Street Sense Media and The DC Line caught up with the new chair of the D.C. Council’s Housing Committee, at-large member Robert White.
Content categorized as Shelters
Under new management: Robert White on leading DC Council’s Housing Committee
DC risks running out of shelter beds in 2023
Between encampment and program closures, D.C.’s shelter system may be overwhelmed by mid-2023.
DC surveys homeless residents every year. What do the numbers tell us?
D.C. conducted its annual survey of residents experiencing homelessness, the Point-in-Time Count, on Jan. 25. While the numbers are crucial to measuring how effective the city’s plan to end homelessness is, advocates say the survey is likely an undercount.
How to find shelter this winter
D.C. residents have a right to shelter when it’s extremely cold. Where can people experiencing homelessness go?
Helping Rockville families find a place to call home: Inside the work of Stepping Stones Shelter
In 1982, Stepping Stones Shelter made history as the first homeless shelter for families in Montgomery County, MD. Today, it’s best known for its location in Rockville’s historic Dawson Farmhouse and for providing about 30 families with housing and services each year.
Artist Chris Cole finds a safe space to create again
Chris Cole is a 37-year-old poet, doodler, and painter. She’s worked as an artist and vendor for Street Sense for two years. Chris discovered the… Read more »
Pride celebrations are over, but queer youth still need help
As Pride month ends, service providers for unhoused queer youth remind us of the work left to be done.
DC’s 2022 PIT Count results reveal an overall decrease in homelessness
On April 21, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced in the front-entrance parking lot of D.C. Housing Authority headquarters the results of the District’s 2022 point in… Read more »
From the mitten to Maryland part II
Cortney R. Singor shares her experience with homelessness and how she got started with Street Sense.
DC’s PEP-V hotels planned to extend through hypothermia season
The PEP-V program was created as an alternative to shelters for people at high risk of getting severely sick from COVID-19. Some residents who rely on it do not believe the program is running sufficiently. Still, many are improving their lives, getting matched to housing, and focusing on getting themselves off the streets. Due to President Biden’s extension on FEMA, the program will continue operating through hypothermia season.
Worried about the new 801 East Shelter
Street Sense vendor Wendell Williams expresses his worries over the 801 East Shelter being finished when promised.
City program employs homeless people to help promote vaccinations in shelters and on the streets
Amidst staggering vaccination, peer educators are informing people experiencing homelessness about COVID-19 and encouraging vaccinations in their communities.
Federal rental assistance for whom?
Artist/Vendor Donté Turner questions whether the District is using its resources fairly and equitably.
Winter 2021-22 hypothermia plan submitted for approval
The Interagency Council on Homelessness Shelter Capacity Subcommittee submitted a draft of recommendations for this winter’s hypothermia season. The recommendations include the use of PEP-V beds, despite the program’s closure by Sept. 30.
DC low-barrier shelters near capacity during heat emergency
While shelters are reaching their maximum capacities following the COVID-19 pandemic and during rising summer temperatures, no additional overflow space is planned at this time.
Uncertainty over housing complicates DC’s preparations for hypothermia season
The D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness met in June to create recommendations for the upcoming winter season, but will need to meet again to review data from COVID-19 relief programs that are winding down.
How to look forward post-COVID
Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, offers his thoughts on how post-COVID homeless assistance programs can benefit from lessons learned during the pandemic, as well as his perspective on the direction programs and policy should be moving in.
DHS is using the Patricia Handy Place for Women as an active men’s shelter after closing it for repairs
The Patricia Handy Center for Women, which closed earlier this year to repair long-standing plumbing, power, and air system issues, has actively been used by the DC Department of Human Services as a shelter since March 2021.
Church of the Epiphany is opening its doors for shelter space through July
The Church of the Epiphany will be opening its parish hall and mission center as shelter spaces, which will be able to host up to 35 individuals from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., at least through the end of July.
DC tells medically vulnerable people sheltering in hotels that permanent supportive housing vouchers have run out
DHS is holding town halls at its PEP-V sites to tell residents that PSH vouchers have run out, so most will need to find another plan for where to go before PEP-V closes in September.
