness. It is taught by trained NAMI family members and has been described as life changing by people who have taken part in the interactive course. The classes help families gain empathy by understanding the subjective, lived experience of a person struggling with mental illness. NAMI Rhode Island also recognizes that teachers and school administrators in junior high and high schools struggle to balance many responsibilities with a limited amount of resources. To help, NAMI of-

fers Inside Mental Illness to students. The classes are presented in two 45-minute sessions. The first session discusses the myths about mental illness and offers an introduction to mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. The second session examines thought disorders and engages students in a discussion about the impact of stigma in our society. One student at a local school said, “I have learned that you’re not out of the game of life if you’re diagnosed with a mental illness.” NAMI Connection is one of the more recent recovery support group programs for people living with mental illnesses that are expanding throughout the country. Within the next few months, NAMI Rhode Island will be offering this casual approach to discussing the challenges and successes of coping with mental illness. Each group meets weekly for an hour and a half and is free of charge and follows a flexible structure with no specific educational format. These support groups are open to all adults with mental illness, regardless of their diagnoses. Currently, NAMI offers a consumer run support group on the second and fourth Thursday of every month at its office located at 154 Waterman Street. This group is open to all people whose lives are affected by mental illness. Call NAMI at 401-331-3060 for more information on any of services or programs.

News

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GRACE According to a summary of the situation given to Street Sights by Ed Ellis and Marta Morrogh-Bernard, the vicepresident and president of the Grace Church Apartments Tenants Association, respectively, the first-floor bathrooms “were built with the main building and were to provide a service to the tenants when they were doing laundry [across the hall].”

bills Fund and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), these are still not adequate to meet the growing demand for affordable and supportive housing units. More than 15 bills seek to address various aspects of the foreclosure problem in Rhode Island. Low-to-moderate income communities across the state have been severely affected by the high number of foreclosures. More than half of the foreclosures in the state are in multi-family buildings. Rhode Island Housing estimates that more than 3,500 tenants have been displaced by foreclosures.

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A few years ago, the Cookie Place Café, a restaurant, opened on the ground floor of the building. Grace Church Apartments later refurbished the bathrooms to make them accessible to handicapped people as required by the building code. Customers of the restaurant use the bathrooms. In July 2007, according to Morrogh-Bernard’s notes, the

first-floor handicapped bathrooms were being locked at all times except 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Her notes say the building manager alleged that the tenants who used the bathrooms were too messy, and that they stole the toilet paper and paper towels. If a tenant needs to use the bathroom during hours when the bathrooms are locked, the ten-

TENTS sion of our mission, which is outreach to the homeless,” Souza says. Everyone involved in the endeavor is quick to point out that the tent city isn’t necessarily a space for protest, but rather a simple matter of safety. Without the option to band together in the church courtyard, many of Woonsocket’s homeless people are left wandering the woods, looking for somewhere dry to spend the night. Eric Joseph Bielat, a church volunteer who has been helping organize the tent city, remembers the time he spent in the woods when he was homeless two years ago. The police would come by and rip down the tents that he and others were staying in, throwing out their belongings. “I remember hearing the mayor say that there’s no such thing as homelessness in Woonsocket. I was homeless then,” Bielat points out. Today, he has a place to stay, but the knowledge that he could become homeless again at any time inspires him to help.

May 2009

From page 1

Steve Laramee, a volunteer at the Matthew 25 Center, which serves 80 to 100 meals twice a week, acknowledges that the community as a whole has been supportive. People have brought donations and other churches have joined in to help. However, some people who would have had the means to help out in previous years may be needing help themselves. Recently, Laramee has noticed a change in the kind of people he sees coming in to the Matthew 25 Center for meals. There have been more families and kids this year, and the number of birthday parties at the Wednesday and Saturday dinners has increased. “I don’t care if you come in with a Lexus and a three-piece suit; we’re feeding you,” Laramee promises. Everyone is quick to recognize how fine a line many people in the Woonsocket are treading; many are on the brink of homelessness. Gary, one of the six men who were staying in the tents in April, was one of them. From page 10

Under current state law, tenants can be given as little as a few days’ notice before they have to leave their homes in a foreclosure. Housing advocates are working with a number of legislators and other interested parties to draft legislation that provides proper notice and other protections to tenants and addresses the blight caused by the growing number of vacant and abandoned houses in our neighborhoods. Providence Mayor Cicilline and Providence City Council are also working on several city ordinances on foreclosures.

When he lost his job recently, Gary, who did not wish to use his last name, was unable to come up with his rent. He found himself homeless in the beginning of April after his landlord kicked him out. With nowhere to go, he stayed several nights in the woods before he heard about the tent city. There is no information out there for newly homeless people, Gary says. “You just try to find a dry spot. You don’t know where to go.” He considers himself lucky to have found the tent city. After half a dozen men had been sleeping in the tents for several nights, a representative from the City of Woonsocket came by the site to let them know that they were violating zoning laws. The men have been forced to stay elsewhere while Souza and other members of the Woonsocket faith community collaborate with the city on a more permanent solution. Currently the tents remain pitched in the courtyard of the church, unoccupied. “It’s a sign of solidarity,” explains Souza.

ant must find the security guard and ask for access to the bathrooms. Most tenants need to use this bathroom on the weekend when they do laundry. In a memo dated May 29, 2008, Laurel J. Boulanger, project administrator of the apartments, wrote that a key would be provided to tenants who could “document a particularized disability need for access to the facility during those hours when it is otherwise locked…” Morrogh-Bernard said this action was in response to their complaints to the Commission. According to the Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of l968, it is illegal to restrict anyone’s access to any benefit enjoyed by others in connection with the housing program. Therefore, Ellis and Morrogh-Bernard, the officers of the tenants association, argue it may be the case that all tenants should have keys to the first floor restrooms, regardless of a medical condition, or have unrestricted access as it was previously. Furthermore, they state, health records are private and protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA); thus those records do not need to be provided to the building’s management. The building is described as a “secure building.” However, people in the Cookie Place Café have access to the handicapped restrooms in the apartment building and, thus, to the entire building. Morrogh-Bernard says this building is not secure from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on the days the Cookie Place Café is in opera-

Build allow the students to feel pride in the work that they’ve done, and give them a sense of place in their community. In fact, the feeling of community is the philosophy of Youth Build. Nearly every statement begins with “As a community...”. YouthBuild teaches students to think about the entire community and how to help others rather than just focusing on oneself. The enrollment process is tough. A candidate must undergo a recruitment process, a series of interviews, and a toughness session before being accepted as a student in YouthBuild. This

tion. Ellis and Morrogh-Bernard, a married couple, are waging the battle for all tenants to have unlimited access to the first-floor restrooms. Morrogh-Bernard attended Harvard University and was a teacher whose father was a lawyer. Ellis is a Korean War veteran and former restaurateur who wishes to help out those in need. Ellis says states he has always helped hospitalized veterans and the elderly since shortly after his discharge from the military. Ellis tells of a veteran who tried to gain access to the firstfloor handicapped bathroom while his clothes were being washed in the laundry room across the hall. The security guard was located; however, the guard did not have a key. Eventually, a key was found and the guard unlocked the door and left. Upon entering, this elderly man was knocked from his wheelchair to the floor by an inner-opening door (which is against the Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA] guidelines) and he was thus prevented from using the toilet in a timely manner. Ellis says the building’s manager used this instance to justify the restricted hours of operation. However, Ellis says he has documentation that this incident took place in February 2008, after the hours of operation had already been curtailed. Ellis also tells of three instances where carpet in the elevator had to be replaced because tenants had toileting accidents in the elSee BATHROOMS on page 12 From page 1

strict recruitment process results in a high quality of work and a strong sense of pride for the work accomplished by each student. Some students go on to join an apprenticeship program for a particular skill learned at YouthBuild. Others go on to college. James Ek, a student taking part in YouthBuild, said, “Without YouthBuild I’m not sure where I’d be. I’d probably be gang banging. When I stepped into Youth Build I stepped into a family. Everybody treats me with respect.” The staff encourages the stu-

dents every step along the way. From one-on-one mentoring to career counselors and everything in between, students are never alone while enrolled at YouthBuild. Even after graduation, graduates are supported by an alumni services program that helps find them jobs and follows up on their progress. YouthBuild is funded through HUD and Department of Labor grants. People interested in applying for a house built by YouthBuild should call Olneyville Housing at 401-3518719 or visit 1 Curtis Street.

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End Notes

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Memorial Day Word Search See how many Memorial Day words you can find from the list below: memory ♦ war ♦ America ♦ flag ♦ honor ♦ loyalty ♦ Army ♦ Navy Marines ♦ Coast Guard ♦ Courage ♦ Strength ♦ patriot ♦ Air Force

S R O F E F N H R D

D L O Y A L T Y Y F

R O N O H G A L V E

A R M Y N M T P H S

U I A E E I Y A I R

G O R R A R V T A R

T T I F O W A R T A

S C N M O A N I G E

A R E G A R U O A O

O M S O S A C T G O

C P T G A O E E N L

BATHROOMS

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evator on the way to their apartments. Ellis and Morrogh-Bernard took their complaints about the locked bathrooms and other matters to HUD’s Providence office and the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights. The Providence HUD office wanted nothing to do with the matter at hand, according to Ellis and Morrogh-Bernard, but the commission listened to them. However, they said the commission took no action on the complaints. Ellis and Morrogh-Bernard took their fight to the HUD office in Boston and their concerns were heard. The HUD office in Boston responded by saying the Commission for Human Rights in Rhode Island should investigate their complaints. Ellis and Morrogh-Bernard note that the R.I. Commission for Human Rights is the same government body that did nothing with the case for over one year. Also, they say, one of its lawyers, Cynthia Hyatt, now has to represent the tenants association. Ellis said Hyatt is the same person who told Ellis and MorroghBernard to hire a lawyer, even through the commission has a contractual obligation to investigate the matter for HUD. Rhode Island Legal Services also stated the commission should represent the tenants association in matters of housing discrimination. Grace Church Apartments is owned by Grace Church Housing Corporation to provide subsidized housing for the elderly and disabled. Its president is Kenneth R. Burnett, of Bank Rhode Island, and its director is the Rev. Robert Brooks. Part 2 of this story will be published in the June issue Download the most up-to-date Street Sheets resources guide at www.rihomeless.org