January 2011 Sleeping Bag Distribution

Since Be the Change in DC was founded, we’ve had a few goals. Those goals include educating the general public about homelessness and enabling the formerly homeless to help those who are homeless. On Sunday, January 16th, 2011, we made progress toward these goals with a successful event in which seven volunteers distributed 14 sleeping bags to the homeless.

By day, the corner of 14th and New York Avenue in downtown DC is bustling. The stores there, including an AT&T store and a Starbucks, are as busy as any. At night, the location transforms. Tucked under the awnings of some of the most familiar retail stores, more than a dozen homeless people can be found at night under blankets, even when the temperature dips below freezing. Be the Change in DC volunteers gave out 12 sleeping bags at this location alone.

Volunteering to help distribute sleeping bags to DC’s homeless can be intense: you come across not only a range of personalities on the street but you also experience a range of emotions yourself. One may think that a homeless person would not turn down a (free) sleeping bag. Interestingly, we were turned down by the first three people we approached. While this may seem discouraging, we were certain that when the bags were accepted, they would certainly be used. By 8pm (when the distribution occurred), shelters are mostly full and the people outside tend to stay out for the remainder of the night. It was about 35 degrees on Sunday night in DC. The very next night DC received about two inches of snow/sleet.

Fred, who is one of the participants in Be the Change in DC’s cell phone initiative and has slept out on the streets himself, volunteered to distribute sleeping bags with us. While distributing the bags, Fred asked a homeless man: “Why aren’t you in a shelter?
The man responded: "I don’t like the way they treat me in there. They don’t respect people and that’s not the way I was raised to treat people.”

That same homeless man in Rowland Park (18th and E St, NW) renewed hope in all of us with his confidence. After explaining how the security firm that he worked for went out of business due to competition and that he had been on the streets for a few weeks, he said: “When I get a job, and I know I will, then I’ll get an apartment.” It was encouraging that this man had confidence in his ability to find work, and as we walked away having given him our last bag, he said: “Thank you, thank you for the sleeping bag.”

Sometimes a simple “thank you” is enough and sometimes it’s more than enough.

Happy new year. Do Something.

Be the Change in DC wishes everyone a happy new year. As 2011 begins, it's a good time to think about how we can make an impact. This doesn't have to be helping the homeless (sure, we'd love to have you volunteer with us) but it could be something closer to you or more dear to your heart. For example, you could start recycling this year. Or maybe you rescue an animal from a shelter. I say this because today I noticed a campaign from the Washington Humane Society that says "Don't look away from animal cruelty. Do something. Call somebody. Spay or neuter your pet. Volunteer. Donate."

This campaign struck a chord with me. It's not because I have a pet. It's because the message is to do something, whatever it is or however small, but do take action. Don't say you want to get involved in something and then never act on it. Gandhi once said that "you must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi's words inspired me to start Be the Change in DC over four years ago. Today on the first day of 2011, this Washington Humane Society campaign inspired me to write this blog post and hopefully can inspire someone to do something good. Maybe you could pick up that piece of trash lying next to the garbage can and throw it away. Or instead of throwing away your aluminum can or plastic bottle, hold on to it a bit longer until you get to the recycling bin that you know is around the corner. Instead of taking a cab, try using the metro or subway or taking the bus. Why not? Save some money and the environment. Or even better... say you walk by a homeless person on your way into a food or coffee shop and decide not to give them money because you don't know how that money would have been used. Try asking the homeless person if he or she is hungry/thirtsy. If so, ask the person to come in with you to the local eatery and buy him/her a sandwich or a cup of coffee. You will feel better about yourself for helping someone and knowing that your "donation" was put to good use and that person will have gotten a meal or drink. Try it. Do something.

Tell us your stories about the homeless

As we give out sleeping bags to the homeless and the holidays near, we want to reiterate one of the goals of Be the Change in DC: to personalize homelessness for the general public. We at Be the Change in DC would like to hear about your interactions with the homeless. Is there a homeless person on the street corner with whom you have developed a relationship with? Or perhaps a homeless person whom you normally see is no longer in the same place, have you wondered where he or she is? Tell us stories, good or bad, about your personal interactions with DC's homeless. We are listening...

Sleeping bags for the homeless, Dec 2010

Braving the rain and cold weather, a few Be the Change in DC volunteers gave out ten sleeping bags to DC's homeless on Sunday, December 12th. This particular distribution focused on the homeless in Northwest DC and specifically targeted McPherson Square, 19th and Penn and Dupont Circle; future events may focus on other areas of DC. We all stayed together and distributed the bags after 9pm, thus ensuring the bags would be used to help stay warm for the night (as shelters were closed). Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering with us in the coming winter months as we will be giving out many more sleeping bags!

Permanent housing for homeless during this winter

The Washington Post has reported that a total of 185 units (a mix between apartments and single rooms) will be available for the District's homeless during the upcoming winter:

"The plan approved by the Interagency Council on Homelessness, a coalition of D.C. agencies and nonprofit groups, lists 185 units that will be used for families when emergency shelters are full. Some advocates for the homeless say they are worried that number will be insufficient, but D.C. officials say it's a better use of city money to put people in more permanent housing instead of temporary shelters."

Under D.C. law, the city must provide emergency shelter to homeless people during the coldest months, from Nov. 1 to March 31. This marks an effort by the government to help the homeless and follow the Housing First Initiative (in which the homeless individual's first and primary need is permanent housing (instead of temporary shelters) and that all other issues/ problems can and should be solved after the individual is given this housing). While there may be some concern that this initiative is moving too quickly and that there's a lack of experience in administering this type of program, Be the Change in DC is happy to hear about the goverment taking action to help the homeless. An earlier version of the plan proposed adding 100 units to the Family Emergency Shelter at the former D.C. General Hospital but was rejected because adding beds would cause even more crowding. This final plan appears to offer more units and at least a path to more permanent housing.

We hope the execution of such housing initiatives goes as smoothly as they are intended and we know firsthand that when someone is suffering in the bitter cold, you sometimes have to act first and think later. We also hope this means that fewer homeless people need the sleeping bags we distribute during the winter but regardless, we are gearing up to give out sleeping bags in December, January and February.

Sizing

Whether we are talking about the private sector or the public sector, it’s important to understand the size of a market (or a problem). Knowing the size of the addressable market you are about to enter or the size of a problem you are trying to solve is an important first step. Consultants are great at sizing a problem at the outset of a case study. When thinking of distributing sleeping bags to the homeless during the winter or cold bottles of water during the summer (and expanding our cell phone initiative), we must be thinking along these lines.

A few weeks ago, I received a mailing from So Others Might Eat (SOME), a large and well-established nonprofit that helps the homeless of DC. The mailing included some updated numbers on DC’s homeless population. I thought I should share them:

“A 2010 government survey documented 11,770 homeless persons in the DC metropolitan area, with the highest number, 6,540, located in the District. This number includes over 800 families with 1,535 children who are living on the streets, in abandoned buildings, cars or emergency shelters. The count would be even higher if the survey counted people who are doubled-up and even tripled-up in housing, living with family members or friends.”

That’s a lot of sleeping bags, bottles of water and cell phones to give out. Clearly, Be the Change in DC is not in this alone. In fact, we have and will continue to work with other organizations to fill in the gaps of services that are provided to the homeless. We could always use more help and at least we have a sense for the size of the problem.

One house at a time

As you probably know, Be the Change in DC gave out cell phones to four homeless men about two months ago. We believe that over time the phones can help Marvin, Sam M., Fred and Sam W. find housing and employment and access medical services. I recall being worried initially that these men may not stay in touch with us once we gave out the phones. I could not have been more wrong. A few days ago when I was too sick to make a meeting, I received a worried phone call from Marvin. He was checking in on me, making sure that I was ok since I missed our meeting. The other guys in the program call me frequently to check in as well. I also found out that Sam M., who has been on the housing authority's list for some time now, recently received a call that he was next-in-line for an apartment in Silver Spring. Because of the phone we provided, Sam M. was accessible and able to receive this call. He just signed the lease on his new place last Friday. I can't say that we got Sam M. housing, but we facilitated his ability to get housing and made the system more efficient. Now I call that a success, especially for a trial program.