An act was passively approved by Congress on March 11 that requires Mayor Muriel Bowser to develop a plan for reconstruction of the Federal City Shelter.
The act’s “Statement of Principles” was developed by a task force that assembled in 2013 and binds the mayor’s plan to certain guidelines. The task force met regularly for a year and was led by former councilmember and chairman for the Committee on Human Services Jim Graham.
Graham said the objective of the task force was to improve “the quality of services for homeless people,” specifically at the facility’s 2nd and D Streets NW location. The task force started to work towards that objective by gathering facts and assessing client and community needs, according to Graham.
“I think we’ve done everything we could to make the right decision and the right decision is to maintain homeless services and housing at that downtown location,” Graham said.
The Statement of Principles outlines that the mayor should follow a “build first” strategy, so that clients are not displaced by construction. The guidelines also say that the replacement facility should have affordable housing, follow a Housing First model of permanent supportive housing and provide a 24-hour low barrier shelter and hypothermia shelter.
The act also stipulates that the replacement facility should be “state-of-the-art.”
“I’m very proud of what goes on there, but no one is proud of the quality of housing there,” Graham said. “It’s not what we want for the people.”
The Statement of Principles requires the replacement or reconstructed facility to continue to host the organizations currently located at the Federal City Shelter: CCNV, Unity Health Care, DC Central Kitchen, Clean and Sober Streets, The John L. Young Center for Women and New Hope Ministries.
Although the act has been approved by Congress, there is no timeline yet for when the mayor’s plan will be developed, according to Kenneth Diggs, public information officer for Department of General Services (DGS). The city is now discussing the next steps and DGS will be a part of the conversation.
“We are always involved in the facilities part of the portfolio, meaning that we construct whatever the mayor decides,” Diggs said.
