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Dear Friend,

At Street Sense Media, our ultimate hope for the men and women we work with is that they succeed in making the journey beyond homelessness. Since it launched in 2017, our case management program has helped over fifty of our vendors secure permanent housing. The program, made possible by the generous support of people like you, has been a game-changer for some of our most vulnerable vendors. And while we celebrate each of these life-altering success stories, we are also keenly aware that much more work needs to be done.

That unmet need stares us in the face every day. To see it, we have to look no further than the sidewalk in front of our offices near Metro Center where in recent months a small encampment of five tents has appeared. More than most of us, the residents of those tents are welcoming the arrival of spring, having just survived a cold and harsh winter outside. But soon, the sweltering heat and humidity of a Washington summer will be upon them, meaning mere survival will once again be a daily struggle.

Our case managers will continue to work with the occupants of these tents, trying to help them along the difficult path toward housing. We will also encourage them to take advantage of our newspaper vendor program and perhaps even entice them into writing for the newspaper. These are opportunities that greatly expanded over the last year. We now publish the newspaper weekly, becoming only the fifth street paper worldwide to issue new editions so frequently! This significantly increases vendor income and doubles the amount of vendor-written content that we publish. And since 2020, vendors are paid whenever their work is published in the paper!

Like you, we believe that homelessness is unacceptable and that its existence tears at the fabric of our community. We are committed to doing everything in our power to work with our vendors and others like them to move toward greater stability and healthier, more fulfilling lives. We are constantly awed by the creative talents our vendors possess, and we are proud to be a conduit that brings such talent forward.

As we work to sustain our recent growth and search for new ways to help meet the needs of our vendors, can we count on your support?

I hope that in the future I can tell you that the tents are gone from in front of our offices, and the former residents are now living safely in permanent housing. Your gift can make that possible. We thank you for your support and wish you and your family the very best.

Sincerely,

Brian Carome, Chief Executive Officer