Issue102 $1 One Dollar suggested donation. our donation directly benefi ts the vendor. Please only buy from badged vendors. o Breaking the Cyclee Cyc Recovery Anna McGraw discusses her journey into alcohol abuse and addiction and her courageous climb out. Page 4 How to Break the Cycle Any cycle of thinking or behavior that exerts that same level of energy with no direction or purpose will eventually lead to an unhealthy outcome whether it is relational, spiritual, psychological or physical. Page 5 Toledo Streets is a member of the International Network of Street Newspapers
Page 3 Breaking the Cycle: Trigger Warning October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The theme of this issue is Breaking The Cycle. Page 4 Recovery by Anna McGraw My name is Anna and I’m an alcoholic and addict from Colorado. I am 25 years old and have been sober since January 24th , 2020. Page 2 Page 5 How to Break the Cycle By Matthew D. Rizzo, President & CEO, A Renewed Mind I recently read an article that compared anxiety to a hamster wheel…lots of energy expended but gets you nowhere. Page 6 Chocking on Smoke: US cities open clean air shelters for the homeless Wildfi res raging across the West Coast have pushed air pollution to record levels, compounding the COVID public health crisis. Page 7 These Books Break the Cycle By Franco Vitella If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that much of what we were doing needs improvement. Page 8 How The Climate Emergency Exacerbates Homelessness By Kathryn McKelvey In 2007, a fl ash fl ood ripped through Kathryn McKelvey’s home in a rural Oregon town, leaving it utterly destroyed and her family homeless. Page 11 Bethany House For 35 years, Bethany House has maintained long-term transitional shelter space for domestic violence survivors and their children. Page 12 Vendor Spotlight: Andrew Chappel Page 14 Puzzle Page
Breaking the Cycle Toledo Streets Staff October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The theme of this issue is Breaking The Cycle. This theme does not come lightly, as this topic includes diffi cult and uncomfortable subjects. I want to make our readers aware that throughout the next few pages you will fi nd potentially disturbing content. Some of the content may include graphic references to topics such as sexual abuse, self-harm and suicide, violence and other possible triggers. I believe that opening such challenging topics up for discussion may help victims and survivors in their healing process. However, if you are not comfortable or ready to confront a personal trauma, please use caution reading through this issue. If you feel triggered, please know there are resources available to support you and I have noted them below and throughout this publication. Our intent for theming this issue “Breaking the Cycle” is to celebrate those who have broken the cycles they have found themselves in while acknowledging the courage it takes to do so. We also empathize with those who fi nd themselves in what feels like an endless loop of hopelessness. Often what we fi nd is that breaking the cycle requires support from others. We pride ourselves in walking beside our vendors as they begin to discover the cycles that impact their lives and support them as they embark on the most diffi cult part of the journey, which is the fi rst step. As diffi cult as it is, we know that we cannot make the change for others. Many people have experienced the frustration of seeing someone they love in a harmful cycle. Although we cannot do it for them, we believe that they likely cannot do it without us (or another support system), just like we have needed in our lives. So we will stand next to our vendors as they face the daunting cycles that surround being unhoused and living in poverty. We will celebrate the profound accomplishments and be a safe place to fall if those cycles start to repeat. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255 National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 Toledo Rescue Mental Health and Addiction Services 419-255-3125 3350 Collingwood Blvd, Toledo, OH 43610 Take Action The Buck Starts Here Toledo Streets and its vendors are a powerful, community driven solution to the problem of homelessness. Our vendors earn their way out of their individual situations through a collaboration of journalism, local business partners and their own hard work. Use these four steps to be a part of the solution. Meet Vendors Buy a Paper Get Informed • Vendors -- the people who sell the paper -- are at the core of Toledo Streets' mission. Each year more than 70 indiviuals work as vendors with Toledo Streets. At any given time, more than 25 vendors are at work, in the rain, snow, or heat. Vendors play an active role in the management of TS, meeting regularly to discuss issues of concern and even serving on our board. • With the money made selling the newspaper, vendors are able to secure basic needs, independence and dignity, and work toward obtaining housing. Vendors buy papers for a quarter and sell them for a $1, keeping all income and tips from each sale. Toledo Streets tries to tie its editorial to three basic principals: • Inspiring Hope, Fostering Community, and Cultivating Change. We are a member of INSP, a global organization of street papers around the world which provides us with content relevent to social justice, homelessness, and street community around the world. • Donate to the organization and give vendors experiencing homelessness and poverty a hand up. It supports not only the paper but also issues throughout NW Ohio. • Volunteer your time and expertise and help the organization grow. • Share Toledo Streets with your network, and tell people about the organization. Page 3
M 2020. Although I abused substances and alcohol in high school, my true addiction didn’t start until I was in college. My abuse of marijuana, pills, and alcohol blossomed with my newfound freedom. I also found that I could self-medicate for several mental health diagnoses I had received in high school that pharmaceuticals hadn’t helped with. As my education progressed, I knew I would have to begin taking drug screens for nursing school. I attempted to quit using drugs on my own and was initially successful; however I turned to consuming more alcohol in order to compensate for my grieving drugs. Before I knew it I was consuming alcohol around the clock to keep withdrawal symptoms at bay. Halfway through nursing school, I was arrested for a driving drunk. Knowing this would bring a whirlwind of consequences and close so many doors for me, I Page 4 y name is Anna and I’m an alcoholic and addict from Colorado. I am 25 years old and have been sober since January 24th , turned to suicide. The next week was spent in a secure psychiatric hospital being treated my alcoholism and suicidality. While I knew that I needed to stop drinking, or face more outcomes similar to my DUI, I wasn’t adamant that I truly had a problem like other alcoholics or addicts. Less than a month after my release from the hospital, I was getting high and drinking again. Fast forward a year and I had graduated from nursing school and passed my state boards to be a licensed RN. My drinking and drug use is at an all-time high; I was consuming around a liter of vodka a day while smoking copious amounts of marijuana and taking a friend’s prescription benzodiazepines. Within a month of getting my nursing license, which I viewed as a huge personal milestone and the beginning of a career for myself, I faced the penalties of my DUI. I lost my driver’s license and my newly obtained nursing license, and I also lost my job. Faced with these turn of events, I again became suicidal and attempted to drink myself to death. A dear friend reached out to my family to let them know that, once again, I needed to get help. My father drove to come stay with me that night, and the next day I was set to fl y to Florida from Colorado to stay at an addiction recovery facility in Fort Lauderdale. That facility saved my life. The nurses, counselors, and doctors there invested personally in my recovery and helped me fi nd a new way to live my life. They helped me fi nd ways to cope with my mental health and the stresses of life without wanting to drink or get high. I went to group therapy, individual therapy, and AA and NA meetings every night. I met people who had similar struggles to me and we worked together to fi nd new and more productive solutions to our problems. I stayed there for 49 days. My life looks very different now. It feels different too. I live in Nashville, TN with my fi ancé and have begun the process of getting my nursing license back. I have found new hobbies and ways to fi ll my time other than drinking and drugging. My daily routine has completely changed; my life no longer revolves around where I can get my next drink or pill. I am genuinely happy. There are still hard days; there are days when I miss the high of my past life. But I would so much rather have one hard day of cravings than the thousands of miserable ones that would follow if I slipped up and used. Breaking the cycle of addiction is not easy or comfortable. It has required me to make many changes in my life, rather than just stopping the use of addictive substances completely. For me, what worked the best was changing where I lived. A geographical change allowed me to leave behind a myriad of things; I no longer had places to use, people to get drugs from, or people to use with. I fi nally understood what people meant when they say they got a “fresh start”. The other biggest change I have made in my life is adopting a policy of complete honesty, about everything to everyone. As someone who was habitually using addictive substances, lying had become a routine part of my life. I chose to use dishonesty and deceit in order to preserve a false feeling of integrity about my actions. I now choose to be completely transparent about how I live my life and why I do the things I do. Compared to the web of lies I lived in before, I now feel free. I am beyond grateful today for the life I have lived and everything I have been through. It is a beautiful life full of beautiful things.
I recently read an article that compared anxiety to a hamster wheel… lots of energy expended but gets you nowhere. Any cycle of thinking or behavior that exerts that same level of energy with no direction or purpose will eventually lead to an unhealthy outcome whether it is relational, spiritual, psychological or physical. There is good news however: negative cycles have been, and continue to be, broken. Consider these four simple steps. First, become aware of the negative cycle. Without having an awareness that a negative cycle of thinking or behavior exists, it’s impossible to begin a change. Negative cycles are often hidden in our blind spot and protected by personal defense mechanisms. Some common examples of defense mechanisms include denial, rationalizing and blaming. These defense mechanisms share a common end point: unchanged thinking and behavior. In other words, being stuck means the defense mechanism is doing its job. Thankfully, we have a God who cares, and has a sense of humor. He has a secret weapon to help us overcome these defense mechanisms — our children. I once heard a pastor say it best in a sermon: When God can’t get through to you to bring about a positive habitual or character change, he sends you a son or daughter just like you to open your eyes. Isn’t that the truth? A living self-portrait! Seeing a belief or behavior in another person, especially someone we love, can open our eyes to our own blind spots. Other times, unfortunately, it takes a traumatic event to raise the awareness we need to break a negative cycle in our life. A break up, a poor medical report, job loss, accident or legal incident, can painfully, yet quickly, call to attention a negative cycle of thinking or behavior. Secondly, to change, one must possess the will to do so. Some call it chutzpah, desire, grit or determination but it takes a commitment to change. This can only be controlled by the one making the change. So, fuel your desire. The third step to breaking a cycle of negative thinking or behavior includes gaining the “know how” or skill set to change. Ponder this: you don’t just wake up and decide to run a marathon. It takes not only desire, but training and knowledge. If, for Page 5 instance, you struggle with getting angry too easily then learning relationship techniques, positive self-talk, and mediation are useful tools. Resources are available to break negative thinking and destructive behaviors. My personal preference is to gain education from a person I trust. Find a mentor who has experienced and overcome your same struggles, and ask for guidance. Finally, the fourth step is having an ability. It’s been my experience that not every person has the ability to put into practice what they want to do even if they have the desire and knowledge to do it. I personally would love to be a pilot but lack the sharp eyesight to do it. If you don’t have the opportunity or ability to achieve your goals, seek professional help. The four steps to breaking a negative cycle will work but it’s important to remember that if you want to maintain this change, consider reinforcing your progress. Urban Meyer, a former college football coach, said it best when he said “what gets rewarded, gets repeated.” So, reward yourself when you make progress to keep it going. An accountability partner can help maintain change as well. Breaking the cycle of negative thinking and behavior is possible. The book written by Jeffrey Hiatt, ADKAR, is an added resource to assist with breaking negative cycles in your life professionally or personally. I have seen it work in many people and believe that the four steps outlined will serve as a simple but impactful way for making the changes needed.
Choking on smoke: US cities open clean air shelters for homeless Wildfires raging across the West Coast have pushed air pollution to record levels, compounding the COVID public health crisis. Some areas have made moves to help hundreds of people safely recuperate indoors from the virus as well as smoke-filled skies. By Gregory Scruggs Inside a row of warehouses in Seattle’s industrial district, gleaming new air ducts hint at the state-of-the-art filtration systems, ready to help hundreds of people safely recuperate indoors from COVID-19 - and smoke-filled skies. King County, Washington retrofitted the former automotive facilities to accommodate a potential surge of coronavirus patients in need of isolation and recovery wards, such as homeless people. The buildings, with cots separated by curtain walls and plenty of individual shower and bathroom stalls, now have a steady stream of occupants - but they are not sick with COVID-19. Seattle’s smoke shelters are among several emergency responses implemented in the last two weeks as wildfires rage across the western United States, burning about 5 million acres (2 million hectares) and spewing toxic plumes of ash and smoke. “We’re all in this together. We have to make sure those who don’t have a place to go have a healthy environment to be in,” King County executive Dow Constantine said. “(Healthy air) is not just for Page 6 those of us who have money and privilege and the ability to seal ourselves in our homes and recirculate our filtered air systems, it’s for everyone.” Seattle’s so-called “healthy air centre” opened on 11 September, as the air quality in some West Coast cities joined the ranks of the worst in the world, according to a global index maintained by Swiss company IQAir. “The air quality is horrible,” said one homeless man standing outside the centre who wished to remain anonymous. “I had to go to Harborview (hospital) and get another inhaler.” In the first week since opening, the facility in Seattle regularly hit its 100-person capacity, according to county spokesman Chase Gallagher. The Seattle area’s annual one-night count in January found nearly 12,000 homeless people. “What is the risk of bringing people together because of COVID (versus) keeping people outside because of the smoke?” said Leo Flor, King County’s director of community and human services. “The big plume plus the cumulative exposure to smoke really made us change that risk assessment, so that it was worth bringing people inside under the right conditions and giving them a chance not to be outside with the smoke.” Record high pollution Particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres, known as PM2.5, is the key measure for harmful air pollution, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The particles are thinner than the width of a human hair, small enough to burrow deep into a person’s lungs and even find their way into the bloodstream. By 15 September, air pollution had hit historic levels in five Oregon cities - Portland, Eugene, Bend, Medford and Klamath Falls, according to state officials. In Portland, Oregon’s largest city, local officials converted the convention centre into a temporary smoke shelter and started distributing KN95 masks “specifically for people who are unsheltered”, the city said in a press release last week. “A lot of folks were keen to take the masks, and many chose to tough things out for the first few days,” said Denis Theriault, spokesman for Multnomah County, where Portland is located. “But over time, more folks came inside as the smoke stayed,” he said in emailed comments. Churches banded together to open a relief centre in Bend, Oregon, according to local media reports. Government data shows that on 12 September, pollution from the fires pushed the city’s air quality over the EPA’s Air Quality Index (AQI) maximum rating of 500. The AQI considers any pollution level over 300 as hazardous. Other cities affected by the wildfires are also finding ways to bring people in from the smoke. In California, San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management turned three libraries into smoke refuges on 11 September. That same day, Vancouver, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, opened up community centres and libraries that had already been outfitted with highpowered air filters last year, according to city spokeswoman Ashton Patis. Many cities have had emergency smoke shelters included in their disaster planning for years, as scientists warn that climate change is leading to hotter, drier summers that exacerbate wildfire risk. Like Vancouver, Portland began preparing for the current scenario after devastating fires spread through the western United States in 2017, Theriault said. Health and homelessness Sam Carter, a founding principal of Resilient Cities Catalyst, a nonprofit consultancy, praised the Seattle facility for nimbly pivoting from pandemic isolation ward to smoke shelter. “Flexible infrastructure is critically important. We’ve long advocated for building infrastructure that can serve this kind of purpose in emergency events,” Carter said in emailed comments. “But, much of our work also tells us that while the physical infrastructure is a crucial component, the social infrastructure and social fabric of a place can be a far more critical factor when it comes to life-and-death scenarios.” Homelessness, an endemic social problem on the West Coast, is the root challenge in a city’s efforts to keep its residents healthy, Flor said. “Whether it’s smoke, snow, heat or cold, being homeless is already bad for your health,” he said. “The smoke is just a visible reminder of that, but it is always dangerous for your health not to have a home. Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo
These Books Break the Cycle by Franco Vitella If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that much of what we were doing needs improvement. From how we live our lives to how we care for others, large swathes of society are revaluating their purpose and mission. If you need a path forward to break the cycle you’re currently stuck in, these books, all available from the Toledo Lucas County Public Library, can be your start. The F*ck It Diet: Eating Should Be Easy by Caroline Dooner The pandemic has changed our relationship with food. From shortages, food insecurity, and just plain comfort eating, now can be a time to reevaluate our relationship with food and how we obtain it. Dooner argues for a healthy approach to eating that does not involve on again/off again dieting and makes the case for a realistic approach to eating. Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me: Depression in the First Person by Anna Mehler Paperny Experts predict a looming mental health crisis due to the pandemic and let’s be honest – it’s not like things were easy beforehand. Mehler Paperny examines her own attempts at suicide and the inadequate mental health infrastructure that is available to us all. This an open and brutally honest firstview of navigating one’s mental state. Policing the Black Man This anthology of essays by various authors strikes at the key elements that make up the Black Lives Matter movement, examining a justice system that in many ways is stacked against African-American boys and men. Uncounted: The Crisis of Voter Suppression in America by Gilda R. Daniels Daniels, who served as Deputy Chief in the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights division, shows how attempts at voter suppression change over time and makes the case that a purposeful strategy of deception is attempting to undermine American democracy. Page 7
irtual CD Launch Party via Zoom. Saturday, Septe In 2007, a fl ash fl ood ripped through Kathryn McKelvey’s home in a rural Oregon town, leaving it utterly destroyed and her family homeless. As fi res now consume the western United States, McKelvey, a tireless homeless advocate, shows through her personal story how the climate crisis – and the increasing frequency and destructiveness of the natural disasters that come with it – is causing more and more people to fall into poverty and homelessness, with no safety net. The increasing infl ux of natural disasters is more than a warning of the impending climate crisis. The canary in the coalmine is long dead; the climate crisis has already arrived. Not only are temperatures steadily rising, but every year disasters strike with increasing frequency and intensity. According to data from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), reported natural disasters in the United States have been steadily increasing in the past 40 years. As I write this, smoke still lays heavy in Oregon as the West Coast suffers from an onslaught of wildfi res. These fi res are the deadliest of the year in California and has caused over 500,000 Oregonians Page 8 to be placed under varying levels of evacuation and evacuation readiness. In 2007, a fl ash fl ood ripped through my home in a rural Oregon town. We had 20 minutes to get out and move to higher ground. The house we fl ed was overcome with river water, trapping us on the top fl oor overnight wondering if anyone knew where to fi nd us. As the water slowly receded, volunteers from neighboring cities helped us clean the destruction. Of around 800 homes affected, 600 did not have fl ood insurance. We were one of those families that couldn’t afford any such coverage. At 15 years old, I was thrown from living barely above the poverty line into homelessness. In the initial days and weeks, volunteers from the nearby towns brought supplies and helped clear debris. Eventually, they stopped coming but the destruction remained. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) surveyed land for emergency trailers but members of unaffected neighborhoods campaigned against them claiming they would lower property values. We had nowhere else to go. Nearly a year after the fl ood, 21 trailers were fi nally placed on a lot—not nearly enough for everyone affected. They smelled like formaldehyde, gave us headaches, and were soon infested with mice. In 2009, barely a year after moving into the trailers, residents were evicted from the small trailers. The lucky ones were given cash incentives. My father didn’t receive his check until 2014, seven years after the fl ood. For those seven years, my father lived in an RV on the land where our house once stood. He was a general contractor and handyman who had now lost his tools and workshop, with no funds to replace them. He couldn’t fi nd work and relied on food banks and clothing closets. People soon forgot how he had come to be that way. He was an outcast - kids made fun of him and friends stopped calling. He had always worked sunup till sundown to provide a life for us, but lost everything to the river. It was not his fault. He did not deserve this. Houselessness is the result of extenuating circumstances. Whether it be addiction, poverty, racism, lack of healthcare, or a natural disaster. No one deserves to live without shelter. There is no reason people in the richest country in the world should live on the streets. Over the past 40 years, despite high national GDP, the United States rests in the median on the scale of those that become homeless due to natural disasters in the western hemisphere. In the United States, over 600,000 people
tember 12, 7:30pm. For tickets, go to www.kerrypatrickclark.com/shows kerrypatrickclark.com/shows have become homeless due to 853 natural disasters since 1980; to be more specifi c, the average number of people that become homeless as a result of a single natural disaster is 765. In Canada, for comparison, around 20,000 have become homeless as a result of 65 total natural disasters; the average number of people that become homeless in Canada as a result of a single natural disaster is 320. These numbers are based on available data and are likely undercounting individuals that are homeless. The United States experiences natural disasters at a higher frequency and is less prepared to relocate and rehouse its citizens after disasters. Outside of the hundreds of thousands of displaced families, the fi nancial burden of disasters is immense. Fiscal damages caused by natural disasters are steadily increasing over time and the exponential burden can only be curbed by immediate adoption of sustainable practices and renewable resources. The United States, and the entire world, needs to face facts: we are simultaneously living through a climate crisis and a housing crisis, the two of which are inextricably linked. More refugees, specifi cally climate refugees, will come from poverty stricken, disaster ridden countries. Families and children will indiscriminately be at risk of homelessness due to events outside of human control. Structural and social factors such as poverty, class, and racism have a compounding factor: the less resources one has at their disposal, the more likely they are to become homeless after a disaster. Similarly, our already unsheltered neighbors will be far more affected by disasters. If we don’t improve our disaster relief systems and curb climate change immediately, it will be too late to protect the homeless and the countless at risk of becoming so. Kathryn McKelvey is a homeless advocate for change, working in analytics. Analyses of interest are primarily those surrounding housing and healthcare. She wrangles two toddlers, not only just in her spare time, but all the time due to the COVID-19 stay at home orders, and attends OHSU’s School of Public Health, pursuing her Masters in Public Health in Health Systems Management and Policy. Follow Kathryn McKelvey on Twitter @KatMcKelvey. Courtesy of INSP.ngo Page 9
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domestic violence around you, educating yourself about how to help a friend in need, just in case, and understanding the critical role funding and legislation play in the lives of domestic violence survivors and their children. When survivors heal and abusers are held truly accountable for their actions, entire communities benefi t. Sadly, the current pandemic is increasing the danger for victims. Domestic violence is escalating in its brutality all over the country, and domestic violence homicides are increasing nationwide. Now is the time to pay attention and work for change. Bethany House For 35 years, Bethany House has maintained long-term transitional shelter space for domestic violence survivors and their children. It is one of the many necessary organizations dedicated to intervening in domestic violence in Northwest Ohio. Bethany House serves survivors who are most at risk of homelessness or are escaping the most violent abuse. Survivors stay for an average of 14 months while they heal from the devastation of physical, mental, emotional, fi nancial, and spiritual abuse. Unfortunately, the need is great, so there is always a waiting list. Survivors of domestic violence have experienced, in many cases, a complete loss of control over their lives. Sometimes survivors are not free to choose the clothes they wear or the food they eat, let alone their friends or their place of worship. Abusers isolate, manipulate, and demean their victims intentionally, even strategically, chipping away at self-esteem, personal agency, and fi nancial independence. Physical violence, which most often comes to mind when domestic violence is mentioned, is just one element of a complex scheme abusers use to maintain power and control over their victim. Then there are the worst-case scenarios when abusers kill the people they claim to love. The Northwest Ohio Silent Witness Project, sheltered and maintained by Bethany House, preserves and shares the stories of the victims of homicide committed by partners, ex-partners, and stalkers in Northwest Ohio. More than half of the 115 victims represented in this collection were doing what so many people ask victims to do - they were trying to leave, and many of the victims had protective orders against the men who murdered them. For far too long, the responsibility for breaking the cycle of domestic violence has been placed on the shoulders of the wrong people, victims. But even when victims use available services and play by the rules, abusers can still cause harm and even kill. Breaking the cycle of violence is a community responsibility, and it begins with respecting survivors. Survivors have historically been viewed with pity or contempt, but it is time to reject this perception. The truth is that survivors are strong, and they know better than anyone what they need to heal from the abuse they have experienced. That is why Bethany House advocates work alongside survivors as they heal and build the lives they envision. Still, healing takes time, which is why providing long-term shelter and advocacy to the adults and children at Bethany House is so important. When survivors are ready to leave shelter, Bethany House offers a StepUp program which includes access to reduced-rate apartments, a fi nancial program designed to build equity, and continued safety and support of Bethany House. Supporting organizations like Bethany House is one important step toward breaking the cycle of domestic violence. So is keeping your eyes open to the truth of If you would like to learn more about Bethany House, or are interested in getting involved, please visit https://BethanyHouseToledo. org, sign up for the newsletter, and follow the Facebook page at Facebook.com/BethanyHouseNWO. A brief Silent Witness Video will premiere on the Bethany House Facebook page Tuesday, October 27 at 7pm. Please reserve a few moments in your schedule to pause as a community in remembrance and prayer for the victims, the loved ones left behind, and survivors still trapped in abuse. For victims who fi nd themselves in a scary situation, the YWCA Domestic Violence Hotline is available to provide support and resources, 24/hours/day, at 1-888341-7386. The YWCA is the community’s emergency shelter for domestic violence. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is also a great 24-hour resource with chat capabilities at www.thehotline. org. And, for those who can’t call, our county’s 911 call center can receive text messages. defi ned as the pattern of behaviors by a partner to maintain power and control over another partner, its effects go far beyond those two individuals. We know that children who are exposed to violence at home are at an increased risk for long term physical and mental health problems - as well as an amplifi ed risk of being in violent interactions in their future relationships. The feelings of being “on guard” in your home, coupled with the abuse can contribute to anxiety and depressive symptoms in our youth. Zepf Center’s Safety Net Youth Runaway Shelter has served over a thousand youth since its inception in 2016 – of which many have either experienced abuse by someone in the home or have witnessed some type of domestic violence. As a result of these experiences, Safety Net staff report decreased self-esteem, increased “risky” behaviors, fi ghting or other outward acts of physical aggression in the children they care for. As Northwest Ohio’s only 24/7 shelter for runaway and homeless youth, the staff work to create good support systems and increased positive relationships with adults and peers knowing both of these are paramount to the success of the children they serve. While ensuring physical safety and well-being is a priority of the shelter, staff lay the groundwork for healing to begin. Zepf Center’s Safety Net is designed to increase young people’s safety, social and emotional well-being, self-suffi ciency, and help them build permanent connections with families, communities, schools, and other positive social networks. The Importance of Safe Shelter for Children Impacted by Domestic Violence Carl Jung, famous for his contribution to analytical psychology stated, “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” While domestic violence or domestic abuse is frequently Safety Net is located at 2005 Ashland Avenue and serves as the only 24-hour emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youth in Northwest Ohio. Youth and community members can call or text Safety Net 24 hours a day at: 419206-0926 or visit www.zepfcenter. org. Melissa Medlen, LISW-S, RN Director of Youth Programming, Zepf Center Page 11
What is your next step/goal? I am working towards adjusting to life in an apartment and budgeting. Where do you sell TSN? I sell at the courthouse, but haven’t sold a lot since I got my apartment. What is your favorite part of selling TSN? I meet nice, normal people. I am not used to people treating me like that. What is the most inspirational/interesting thing that has happened to you while selling the newspaper? I had a regular who used to bring me coffee and food. Then she retired, but she returned to give me a big tip, which meant a lot. What do you want people to know about your past? I had a really bad childhood, but my faith has gotten me through. What is something unexpected that you have gotten from TSN? They helped me get my apartment and I didn’t expect that. Vendor Spotlight: Andrew Chappell Andrew Chappell Andrew has been a vendor for just over a year. He is truly one of the sweetest and most selfl ess people I have ever met. He was recently housed after years of being homeless. This photo was taken of him recently after he got the keys to his apartment. The shift in his spirit and the hopefulness that he radiates is remarkable. Although I miss seeing his smiling face across the street in the mornings, I feel relieved that he is no longer sleeping outside and getting robbed. He lives wholeheartedly into our vision and he has broken the cycle of homelessness. He is the embodiment of what we aim to do here. In one sentence - who are you? I am a God-fearing man who believes in balance and karma. What is a recent accomplishment you are proud of? I got an apartment after being homeless for many years. Page 12 What is one misconception you think people have about people who are homeless? They think we can’t function because we are drug addicts or criminals. But that isn’t the case. When and why did you start selling Toledo Streets Newspaper? I have been a vendor since last September. I started selling the paper so I could afford food while I was living on the streets. What is one thing you want people to know about you? I believe in God and that he protects us. How would you like to see Toledo/Lucas County change for the better? It would be nice if the police took people who are homeless seriously when we are victims of crimes and that happens frequently. Anything you want to add? I want people to know that I am grateful to Toledo Streets Newspaper, the people at Unison, and all the people at the courthouse who bought my papers. It’s something I will never forget. The screaming and thrashing. What you don’t understand is that I will never forgive myself for when I stopped fi ghting It’s only in the darkest moments when I am riddled with guilt that I’m honest with myself. I gave up. I stopped fi ghting. It’s like my mind and body went blank and the only energy I had was the devoted to breathing. Even though I wanted so badly to stop breathing. What you don’t understand was how slow those moments moved. It’s like time stood still to watch you break me. It’s like you took a part of me that I never knew I had to keep safe. What you don’t understand is that I’m weary of people like I never was before. It’s like you caused me to second guess my instincts. It’s like I blame myself for not knowing any better, when honestly I couldn’t have known any better. You Don’t Understand What you don’t understand is that I will never stop feeling your hands on me It’s like you seared your handprint into my thighs. It’s the kind of dirty that won’t ever come clean. What you don’t understand is the feeling I had in my stomach when I knew you were going to rape me. It’s like my stomach turned inside out
Don’t Have Cash? Toledo Streets Newspaper vendors now accept payment through Venmo! We are taking notes from other street papers around the globe and going cashless! The initiative could not have launched at a better time. While the world is taking precautions to remain socially distant to keep themselves and the people around them safe, we are too. Cashless payments reduce the amount of hand to hand contact, making buying a Toledo Streets Newspaper safer during this time of great uncertainty. This option also opens the door for people who don't carry cash on them often but still want to support our vendors. The process is simple, read our graphic below for more details. Page 13
PuzzlePage THEME: OKTOBERFEST ACROSS 1. Worry 6. Fleur-de-____ 9. One of Egyptian christians 13. Nary a soul 14. Dot-com address 15. Pretend, two words 16. Flogger’s tool 17. Romanian money 18. Dostoyevsky’s masterpiece, with The 19. *Royal Brewery in Munich, a.k.a. ____ M¸nchen 21. *Original Oktoberfest location 23. Tree juice 24. Cathedral part 25. Lysergic acid derivative, acr. 28. Children’s author Roald 30. Bivouac 35. Heroic poem 37. Taro or cocoyam, technically 39. Relish tastebuds’ sensation 40. Russian governmental agency 41. Musketeers’ weapons 43. Presidential “No!” 44. Make corrections 46. Kind of palm 47. A in B.A. 48. Indian Ocean’s saltwater inlet 50. Carvey or Plato 52. “Sesame Street” watcher 53. One-horse carriage 55. Sunday newspaper inserts 57. *Kind of Oktoberfest band 60. *Salty snack 64. Meltable abode 65. Go wrong 67. Sore spot 68. African prairie 69. “Wheel of Fortune” vowel request 70. All-season ones, on a car 71. Affi rmatives 72. Beaver’s construction 73. Noise of contempt DOWN 1. Egyptian hieroglyph for “life” 2. “You’re not allowed!” to a baby 3. Mistake 4. Spurns 5. Between triad and pentad 6. Comic strip Moppet 7. Anger management issue 8. Economic crisis 9. Ghana monetary unit 10. Ear-related 11. Tubby little cubby 12. Ted Turner’s TV acronym 15. Bedding and towels 20. Lickety-split 22. Wear and tear 24. “So soon?” 25. *____hosen 26. Sea foam 27. Like United States Capitol 29. *Flower used in beer-making 31. Spanish sparkling wine 32. Defl ect 33. *”O’zapft is!” or “It’s tapped!” 34. *Cheers! 36. Without, ‡ Paris 38. Start of something big? 42. Echo sounder 45. Joseph Stalin was one 49. “Eureka!” 51. Experts 54. In the lead 56. *Beer garden mug 57. Curved molding 58. Paella pot 59. ‘60s British teenagers 60. “Hunger Games” sister 61. Goose egg 62. Second to last word in a fairytale 63. Just in case 64. Woody creeper 66. Biochemistry acr. a new job, because he lost his old job because of presiding judge, Leonie Mengel, as he summed up the case after the two-day trial. Michael P. has said that he wants to fi nd attack. “I was drunk,” he admitted in the courtroom. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have done such a stupid thing.” P. seemed depressed as he described in court how he felt that his life had been slipping through his fi ngers. He has suffered for many years from a rare nerve disease: problems with walking and balance are consequences of the disease and sometimes he is unable to leave the house despite using medication. The fact that he could only calm his nerves with alcohol was confi rmed by an expert. Did the combination of alcohol and pills make him aggressive? This possibility cannot be excluded, according to the expert. However, “how [the attack] actually happened remains unclear,” said the his sentence, mainly as a result of his behaviour after the attack. While it is true that he ran away on the night of the attack, shortly afterwards he apologised to the victim in person on several occasions. And, although the victim told him that he didn’t need to go to the police, P. did so a little while later. “I wanted to take responsibility for what I did,” he said in court. Sven, his victim, did not appear in court, but later said in a conversation with Hinz&Kunzt that, “if he hadn’t contacted the police then they never would have found him, so he has my respect for that.” Michael P. only vaguely remembers the The 27-year-old got off so lightly, in terms of Seifert, the coroner, in the court proceedings that were held nearly seven months after the attack. Sven, a homeless man, had to be taken by ambulance for treatment in hospital. The sentence for the attacker was rather mild: he was sentenced to one year and three months in custody for causing grievous bodily harm and given a further two years on probation. This was just what the prosecution asked for. After he completes his sentence, Michael P. will be a free man. he could sleep deeply. It was 6.20pm when a dark fi gure suddenly appeared in front of him at the Ohlsdorf station in Hamburg, where he had settled down to sleep. Then things kicked off. “I was only just able to prop myself up,” the 45-year-old remembers. Then came the pain as a 12-centimetrelong cut was slashed across Sven’s throat. It could have been fatal. “He was incredibly lucky,” said Dragane Vendor Representative Marthia Russell Julie M. McKinnon Ken Leslie Chris Csonka Deb Morris Zobaida Falah • Kristy Lee Czyzewski• • Treasurer Lauren M. Webber Secretary • Vice-Chair Tom Kroma For Sven, the attack came out of nowhere. In the evening, he had some drinks so that By Benjamin Laufer and Jonas Füllner Ohlsdorf station in Hamburg when he was slashed across the neck in an unprovoked attack that could have cost him his life. His life-threatening injuries were infl icted on him by a 27-year-old, who admitted that he was drunk at the time of the attack and who later handed himself into police after running away from the scene of the crime. Hinz&Kunzt learns more about the attack and its repercussions. Translated from German by Hazel Alton Courtesy of Hinz&Kunzt / INSP.ngo • • • • Bryce Roberts Chair respect the space of other vendors, particularly the space of vendors who have been at a spot longer, and will position myself at least two blocks away from a working ven otherwise approved; 45-year-old Sven was sleeping outside • “I get scared by every little noise”: The aftermath of a violent attack • Board of Directors – 2018 Ma l: 913 Madison Street Toledo, OHIO 43604 CONTINUED FROM P 3TOLEDO STREETS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, CORP. OUR GLOBAL INSP COMMUNITYOur Global INSP Community Page 19 understand I am not a legal employee of Toledo Streets but a contracted worker responsible for my own well-being and income; • not buy/sell Toledo Streets under the infl uence of drugs or alcohol; agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling the paper; you have your own place, he says, “you can sleep properly again.” little noise.” Sven would most like to have his own apartment, or at least a room of his own. When been unsettled since the attack last winter. “Sleeping has changed,” he explains, “I get scared by every his illness. “I want to get my life back on track,” he said, after four months in custody. Sven’s life has agree to treat others- customers, staff and other vendors - respectfully, and I will not “hard sell”, threaten or pressure customers; only purchase the paper from Toledo Streets staff or volunteers and will not sell papers to other vendors; agree not to ask for more than a dollar or solicit donations for Toledo Streets by any other means; All vendors must agree to the following code of conduct to: The following list is our Vendor Code of Conduct, which every vendor reads through and signs before receiving a badge and papers. We request that if you discover a vendor vio tenets of the Code, please contact us and provide as many details as possible. Our paper and our vendors should positively impact the city. While Toledo Streets is a non-profi t program, and its vendors are independent contractors, we still have expectations of how vendors should conduct themselves while selling and the paper. Vendor Code of Conduct understand Toledo Streets strives to be a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the unhoused and underprivileged. I wil in this effort and spread the word. understand my badge is the property of Toledo Streets and will not deface it. I will present my badge when purchasing the papers and display my badge when selling paper badges cost $1 to replace when lost or damaged; always have in my possession the following when selling Toledo Streets: my Toledo Streets badge, a Toledo Streets sign, a vendor’s license waiver from the mayor, and Tol papers; agree to only use professional signs provided by Toledo Streets; Octoberfest! Page 14 Solutions Solutions
TOLEDO STREETS NEW SP APER Mail: 913 Madison Street Toledo, OHIO 43604 TOLEDO STREETS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, CORP. Board of Directors – 2020 Chair Lauren M. Webber Vice-Chair Tom Kroma Treasurer Lauren M. Webber Secretary Kristy Lee Czyzewski Ken Leslie Michelle Issacs a new job, because he lost his old job because of presiding judge, Leonie Mengel, as he summed up the case after the two-day trial. Michael P. has said that he wants to fi nd attack. “I was drunk,” he admitted in the courtroom. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have done such a stupid thing.” P. seemed depressed as he described in court how he felt that his life had been slipping through his fi ngers. He has suffered for many years from a rare nerve disease: problems with walking and balance are consequences of the disease and sometimes he is unable to leave the house despite using medication. The fact that he could only calm his nerves with alcohol was confi rmed by an expert. Did the combination of alcohol and pills make him aggressive? This possibility cannot be excluded, according to the expert. However, “how [the attack] actually happened remains unclear,” said the his sentence, mainly as a result of his behaviour after the attack. While it is true that he ran away on the night of the attack, shortly afterwards he apologised to the victim in person on several occasions. And, although the victim told him that he didn’t need to go to the police, P. did so a little while later. “I wanted to take responsibility for what I did,” he said in court. Sven, his victim, did not appear in court, but later said in a conversation with Hinz&Kunzt that, “if he hadn’t contacted the police then they never would have found him, so he has my respect for that.” Michael P. only vaguely remembers the The 27-year-old got off so lightly, in terms of Seifert, the coroner, in the court proceedings that were held nearly seven months after the attack. Sven, a homeless man, had to be taken by ambulance for treatment in hospital. The sentence for the attacker was rather mild: he was sentenced to one year and three months in custody for causing grievous bodily harm and given a further two years on probation. This was just what the prosecution asked for. After he completes his sentence, Michael P. will be a free man. he could sleep deeply. It was 6.20pm when a dark fi gure suddenly appeared in front of him at the Ohlsdorf station in Hamburg, where he had settled down to sleep. Then things kicked off. “I was only just able to prop myself up,” the 45-year-old remembers. Then came the pain as a 12-centimetrelong cut was slashed across Sven’s throat. It could have been fatal. “He was incredibly lucky,” said Dragane Vendor Representative Marthia Russell Julie M. McKinnon Ken Leslie Chris Csonka Deb Morris Zobaida Falah • Kristy Lee Czyzewski• • Treasurer Lauren M. Webber Secretary • Vice-Chair Tom Kroma For Sven, the attack came out of nowhere. In the evening, he had some drinks so that By Benjamin Laufer and Jonas Füllner Ohlsdorf station in Hamburg when he was slashed across the neck in an unprovoked attack that could have cost him his life. His life-threatening injuries were infl icted on him by a 27-year-old, who admitted that he was drunk at the time of the attack and who later handed himself into police after running away from the scene of the crime. Hinz&Kunzt learns more about the attack and its repercussions. Translated from German by Hazel Alton Courtesy of Hinz&Kunzt / INSP.ngo • • • • Bryce Roberts Chair respect the space of other vendors, particularly the space of vendors who have been at a spot longer, and will position myself at least two blocks away from a working vendor unless otherwise approved; 45-year-old Sven was sleeping outside • “I get scared by every little noise”: The aftermath of a violent attack • Board of Directors – 2018 Ma l: 913 Madison Street Toledo, OHIO 43604 CONTINUED FROM P 3TOLEDO STREETS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, CORP. OUR GLOBAL INSP COMMUNITYOur Global INSP Community Page 19 understand I am not a legal employee of Toledo Streets but a contracted worker responsible for my own well-being and income; • not buy/sell Toledo Streets under the infl uence of drugs or alcohol; agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling the paper; you have your own place, he says, “you can sleep properly again.” little noise.” Sven would most like to have his own apartment, or at least a room of his own. When been unsettled since the attack last winter. “Sleeping has changed,” he explains, “I get scared by every his illness. “I want to get my life back on track,” he said, after four months in custody. Sven’s life has agree to treat others- customers, staff and other vendors - respectfully, and I will not “hard sell”, threaten or pressure customers; only purchase the paper from Toledo Streets staff or volunteers and will not sell papers to other vendors; agree not to ask for more than a dollar or solicit donations for Toledo Streets by any other means; All vendors must agree to the following code of conduct to: The following list is our Vendor Code of Conduct, which every vendor reads through and signs before receiving a badge and papers. We request that if you discover a vendor violating any tenets of the Code, please contact us and provide as many details as possible. Our paper and our vendors should positively impact the city. While Toledo Streets is a non-profi t program, and its vendors are independent contractors, we still have expectations of how vendors should conduct themselves while selling and representing the paper. Vendor Code of Conduct understand Toledo Streets strives to be a paper that covers homelessness and poverty issues while providing a source of income for the unhoused and underprivileged. I will try to help in this effort and spread the word. understand my badge is the property of Toledo Streets and will not deface it. I will present my badge when purchasing the papers and display my badge when selling papers. I realize badges cost $1 to replace when lost or damaged; always have in my possession the following when selling Toledo Streets: my Toledo Streets badge, a Toledo Streets sign, a vendor’s license waiver from the mayor, and Toledo Streets papers; agree to only use professional signs provided by Toledo Streets; Abby Sullivan Shannon Nowak Shawn Clark Amy Saylor LaParis Grimes Wanda Boudrie Toledo Streets is a monthly publication called a street paper. We are part of a worldwide movement of street papers that seeks to provide simple economic opportunities to homeless individuals and those experiencing poverty. Our vendors purchase each paper for $.25 and ask for a dollar donation. In exchange for their time and effort in selling the paper, they keep the difference. They are asking for a hand up, not a hand out. By purchasing the paper, you have helped someone struggling to make it. Not just in terms of money, but also in dignity of doing something for themselves. We thank you. FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER Crystal Jankowski Our Staff EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR John Keegan WRITING TEAM LEADER Jonie McIntire ART DIRECTOR Ed Conn T oledo Streets seeks to empower individuals struggling with extreme poverty to participate on a new level in the community through self-employment, job training, and contributorship. Our Mission Toledo Streets is a registered nonprofi t corporation in Ohio. While your gifts to the vendors, who are independent contractors, are not taxed deductible, any donations you make directly to our organization are deductible. These monies go to supporting programming, which includes job training and skills development. Our vendors purchase each paper for $.25 and ask for a dollar donation. In exchange for their time and effort in selling the paper, they keep the difference. They are asking for a hand up, not a hand out. By purchasing the paper, you have helped someone struggling to make it. Not just in terms of money, but also in dignity of doing something for themselves. We thank you. T oledo Streets is a monthly publication called a street paper. We are part of a worldwide movemment of street papers that seeks to provide simple economic opportunities to homeless individuals and those experiencing poverty. Toledo Streets is a registered nonprofi t corporation in Ohio. While your gifts to the vendors, who are independent contractors, are not tax deductible, any donations you make directly to our organization are deductible. These monies go to supporting programming, which includes job training and skills development. Our Mission and Vision Toledo Streets seeks to empower individuals struggling with extreme poverty to participate on a new level in the community through self-employment, job training, and contributorship. Our vision is to inspire hope, foster community, and cultivate change in individuals and society. Our Staff EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Arika Michaelis VENDOR MANAGER Claire McKenna ART DIRECTOR Ed Conn INTERNS John Brindley, II Julia Holder Trinity Episcopal Church Vendor Code of Conduct As a vendor representing Toledo Streets Newspaper , I: • • • • • • • • • • • • agree not to ask for more than a dollar or solicit donations for agree to treat all others—customers, staff, pressure customers. agree to stay off other private Toledo property and highway understand I am not a legal employee of for my own well-being and income. Streets Newspaper Toledo under the in luence vendors—respectfully, exit Toledo and ramps when selling Streets Newspaper agree to sell no additional goods or products when selling the paper. will not buy/sell of agree to only use professional signs provided by Streets badge, a Streets sign, and Toledo Toledo Streets understand my badge, vest, and sign are the property of them in any way. Toledo will always have in my possession the following when selling Toledo but drugs I Streets will Toledo a or Streets Newspaper. Toledo papers. Toledo understand that when you are wearing your vest you are representing inappropriate behavior while representing by any not contracted alcohol. will respect the space of other vendors and will position myself at least two blocks away from a working vendor unless otherwise approved. Streets Newspaper agree that badges and signs are $5 to replace and vests are $10 to replace. Toledo Streets Newspaper may result in Streets Newspaper : my Toledo will and Streets Newspaper, disciplinary not alter thus action any other means. “hard sell,” threaten Streets Newspaper. worker responsible or Page 15
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