New Ward 3 Homeless Families Shelter Site

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's stupid for the City to pay inflated Ward 3 prices (or inflated prices in other Wards) for homeless shelters. Better to locate those shelters in less expensive neighborhoods where the space is cheaper, and collect tax dollars from whatever businesses or people will pay to be in the more expensive Wards. To make matters worse, the City is now paying extra to build this new shelter in Ward 3.

The only reason we're dealing with this mess is because Bowser wants to score political points by "spreading the homeless" across all Wards. That's a really dumb basis for public policy decisions.

The city owns the land where the Ward 3 shelter is being built so they didn't pay inflated prices for it.

Nice try though.

No, but they are paying inflated prices to build a simple above-ground parking garage -- $10 Million -- because Mary Cheh forgot to check with the police department when She decreed the poiice parking lot as the site for the shelter. #NotasSmartasSheThinks

No she's not. There's also the bigger picture or sidwell and Fannie Mae development changing the footprint of the neighborhood. Along with AU landlord practices that are driving out all businesses except fast express dining (see Johnsons nursery closing due to AU rent hike). Cathedral commons with wide sidewalk, attractive retail and sit down restaurants was a boon. To jam in changes that might impact them without looking at the big picture is really saying that she does not care about the long term of the neighborhood and does want Wisconsin to be all burger joints big box and litter.

Your rant is completely incomprehensible and illogical.

So the city should, or should not, be adding more density?

The new density at Cathedral Commons is, or is not, a good thing?

How does a shelter serving a tiny number of people impact the "big picture?"

Do you believe that Wisconsin Avenue today is "all burger joints big box and litter" or are you arguing that adding a homeless shelter will make it that way?

Do you believe that the years long planning process and public meetings/hearings that precede development equate to jamming in changes?

You are arguing both for and against density and change in the same jumbled post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's stupid for the City to pay inflated Ward 3 prices (or inflated prices in other Wards) for homeless shelters. Better to locate those shelters in less expensive neighborhoods where the space is cheaper, and collect tax dollars from whatever businesses or people will pay to be in the more expensive Wards. To make matters worse, the City is now paying extra to build this new shelter in Ward 3.

The only reason we're dealing with this mess is because Bowser wants to score political points by "spreading the homeless" across all Wards. That's a really dumb basis for public policy decisions.

The city owns the land where the Ward 3 shelter is being built so they didn't pay inflated prices for it.

Nice try though.

No, but they are paying inflated prices to build a simple above-ground parking garage -- $10 Million -- because Mary Cheh forgot to check with the police department when She decreed the poiice parking lot as the site for the shelter. #NotasSmartasSheThinks

No she's not. There's also the bigger picture or sidwell and Fannie Mae development changing the footprint of the neighborhood. Along with AU landlord practices that are driving out all businesses except fast express dining (see Johnsons nursery closing due to AU rent hike). Cathedral commons with wide sidewalk, attractive retail and sit down restaurants was a boon. To jam in changes that might impact them without looking at the big picture is really saying that she does not care about the long term of the neighborhood and does want Wisconsin to be all burger joints big box and litter.

Your rant is completely incomprehensible and illogical.

So the city should, or should not, be adding more density?

The new density at Cathedral Commons is, or is not, a good thing?

How does a shelter serving a tiny number of people impact the "big picture?"

Do you believe that Wisconsin Avenue today is "all burger joints big box and litter" or are you arguing that adding a homeless shelter will make it that way?

Do you believe that the years long planning process and public meetings/hearings that precede development equate to jamming in changes?

You are arguing both for and against density and change in the same jumbled post.

What probably will send Cathedral Commons into has-been shopping center status sooner than usual will not just be the homeless shelter, but the more attractive Wegmans development coming to Fannie Mae three or four blocks away. A one-two gut punch as it were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would also like to know if members of the shelter will be gainfully occupied during the day? Has Cheh visited the area retail such as CC and sought win win employment contracts for these striving shelter occupants so they can save $ and move to independence? If she (and all the people crowing here) were smart instead of alienating local retail and wishing them utmost I'll as many PPs have done they would seek win-win partnerships. Except it's not about that is it?

Are you gainfully occupied during the day? If yes why do you care what these folks are doing? If no who are you to preach?

Are the people in Ward 3 this ignorant or just those who come to post on DCUM? Most homeless people are employed.

Also most of the jobs in the immediate area around the shelter are in the service industry so to the extent that your stereotypes about the homeless are true there are plenty of jobs in the immediate area that would seem to be well suited for the low skilled people you assume the homeless are.

Again this is a transitional shelter for homeless families - not sure I understand why anyone needs to set up "partnerships" for short term residents and the entire point of a transitional shelter is quickly get these folks back on their feet so they don't become part of the permanent homeless population.

Partnerships so they can work and save money duh. Yes I am gainfully employed. I've also been on assistance In DC and I've worked with people on assistance in DC. Some were the strivers you describe and some were completely messed up cycle of poverty folks setting their kids up for same. Not everyone homeless has a halo. Partnerships and requirements/conditions in addition to supports are Incredibly helpful. You know different?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What probably will send Cathedral Commons into has-been shopping center status sooner than usual will not just be the homeless shelter, but the more attractive Wegmans development coming to Fannie Mae three or four blocks away. A one-two gut punch as it were.

This is so improbably unlikely as to be laughable. between this and the missives about the homeless shelter, are there actual smart people who live in Cathedral heights and Cleveland park or are they all just inheritance dummies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What probably will send Cathedral Commons into has-been shopping center status sooner than usual will not just be the homeless shelter, but the more attractive Wegmans development coming to Fannie Mae three or four blocks away. A one-two gut punch as it were.

This is so improbably unlikely as to be laughable. between this and the missives about the homeless shelter, are there actual smart people who live in Cathedral heights and Cleveland park or are they all just inheritance dummies?

The reverse classism on this board is stunning. I don't know anyone in CO as you describe, but nor would I use an inheritance to disparage someone's intelligence. People who despise anyone who has a little more would be knitting by the guillotine in the French revolution. What's funny, since you hate success so much, is that you wish it for the homeless. Will you in turn hate them when they make it? I'm guessing there are more than a few self made CP families...

[Anonymous]

Maybe there's a way to move this to a more productive discussion. What "good neighbor" requirements for the shelter and its residents would cause the neighborhood to be more receptive? Here are a few examples:

1. No panhandling by shelter residents.
2. Any shelter resident who commits a crime gets booted.
3. All adult shelter residents not enrolled in school must have a job.
4. Any evidence of drugs or alcohol gets you booted.

These are just examples to get the discussion moving. This post is meant as essentially a challenge for people opposed to the Ward 3 shelter, to name what good neighbor requirements would help you get behind it. I'm also opposed to the shelter, because I assume the City will mismanage it, so this is a challenge to myself as well.

Interested in seeing genuine responses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe there's a way to move this to a more productive discussion. What "good neighbor" requirements for the shelter and its residents would cause the neighborhood to be more receptive? Here are a few examples:

1. No panhandling by shelter residents.
2. Any shelter resident who commits a crime gets booted.
3. All adult shelter residents not enrolled in school must have a job.
4. Any evidence of drugs or alcohol gets you booted.

These are just examples to get the discussion moving. This post is meant as essentially a challenge for people opposed to the Ward 3 shelter, to name what good neighbor requirements would help you get behind it. I'm also opposed to the shelter, because I assume the City will mismanage it, so this is a challenge to myself as well.

Interested in seeing genuine responses.

Absolutely. I worked with very distressed communities. Many of them. Face myriad issues.. Without requirements and supports, many don't get out of bed. Think about it. If your life were fairly s**, but you were being fed and bed, wouldn't you sleep until noon? I am curious about the city's vision of moving these families Out of homelessness (if that's a goal) and that will only happen if there are work, study and/or counseling requirements. They should also be provided financial literacy class and obligated to open a savings account. These centers were presented by the mayor and supported by Cheh as holistic responsive centers where the services would be brought in. I want to hear about this operational side and what happens when the building is compete. Otherwise it's just 4 walls. Another faced DC do gooder idea.

[Anonymous]

And something else to consider is what will the children be doing? All the discussion of overcrowding at Eaton shows that Ward 3 residents think homeless families only have children under 10? What about the middle school and highschoolers? What's the city plan for providing them support (many of them no doubt have one parent who is absent and possibly adjudicated), academic delays, need for meaningful after school activities etc. What the operational plan once this shelter is IN? The BEST thing the city could do is start wooing neighbors including businesses to make creative partnerships. My understanding is the apartments don't have kitchens...(not sure how that encourages independence). Is the city partnering with Giant across the street to provide healthy food? With a local restaurant to provide cooking classes? Or at they jamming it in with zero partnership or follow up. I have not seen the 'vision' for how this is going to be different from any other failed DC shelter--just smaller and geographically spread apart. I'd like to see that. As a neighbor and as a taxpayer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And something else to consider is what will the children be doing? All the discussion of overcrowding at Eaton shows that Ward 3 residents think homeless families only have children under 10? What about the middle school and highschoolers? What's the city plan for providing them support (many of them no doubt have one parent who is absent and possibly adjudicated), academic delays, need for meaningful after school activities etc. What the operational plan once this shelter is IN? The BEST thing the city could do is start wooing neighbors including businesses to make creative partnerships. My understanding is the apartments don't have kitchens...(not sure how that encourages independence). Is the city partnering with Giant across the street to provide healthy food? With a local restaurant to provide cooking classes? Or at they jamming it in with zero partnership or follow up. I have not seen the 'vision' for how this is going to be different from any other failed DC shelter--just smaller and geographically spread apart. I'd like to see that. As a neighbor and as a taxpayer.

That's an oxymoron!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And something else to consider is what will the children be doing? All the discussion of overcrowding at Eaton shows that Ward 3 residents think homeless families only have children under 10? What about the middle school and highschoolers? What's the city plan for providing them support (many of them no doubt have one parent who is absent and possibly adjudicated), academic delays, need for meaningful after school activities etc. What the operational plan once this shelter is IN? The BEST thing the city could do is start wooing neighbors including businesses to make creative partnerships. My understanding is the apartments don't have kitchens...(not sure how that encourages independence). Is the city partnering with Giant across the street to provide healthy food? With a local restaurant to provide cooking classes? Or at they jamming it in with zero partnership or follow up. I have not seen the 'vision' for how this is going to be different from any other failed DC shelter--just smaller and geographically spread apart. I'd like to see that. As a neighbor and as a taxpayer.

On John Eaton, (1) the shelter kids have to go to school somewhere; (2) the shelter will be within the Eaton zone; (3) other area schools like Janney are overcrowded and have no room, and the shelter kids would likely feel out of place in a more demographically homogeneous environment. Eaton is already diverse. Just suck it up, Eaton. You'll be ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And something else to consider is what will the children be doing? All the discussion of overcrowding at Eaton shows that Ward 3 residents think homeless families only have children under 10? What about the middle school and highschoolers? What's the city plan for providing them support (many of them no doubt have one parent who is absent and possibly adjudicated), academic delays, need for meaningful after school activities etc. What the operational plan once this shelter is IN? The BEST thing the city could do is start wooing neighbors including businesses to make creative partnerships. My understanding is the apartments don't have kitchens...(not sure how that encourages independence). Is the city partnering with Giant across the street to provide healthy food? With a local restaurant to provide cooking classes? Or at they jamming it in with zero partnership or follow up. I have not seen the 'vision' for how this is going to be different from any other failed DC shelter--just smaller and geographically spread apart. I'd like to see that. As a neighbor and as a taxpayer.

On John Eaton, (1) the shelter kids have to go to school somewhere; (2) the shelter will be within the Eaton zone; (3) other area schools like Janney are overcrowded and have no room, and the shelter kids would likely feel out of place in a more demographically homogeneous environment. Eaton is already diverse. Just suck it up, Eaton. You'll be ok.

I am questioning the assumption they will all be elementary aged. Surely there will be middle and high schoolers as well who also need support and supervision - especially if mom or dad is at work or in school. And especially if they have any accompanying needs from the trauma of their family displacement and or the issues that led to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And something else to consider is what will the children be doing? All the discussion of overcrowding at Eaton shows that Ward 3 residents think homeless families only have children under 10? What about the middle school and highschoolers? What's the city plan for providing them support (many of them no doubt have one parent who is absent and possibly adjudicated), academic delays, need for meaningful after school activities etc. What the operational plan once this shelter is IN? The BEST thing the city could do is start wooing neighbors including businesses to make creative partnerships. My understanding is the apartments don't have kitchens...(not sure how that encourages independence). Is the city partnering with Giant across the street to provide healthy food? With a local restaurant to provide cooking classes? Or at they jamming it in with zero partnership or follow up. I have not seen the 'vision' for how this is going to be different from any other failed DC shelter--just smaller and geographically spread apart. I'd like to see that. As a neighbor and as a taxpayer.

On John Eaton, (1) the shelter kids have to go to school somewhere; (2) the shelter will be within the Eaton zone; (3) other area schools like Janney are overcrowded and have no room, and the shelter kids would likely feel out of place in a more demographically homogeneous environment. Eaton is already diverse. Just suck it up, Eaton. You'll be ok.

I truly wish this had been placed in Janney so we could see the hand-wringing from those folks. Eaton is always told to suck everything up. And now we're getting a renovation to coincide with the opening of this shelter because of its impact on the school when originally it was touted as having no impact because the children wouldn't be school-aged.

So which is it? School-aged children or not? In what broom closet should we place all these children? Eaton is also very overcrowded because Central Office forces it to take extra kids OOB and shoe-horn them in so that there's still a pipeline to better schools. Though why they do that yet took away the Deal feed is still mystifying if politically they still wanted a pipleline to Deal for people. And even with a renovation, there won't be more space for kids....there's nowhere for Eaton to expand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And something else to consider is what will the children be doing? All the discussion of overcrowding at Eaton shows that Ward 3 residents think homeless families only have children under 10? What about the middle school and highschoolers? What's the city plan for providing them support (many of them no doubt have one parent who is absent and possibly adjudicated), academic delays, need for meaningful after school activities etc. What the operational plan once this shelter is IN? The BEST thing the city could do is start wooing neighbors including businesses to make creative partnerships. My understanding is the apartments don't have kitchens...(not sure how that encourages independence). Is the city partnering with Giant across the street to provide healthy food? With a local restaurant to provide cooking classes? Or at they jamming it in with zero partnership or follow up. I have not seen the 'vision' for how this is going to be different from any other failed DC shelter--just smaller and geographically spread apart. I'd like to see that. As a neighbor and as a taxpayer.

On John Eaton, (1) the shelter kids have to go to school somewhere; (2) the shelter will be within the Eaton zone; (3) other area schools like Janney are overcrowded and have no room, and the shelter kids would likely feel out of place in a more demographically homogeneous environment. Eaton is already diverse. Just suck it up, Eaton. You'll be ok.

I truly wish this had been placed in Janney so we could see the hand-wringing from those folks. Eaton is always told to suck everything up. And now we're getting a renovation to coincide with the opening of this shelter because of its impact on the school when originally it was touted as having no impact because the children wouldn't be school-aged.

So which is it? School-aged children or not? In what broom closet should we place all these children? Eaton is also very overcrowded because Central Office forces it to take extra kids OOB and shoe-horn them in so that there's still a pipeline to better schools. Though why they do that yet took away the Deal feed is still mystifying if politically they still wanted a pipleline to Deal for people. And even with a renovation, there won't be more space for kids....there's nowhere for Eaton to expand.

The amount that DCPS has proposed for Eaton renovations won't fund much more than a cosmetic re-do. The sum is a pittance compared to the budget for other school renovation projects over the past 10+ years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And something else to consider is what will the children be doing? All the discussion of overcrowding at Eaton shows that Ward 3 residents think homeless families only have children under 10? What about the middle school and highschoolers? What's the city plan for providing them support (many of them no doubt have one parent who is absent and possibly adjudicated), academic delays, need for meaningful after school activities etc. What the operational plan once this shelter is IN? The BEST thing the city could do is start wooing neighbors including businesses to make creative partnerships. My understanding is the apartments don't have kitchens...(not sure how that encourages independence). Is the city partnering with Giant across the street to provide healthy food? With a local restaurant to provide cooking classes? Or at they jamming it in with zero partnership or follow up. I have not seen the 'vision' for how this is going to be different from any other failed DC shelter--just smaller and geographically spread apart. I'd like to see that. As a neighbor and as a taxpayer.

On John Eaton, (1) the shelter kids have to go to school somewhere; (2) the shelter will be within the Eaton zone; (3) other area schools like Janney are overcrowded and have no room, and the shelter kids would likely feel out of place in a more demographically homogeneous environment. Eaton is already diverse. Just suck it up, Eaton. You'll be ok.

I am questioning the assumption they will all be elementary aged. Surely there will be middle and high schoolers as well who also need support and supervision - especially if mom or dad is at work or in school. And especially if they have any accompanying needs from the trauma of their family displacement and or the issues that led to it.

Still to be answered is what happens to children of families after they leave the shelter. First of all, while DC plans the shelter to be for temporary stays, left unsaid is what happens if the family unit hasn't found suitable accommodations within 6-8 months. Presumably they will stay. But even as they leave the shelter, as at-risk students, the children at Eaton will have the right to continue at Eaton if the family wishes. They also then will be in the feeder pattern for Hardy and eventually Wilson. It's unlikely that a family will be able to find affordable housing in Ward 3 after they leave the shelter. However, even if they re-locate elsewhere in the city, given the chance for their kids to attend a good elementary school and eventually a good high school, why wouldn't a parent logically consider that option? The result could be over time that, even as there's regular turnover at the shelter, the number of at-risk kids at Eaton will steadily grow. Eaton will need the resources to deal with associated specialized learning needs and to assess what this could mean for enrollment planning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And something else to consider is what will the children be doing? All the discussion of overcrowding at Eaton shows that Ward 3 residents think homeless families only have children under 10? What about the middle school and highschoolers? What's the city plan for providing them support (many of them no doubt have one parent who is absent and possibly adjudicated), academic delays, need for meaningful after school activities etc. What the operational plan once this shelter is IN? The BEST thing the city could do is start wooing neighbors including businesses to make creative partnerships. My understanding is the apartments don't have kitchens...(not sure how that encourages independence). Is the city partnering with Giant across the street to provide healthy food? With a local restaurant to provide cooking classes? Or at they jamming it in with zero partnership or follow up. I have not seen the 'vision' for how this is going to be different from any other failed DC shelter--just smaller and geographically spread apart. I'd like to see that. As a neighbor and as a taxpayer.

On John Eaton, (1) the shelter kids have to go to school somewhere; (2) the shelter will be within the Eaton zone; (3) other area schools like Janney are overcrowded and have no room, and the shelter kids would likely feel out of place in a more demographically homogeneous environment. Eaton is already diverse. Just suck it up, Eaton. You'll be ok.

I truly wish this had been placed in Janney so we could see the hand-wringing from those folks. Eaton is always told to suck everything up. And now we're getting a renovation to coincide with the opening of this shelter because of its impact on the school when originally it was touted as having no impact because the children wouldn't be school-aged.

So which is it? School-aged children or not? In what broom closet should we place all these children? Eaton is also very overcrowded because Central Office forces it to take extra kids OOB and shoe-horn them in so that there's still a pipeline to better schools. Though why they do that yet took away the Deal feed is still mystifying if politically they still wanted a pipleline to Deal for people. And even with a renovation, there won't be more space for kids....there's nowhere for Eaton to expand.

There is no shortage of residents in Ward 3 who are quite happy to get on their high horse and lecture about "sharing the burden" of dealing with homelessness .... so long as they are not the ones having to do the sharing.