Downtown Homeless Shelter To Stay Put

Trivia Question answer: The Gallup World Headquarters at 901 F Street, NW in Washington, DC.

The Old Masonic Temple, now housing Gallup, was built by German-American architects Adolf Cluss and Joseph W. von Kammerhueber between 1868 and 1870.

That church on 8th street and H, across from Matchbox, is also an Adolph Cluss building.

Great, another homeless shelter….good thing crime is so low in dc….oh wait……

Seems like the shelter decision is a slap on Herbert Miller’s wrist for not helping the baseball stadium parking garage situation.

Also, interesting quote from the article: Jesse Smith, who has lived at the shelter for the past six months, said yesterday that saving Franklin was an important victory.

Sounds like public housing rather than a homeless shelter..

send over voter registation cards so they can vote in the november elections

Homeless people are humans also. It’s would be a great shame on our glorious American society if we cannot take care of those who are mentally ill, chemically addicted, abused and tossed aside by the rest of society in a dignified manner. The buildings and organizations that take care of these people should at the very least look like they fit within the communities they have been established in. Not all homeless people are criminals, intelligent humans know better than to make ridiculous generalizations.

Not all homeless people are criminals, but most do suffer from forms of mental illness and narcotics addiction. And the road to recovery is riddled with relapses. Is it ridiculous to be concerned about having these people in close proximity to where you live?

I am consistently shocked at the level of hatred directed at the less fortunate on this blog. It seems like you would rather direct a holocaust on the homeless and poor than have to deal with your own feelings of guilt as you pass them on the street. Yes, many of them are there because of their own debauched actions. But a large segment are people with mental issues who were turned out on the street when Reagan closed all the mental hospitals in the District. I can only hope you received the same level compassion in a time of need as you are showing to these poor souls.

I agree, yt, but the Franklin School area, including Franklin Square, has become significantly less pleasant since it became a shelter. A shelter shouldn’t just provide a place to sleep, it should be trying to provide life skills that will get people out of homelessness. There’s probably some of that at Franklin, but by far the majority of men who sleep there hang out in Franklin Square all day (and some can be pretty rude and confrontational when drunk).

Agree about how we should treat homeless, especially the mentally ill and the working poor, with respect. However, we need the District to work to not have such a concentration of homeless in such a small area. I would also like to say that there are more progressive and effective methods being used is other cities around the country and world to deal with this issue–and I hope the District will have the political will to use these successful case studies here.

How do people feel about the public having to provide food/shelter/health services to mentally ill who refuse to take prescribed medications? I feel people should have a choice as to whether to take their medication, but I also feel they should understand there are consequences. Are there any specialists in mental health policy who could address this question?

“Reagan” didn’t close any “mental hospitals” in DC because the Federal Government has no jurisdiction over such issues (see the Home Rule charter). Also, apart from Saint Elizabeths, there are no locally-run hospitals in DC that deal primarily with mental illness. And even if these services were available, the government is legally prohibited from making people attend therapy and take their medication. Please get your facts straight.

The Right to Shelter movement of the 1980s created a massive influx of homeless into the DC area from all along the East Coast. This is a problem that we’re still dealing with, but the suburban homeless problem dwarfs that of DC. It’s just that in DC it’s more visible.

I don’t think we should hate the homeless or their chemical / mental problems. I know a lot of smokers who are a part of the mainstream who will never give up their addictions; we cannot expect more from those who live on the edges of society and can only find joy at the bottom of a bottle or end of a needle.

Nonetheless, we should work to make sure the institutions that work with these people and the City gov’t take the necessary steps to make sure these folks have a minimal negative impact on those who live around them.

We could have keyed/gated parks and squares like they do in London but some of those places also exclude screaming infants, bicycles, rollerskaters, smokers, spitters, chatty old dames, etc.

It’s no doubt easier to serve the homeless folks when they are in a central location than dispersed around the City.

Maybe we just need a level-headed cop with a billy club around permanently to keep the people in line when they get out of hand. Might sound like a tall order, but if the area is a trouble spot, it warrants more attention — for everyone’s benefit.

To me, the only question is do we provide them with food and shelter, or do we leave them on the streets to starve and freeze like animals? Until someone comes up with a miracle solution (other than moving the population from one neighborhood to another), I’ll choose the former and treat them like human beings.

I have no problem helping and housing the homeless in the downtown area. My main objection is this is a grand 19th century building with unique, ornate architectural details. I just don’t think it appropriate to use as a homeless shelter. Instead, wouldn’t it make a great museum/gallery/boutique hotel? Shouldn’t it be open to all residents and visitors to DC? If maintained as a homeless shelter, who would want to go in there? It just isn’t the best use for the building in the overall scheme of things.

interesting point. how about switching the uses of the franklin school and MLK?

I believe MLK is already functioning as a homeless shelter. Stop by in the morning when it opens and see for yourself.

I came across your discussion today (about three months too late) and was very interested. I lived at the Franklin School Shelter for over seven months before moving into an apartment in Anacostia.

First I would like to say that while some individuals who are homeless use drugs (a crime) most violent crime involving this population features the homeless man or woman as the victim rather than the perpetrator. One of Ed Bradley’s last 60 minutes stories discussed the new phenomenon of ‘bum bashing.’

While Herbert Miller did desire to remodel Franklin as a botique hotel, his company, Western Delevopment, has been active in attempts to work with the men at Franklin Shelter to find a solution which is fair for all parties involved.

The NIMBYism surrounding homeless shelters is understandable. However, the reason that it is important to have a low barrier men’s shelter in the downtown area is that this is where the largest concentration of homeless persons exists.

As for the statement that “many of them are there because of their own debauched actions,” the number one cause of homelessness in the District and in the nation at large is the lack of affordable housing, and the fastest growing group among the homeless (currently over 40%) is families.

Jason said, “Franklin Square has become significantly less pleasant since it became a shelter. A shelter shouldn’t just provide a place to sleep, it should be trying to provide life skills that will get people out of homelessness. There’s probably some of that at Franklin…” Unfortunately this is not the case. The Franklin School shelter provides very little in the way of services to assist men in getting back on their feet. The facility also does not attempt to inform clients of where such services can be found. Primarily, Franklin provides a meal and a bed for the night. This is one of the things that must be changed if Franklin is to become a permanent facility.

There is a contingent of clients at Franklin that is composed of the mentally ill who have refused or been unable to obtain treatment. However, when you say that they should be aware of the consequences, does this mean refusing them food, shelter, or clothing? I would think that this policy would only exacerbate the situation. Also, St Elizibeth’s hospital (which has just regained it’s accreditation) has been natorious for pushing clients who are homeless out the door without sufficient outpatient services or placement. Most of these individuals are released directly into shelters or the street.

Franklin School is, as you say, “a grand 19th century building with unique, ornate architectural details.” Because of historical preservation concerns, massive renovations to the building which would benifit the homeless population are extremely expensive, and in some cases impossible. We have attempted to work with the city to find another location within the downtown corridor that would better serve Franklin’s purpose; unfortunately the city has been unable to locate another facility. This is one of the main reasons that the hotel deal was torpedoed.

Lastly, you are absolutely right about MLK. Because of the lack of day programs or services, combined with many shelters operating hours of 7pm to 7am, large numbers of homeless individuals tend to congregate at the public libraries, and until such programs exist, this will continue to be the case.

David: Thanks for the additional insight!

One thing that has puzzled us is why is there an obsession with finding an alternate shelter location *downtown*? Many homeless are currently located downtown because that’s where all of the current shelters exist, not the other way around. Where is the value in spending lots of money on prime real estate for a shelter so that the homeless can be 5 blocks from the white house, capitol, and national mall (not to mention walking distance to corporate office buildings and expensive restaurants)?

Why not use one of the deserted buildings in Anacostia for a shelter/homeless community?