Homelessness in DC

The story of Washington, D.C. in 2006 truly is a “tale of two cities.” Cranes pepper the skyline downtown and anticipation of a continued “renaissance” runs high as developers snatch up scarce properties in close-in N.W. and along the waterfront. Life, though, throughout much of the rest of the District of Columbia is quite different. The nation’s capital has one of the highest poverty rates amongst all states in the country, with nearly 2 of every 5 residents living below the “official” poverty line (the rate is twice as high for D.C. kids). Our per capita rate of homelessness is higher than all other major urban areas nationwide. Housing affordability here in the District is worse than every other state but two, which of course has its harshest impact on those with the lowest incomes. Couple this with the planned closing of several key shelter programs, the move to push replacement facilities further and further out to the fringes of the city, the difficulties (due to neighborhood opposition) in siting hypothermia shelter during frigid temperatures, and the potential loss of thousands of Section 8 subsidized units when project landlords have the opportunity to “opt out” of the federal program in the next several years, and the future holds little promise for those not swept up in the downtown renaissance.

Indeed, many people of low-income are being swept out rather than swept up. Development and displacement are intimate partners, and long time residents of limited means stand to pay the price for the official commitment to expand the tax base and bring people with resources back to the District.

The injustices experienced by those who are most vulnerable in our community -- people with limited economic means; those who struggle with mental illness; those without a home or with a home that is in terrible disrepair -- have continued for far too long. It is to these people that the Legal Clinic dedicates its efforts.

What do we know about our client community?

In the course of a year, nearly 16,000 people experience homelessness in the District of Columbia, and, while estimates vary, on any single day, up to 8,253 District residents find themselves homeless. Nearly half of those who are homeless are women and children. Many of these people have problems that keep them anchored in homelessness, which the assistance of an attorney could help them overcome: evictions; shelter expulsions, terminations of public benefits, denials of disability assistance. The litany goes on.

Factors contributing to homelessness are many and varied. Key among them are:

• the lack of affordable housing (according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, DC is ranked third worst amongst all states with regard to housing affordability; the waiting list for Section 8 housing in DC is over 40,000 households, with some on the waitlist since 1989; 26,000 households are on the waitlist for public housing)
  
• inadequate mental health and substance abuse treatment
  
• low wages (working at the minimum wage ($6.15 per hour), a person in DC would need to work 152 hours a week to “afford” housing at a 30% of income standard)
  
• lack of safety net supports (e.g., inadequate publicly funded emergency assistance)
  
• domestic violence
  
• lack of education

Within the homeless population, there are many people with “special needs”: those struggling with mental illness; people with addictions; people with physical disabilities; folks with other health challenges (particularly those struggling with HIV/AIDS); veterans; families. Ideally a community’s response to homelessness will address all of those concerns. Our reality in the District of Columbia falls short of that ideal.

Since the mid-1990’s, just several years after the DC Council eliminated the right to shelter (which had been adopted by voter initiative in 1984), the District has focused on developing a “continuum of care” to address the range of needs presented by people who are homelessness. In theory, a continuum of care offers prevention assistance, outreach, emergency services and shelter, transitional shelter or housing which is service-enriched, and permanent supportive housing. Due to limited resources, funding constraints and policy priorities, the District’s continuum does not flow through this range of supports. Many people in desperate need are left without the resources that are vital to help them through their crises. For example, as of the end of 2004, there are over 3,326 families on the wait list for emergency shelter!

Perhaps most importantly, what we know about our client community is that it embraces people of extraordinary strength and courage, people who are able to face the obstacles in their lives with grace and dignity, people who amaze and inspire us daily.

For additional Facts About Homelessness, click here.