In July, I met a client on Georgia Avenue while conducting outreach in the corridor. Typically, I walk from the office, heading north on New Hampshire Ave, until I reach the Georgia/Petworth Metro Station and begin engaging there. I like to walk the corridor from New Hampshire Ave, downhill to the Georgia/Florida intersection.
I stop in highly trafficked spaces and approach people that obviously need assistance: offering socks or shoes to people without them, offering care packages to individuals who may have trouble managing hygiene. I try to insert myself into people’s business in the most helpful, non-aggressive manner. I find that if I can immediately assist with one basic need, I can gather the trust needed to make a more lasting impact like assisting with housing, mental health, substance challenges, etcetera.
On this particular morning I needed to take care of myself first, so I stopped into CVS to get a Gatorade and a granola bar. On my way past the cashier, I heard a man asking to use the CVS telephone. I continued to pick out my refreshments before jumping in line. The man had just wrapped up his call and was frustrated with not having a phone. He alluded to the fact that he had been jumped and his attacker had then hacked his phone, booting him out of his email account and draining his CashApp. I offered my card and explained that maybe I could help him get a phone, if he met me in the same place at the same time, the next day. Setting those appointments is typically how I gauge a person’s seriousness about getting help. The CVS employee also asked for my card, stating that he sees people everyday with similar issues and would love to have someone to call to assist them.
The next day I met up with the client, in front of the CVS. He had slept across the street that morning. He said he often rests on a bus or subway because he’s too afraid to sleep outside at night, after being robbed. He hadn’t been in DC more than a couple days when he experienced the attack, and the past few weeks of trying to get assistance and access to his financial resources had been really difficult. I sat there and listened to this man tell his story. I use an interview technique informed by active listening when I’m conducting my assessment of the individual’s needs, noting everything I know I have a resource for, and everything for which I still need to identify a resource. He mentioned that he was a veteran. So I asked the only questions that matter at that point: what branch did you serve in, what were your entry and discharge dates, and was it an honorable discharge?
I was relieved that he gave all the answers I needed to make some things happen for him immediately. He was in the Marine Corps during Desert Storm with an honorable discharge. I told him I could help him address all of his challenges right then, with a few phone calls. I called Friendship Place’s veteran’s voicemail, and left the client’s details and asked for a call back. I also went digging through my backpack for the zippered pouch where I have all the business cards of relevant people and services I have collected since I started this work in 2022. I pulled out a card for a peer support specialist from the VA who I’ve worked with multiple times before. I explained his challenges and status of his service, and Hector asked me to put the client on the phone.
I met that client at 10am, he had a new phone from the VA by noon, and by 5pm had toured a temporary housing facility for veterans. He stayed there that night. Friendship Place set up a housing intake meeting for the following week. I was able to assist this client get a phone and housing (albeit temporary, with a more permanent placement to come later), and it took less than 36 hours from meeting him in that CVS to get him the ability to communicate and lay his head on a pillow in a safe place. The resources existed outside of my work, but he had no idea how to navigate them on his own– and that’s what I’m here for.
Story by Edward Wycliff