On Monday, the ribbon was cut on The Ethel, a new a new building in Southeast D.C.’s East Hill neighborhood that will provide 100 units for D.C. residents who recently had no place to call home.
“The Ethel … will be a sanctuary for residents exiting homelessness, not only to a beautiful home but with on-site care and resources that will help transform lives,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser.
The building is named after humanitarian and civil rights activist Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy.
Sitting only blocks from the RFK Stadium, the building, according Bowser, will provide fitness facilities, cooking classes, a clothing closet, hair salon, and on-site caseworkers, who will connect residents with health care and professional development services.
“I’m so honored that you would name a building dedicated to improving the lives of homeless women and men after me,” Ethel Kennedy, in a letter read by her daughter, former Maryland Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.
In the letter, Ethel Kennedy said the building is also located near two of her favorite places in D.C., the stadium named after her late husband and the Anacostia River.
According to D.C., The Ethel is part of the Hill East redevelopment project for those who live at the building; they will be close to the Stadium Armory Metro and a Metrobus route.
The building will also have retail spaces, and with neighboring Park Kennedy, will offer 362 units of housing, which includes the 100 units of permanent supportive housing at The Ethel, and 31 other affordable housing units. Restaurants Sala Thai and Duffy’s Irish Pub are also expected to move into the Hill East Development.
“Now we have something truly special, a building where 100% of the units are affordable and reserved for our residents who need housing the most,” Bowser said.
