Artist’s rendering of proposed shelter in Southeast D.C. (Courtesy Image)
District residents expressed anger, concern, approval, excitement, frustration and acceptance in response to the city’s announcement of the proposed locations for homeless shelters throughout the city. The shelter locations are projected to replace D.C. General in Ward 7, which is set to close in 2018.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, city council members, Advisory Neighborhood Commission members, and other city officials met with residents last week in several community meetings to discuss and hear residents’ thoughts on a plan to place a city-owned housing facility in all eight wards.
“I have been living here 38 years,” said Willie White, who lives near the proposed shelter on Delaware Avenue in Ward 6. “They did not even have the courtesy to come by and let me know what they were doing.” White’s reasoning was a general consensus expressed throughout the city.
“I feel so uninvolved in such an important aspect that it gives me little faith moving forward,” said a resident from Ward 1, who said his uncle was homeless.
During a Ward 2 meeting, the mayor told community members it wasn’t the city’s intention to keep the plan away from residents. “It is not possible to ask every single person whether they want a shelter at a particular site,” she said.
Selecting a site before direct community engagement was the most effective way to develop a comprehensive plan for the project, she said. However the mayor also told residents in Ward 5 that she was amendable to accepting suggestions about the new locations.
Community involvement isn’t the only issue residents have with the proposed shelters.
Residents say the city has not done enough to make the facilities habitable, such as providing private bathrooms. Ward 4 resident Michelle Jones said she thought having private bathrooms was important for the safety of the shelter’s residents, especially among children who would otherwise be forced to use the bathrooms with older adults. “I don’t feel that the dormitory style is appropriate for children and families,” Taylor Massie, a resident of Ward 4, said in agreement. “I don’t think it inspires dignity.”
Several residents expressed concern about the demand the shelters would place on their particular wards and the city, raising concerns about increased crime, decreased property values, and other issues.
Deputy Mayor Courtney Snowden and Councilwoman Yvette Alexander spent most of their meeting in Ward 7 reassuring residents that the new homeless facility, in their ward, would not only provide a better place for families, but would also allow residents to breathe easier and to see more development in their community.
Snowden told residents that there will be an abundance of programs and services within the facility to assist families, including education training and employment services, health care, financial and budget management counseling, and 24-hour staffing and security. “These facilities will be among the most dignified, innovative and effective in the country,” he said. “We’re going to work really hard to make sure that these businesses are hiring or are home-grown right here in Ward 7 and Ward 8.”
However, not all residents voiced concern about the pending facilities. Some approved of the city’s initiative to find solutions to better house its homeless. “From what I’ve seen on the plan so far, I think it’s a win for the families, the city, and the administration,” said Akili West, a small business owner in Ward 4.
Proposed homeless shelters, include:
* Ward 1: 2105-2107 10th St. NW (29 units)
* Ward 2: 810 5th St. NW (213-bed women-only shelter)
* Ward 3: 2619 Wisconsin Ave. NW (38 units)
* Ward 4: 5505 5th St. NW (49 units)
* Ward 5: 2266 25th Place NE (50 units)
* Ward 6: 700 Delaware Ave. SW (50 units)
* Ward 7: 5004 D St. SE (35 units)
* Ward 8: 6th & Chesapeake Streets. SE (50 units)
