D.C. Prepares For Growth In Family Homelessness This Winter

[mahatmakanejeeves]

D.C. Prepares For Growth In Family Homelessness This Winter, As ICH Approves Plan

D.C. is preparing for a 16 percent increase in homeless families seeking shelter this winter, according to a plan approved today by the Interagency Council on Homelessness. ... "A projected increase for this winter is consistent with the trends tracked during the summer of 2014, from May through June, since there was a 26 percent increase of families requesting assistance at the Virginia William Family Resource Center compared to the same time period last summer," states the plan, which is created each year to prepare for hypothermia season. The city is not required to provide shelter for families during the summer, as it is during the hypothermia season, which runs from November to the end of March.

ICH expects there to 409 units in the city's inventory for homeless families at the beginning of the season, but "many or most," either at D.C. General or smaller shelters, will be occupied. Deborah Carroll, interim director of Department of Human Services, said as much at a Council hearing in June. In addition, approximately 40 units at D.C. General do not meet the criteria set for a "private room" by a judge who ruled against the city's practice of sheltering families in recreation centers. That lawsuit is still pending, according to the city, so it's unclear if those units will be available.

No one from The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, which coordinates the city's Continuum of Care and runs D.C. General, attended the ICH meeting. Residents of D.C. General in June complained about poor living conditions at the shelter and said Community Partnership Executive Director Sue Marshall was unwilling to meet with them.

A request for comment from the Partnership was not immediately returned. ... "If Mr. [Allen] Lew, [City Administrator], can be here, I think everyone can be here," one ICH member representing the homeless said. "Homelessness will become very important if it happens to you. Let's be real ... about attending these meetings. The bulk of the same people are doing all the work."

[JustAnotherGen]

1. And a judge ruled against

the use of rec centers? <-- ETA - that makes no sense. On a sub zero night - nobody is worrying about a private room - they are worrying about a place to stay warm.

I never post in this group but it came up in my latest threads.

Is there a community action team that folks could donate to - that provides direct support when the local government fails? I'm not big on Salvation Army as I've seen/heard experience from some of my hands on work with food insecure people - that they can be cold to the GLBT community.

I.E. I'm working to try and set up a community kitchen so people can save on gas electric bills - via my local UU churches.

Is there someone I could donate to that is doing the kind of volunteer work I do down there - but they need funding?

[Autumn]

2. The idiots who work there part time should get on the stick and do something about this or

at least open the congressional buildings for these families to use it. After all it's not like they do anything we pay then to do. Let's see they have multiple cafeterias and maintenance staff and all those offices where congress critters do nothing. Let the homeless use it, better use that what it houses now.