Your generosity can transform lives.

Dear Friend,

Leonard was a giant of a man—tall, barrel-chested, with a booming voice. He could be gruff, even intimidating, and that often kept others at a distance.

But everything changed when Leonard joined the Devising Hope theater workshop, led by the talented Elizabeth Kitsos-Kang. There, a small group of Street Sense Media vendors and local high school students came together over eight weeks. What began as an unlikely mix of strangers grew into a close-knit community grounded in shared experience and trust.

In that space, Leonard began to open up. He spoke about the deep grief he carried after his wife was deported years earlier. Surrounded by people who genuinely cared, he allowed himself to be vulnerable. Through storytelling, his pain was transformed into something powerful—something beautiful.

This kind of transformation is at the heart of everything we do at Street Sense Media.

Whether on a theater stage, in the pages of our award-winning newspaper, or in conversations on a busy downtown street corner, storytelling connects people. It builds understanding. It brings us closer as a community. Just as importantly, research—and our experience—shows that storytelling helps break down barriers to case management and treatment. Once that barrier falls, our vendors are better able to take meaningful steps toward stability, health, and independence.

For 23 years, support from donors like you has made this work possible. You have helped create life-changing opportunities for men and women working to move out of homelessness and into brighter futures. You are an essential part of every success story.

Today, I’m asking you to renew your support with a gift to our annual spring appeal.

Last fall, in partnership with the DC Department of Human Services, we launched a new program to help vendors secure traditional employment. As part of this effort, we hired a full-time employment specialist to connect vendors with prospective employers and guide them through the job search and application process.

While this program is already making a difference, the DHS contract covers only 40% of its cost. We must raise the remaining 60%—$208,000—to sustain and grow this critical work. And because our 2025 year-end appeal fell significantly short of its goal, the need is especially urgent.

Your gift today is an investment in the hopes and ambitions of the 110 individuals working every day to build better lives through Street Sense Media.

If you are able, please consider making a generous, tax-deductible contribution today. You can give online right now or by mailing a check to Street Sense Media 1317 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20005.

Thank you for being such a vital part of our community—and for helping make stories like Leonard’s possible.

Sincerely,

Brian Carome
CEO