WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington lawmakers have approved Mayor Muriel Bowser’s plan to close the city’s most notorious homeless shelter, setting the guidelines for the construction of smaller replacements across the city.
The Council of the District of Columbia voted Tuesday to close the shelter at D.C. General Hospital, which houses hundreds of homeless families, and create six smaller replacement shelters. Bowser says the new shelters will provide a safer environment than the old hospital, where 8-year-old Relisha Rudd disappeared last year.
Opponents say they oppose the smaller shelters because they lack private bathrooms. Parents cite concerns for children potentially sharing a bathroom with adults.
The move is a part of the mayor’s five-year plan to end chronic homelessness in Washington.
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