Open Thank You Letter to DC Homeless Service Providers for Decreasing Homelessness

Open Thank You Letter to DC Homeless Service Providers
for Decreasing Homelessness

We’re all guilty of not saying “Thank you” often enough. I’m no exception to the rule. So, I want to take the time to thank all DC homeless service providers for all of their hard work since 2004 at decreasing homelessness in the nation’s capital. We had 8,253 homeless people that year. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, ins and outs together -- literally. The homeless population has gone up and down as people have gone into housing and back out. (I know someone who’s been housed about three times.) Thanks for what you do, service providers.
We had 780 less homeless people this year than we had 13 years ago when people made a 10-year plan to end DC homelessness. We’re decreasing the number of homeless people by an average of 60 people per year; but it’s a decrease nonetheless. That’s a plus -- no pun intended. Rather than complaining, we should be thankful that an average of 60 less people are homeless each year in DC. Thank you.
As I looked at the stats on the COG website, I couldn’t help but notice how much harder people have been worker year over year. In 2001 the annual report on regional homelessness was 17 pages long and the titles through 2008 each took up about a quarter of a line. From 2009 to the present, the titles take up one and one-quarter to two lines and the 2017 report is 125 pages long. The latter reports also have more graphics. Service providers are holding a lot of meetings. The reports are getting longer and prettier -- as are the DC mayors.


Sometimes Kristy Greenwalt and I agree; and, this is one such area. In mid-2014 she said, “People are working hard; but, sometimes we work hard at the wrong things”. I would thank her for saying that if she and I were communicating these days. She was right. Service providers are working hard at making longer prettier reports that better explain the excuses...err reasons for the current number of homeless people, when they should work hard at self-criticism and actually bringing the numbers down. But thank you for working hard…..at something.
I began advocating in June 2006. Through 2008 we had over 100 homeless people dying each year in DC. We’re down to 40-45 people dying homeless each year more recently. Thank you service providers for that progress -- seriously. However, I think we can agree that 40 people dying homeless is still 40 too many. But thank you for the progress. The unfortunate mathematical truth here is that the number of people dying homeless annually is two-thirds to three-fourths of the average annual decrease in homeless people -- and thus, the driver of your perceived success at ending homeless.
I’ve been advised to always end on hope. So, let me repeat that DC has decreased homelessness by an average of 60 people per year since 2004. I hope we can go from at least two-thirds of the average annual decrease being due to death and get to a place where at least two-thirds of that decrease comes from people being housed. Let’s hope. If nothing changes about how we do what we do, we WILL end DC homelessness…..by January 2142. Let’s hope.
The hope doesn’t end there. With advances in medicine and cryonics, I hope to see that day. I hope to wake up the joyous eve of the planned homeless count and sprint youthfully toward my dresser. I’ll put on my shorts and tank top before going out into the 90-degree January night, thanks to advances in global warming. This assumes that a GOP-led congress and White House don’t join the Paris Climate Accord and then do their part to reverse global warming…..with a nuclear winter or two. See, every dark cloud DOES have a silver lining…..including mushroom clouds. I hope to move vigorously through the streets of DC weeks before my 174th birthday and then return to National City Church that night so that we can celebrate the end of DC homelessness.
So, thanks again service providers for all you do. However, it’s highly advisable that you stop making five and 10-year plans and make a 125-year plan. I hope we can keep making progress. Keep your head up; and, let’s party like it’s 2142!!!!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser & Donald Trump: "Tearing it Down" Like 2 Peas in a Pod ('buridiocy")

Now that Donald Trump is occupying the White House (as our first "non-president"), many people have taken to expressing their fears on social media. Others, like myself, want to understand what types of damage he'll do and to see what we can do in the way of a "pre-emptive strike" -- like those that Bush 43 initiated against Saddam Hussein in a "buridiotic" war to stop him from using the WMD's that he didn't have in the first place. Though it might seem to be an impossible feat, I've been able to find a method to Trump's madness. In short, he's the "developer/mayor-in-chief". He seems to support the fascistic policies that have become all too common among local governments in the "Untied" States and he'll use the federal government to enforce them and bring about more of the same. Imagine a mayor and a developer working together to operate a tank and you've got the Donald. For some years now, various A...
Read more

She's Come This Far By Faith: Mother of 37, Grandmother of over 50 Turns 80 Soon

Image
************************************************************************ You read the title correctly.  My mother, Joanne Elizabeth  (Tedesco)  Sheptock and my Father, Rudolph Peter Sheptock, Sr  (who never changed "Sr" to "I" when my nephew was born),  raised 37 children.  They had seven biological children and  adopted 30 . My brother Jonathan (whose first name is my middle name) passed away in 2007 as my eldest sister Mary Grace sat beside him in the hospital. In addition to 36 surviving sons ad daughters,  my mother has at least 46 grandchildren, 11 grandchildren and many sons- and daughters-in-law  (me having asked most recently around Thanksgiving 2015). She spends her days keeping up with  over 100 people . Dad died on September 13th, 2000, with my older brother Robert having taken a leave of absence from his job at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida to help care for Dad in his last days. It also helped that Mo...
Read more

DC Mayor Thinks Homeless Woman "CHOSE" To Die In Front Of Shelter

I usually don't blog just 2 days apart; but, certain recent developments in the case of the homeless woman who died in front of a homeless shelter warrant me blogging so close together. As it turns out, the Washington Post and the Washington Times have covered the story (which can be found on-line) and the family of the deceased might sue DC Government and/or the shelter in court. Furthermore, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty is on record as saying that the woman "chose" to forgo shelter and sleep outside. (I doubt he ever met her.) As the Washington Post article stated, the deceased was recorded on audio tape just 2 days before her death stating why she was not in the shelter (though I'm not sure as to whether or not it was as detailed as what she told me). Below is my June 9th post, which is followed by some "Additional Comments" about this wrongful death..... June 9th: This will, no doubt, prove to be the single most emotion-provoking blog post that I've...
Read more