Construction Proceeds On Anacostia Homeless Shelter, Residents Feel Ignored

I sure hope that one day I win the lottery because at this rate no one will ever hire me (at least not in DC  government) because I am constantly putting folks on blast. I just can't help it, I call it how I see it.

This post involves the women's homeless shelter that is coming to main street Anacostia. It seems like every time East of the River manages to carve out some type of progress some outside force comes in and drop kicks us back four steps. Call me a NIMBY but I prefer a NAOIMBY - Not Another One In My Back Yard.  To be clear, Anacostia isn't totally against a homeless shelter, just one right on main street.

Seriously, what sense does it make to put a homeless shelter on Good Hope Rd SE? This shelter would be two doors down from the Anacostia Gateway on one side and two doors down from a day care center on the other side. A methadone clinic (with its own type of suspect street traffic) is only 100 yards away. The new shelter will also be right across the street from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development. I guess that makes sense,  DHCD will need to work overtime to try and persuade business owners to invest in the two vacant buildings next door to the proposed shelter. No disrespect but who really wants to open a restaurant or retail store next to a homeless shelter?  Can someone please explain that to me because I am totally clueless. Ward 8 is already suffering from "clustering" (we have more than our fair share of group homes) but there had to be another location in Anacostia (if it was so important to have it in Anacostia) that would be better suited for this shelter. Did it really have to be on our main street? Was there really no other option?

Proposed homeless shelter (3rd building on the right)

This isn't just paranoia or speculation. Ward 8 has first-hand experience with a main street homeless shelter and it ain't pretty. The shelter on the Saint Elizbeths East campus in Congress Heights is a perfect example of where theory meets reality. On our end of MLK we  have a lot of loitering, panhandling, and littering. There is also drug dealing and public intoxication right in front of the shelter on MLK.  That portion of MLK looks more like Skid Row than a business district and everyone who drives or walks down that street notices it. And despite the challenges and side effects to our immediate neighborhood there has been no assistance or communication from D.C. government or Catholic Charities who runs the shelter. For the past four years I have been trying (and failing) to get the city to install a public trashcan on Mellon Street SE. The Department of Public Works's response has been, "We don't install trash cans in residential neighborhoods." What?!

Shepherd Park (corner of MLK & Malcolm X)

My Magic Eight Ball says Anacostia is in for more of the same. Perhaps the plan is to keep dumping more and more social services programs in Ward 8 to keep the rents low for other social services programs. We have all heard it before, "Anacostia can't support a business district - look at the main street."

And in case you were wondering, Calvary Women's Services has continued to stay mum on what is happening at 1217-1219 Good Hope Rd SE. The first time Anacostia stakeholders and the ANC first became aware they bought the building was from an August press release from Council Chairman Kwame Brown. Since then the only indication that the project is still moving forward is the building permit taped to the window, where the stated use has been changed to "Boarding House." Greta Fuller is the ANC Single Member District Commissioner for 8A03 where the homeless shelter would be located.  Fuller stated that since she  first became aware of plans for the shelter in August, she reached out several to  Kris Thompson, Executive Director of Calvary Women's Services. To date, Fuller states that Ms. Thompson has returned one phone call, responded to two emails (the last being September 16, 2011), and has directed that "all questions be sent via email." There still has been no meeting with CWS and the ANC and no plans for one. Commissioner Fuller also states that requests to Council Member Marion Barry's office to facilitate a meeting with Calvary was met with a refusal.

After months of ignored phone calls and emails, Commissioner Fuller reached out several times to Mayor Vincent Gray for his assistance with little response. Calvary remains silent on their plans and construction is underway for the Anacostia shelter. In a strange twist of fate, Calvary Women's Services honored Mayor Vincent Gray with their "Partner of the Year" Award in May of this year. Whether true or not, the perception by many in Anacostia is that the Gray administration will stay quiet and uninvolved when it comes to the shelter. "I think it is a travesty that this shelter and the politicians involved don't think it is necessary to include the community in what we feel is best for our neighborhood, " says ANC 8A04 Commissioner Charles Wilson, "We feel like it is a total disrespect to not involve us in this discussion. We are being ignored."

JC Hayward, Mayor Gray, and CWS Executive Director Kris Thompson (photo courtesy of Calvary Women's Services)

I'm not saying that Calvary is the big bad wolf and I do believe that their heart is in the right place, even if their ears and eyes are not. Their continued lack of communication is not exactly reassuring the residents and business owners of Anacostia. I've written about the importance of outreach before. Is this an indicator of things to come?

Posting pictures I took today. It looks like the project is in the demolition phase, this truck was having a mighty hard time backing into the alley to deposit the dumpster (in the process damaging the adjacent building).

In the end, despite all the back and forth the truck - much like the homeless shelter -  just does not fit.  

Former Elk's Louge, future homeless shelter

The writing is on the window

View across the street to the DC Department of Housing and Community Development

Next door

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