Big Names, Emotional Speeches Mark N Street Village Luncheon


At times, the annual N Street Village Empowerment Luncheon June 18 at the Mayflower Hotel felt like a buzzing, high-energy convention of a major national sorority. There were women everywhere, all kinds of women, united in a mission of making people’s lives better.

There were retired nurses, retired psychologists and retired history professors, and there were volunteers and board members and donors, and there was Mayor Muriel Bowser, promising with force to end homelessness and lauding the rising reputation of the city over which she presides. There was singer Jennifer Holliday, the original “Dreamgirl” girl, belting out her signature song “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.”

There were speeches by Pepco exec Debbi Jarvis, and Schroeder Stribling, the ebullient and impassioned Executive Director of N Street Village.

And there were direct, honest, and dramatic talks by Cheryl Barnes and Gisele Clark, both of them alumnae of N Street Village, two women of many who are the reason N Street Village exists. Barnes described how she was homeless and addicted to drugs and alcohol for some 30 years of her life. “I stand before you 24 years recovered and it is a miracle that I stand here. I sit at a table of hope and vision as a former homeless representative.” “You,” she said, indicating the audience members of volunteers, contributors, directors, workers and supporters, “ are giving life and hope to all the women who come to N Street Villages for hope, sustenance and help.”

Clark, likewise an alumnae, talked about addiction and relapse, detailing her journey through N Street Village whuch ultimately led to permanent housing and fall classes at UDC.

N Street Village is a long-standing organization which empowers homeless and low-income women to “claim their highest quality of life by offering a broad spectrum of services and advocacy in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.”

Here is what N Street Village does:

– It is the largest provider of women-only services for D.C.’s homeless population, serving more than 60 percent of the city’s adult female homeless population.

– It provides a self-contained continuum of supportive services and housing in order to help women achieve stability and improved quality of life.

– It focuses on creating a safe and welcoming community where women are empowered to make positive changes in their lives.

The women who come to N Street Village, often in the beginning for respite, rest, and peace, suffer from mental illness, addition, have physical, sexual, and trauma histories. Some are living with HIV, most have chronic health problems and half are over 50 years old and one in three have no source of income.

N Street Village provides basic needs, including food, clothing, crisis support, integrated health services , housing, and a path to employment.

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