More than 70 people living in tents in McPherson Square will be moved Wednesday by the National Park Service, despite pushback from some D.C. lawmakers.
The plans to clear McPherson Square of people experiencing homelessness are set to move forward, despite some D.C. lawmakers and homeless advocates voicing opposition.
The Park Service noted that it is granting a request from the D.C. Department of Health and Human Services, citing sanitation and crime concerns.
After learning of three deadly overdoses in the camp, National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said the agency agreed on a date with the District to move the clearing of the camp two months sooner than the original date of April 15.
With more than 70 people on a tight square, Litterst said it’s challenging to remove trash and keep the area sanitary and accessible for emergency responders. The Park Service said it gave 14 days’ notice to those living in the encampment.
“We acknowledge DMHHS’ assessment that this encampment‘s size and constitution have surpassed the District’s ability to provide effective social services at this location. Specifically, the District reports that contracted social service providers and mental health clinicians feel increasingly unsafe working at McPherson Square and are unable to provide on-site services to an encampment of this size,” Superintendent of the National Mall Jeffrey Reinbold wrote in a letter to Health and Human Services Deputy Mayor Wayne Turnage.
In a letter to the Superintendent of the Park Service, D.C. Council members Robert White (At-Large), Janeese Lewis George (Ward 1) and Brianne Nadeau (Ward 4) disagree with the decision, asking that action not be taken during hypothermia season.
“I am incredibly concerned that encampment sweeps like this exacerbate the issue of encampments. Like most people, I don’t believe that encampments are the best or safest place for people to live. But if we’re going to solve the problem, that means we have to get people into housing and connect them to social services. And right now, we have the resources to do that, but the systems don’t work,” White told WTOP.
A group of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners also have weighed in on the debate over clearing the camp, sending a letter to Turnage and the Park Service.
Today, Valentine’s Day, I’m proud to stand with around 90 of my fellow Commissioners and urge @NPSNewsDC and @DMHHS_DC to have a heart and not evict our unhoused neighbors at McPherson Square. https://t.co/Lkq7Q69yAK
— Evan Yeats (@Evan_Yeats) February 14, 2023
White plans to ask Turnage to implement an emergency plan to help those in McPherson Square.
“I’ve also been putting forward some important ideas on mid- and long-term fixes to create more people with behavioral health degrees, who can fill the social services roles. I’ve made a funding request of Mayor Bowser that would get more of our public housing units online,” White said.
He wants a focus on getting rid of the backlog in placing people in need of housing.
“Those are things that are going to take months or years,” White said. “But we need to be fixing things in days and weeks.”
