![]() The NCH argues that denying people food is counterproductive: "Food is not an addiction food is necessary for survival,” writes the coalition. “Depriving a person of food means that she must put all of her energy into obtaining food and less energy on improving other aspects of her life.” The National Coalition on Homelessness (NCH) has written a series of reports about successful food-sharing programs that have debunked the “enabling hypothesis” on display in Caffé Vita’s email. McConnell is certainly correct that beliefs are not necessarily factual. It Turns Out That Feeding Homeless People Does Not Enable Homelessness When pressed on the issue, she told the story of a homeless person who, McConnell claimed, turned down a job offer at the cafe because “they said they preferred to stay on unemployment.” She added that providing “comprehensive solutions” was the most effective way to address homelessness and pointed to her support of nonprofits such as FareStart and Mary’s Place. When asked what evidence she uses to substantiate the belief that feeding homeless people enables homelessness, McConnell said “a belief isn’t saying anything that’s factual.” She also didn’t know if the company had protocol for drip coffee destined for the drain. ![]() McConnell said she believed the company had a pastry waste protocol, but she was “not sure” if any such protocol was listed in the employee handbook or elsewhere. Over the phone, Liz McConnell, who owns Caffé Vita along with her husband Mike McConnell, said information about employee terminations was “confidential,” though she said all the employees were fired "for cause." One employee, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said giving away gift cards would be dumb because the cards aren’t pre-loaded with cash. “In fact,” said Sylva, a barista who worked for the company for five years before recently resigning due to the aftermath of the firings, “I was told in my training to give away pastries to homeless people at the end of the night or to set them near the trash."Īll four employees who spoke with The Stranger also deny giving away gift cards or hearing of anyone giving away gift cards. ![]() Washington went on to write that “giving away products is theft and the grounds for immediate termination,” and then argued customers “will likely choose alternatives” if the cafe is “filled with homeless people.” The email concluded with an invitation to “discuss opportunities to volunteer or donate” to the company’s “charitable efforts aimed at homelessness” if employees wanted to “make a meaningful impact.”Īccording to Delon, upper management doesn’t require baristas to mark down the amount of remaining drip coffee or the number of remaining waste pastries. “Although these were well placed intentions, please understand, it is our belief that feeding homeless people without comprehensive services actually enables, increases and promotes homelessness.” “We’ve recently learned that some employees have been giving away Vita gift cards, food, and coffee to homeless people in the neighborhoods we occupy,” Washington wrote in the email. On September 6, the cafe’s now-former general manager, Isaiah Washington, sent an email to current and former employees laying out the policy. ![]() supporters of Caffé Vita baristas will gather outside the local coffee chain’s Capitol Hill location to protest a slew of firings and resignations that followed what they call the “sudden, harsh enforcement” of a company policy against giving homeless people old pastries and coffee. ![]() Caffé Vita on the Hill, one of ten locations across the country. ![]()
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