Tick Tock Sheptock

"Let us forgo the foolishness and ineffectiveness of friendly advocacy." "Power concedes nothing without a DEMAND....." "If the recent wave of standoffish manners of some government officials and the passive-aggressiveness of others are any indications, then that means the Bowser administration is smarting from the narrative that I'm putting forth in both written and spoken word." *********************************************************************** So much for there being political "consequences and repercussions" . DC voters need to start now creating political "pre-sequences and pre-percussions" . Voting a mayor out because he or she didn't do a good job (however one might define that) has never caused the next mayor to actually do a good job -- or even a better one. Former DC mayor Vince Gray went so far as to organize a One City Summit on February 11th, 2012 -- to the tune of $600,000 -- so that he could h...

"It's mind over matter. I don't mind; 'cause, you don't matter" (A dismissive remark sometimes said to someone who is expressing anger) So, the good news here is that I'm ever more convinced with each passing day that DC Government's ICH (Inter-agency Council on Homelessness) sees the work of advocates in general and myself in particular as posing a major threat to the status quo of costly failures by well-paid derelicts -- which the city's five-year plan called "Homeward DC" is on track to become. This is due, in part, to the impending cuts to the federal safety net programs and, in part, to major missteps by the administration of DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. As we approach the two-year mark in the five-year plan with about 200 more homeless people than we started with, it's beginning to look as though this plan will suffer the same fate as the 10-year plan of 2004 which a group of poverty pimps simply ignored after three years. ...

Announcement: Street Sense -- DC's newspaper about homelessness and poverty -- will hold a meeting with journalists to discuss how media covers homelessness. See the unadulterated announcement below: PLEASE HELP EDUCATE D.C. JOURNALISTS ON WHAT IMPORTANT STORIES NEED TO BE TOLD ABOUT HOMELESSNESS  Community Meeting for Reporters & People Experiencing Homelessness Tuesday, May 23 | ​4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Church of the Epiphany sanctuary (1317 G Street NW, Metro Center) This meeting is a precursor to a June 29th event that is intended to identify solutions to homelessness. ************************************************************************** DC's current and future mayors Muriel Bowser and Karl Racine received the following. Maybe he'll learn from her mistakes and do better...starting now. Below are six ideas as to how DC homeless advocates might politicize homelessness and force the mayor to come up with real solutions. If we play our cards rig...

Tick Tock Sheptock: Philanthropists, Stop Funding Government's Failures! Fund Real Solutions to Homelessness! -- Mayor Muriel Bowser

In this post I'll show that well-meaning, kind-hearted philanthropists who fund some of Washington, DC's non-profits that "serve" the homeless are unwittingly aiding and abetting government failures and corruption indirectly. I'll also offer better places to put your money. (Since I'm enumerating government's failures, this post promises to be both long and incomplete.) To be completely fair, it must be said that some of the systemic flaws that have reared their ugly heads during the administration of DC Mayor Muriel Bowser actually predate 2015. Even so, it is the job of the current executive to fix those problems, lest she become a willing accomplice. More than half way through her term, she has failed to fix what's broken. Before delving into the flaws that cause philanthropic funds not to be put to good use, let's develop a vision that can serve to measure DC Government's success or failure when it comes to making homelessness "rar...

(There was a tech issue with the first hyperlink containing the count results. I've linked the longer regional report in its place.) The results of Washington, DC's January 2017 Point-in-Time Homeless enumeration are in. The general public might see it in the headlines by Friday, May 12th; as, government needs time to decide on the narrative they'll put forth to explain the results. Here's mine: NOTE: The count is always done at the end of January and results are released around May 10th to 15th. 2017: 7,473 people (A one-year, 10.5% decrease of 877 people) 2016: 8,350 people (It was said later that we missed at least 330 people; but gov is still using 8,350 figure.) 2015:  7,298 people (Muriel Bowser became mayor on January 2nd, 2015.) 2014: 7,748 people 2013: 6,859 people 2012: 6,954 people 2011: 6,546 people (Vince Gray became mayor on January 2nd, 2011.) 2010: 6,539 people 2009: 6,228 people 2008: 6,044 people 2007: 5,757 people (Mr. Adrian Fent...