A while back, I got an email from a reader who was curious why I’d used the expression “a person experiencing homelessness” in one of my columns, rather than “a homeless person.” I was happy to explain — and to admit that 10 years ago I probably would have been like him: perplexed at what sounded like linguistic gymnastics.
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I explained that language evolves and so, too, does our understanding of how language shapes perception. I explained that before “homeless person,” a lot of people used the terms “bag lady” or “bum.” The journey away from those words — words that come with a dehumanizing whiff of denigration — has been a journey toward a more humane understanding of what the experts call housing insecurity.
Why is this on my mind? Today we launch The Washington Post Helping Hand, our annual holiday-season fundraising campaign. Over the next eight weeks I’ll be searching for the right words to describe three local charities that improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness, whether that’s through feeding them, healing them, training them, clothing them or putting a roof over their heads.
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There are three new Helping Hand partners this year: Bread for the City, Friendship Place and Miriam’s Kitchen.
To make an online donation to any of them, visit posthelpinghand.com.
In the coming weeks, I’ll share stories of the challenges their clients face and the successes they achieve. For now, here’s a brief overview:
Bread for the City feeds the hungry, operating two food pantries that provide groceries to more than 8,400 District residents living near the poverty line. But that’s not all it does. The charity’s medical clinic provides care for more than 3,000 patients, who turn to Bread for the City for checkups, lab tests, medication and referrals. Its clothing room allows clients to stock up on clothes, household items and toiletries.
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Bread for the City also oversees social programs, such as job readiness and life skills classes, and operates a legal clinic that provides assistance in such areas as housing and family law.
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To donate by mail, make a check payable to Bread for the City and send it to Bread for the City, Attn: Development, 1525 Seventh St. NW, Washington, DC 20001.
It might be more accurate to call Friendship Place Friendship Places. The charity has grown from a single drop-in welcome center on Wisconsin Avenue NW to an organization that provides a variety of services from a variety of locations across the city. The Brooks is a new 50-unit building for families in Cleveland Park overseen by Friendship Place, complete with a computer lab, play areas and a lounge for homework. Other housing units are located around the District.
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Friendship Place’s street outreach team is mobile, meeting people where they are, delivering hygiene kits and, during the pandemic, personal protective equipment. Veterans and job-seekers also turn to Friendship Place for assistance. Last year, the nonprofit helped 3,432 people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
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To donate by mail, send a check to Friendship Place, 3655 Calvert St. NW, Washington, DC 20007.
Miriam’s Kitchen was founded in Foggy Bottom in 1983. It was a time when a confluence of factors had forced more people onto the streets. Well-intentioned reforms of mental health facilities had emptied those problematic hospitals, but left many patients with nowhere to turn for care. And in cities such as Washington, the cost of housing was starting the inexorable rise that continues to this day.
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Miriam’s Kitchen began with a simple aim: to provide meals to people without homes.
“It was this humble way of doing something with very limited resources,” said Scott Schenkelberg, the charity’s president and chief executive.
The goals of Miriam’s Kitchen have broadened. Today, case managers work with clients to find housing and serve as advocates when dealing with landlords. Clients and staff meet with legislators to advocate for permanent supportive housing. And Miriam’s Kitchen is still true to its founding mission, serving 70,000 healthy breakfasts and dinners last year.
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To donate by check, write Miriam’s Kitchen, Attn: Development, 2401 Virginia Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20037.
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Our campaign is just starting, but there’s one thing I’ve learned already: The heads of these groups all agree we’re at a pivot point. Ending chronic homelessness in Washington is possible.
“That is the new story,” said George Jones, chief executive of Bread for the City. “There’s an old metaphor of nonprofits trying to put themselves out of business. That would be a true metric of success, if we in fact are no longer needed.”
And that gets me back to how we talk about homelessness and the people it affects.
“Homelessness is not a personal trait,” said Jean-Michel Giraud, president and chief executive of Friendship Place. “It’s a life circumstance. It can happen to anybody. That’s important to think about: to separate the person from the condition.”
It’s just as important to think about how we separate — eliminate — the condition from our city. Your donation to The Washington Post Helping Hand can help.
The campaign runs through Jan. 7 and our goal is $250,000.
Twitter: @johnkelly
For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.