Easy Activistm: Homelessness

The issue of homelessness in DC has bubbled into the news a few times in past months. Central Union Mission and the DC gov't. continue to grapple with plans for relocation. As well, the shelter at the Franklin School is about to close. With the Community for Creative Nonviolence, DC's largest full-service shelter, not accepting new residents until after their renovation, the availability of emergency shelter beds has declined this year. Despite the 1984 Right to Overnight Shelter Act, shelter space remains scarce, and some is unacceptably dirty or unsafe.

There is some good news though: The DC Housing First initiative sets a plan to get 2500 homeless into permanent housing by the end of 2009. If this goal is met, about half of the current homeless population would have homes and access to support services. Eleven million dollars have been budgeted for this program, and the DC Department of Human Services has another eight million set aside for services for the homeless. As well, local non profits continue to do a lot of good. Many of the privately-run programs for the homeless take a holistic approach; though emergency beds still exist, shelter clients are now likely to be able to get medical care and counseling and a boost toward stable housing. Amongst services listed for various shelters, I have seen homework help, legal aid, art classes, and literacy training. More good news: according to a PBS report, the vast majority of homeless are not chronically homeless -- defined as homeless for one year or more or having experienced four or more periods of homelessness in three years. When proper resources are available, many people can find homes and support services.

Help DC's providers of services to the homeless to continue to transition people off of our streets. The easiest and most painless thing to do is to make a donation. For a list of charities to consider, have a look at Street Sense's resource list, which will give you a summary of services provided by each organization. You can select beneficiaries by types of services offered, population served, and even size by quickly glancing through this list. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development also maintains a list of DC resources here.

Before the holiday season makes you feel broke and overwhelmed, give what you can. Many organizations allow donations through their websites. If giving a lump sum seems like it will hurt, creating a small monthly recurring payment the next time you are banking online might take the sting out (giving five percent of your annual pay = scary, donating 5% of each paycheck = manageable). Maybe you just want to wade slowly into charitable giving with a small one-off donation; you could start with an amount equivalent to the cost of your last dinner out or what you spent at coffee shops last month.

Please also consider attending the upcoming Street Sense reception and silent auction on Thursday, October 2nd. Tickets start at $25 online or $35 at the door, and you will have the opportunity to bid on theater and sports tickets, restaurant gift certificates, jewelry, and art among other things. Your participation will help Street Sense, a newspaper that creates job opportunities for the homeless while raising awareness of social issues, with its operations budget.

Easy Activism: Support Obama

Something to consider for tomorrow night:

Democratic Presidential Debate Watch Party & Obama Fundraiser for Buses to Ohio

When: Tuesday, February 26 from 8 p.m. on
Red Rocks Firebrick Pizzeria
1036 Park Road NW
(Columbia HeightsMetro)

While you're there, enjoy the extended happy hour specials.

And on Wednesday night, you might want to go to Modern Liquors for their weekly wine tasting from 6-8 p.m. Featured wines include the following:

Anura Chenin Blanc (S.Africa)<>

Easy Activism: Taxi Meters

As I've stated in a previous post I believe that DC cab rates are already too high. The currently proposed time and distance meter rates have the potential to be even higher by an average of $0.97. Ugh. In any event, DC cab riders would pay the highest taxi fares in the nation if the proposed rates go through.

The Washington Post has already run a story estimating fares here. According to the organization DC Residents for Reasonable Taxi Fares, the Post will run a story in the coming week that will feature the organization's viewpoint that rates are too high. Local WJLA news has also featured the efforts of DC Residents for Reasonable Taxi Fares.

If you happen to agree that rates are too high, the simplest thing you can do is to sign the petition here. When you sign electronically, you will also be able to add a comment to the Mayor. As of last week's round-table held by Jim Graham, there were 850 signatures and 42 pages of public comments. You can also send a form letter to Mayor Fenty, the DC City Council, and DC Taxicab Commission simultaneously through this website. I have an unproven belief that customizing the letter and subject line may be more effective in grabbing the attention of our leadership.

Jim Graham has oversight of the Taxi Cab Commission, so you might want to target him personally for your correspondence. His contact information can be found here. If you live in Cardozo/Shaw, Adams Morgan, or Columbia Heights, as constituents of Ward 1, Graham may be even more likely to pay heed to your concerns. As the Mayor's office has proposed the new cab rules, you may want to copy them on any correspondence that you send to Graham or other Council members.

The number of DC citizens who make their voices heard on this issue is very important. Jim Graham seems to believe that he represents the wishes of all 6500 cab drivers in the city by supporting zone meters and threatening to legislate this issue. The Mayor's office as well appears to be supporting drivers by setting the drop fee so high and maintaining current surcharges. Commissioner Sandra Seegars of ANC 8E has a petition stating that 97 percent of Ward 8 residents support fixed rates. Those in favor of time and distance meters as well as lower fares will have to respond in numbers sufficient to counter the cab drivers and the approximately 71,000 residents of Ward 8. I also believe that we can come up with more convincing arguments than the opposition is using —the Mayor is overstepping his authority; we need to protect the business interests of cab drivers (who may or may not be DC residents) over the cab riding public; neither residents nor cab drivers have a problem with current fares.

Please take 5 minutes from your home or office computer to sign a petition and/or send an email.