WASHINGTON — Last year, officials were caught off-guard by the number of
homeless D.C. families seeking shelter during the cold winter months.
This year, the dilemma could be even worse, as the total number of homeless
families is expected to increase by 16 percent — or 120 more families.
Some 840 families will need places to stay, according to D.C.’s budget office.
Currently, the city has just 409 units for families at D.C. General and other
smaller shelters.
It will cost $11.4 million to house the additional families this year, according
to the budget data.
The city has signed an overflow housing contract with a local Days Inn, which
will make up to 170 rooms available through April 2015, according to information
relayed during a public hearing organized by outgoing Ward 1 Councilman Jim
Graham and Deborah Carroll, the Department of Human Services’ Interim Director.
“It’s like a D.C. General junior,” Graham said of the extra rooms, calling the
deal a better approach to the homeless situation. Still, he wants to see where
the money will come from to pay for the hotel rooms.
Earlier this month, Graham said the city had funds to shelter
additional homeless families, but the money had to be allocated for this
purpose.
Carroll says a similar contract is in the works for an additional 90 rooms at
another local hotel.
Last year, Carroll says, the DHS only had hotels for overflow “and it was on a
daily basis, using credit card after credit card trying to secure rooms online,”
she said.
The DHS will also set up services at the hotels for families, similar to those
found at shelters, Carroll says.
The funding for this plan is expected to come from the District’s “Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families” budget. If that doesn’t happen, the money will be
taken from the operating budget.
Last year, the District came under fire after beds were set up at recreation
centers due to the lack of hotel rooms.
A judge later said that can’t happen again.
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