Last fall, the DC Council voted to close DC General, which houses hundreds of families experiencing homelessness in the District. Last month, Mayor Bowser released her administration’s plan for an alternative – small, community-based shelters in each of the city’s eight wards. Rather than housing families in a vast, outdated building removed from key services and resources, the Mayor’s new plan will place families in modern, safe, short-term housing that is conveniently located near services and public transportation.

We support the Mayor’s plan and continued commitment to ending family homelessness by 2020. We believe these smaller shelters will facilitate families’ transition from shelter to permanent housing, and help provide the housing stability families need to transform their lives.

The new shelters will begin operating in 2017. We look forward to sharing the latest developments with you. Learn more about the Mayor’s plan and the locations for the new shelters here.