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HIPS Testimony at City Council of DC on the Community Safety and Health Amendment Act  of 2019

10/17/2019

 
HIPS staff members Cyndee Clay, Alexandra Bradley, and Jessica Martinez deliver powerful testimony at DC's City Council hearing on the Community Safety Act of 2019.  Decriminalizing sex work would prevent some of the city’s most marginalized members—trans women of color, in particular—from entering the criminal justice system for engaging in consensual sex.

Stop Criminalizing Survivors (Washington City Paper)

10/3/2019

 
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Tamika Spellman, HIPS Policy and Advocacy Associate Credit: Darrow Montgomery/file
#I’ve found another family with the people I organize with. We were proud to join the legacy of freedom fighters like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who called to decriminalize sex work and invest in community in the 1970s. And we knew that to fully decriminalize sex work in the District, we had to shift hearts and minds. Through DECRIMNOW, we started uplifting the stories and perspectives of the countless Black and brown trans sex workers who experienced violence and wanted to be safe.  Now, after decades of fighting to be respected and supported, the D.C. Council is starting to take the needs of people in the sex trades seriously. 
[Read Article]

LGBTQ advocates deliver letter to DC council members calling for sex work decriminalization (Metro Weekly)

10/2/2019

 
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Activists advocating for decriminalization of sex work in D.C. submit a letter, signed by 72 organizations, outlining their position to D.C. Councilmember Elissa Silverman, I-At-Large (left). – Photo: Sex Worker Advocates Coalition.
LGBTQ activists and advocates has dropped off copies of a letter addressed to members of the D.C. Council, signed by 72 different organizations, advocating for a bill that would  decriminalize sex work in the District of Columbia.  The four key arguments in favor of the bill are that decriminalizing sex work will 1) allow sex workers, particularly transgender individuals who otherwise can’t obtain jobs due to discrimination, a way to make money to survive; 2) decrease the incidence of violence and harassment that sex workers face at the hands of clients, criminals who target sex workers for money, or even police; 3) decrease rates of HIV by allowing transgender people more time and space to negotiate condom use; and 4) allow sex workers to access resources, government benefits, and employment opportunities that they would otherwise be denied if they have a criminal conviction for prostitution. [Read Article]

Transgender sex workers feel under attack. These women are working to protect their own. (Washington Post)

9/16/2019

 
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From left, Emmelia Talarico, Bianca Bonita Carter and Tamika Spellman cruise the streets checking up on sex workers in the early-morning hours in Northeast Washington. (J. Lawler Duggan/For The Washington Post)
With a bag of condoms and a stack of business cards, Tamika Spellman, HIPS Policy and Advocacy Associate, began a route she knew by heart, peering out the window of her Lincoln sedan at dark sidewalks where she once stood.   Spellman rolled down the window,“Ya’ll got condoms?” she called.  On the corner of 51st and Meade street, they found a woman wearing a pink tank top and a fanny pack. Spellman offered her condoms.  “I just want to make sure you’re safe while you’re working,” said Spellman.  “Don’t worry, I question them before getting in the car,” the woman said.  “I know, but you can’t ever tell these days,” Spellman said. “Too many other girls have been killed, and I just want to make sure you out here being safe, sugar.” [Read Article]

D.C.’s New Naloxone Pilot Wants to End Stigma Around Carrying the Drug (Washington City Paper)

9/12/2019

 

District residents can walk into their local pharmacy and ask for FREE naloxone, the overdose-reversing drug

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Alexandra Bradley, Mobile Services Manager at the nonprofit HIPS, has been giving out free Naloxone (also known as Narcan) as part of HIPS’ harm reduction program since well before the pilot. In addition to naloxone, the group gives out condoms and offers information on syringe exchange programs. For Bradley, any reduction in barriers to accessing naloxone is a good thing.  Bradley also says that for the clients HIPS serves, which include sex workers, people with substance use disorders, and people experiencing homelessness, pilots like these aren’t always practical. “To go to the pharmacy, you have to be willing to ask a pharmacist in public about Naloxone and risk them acting a certain way,” says Bradley.   According to an American Medical Association opioid report released this month, there’s a mistaken belief that naloxone will encourage “risky behavior,” or encourage people to continue using knowing there’s an antidote. And this might make people fearful to ask for it, even if the drug isn’t intended for them, but rather for a friend or a family member.  Instead of going to a pharmacy, Bradley says community members can receive free naloxone from HIPS directly. The group gives it out when they do outreach activities.  According to Bradley, the Department of Health provides a lot of community-based organizations like HIPS with free Naloxone to hand out. That way people can receive it, no questions asked, from a group familiar to them.   The pilot is a great back-up for emergencies when HIPS and other community-based organizations aren’t immediately available, Bradley says.  [Read Article]

A simple solution to homeless encampments: End homelessness (Street Sense)

8/29/2019

 
Miriam’s Kitchen, HIPS and Everyone Home D.C., are service provider and advocacy organizations who belong to The Way Home Campaign. This is one of three responses to an open-letter letter written by the NoMa Business Improvement District.
As social service providers with a combined total of nearly 115 years working to end homelessness in Washington, D.C., we are deeply troubled by the current debate around homelessness encampments in NoMa. While encampments are not ideal, and common-sense strategies should be put in place to protect the health and safety of all of our neighbors, they are a natural byproduct of D.C.’s homelessness crisis. We worry that concentrating on encampments sidetracks D.C. from focusing on proven, humane, and client-centered solutions to end homelessness. As such, we ask the NoMa community, and all D.C. residents, to join us in advocating for the best-known solution to homelessness: housing. ​ [Read Article]

2019 Trans Equality Now Awards Honors HIPS Staff Member and long time community advocate, Earline Budd.

5/23/2019

 
Ms. Earline Budd was honored at the 2019 Trans Equality Awards.  Ms. Budd was introduced by fellow HIPS staff member, Randy Kier, and HIPS Board Member and Director of Policy at National Center for Transgender Equality, Harper Jean Tobin.  Shareese Mone, HIPS Development Associate, and Tristan Sullivan-Wilson, HIPS Public Policy Fellow cheer were able to join as Ms. Budd was honored for her decades of tireless service to the LGBTQ community.

HIPS Director of Finance & Operations named an Enterprising Woman of the Year (Tagg Magazine)

3/15/2019

 
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"It’s just so frustrating that we have a system that oppresses sex workers and drug users. We’re all just people trying to get by.  Every person deserves access to help, care, and love,” says Knotts. “I feel good that I’m involved in part of the solution. [Read Article]

Washington City Podcast Episode Three: Cyndee Clay

11/20/2017

 
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​Cyndee Clay started with HIPS, an organization that serves people involved in street economies, as a volunteer in college. Today she's the organization's executive director. As HIPS prepares to celebrate its 25th year, she and City Paper's Housing Complex reporter Andrew Giambrone talked about D.C.'s opioid crisis, issues facing the transgender community, and HIPS' approach of not judging their clients on what they're doing, but rather helping them prevent harm. [Listen Here]

Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers Event

12/17/2016

 
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  • About
    • Mission
    • History
    • Policy
    • HIPS in the News
    • Partners
    • Supporters
    • Jobs >
      • Community Care Specialist
  • Services
    • Impact
    • Resources and Referrals >
      • Abortion Resources
      • Harm Reduction
      • Transgender Resources
      • Our Services
      • Housing Resources
      • Syringe Exchange
      • Employment Resources
      • Harm Reduction Vending Machines
    • Advocacy >
      • Chosen Few
      • Sex Worker Advocates Coalition (SWAC)
      • Advisory Neighborhood Commission Training
      • Media Inquiries
      • Videos
  • Get Involved
    • Sign on to Support
    • Intern
    • Volunteer
  • Swag
    • Pride Gear
    • Shirts & Tanks
    • Sweatshirts, Fleece, & Outerwear
    • Hats
    • Mugs
    • Bags & Totes
    • Posters
    • Dresses
    • Accessories
  • Donate
  • Events
  • Contact Us