Union Station smells like urine, has a homeless problem, and is half deserted.

[Anonymous]

This may be of some interest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l87mAXKX0FU

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Russia has a good handle on this, we should use their way of addressing it

Do they poison everyone? They excel at that.

[Anonymous]

This is likely to be coming to DC, Racine and Allen are big advocates for the concept.

https://apnews.com/article/business-health-new-york-c4e6d999583d7b7abce2189fba095011

[Anonymous]

George Bush brought us Housing First, a HUD funded program which does not allow any requirements or "barriers."

So the people who refuse shelters due to rules and no drugs/booze are the ones being placed in large apt buildings in DC, up Connecticut Ave, up Wisconsin, Mass Ave NW, etc with no intervening step between Union Station or tent/sidewalk and next to people paying $2,700 for a 2 BR. The city will pay 180% of that for a voucher, so, almost $5k, guaranteed, you can see why landlords LOVE the program. Also gets rent control tenants to move, so, another win as then the price on that unit can be raised.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_First

The WP did a series of articles in 2019 about the serious problems that resulted at Sedgewick Gardens, in Cleveland Park. Since then the program has been expanded.

[Anonymous]

^ Just moving people out of Union Station and sticking them somewhere at great taxpayer expense can just spread the misery.

Why isn't drug or mental health treatment required? Currently, involuntary commitment is very difficult legally in DC. Also, it is extremely expensive and does not have a great success rate. The current formula for meth, for example, creates brain damage and psychosis that may not be fixable, very quickly. The Atlantic recently did a long piece about it.

CA is going back to making involuntary commitment easier. How to keep all of those people from now coming East?

https://apnews.com/article/649ea15c59d6f4cc2938ae3ad91cb3e2

I don't see DC as close to doing that any time soon, if ever.

It is cruel that the mentally ill are freezing to death in parks, we would not allow that for a dog. Very sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a homelessness crisis in our nation, but nobody wants to do anything about it. Instead, everywhere you look a new luxury condo/apartment complex is being built. Our country is pathetic.

There are overwhelming amounts of money spent on the homeless population. Money isn’t the issue.

+1. In fact, homeless people from all over the country are streaming to DC because of our generous handouts and permissive stance on open-air drug use and public defecation. It's basically a free for all!

I have repeatedly seen both men and women defecating on the sidewalk near the Van Ness metro in broad daylight. There are multiple open and free Starbucks bathrooms steps away and free and open bathrooms in Giant. Activists will say it is a matter of public bathrooms and housing but really it is a matter of addiction, mental illness, anti-social behavior and no consequences.

The 180% of market rate housing vouchers were great for landlords and until last month, a unit rented even 1 time for a month to someone with a voucher was permanently out of rent control. The middle class and elderly often occuply rent controlled (and still quite expensive) apartments in older buildings, how many were lost to the benefit of developers and corporate landlords. During the pandemic, rents would have fallen in DC but for the 180% voucher program. Now it isn't even rental buildings using it but investors who own condos who may not even live in the US. There are not staff in condo buildings to "manage" the "newly housed" nor a mechanism in place for eviction. If the vouchers were for market rate many more could be housed and there wouldn't be inflation of rents. Follow the money and see who benefits. It's not necessarily the unhoused, who may not be provided any services (they can always refuse as well) or even an air mattress and they may soon be evicted. All of the housing programs are fantastic for developers and landlords. How many of the unhoused end up back in tents or ODing?

It's gross to pass bathroom provisioning for the homeless on to Starbucks. That's way more wear and tear on a bathroom than regular customer use . God, those poor employees who have to clean it. People should be in their own housing, shelters, treatment or hospitals period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a homelessness crisis in our nation, but nobody wants to do anything about it. Instead, everywhere you look a new luxury condo/apartment complex is being built. Our country is pathetic.

There are overwhelming amounts of money spent on the homeless population. Money isn’t the issue.

+1. In fact, homeless people from all over the country are streaming to DC because of our generous handouts and permissive stance on open-air drug use and public defecation. It's basically a free for all!

I have repeatedly seen both men and women defecating on the sidewalk near the Van Ness metro in broad daylight. There are multiple open and free Starbucks bathrooms steps away and free and open bathrooms in Giant. Activists will say it is a matter of public bathrooms and housing but really it is a matter of addiction, mental illness, anti-social behavior and no consequences.

The 180% of market rate housing vouchers were great for landlords and until last month, a unit rented even 1 time for a month to someone with a voucher was permanently out of rent control. The middle class and elderly often occuply rent controlled (and still quite expensive) apartments in older buildings, how many were lost to the benefit of developers and corporate landlords. During the pandemic, rents would have fallen in DC but for the 180% voucher program. Now it isn't even rental buildings using it but investors who own condos who may not even live in the US. There are not staff in condo buildings to "manage" the "newly housed" nor a mechanism in place for eviction. If the vouchers were for market rate many more could be housed and there wouldn't be inflation of rents. Follow the money and see who benefits. It's not necessarily the unhoused, who may not be provided any services (they can always refuse as well) or even an air mattress and they may soon be evicted. All of the housing programs are fantastic for developers and landlords. How many of the unhoused end up back in tents or ODing?

It's gross to pass bathroom provisioning for the homeless on to Starbucks. That's way more wear and tear on a bathroom than regular customer use . God, those poor employees who have to clean it. People should be in their own housing, shelters, treatment or hospitals period.

Starbucks chose to take that on themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a homelessness crisis in our nation, but nobody wants to do anything about it. Instead, everywhere you look a new luxury condo/apartment complex is being built. Our country is pathetic.

There are overwhelming amounts of money spent on the homeless population. Money isn’t the issue.

+1. In fact, homeless people from all over the country are streaming to DC because of our generous handouts and permissive stance on open-air drug use and public defecation. It's basically a free for all!

I have repeatedly seen both men and women defecating on the sidewalk near the Van Ness metro in broad daylight. There are multiple open and free Starbucks bathrooms steps away and free and open bathrooms in Giant. Activists will say it is a matter of public bathrooms and housing but really it is a matter of addiction, mental illness, anti-social behavior and no consequences.

The 180% of market rate housing vouchers were great for landlords and until last month, a unit rented even 1 time for a month to someone with a voucher was permanently out of rent control. The middle class and elderly often occuply rent controlled (and still quite expensive) apartments in older buildings, how many were lost to the benefit of developers and corporate landlords. During the pandemic, rents would have fallen in DC but for the 180% voucher program. Now it isn't even rental buildings using it but investors who own condos who may not even live in the US. There are not staff in condo buildings to "manage" the "newly housed" nor a mechanism in place for eviction. If the vouchers were for market rate many more could be housed and there wouldn't be inflation of rents. Follow the money and see who benefits. It's not necessarily the unhoused, who may not be provided any services (they can always refuse as well) or even an air mattress and they may soon be evicted. All of the housing programs are fantastic for developers and landlords. How many of the unhoused end up back in tents or ODing?

It's gross to pass bathroom provisioning for the homeless on to Starbucks. That's way more wear and tear on a bathroom than regular customer use . God, those poor employees who have to clean it. People should be in their own housing, shelters, treatment or hospitals period.

Starbucks chose to take that on themselves.

How did they do that?

[Anonymous]

There was a laduree there and a fancy coffee bar… as recently as feb 2020…. Are they gone now? Is the H&m still there? I used to work at cspan and would go over for dinner at the food court when i was on the night shift. That was nearly 18 years ago… they used to have an outpost of vaccaros bakery and id bring home cannolis. Sigh. It’s like the malls of my youth. They exist only in our memory now…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you haven’t been to Union Station since Covid started why even comment? Union Station has always had a homeless issue but I never remember dozens of tents in Columbus Circle in front of it. It has fallen off a cliff in the past two years and I avoid it at all cost past nightfall.

+1

I lived right near there and took the Union Station metro to work in 2014-16. It had lots of eating options, was always busy with tourists and commuters and I really didn’t feel unsafe unless it was quite empty. There were homeless but nothing like the tent city that is being built during the pandemic. It just looks awful.

[Anonymous]

I wrote about the woman who has lived at the bus stop for 30 years. She's told me all these decades, she has never been able to get into a shelter. Even when offered laundry showers or clean clothes she won't accept. She won't apply for food stamps, a phone or stimulus checks either. She only will accept a free home in a high income neighborhood. She doesn’t want an apartment. She said she won't accept a job unless it is above $80k. She doesn't believe a lesser paying job is worth the effort and she's a "precious life" deserving of the best. Applying for benefits is offensive. She said she shouldnt have to jump through hoops, if she has a need it should be given to her by the government, corporations and the wealthy residents of upper NW. She would rather go from church to church for food than apply for food stamps or social security.

Her mentality is she shouldn't have to pay for anything ever

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you haven’t been to Union Station since Covid started why even comment? Union Station has always had a homeless issue but I never remember dozens of tents in Columbus Circle in front of it. It has fallen off a cliff in the past two years and I avoid it at all cost past nightfall.

+1

I lived right near there and took the Union Station metro to work in 2014-16. It had lots of eating options, was always busy with tourists and commuters and I really didn’t feel unsafe unless it was quite empty. There were homeless but nothing like the tent city that is being built during the pandemic. It just looks awful.

I used to commute via metro every day and walk from Union Station to my office, but I now drive. I do not feel safe on the public transportation available or getting off at Union Station and walking through the area near the homeless shelter. It is ridiculous that DC has allowed itself to devolve to this point. A once beautiful, vibrant city that had made so much progress has allowed itself to go to hell in a hand basket like it is back in the crack wars of the early 90s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wrote about the woman who has lived at the bus stop for 30 years. She's told me all these decades, she has never been able to get into a shelter. Even when offered laundry showers or clean clothes she won't accept. She won't apply for food stamps, a phone or stimulus checks either. She only will accept a free home in a high income neighborhood. She doesn’t want an apartment. She said she won't accept a job unless it is above $80k. She doesn't believe a lesser paying job is worth the effort and she's a "precious life" deserving of the best. Applying for benefits is offensive. She said she shouldnt have to jump through hoops, if she has a need it should be given to her by the government, corporations and the wealthy residents of upper NW. She would rather go from church to church for food than apply for food stamps or social security.

Her mentality is she shouldn't have to pay for anything ever

Continued...

She thinks there's a voucher for everything and should be given to her just for asking, no questions or conditions otherwise, she stays at the bus stop and isn't budging. Society owes her. She is a "precious life". Deserving of "the very best".

Can you imagine these people in apartments with the general population, using communal washers and dryers in an apartment complex ( if they even know how to wash clothes), in your neighborhood supermarket? Aren't you worried about your children playing in the neighborhood with them wondering the streets?

No apartment will solve their problems. They want to be our problem. Sometimes I get the feeling the "unhoused" live to be a nuisance. They are far more clever and manipulative than you could ever imagine. They have the churches and non profits fawning over them as if they are the most victimized, poor, helpless, innocent souls. They won't hesitate to steal are do bodily harm to anyone on a whim.

There should be a march to demand institutionalizing them. Trust me, most won't know the difference between an apartment or mental hospital. They'll be safe there. No more government money to the swindling, crafty landlords who never lose, and own the courts and DC government.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ Just moving people out of Union Station and sticking them somewhere at great taxpayer expense can just spread the misery.

Why isn't drug or mental health treatment required? Currently, involuntary commitment is very difficult legally in DC. Also, it is extremely expensive and does not have a great success rate. The current formula for meth, for example, creates brain damage and psychosis that may not be fixable, very quickly. The Atlantic recently did a long piece about it.

CA is going back to making involuntary commitment easier. How to keep all of those people from now coming East?

https://apnews.com/article/649ea15c59d6f4cc2938ae3ad91cb3e2

I don't see DC as close to doing that any time soon, if ever.

It is cruel that the mentally ill are freezing to death in parks, we would not allow that for a dog. Very sad.

Sticking them elsewhere? Why not?

Many of the homeless at Union Station aren't originally from DC. They were sent here from elsewhere, and the concentration of homeless sent to DC is overwhelming. Instead they should be sent back to the localities they came from, let their own jurisdiction's taxpayers, churches and charities look after them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wrote about the woman who has lived at the bus stop for 30 years. She's told me all these decades, she has never been able to get into a shelter. Even when offered laundry showers or clean clothes she won't accept. She won't apply for food stamps, a phone or stimulus checks either. She only will accept a free home in a high income neighborhood. She doesn’t want an apartment. She said she won't accept a job unless it is above $80k. She doesn't believe a lesser paying job is worth the effort and she's a "precious life" deserving of the best. Applying for benefits is offensive. She said she shouldnt have to jump through hoops, if she has a need it should be given to her by the government, corporations and the wealthy residents of upper NW. She would rather go from church to church for food than apply for food stamps or social security.

Her mentality is she shouldn't have to pay for anything ever

Continued...

She thinks there's a voucher for everything and should be given to her just for asking, no questions or conditions otherwise, she stays at the bus stop and isn't budging. Society owes her. She is a "precious life". Deserving of "the very best".

Can you imagine these people in apartments with the general population, using communal washers and dryers in an apartment complex ( if they even know how to wash clothes), in your neighborhood supermarket? Aren't you worried about your children playing in the neighborhood with them wondering the streets?

No apartment will solve their problems. They want to be our problem. Sometimes I get the feeling the "unhoused" live to be a nuisance. They are far more clever and manipulative than you could ever imagine. They have the churches and non profits fawning over them as if they are the most victimized, poor, helpless, innocent souls. They won't hesitate to steal are do bodily harm to anyone on a whim.

There should be a march to demand institutionalizing them. Trust me, most won't know the difference between an apartment or mental hospital. They'll be safe there. No more government money to the swindling, crafty landlords who never lose, and own the courts and DC government.

She's also another who claims their isn't enough public restrooms and wants those public restroom and shower booths on every street corner. She won't use one in a shelter or any other indoor location though.

When given a free chicken meal at the local church, she has to inspect the chicken cut on the tray and will only eat if she can choose the plate, even though they are all 100% the exact same.

I just don't see how any of these people can successfully live on their own amongst the general population.Everything is an argument, nothing satisfies her.

I think of her on cold days, a lot, but I know it's a hopeless situation. Sometimes people can't be helped. It used to bother me, but I'm just wasting my time and resources. Resources should go to those who can and want to be helped.