There’s no doubt our city has been facing a crisis in homeless services. The Mayor has announced plans to replace the DC General shelter with eight smaller and neighborhood-based facilities focused on supportive and temporary housing. Her plan includes one site located in each Ward of the city. The proposal for Ward 6 is a smaller facility that would provide 50 units of housing for families in new construction located at Delaware and H Street SW. While many questions remain to be answered, it would be a mixed-use building that also includes artist housing and incorporates elements of the existing Blind Whino arts space into the facility. It will have services and parking on site, along with 24-hour security. You can view more details of the proposal by clicking here.
To put this crisis in context, last night, nearly 1,000 people spent the night at DC General. Almost 400 of those were children. Hundreds more slept in hotels rented by the city. I don’t believe this is the way we take care of children and families in need. When the city closed DC Village several years ago, it was done without a plan for what our city needed. That lack of planning led to the current day conditions at DC General. There's been talk for years about how to close DC General, but this is the first time I see a real plan to achieve that and take care of families that need emergency housing in a safe space. If approved, these smaller facilities would be constructed and opened – and DC General would be closed – by the end of 2018.
I will ask tough questions of the plan to ensure success, but I do not underestimate the capacity of our residents to care about all of their neighbors. I will work with residents and leaders in Southwest to answer questions, ensure a smart plan is in place, and to make this proposal a success for the neighborhood as well as our neighbors in need.
I welcome your feedback and comments. In fact, I need them! Whether you support, oppose, or just have questions about this proposal, I need to hear from you. The Council will hold hearings in mid-March, but please use this site to share your feedback with me. I will also share updates with you as this proposal moves forward and is subject to public hearings and discussions.
Showing 21 reactions
I support the proposed Delaware Ave SW location for the Ward 6 facility. Incorporating aspects of Blind Whino into the project not only helps mitigate costs, it also is a brilliant way to have interesting additional opportunities footsteps from the residence. This location is also close to commerce, transportation, schools, and community — all important considerations for this type of facility.
While we must of course expect some opposition regarding location or other aspect, my hope is any opposition also be conveyed with a reasonable alternative. This underscores the necessity that we must do something to transition the existing shelter out of the former DC General.
Thanks, Council Member Allen, for soliciting our views and pledging to follow the process. With your leadership, we are well placed to create and install a timely solution that’s in the best interests of all of us in Ward 6 and across the District.
Rev. Martha Clark
As examples of my non-typical career: supervised an Emergency Detox unit on the Bowery; co-created and supervised what was to become a highly humanistic homeless shelter, the first shelter for homeless men with AIDS, in New York City; primary medical care for the near-homeless and truly homeless; receiving referrals from the Department of Health to do acupuncture for Crack addicts; and running the Department of Home-Based Care for a hospital in the epicenter of the global AIDS epidemic – Swaziland.
Also, I am an artist of several media. It has been my luck to have several of my one-man films receive international recognition. Currently, I am working on a film about a circus based in Phnom Penh. The circus is not only a marvel of performance, but the performers were originally Trash Kids at the very bottom of Cambodian society.
My family and I live in the 6th Ward – the Southwest. When I learned of our Mayor’s proposal to have a homeless shelter in our neighborhood, I was inspired to come out of retirement and attempt to be helpful in any way possible.
Could you give me the name(s) and contact information for the person or people I should approach? It is possible to create a shelter that would be one more reason to be proud of The District’s Southwest.
Second, the proposed area is already a high-risk zone for criminal activity and creates somewhat of a barrier for existing families to walk from Southwest to the Navy Yard – particularly at night. What actions will be taken to mitigate criminal behavior and provide additional security for residents and pedestrians who will be using the increasingly busy I (eye) St SW?
Third, due to the number of families with young children in the immediate area, will any steps be taken to ensure that adults with criminal histories – especially SEX OFFENDERS – are PROHIBITED from residing in the shelter?
Lastly, we all recognize the tragedy and seriousness of the homeless issue (especially for children and families). What types of support will be offered to those who live in the shelter to help them transition to living independently? What is the timeline (goal) for shelter residents to transition out of the shelter? Is there a plan to eradicate homelessness and what is the timeline or plan for closing the shelters as the goals/milestones are reached? It would be helpful to see the long-term goal and plan for managing and assisting those who utilize the shelters.