Rather than tell you myself about Street Sense Media, I’ll let them tell you in their own words:

“Street Sense Media was founded as Street Sense in August 2003 after two volunteers approached the National Coalition for the Homeless on separate occasions about starting a street newspaper in Washington, D.C. After bringing together a core of dedicated volunteers and vendors, Street Sense published its first issue in November 2003 with a print run of 5,000 copies. The newspaper has published consistently on a monthly and now biweekly basis.

“Our mission is to end homelessness in the Washington, D.C. area by empowering people in need with the skills, tools and confidence to succeed. Together we use a range of media platforms to raise awareness and spotlight solutions to homelessness in our community.

“Street Sense Media creates content in print, film, theater, photography, audio, illustration and more, all for the purpose of providing economic opportunity for and elevating the voices of people experiencing homelessness. The content of our media center aims to challenge perceptions of homelessness and those it affects while creating common ground upon which we can build a stronger community.

“Our innovative approach harnesses the abilities, aspirations and hard work of men and women experiencing homelessness. We have long known that while housing and economic opportunity are distributed unevenly, talent and creativity are distributed equally, without regard to income or housing status.

“In addition to the economic opportunities provided by our newspaper vendor program, Street Sense Media provides case management services to help the men and women we work with navigate the often-complex bureaucracies toward permanent housing, employment and physical and mental health care.

“At Street Sense Media, we define ourselves through our work, talents and character, not through our housing situation.”

Why am I writing about Street Sense? Well, for the past few years, I’ve been buying the newspaper, and often have found myself in conversation with the vendors selling them. So, when I registered for a course that required I do an internship somewhere, the newspaper came to mind. One of my first assignments was to do a vendor profile. Because the organization was about to commemorate its fifteenth anniversary under the theme “Art Brings Us Home,” I decided to interview one of the artists whose work was being featured as part of the celebration, a young man named Vincent Watts.

When Vincent says one of his defining attributes is being “observant,” it is easy to find his fortune in possessing such a trait. After all, what better ability would serve someone engaged in the creation of visual art, something that has been a life-long interest of his?

“I started doing art when I was about three years old,” Vincent says. “My mom noticed my talent, like, right-off-the-bat, and she put me in a private art school. Whenever I couldn’t play with my toys or go outside on a rainy day, I was sketching the Ninja Turtles or something. I was always into art.”

Vincent’s early and never-waning interest took him from his native Detroit to the city he considers his second home, Chicago. There, after already having begun studying at a community college, he enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago, earning a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. His medium is computer graphics. “You can call it digital art,” he says. Arriving here in Washington, D. C. a year ago this month, Vincent says his artistic interests have expanded to now include architecture.

Since being in Washington, Vincent has been seeking employment opportunities. While doing so, he has made use of the chance offered by Street Sense Media. When asked why he decided to become one of the newspaper’s vendors, he says it is because of the opportunity “to sell something.” He goes on to add that “I actually used to be in sales. I’ve been in sales for quite some time.” When it comes to selling the paper, Vincent explains it this way: “To me, my perception is it’s a lot better than just asking for cash, so the idea appealed to me, the whole concept was kind of a unique experience.”

Though not now having a place of his own in which to pursue his art, Vincent does not consider himself homeless. Because of the shelter where he stays, he says of his current circumstances, “I don’t want to refer to it as a homeless situation, ‘cause you have someplace to go. I consider homeless being, like, literally homeless – no place to go. You do have resources and services available at a lot of these shelters.”

Not having his own place, however, has not stopped Vincent from doing what he loves, and here, too, Street Sense Media has helped, affording him the opportunity to provide illustrations to the newspaper. (In fact, the art work of vendors was an integral part of the organization’s aforementioned anniversary celebration, which included photography, illustration, interactive art, poetry and writing, theater, film, and audio production, and featured a silent auction and raffles for prizes and artwork).

One of Vincent’s stated goals is “getting a job, getting back on my feet.” When asked if that means returning to sales, he says he’d like to do something else. Referencing his background in the fine arts, he shares that he’d “love to go into that,” and that working with art students here in the city is also something he’d like to do. “I’m putting my best efforts forward. I’m reaching out to a lot more people so, hopefully, the feedback will kind of give me a new approach.”

Hopefully, it will.