RSS FeedFranklin Homeless On The Way Out?
While lunching at the 11th and NY Ave Subway two months ago, this writer chatted with a homeless man named Richard, a down on his luck guy dressed in worn khakis and a white oxford, cell phone on his belt. He definitely was not a benchcamper yelling obscenities surrounded by a thousand bags, a nasty odor and a Safeway shopping cart. He had a temp office job downtown, was working hard to get out of his situation and Franklin School shelter was his home. The takeaway from the conversation? Check after the break…
He told me the city is using an allocation system to start moving people out of Franklin by August 1 and into apartments around the city. Pair that tidbit up with a press release appearing on the DC Government web site last Friday titled “District Seeks Available Rental Units for Permanent Supportive Housing Program (PSHP)”:
…Approximately 600 apartment units are being sought to house homeless individuals over the next 90 days.
Specific Need: Efficiencies, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartment units. The apartment units should be located in privately owned and managed buildings/complexes throughout the District of Columbia. We are seeking apartment units in all quadrants of the District. There is a preference for apartment units that are located in buildings that are mixed income in terms of the income levels of the tenants. We are also seeking units that are accessible for persons with disabilities and that meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines.
Rental Term: Standard term of one (1) year with the option to renew.
What do you get? Anecdotal evidence that DC is making good on its plans to take care of the homeless situation, especially downtown. We applaud these efforts and look forward to a nicer public circumstance for all of DC’s residents going forward.
Ed. Note: One of our commenters, ed, updates us below with timely information on a Council vote that took place last Thursday indicating the Franklin School would not close on October 1, 2008 as originally planned by the Fenty administration. Thanks ed!
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Comments
…because we’re idiots.
Only in the ubber welfare city of Washington DC, could we be short-sighted enough to use an awesome historically ornate building sitting on one of the largest and nicest green spaces in one of the most prime locations in the city that should be a jewel of a hotel or a beautiful museum, as a warehouse for the homeless.
If the shelter has to be downtown, just convert some freakin’ anonymous empty office space into a bunk/bath house.
This is currently one of the worst uses of space in the city.
Uncle Jessie, I agree completely, ‘cept that we’re not really the idiots.
Wasn’t that the space that was supposed to be the new SoHo House Hotel? What a loss.
Thank you Uncle Jessie!
Homeless “advocates” say that shelter is needed downtown to serve the homeless there. The truth is that the homeless are there because that is where they are fed by do-gooders that don’t live in the neighborhood. Until recently, there were few homeowners downtown to complain.
I suggest the “advocates” feed and house the homeless in their own neighborhoods. That way they may actually realize that just feeding and warehousing vagrants is not doing anyone any good. Fenty knows this but unfortunately the DC council doesn’t.
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The city council had the opportunity to close Franklin School but punted it down the road.
See http://www.examiner.com/a-1493480~District_agrees_to_land_swap_with_homeless_shelter.html?cid=rss-Washington_DC
‘The council vote, originally planned for Tuesday, was delayed by a single sentence in Fenty’s economic analysis noting the administration’s intention to “close Franklin School Shelter by October 1, 2008.”
That language was stripped from the economic analysis report approved Thursday, ensuring the downtown Franklin shelter will remain open for now.
“That’s a discussion for another day,” at-large Councilwoman Carol Schwartz said of the shelter debate.