Last week, we said goodbye to our wonderful editor-in-chief, Will Schick. We’re so grateful for his passion and dedication to community reporting. While he was here, Will worked with dozens of vendors, wrote and edited award-winning articles and launched a guide to reporting on homelessness. We’re full of gratitude and well wishes for his next endeavor.
Will’s departure leaves just one person in the editorial department — me. I came to Street Sense first in 2020 as an intern, and then joined Street Sense is a complex and integral publication, and it deserves an exorbitantly qualified leader. That’s why we’re launching a search for a permanent editor-in-chief, who we hope to bring on board in the coming months. If you think that might be you, check out our website to apply.
And don’t worry, I won’t be going anywhere. Once we’re staffed up, I’ll stick around as a reporter and deputy editor.
In the meantime, I have something to ask for: grace and understanding. Grace for me as I adjust to this new role, and grace for our next leader as they do the same. And understanding, for all our staff, but most importantly, for our vendors.
It’s been a challenging few months for Street Sense. As you probably know, we’ve lost some incredible staff, partially because of layoffs. And in July, we switched from publishing a paper every week to publishing biweekly due to budget shortages.
This means our writers are published and paid for their work half as often. Some vendors have seen a drop in sales, another hit to their income. Vendors are exploring new sales spots and tactics, publicizing their locations and reaching new customers, but it’s still an adjustment. So buy the paper, and if you can, tip your vendor a little more than you normally do.
Street Sense may be changing, but we are still here. We’re going to keep publishing hard-hitting investigations on the use of government funds dedicated to ending homelessness, and features that illuminate the realities of living in poverty in D.C. We’ll continue to uplift people who have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness. These changes are a challenge, but they are also an opportunity. And the editorial department is determined to make the most of it. If you’d like to help with that, donate to Street Sense to make sure we can keep doing this work.
To vendors and customers alike — my door is open. My email ([email protected]) is frequently checked. And I’m so excited to see what Street Sense we can create together.
