Local Newsrooms Team Up To Shine Light On DC Homeless Crisis

WASHINGTON, DC — For the fifth year in a row, a group of local newsrooms have banded together in a collaborative effort to investigate what is working and what is not working to reduce and prevent homelessness in our communities across the District.

The participating media outlets are pooling their resources and sharing their audiences to assess the ongoing crisis and disseminate their findings as widely as possible. They coordinated their efforts to avoid duplication, and through their combined work, they hope to provide a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the forces that perpetuate poverty.

All of these stories will be published online Oct. 15 and collected at dchomelesscrisis.press. They will be shared and discussed on social media using the hashtag #DCHomelessCrisis.

COVID-19 Made It Even Harder For Unhoused Washingtonians To Find Bathrooms

Robert Turner used to use the bathroom at Starbucks locations and public libraries in the heart of D.C. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Turner, who is 41 and has lived on the street for five years, was shut out of his usual spots. Read the full story on DCist.

A national group of mayors is pushing for a guaranteed income, but without leadership from DC

A guaranteed income is a monthly cash payment made directly to any citizen who qualifies with no strings attached. Though it is similar in concept to a universal basic income, it is normally targeted to low-income residents, rather than all residents. Read the full story on Street Sense Media.

From evictions to deaths, a look back at media coverage of homelessness in the District over the past year

A look back at some of the local media’s articles, columns and commentaries from the past year that stand out on the subject. Read the full story on The DC Line.

How To Vote Without A Home Address? D.C. Groups Worked To Register People Experiencing Homelessness

Over the course of the two-month campaign, Pathways to Housing D.C. registered 115 people who currently or previously experienced homelessness to vote.

Pathways staff and volunteers addressed an almost foundational question: how can you register to vote if you don’t have an address to call your own, even more so during an election D.C. is hoping to conduct largely by mail? Read the full story on DCist.

Legal Evictions Are Banned, But ‘Invisible’ Evictions Are On The Rise

Lawyers who represent low-income renters in the D.C. area say they’re encountering more stories like this as the pandemic lurches into its seventh month.

The reason, they say, is the extreme economic uncertainty wrought by the crisis, combined with waning government assistance. The region’s jobless rate was close to 7% in August, unemployment benefits are running out, and as many as 715,000 renters in D.C., Maryland and Virginia are now at risk of eviction, according to the Aspen Institute. Read the full story on DCist.

Commentary: Drop the euphemisms and other coded language in the fight against hunger and homelessness

The federal government describes food insecurity as “a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active healthy life.” It is not to be confused with hunger, which “refers to a personal, physical sensation of discomfort.” Help us. Read the full column on The DC Line.

Low-barrier shelter residents say staff abuse them amid ‘terrible’ conditions during COVID-19

More than 100 women experiencing homelessness were cast out of the Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter during a Sept. 22 deep clean of the building. While out on the lawn, some told stories of verbal abuse from staff and guards. They say the rules and conditions are pushing them to their breaking point. Read the full story on Street Sense Media.

“It’s an Open Air Drug Market”: Business Interests Push for Policing at Adams Morgan Park Where Homeless, Nearby Residents Gather

Over the last few months, some Adams Morgan business owners and residents have pushed for a more aggressive effort to police Unity Park of alleged illegal activity, including drug use, drug sales, drinking, and public urination/defecation. The triangle park, formed by Champlain, Euclid, and Columbia Rd NW, is a popular gathering place for residents, some of whom may be experiencing homelessness. While there may be illegal activity happening at Unity Park, experts Street Justice spoke to say that reactive policing will not solve the multifaceted challenges of Washingtonians who have gathered at Unity Park for decades. Read the full story on Street Justice.

Parents Experiencing Homelessness Get Creative Entertaining Their Kids During The Pandemic

Nery Peña and her two daughters, Sadie and Ariella, 6, live in transitional housing provided by Turning Point Center, a two-year housing program for single mothers experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. Prior to coming to Turning Point a year and a half ago, Peña was living with her grandmother in a cramped one-bedroom. Now, the bilingual Pre-K teacher has a two-bedroom apartment in Columbia Heights to share with her daughters. Read the full story on DCist.

D.C. Battles New Pandemic of Domestic Violence-Related Homelessness

Amid the economic, health and educational uncertainties caused by the coronavirus, an equally virulent pandemic co-exists: the increased instances of intimate partner violence. Read the full story on The Washington Informer.

The at-large candidates who want to change or enhance DC’s rapid rehousing program

Rapid rehousing is one of D.C.’s most controversial homeless services programs. This election season, at-large candidates Marcus Goodwin, Will Merrifield, and Mónica Palacio have included reform of the program, or investment in it, as part of their campaigns. Read the full story on Street Sense Media.

Homelessness Was Already Brutal. Washingtonians Explain How The Pandemic Made It Even Worse

For a day, we walked from Northeast to downtown to speak to people experiencing homelessness. We asked them how the pandemic has altered their lives and what they want people to know ahead of the winter months. Here’s what they shared, in their own words. Read the full story on DCist.

Zoning Commission to Consider Expanding Inclusionary Zoning in DC Next Month

At the beginning of the year, DC’s Office of Planning (OP) filed a zoning application seeking to increase inclusionary zoning (IZ) requirements in an effort to achieve more affordable housing production citywide. The Zoning Commission is gearing up for another hearing on the topic next month. Read the full story on Urban Turf.

Being Homeless Is 'The Most Horrible Feeling In The World'

“It’s like being naked, walking around in the streets,” said 41-year-old Marcellus Phillips. “You don’t have anything. It’s hard to have hope. It’s hard to have motivation when you know that you don’t have your name on the lease and you can’t have your own key and go in your own door. You walk around. You watch people do stuff that you want to do, but you can’t because of your circumstances.” Read the full story on Patch.

Of DC’s 24 at-large candidates, who has a specific plan to address homelessness?

A Street Sense Media analysis determined that only six of the 24 at-large DC Council candidates on the ballot advertised specific plans with measurable goals to address homelessness in their online platforms. We sent them five questions about local poverty. Read the full story on Street Sense Media.

@ 12 pm | No Place To Go: The Quest For Public Restrooms in DC

Imagine you’re downtown and you need to use the restroom. Maybe you’re pregnant, diabetic or a runner. Maybe you’re experiencing homelessness and don’t have bathroom of your own. Whoever you are, you don’t have many options. Listen on The Kojo Nnamdi Show.

@12:30 pm | What Happens When The Eviction Moratoriums End?

At the beginning of the pandemic, the District enacted an emergency order that put a halt to evictions. However, according to a report from Georgetown University, some landlords are using eviction notices to pressure tenants to pay rent. The report finds that once a tenant is given an eviction notice, a cycle of eviction and housing instability ensues. Listen on The Kojo Nnamdi Show.

Council acts to seal eviction records and tamp down on serial eviction filing

When an eviction action is filed, that filing remains on a tenant’s record permanently, whether or not the action was successful. This record can inhibit a tenant’s ability to secure affordable housing in the future, even if the eviction action was denied or found to be unwarranted, or, as is currently the case, filed illegally during the moratorium. Read the full story on Street Sense Media

This article is part of our 2020 contribution to the DC Homeless Crisis Reporting Project in collaboration with other local newsrooms. The collective works will be published throughout the day at DCHomelessCrisis.press.

You can also join the public Facebook group or follow #DCHomelessCrisis on Twitter to discuss further.