Testimony: Homeward DC Omnibus Approval of Facilities Plan for Short-term Housing for Persons Experiencing Homelessness Act of 2016
Executive Director Judith Sandalow testified before the DC Council’s Committee of the Whole regarding the Homeward DC Omnibus Approval of Facilities Plan for Short-term Housing for Persons Experiencing Homelessness Act of 2016, which was introduced to the Council earlier this year by Chairman Phil Mendelson at the request of the Mayor. The bill asks the Council to approve the Administration’s current plan to replace the DC General Shelter facility with six new shelters spread across Wards 3 through 8.
In her testimony, Judith expressed support for the Mayor’s goal of shuttering DC General permanently and urged the Council to provide their support, in turn, while working with the community and the Administration to ensure:
- Concerns related to the health and welfare of children in the new shelters are thoroughly addressed by a clear and transparent stakeholder engagement process extending through the design, planning, and construction phases of the plan; and
- Neighbors are actively engaged at all phases of the process to ensure that the new shelters meet the needs of residents within the shelters, as well as their neighbors.
Click below to read her full testimony.