News about Homelessness in D.C.

The D.C. Council voted in a special session yesterday to sell a former city-owned homeless shelter to the privately run Central Union Mission, after concerns about an economic analysis of the proposal stopped the bill from being voted on Tuesday night at the council's legislative meeting.

The administration of D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty should take a bow for tackling homelessness. New initiatives and the resurrection of neglected plans have positioned the District to become a leader in homeless service systems -- a far cry from where it stood three years ago. But if the goal is to make a lasting difference, the hard work is just beginning.

March in D.C. Protests Shift of Shelters, Services to Fringe Areas

Mayor Adrian Fenty announced Wednesday the administration’s strategy for decreasing chronic homelessness and creating permanent housing with support services such as counseling and employment assistance.

The new plan, created in conjunction with the D.C. Department of Human Services, includes an initiative to provide homes for more than 400 homeless people within six months and to revamp existing shelters to provide better services.

A major fire ripped through a four-story apartment building in Mount Pleasant yesterday, leaving almost 200 people homeless. The five-alarm fire left the building 'gutted' and it came after years of complaints about living conditions from tenants and the D.C. government.

The leader of the Central Union Mission said he is talking with D.C. officials about relocating the long-serving homeless shelter downtown.The shelter prompted protests nearly two years ago when officials announced that they planned to sell its Logan Circle headquarters in northwest Washington and build a new location on Georgia Avenue.

The frigid temperatures bracing the region Sunday won’t last through the week, but social service agencies are reaching out to help keep the homeless warm.

With the coldest weather of the season expected to sweep through the Washington region today, several jurisdictions are extending shelter hours and mobilizing workers to try to provide shelter for everyone who needs it.