As part of its crackdown on crime and cleanliness in D.C., President Donald Trump’s administration this week said it would crack down on homelessness, leading the city’s homeless population anxiously anticipating what will come next.
Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said homeless people living in encampments would be offered shelter and other resources. If they refuse to leave, she said, they could be fined or jailed.
Some of D.C.’s homeless residents were packing their belongings Thursday, before expected sweeps to clear out remaining encampments around the nation’s capital.
Around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, about a dozen federal law enforcement officers were on the streets near Washington Circle Park in Foggy Bottom.
“On the tents are notices from the D.C. Department of Health and Human Services that say that the folks living here have until … Monday to ultimately vacate,” WTOP’s Scott Gelman reported from the scene. Advocates shared the flier with law enforcement.
A woman named Megan, who lives in one of the tents, said the president’s portrayal of the city’s homeless population is far from true.
“I just got my associate degree. I live with my boyfriend, he works five days a week. We just can’t afford $2,000 for a studio apartment. This is a stepping-stone for us. Like, we’re not criminals, we’re not drug addicts,” she said.
“We don’t like shelters because it feels like prison and then they put you in with the craziest people off the street, and make you stay in a room with them. and just expect you to get along and be grateful for it,” she added.
Officials gathered near small homeless encampments near George Washington University Hospital on Thursday night, but left without clearing the spaces.
Some homelessness advocacy groups had expected officers to start clearing encampments after 6:30 p.m.
“We were told that there would be a list of sites that would receive closure activity from the National Park Service and other law enforcement officials, and we would support that effort by providing a connection to homeless services for those who were adversely impacted by the closure,” said Wayne Turnage, deputy mayor for D.C. Health and Human Services.
Turnage said the city’s Department of Public Works also agreed to pick up any debris or items leftover once the encampments are cleared.
The city agency doesn’t close encampments at night, Turnage said, but if “they’re leading the closure and we’re providing support, then we provide that support whenever they decide to close the site. That’s just not our way.”
Turnage said the federal agencies control the number of sites that will be closing, but “we don’t quite know for sure, nor do we know how long they plan to be at it.”
After conferring on the sidewalk, the large group of law enforcement officials left the encampment in Foggy Bottom abruptly, while tents remained.
Meanwhile, Turnage said the agency’s role is to offer connections to homeless services, provide storage opportunities for items and find alternatives to a shelter if it’s not an option someone wants to pursue.
Capacity at shelters across the city isn’t an issue, Turnage said, because, “If someone needs a bed and we don’t have one, we will open one.”
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