March 26, 2009
Letters to the Editor
A Lifeline for the Homeless
The March 23 front-page article "On D.C. Streets, the Cellphone as Lifeline" illustrated how this technology helps homeless people stay connected with society and helps reverse the downward spiral of homelessness.
As the article pointed out, however, most homeless people do not have cellphones. For them, social service agencies such as Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place, located in Tenleytown, are a lifeline.
Friendship Place receives mail and takes phone messages for people who are homeless. And we give them the option of participating in Community Voice Mail, a nationwide nonprofit service that offers service through 19 locations in the District. Through CVM, 20 clients of Friendship Place have their own free voice mail, to which they have access from any phone. This provides a valuable link to employers, medical care and families for those who can't even afford pay-as-you-go phones.
-Julie Butner
Washington Post Thursday, March 26, 2009; Page A20