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DC Emergency Shelter Campaign
DC Emergency Shelter Campaign |
- DC Emergency Shelter Campaign
- Background
- Action Steps
- Declaration of Interdependence
- Media Coverage
- Homeless Advocates in DC Worry Law Enforcement May Play Larger RoleJuly 15, 2009, WAMU interview with Eric Tars & Tulin Ozdeger of NLCHP, David Klatt reporting- Homelessness is on the rise, and emergency shelters in the District are at capacity, forcing people to find alternatives on the streets....
- Inquiry Continues into Death of Homeless WomanJuly 14, 2009, WAMU interview with Abra Lyons-Warren of Thrive DC, Mana Rabiee reporting - A month after a homeless woman died on a bench outside a shelter in downtown Washington, there's still no definitive answer on why she died....
- Press Release: Budget Cuts put Service Providers in a Difficult Position October 14, 2009, DHS recently put out a statement regarding the DC budget cuts to saftey net servcies and what that will mean for hypothermia season. However, DHS and the District government have yet to address what will happen to shelters and other providers once hypothermia season is over and the money allocated for saftey net services has run out. Without accurate information and full funding, service providers will find themselves unable to care for those who are suffering most during these tought economic times.
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Background |
Homelessness among singles and families is on the rise in the District of Columbia. Well after hypothermia season has ended, there are no vacancies in the individual women's emergency shelter system, and the few vacancies in the men's system are far removed from people and supportive services. People with no place to go are being denied shelter and forced to stay in unsafe places. Family homelessness in the District has risen 25% since last year, and over 200 families remain on the wait list for emergency shelter. Meanwhile, the number of available units at D.C. General family emergency shelter is continuously decreasing and the shelter is currently down to 35 units from the 75 it was operating during hypothermia season. This shelter is slated to close even as families report that they are being turned away due to a lack of capacity in the system.
Given that shelter is a basic necessity for life, and housing is a fundamental human right, in light of the urgent nature of this issue, we encourage the Mayor's office to implement the following recommendations:
- Increase the number of shelter beds in the individual emergency shelter system in order to meet the increased demand for both individuals and families.
- Track the unmet demand and determine the right size for replacement shelter.
- Improve and monitor shelter conditions more closely.
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Action Steps |
- View unmet need for shelter assessment report.
- View interviews with homeless individuals talking about the lack of shelter in DC, including a video of Renee Paige, who died outside after having been denied shelter two days after this video was filmed.
- Sign the petition to call for more housing resources so people don't have to stay on the streets!
- View the Public Oversight Roundtable on Shelter Capacity in the District from Friday, July 17, 2009, chaired by Councilmember Wells.
- Read testimonies presented at the Roundtable on July 17, 2009
- See our talking points for hearings and other public events.
- Call or e-mail the city council and tell them NOT to cut money from safety net programs crucial to low-income and homeless residents before they vote on the FY '10 Budget on July 31.
- If you are interested in more information about DC budget cuts, check out the DC government website.
- Read the Department of Human Services' response to the Homeless Emergency Response Workgroup's letter to the Mayor regarding the current shelter capacity crisis.
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Declaration of Interdependence |
On July 2nd, two days before Independence Day, DC activists gathered at Freedom Plaza to issue their Declaration of Interdependence, and call on the city to recognize people's basic human right to housing.
Listen to coverage of the rally on WAMU.
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Media Coverage |
Homeless Advocates in DC Worry Law Enforcement May Play Larger RoleJuly 15, 2009, WAMU interview with Eric Tars & Tulin Ozdeger of NLCHP, David Klatt reporting- Homelessness is on the rise, and emergency shelters in the District are at capacity, forcing people to find alternatives on the streets.... |
Inquiry Continues into Death of Homeless WomanJuly 14, 2009, WAMU interview with Abra Lyons-Warren of Thrive DC, Mana Rabiee reporting - A month after a homeless woman died on a bench outside a shelter in downtown Washington, there's still no definitive answer on why she died.... |
D.C. to Get $7.4 Million in AidJuly 11, 2009, Washington Post interview with Nassim Moshiree of Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, Darryl Fears reporting - The District is receiving $7.4 million in federal stimulus money to help homeless families and families in danger of becoming homeless, and several area suburbs are also getting grants...Homeless advocates said that they welcome the federal aid but that it will make only a dent in the homeless population...
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Homelessness Among Families in DC Up Much More than National AverageJuly 10, 2009, WAMU interview with Nassim Moshiree of Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, Sabri Ben-Achour reporting - The federal Housing and Urban Development Authority says across the nation, homelessness among families rose 9 percent last year. In the District though, it went up 25 percent...
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Homeless Advocates Say Economy Causing Overcrowding at SheltersJuly 2, 2009, WAMU interview with Nassim Moshiree of Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, Jonathan Wilson reporting - Homeless advocates in D.C. say the economy has pushed many shelters beyond their capacity this summer. After the chanting and a few short speeches, this crowd of about 50 homeless individuals and advocates headed into City Hall to hand deliver a letter to city council and Mayor Adrian Fenty...
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Press Release: Budget Cuts put Service Providers in a Difficult Position October 14, 2009, DHS recently put out a statement regarding the DC budget cuts to saftey net servcies and what that will mean for hypothermia season. However, DHS and the District government have yet to address what will happen to shelters and other providers once hypothermia season is over and the money allocated for saftey net services has run out. Without accurate information and full funding, service providers will find themselves unable to care for those who are suffering most during these tought economic times. |
Big Worry: District Homeless Shelters are Already at Capacity October 29, 2009, Jason Cherkis for the Washington City Paper, has written about the shelter capacity crisis that is currently happening in DC in the men's, women's, and family shelters as well is concerns over budget cuts to homeless services.
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