Programs Put a 6.5 Percent Dent in D.C. Homelessness, Report Says

Homelessness in the District has dropped 6.5 percent, the first decrease in at least four years, according to a report released yesterday by the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness.

Officials with the partnership attributed the improved picture largely to an increase in the number of subsidized alternatives known as permanent housing programs and other homelessness prevention programs.

"Across the country, permanent housing is seen as the best solution to homelessness," said Darlene Mathews, a policy analyst for the nonprofit entity that has managed services for the homeless in Washington since 1994.

Based on a census taken Jan. 25, the homeless population in the District is about 5,750. That figure is down from about 6,150 a year ago, 6,000 in 2005 and 5,800 in 2004.

The decrease was questioned, however, by Abdul Nurriddin, executive director of the Community for Creative Non-Violence, which runs the city's largest shelter. In his experience, he said, the number of people seeking shelter is as high as before.

"I don't see it here," he said. "I see people coming here asking for shelter. I see families coming here asking for shelters."

Nurriddin oversees about 1,300 beds in the two shelters he manages at Second and D streets NW. Most of the spots are filled, except for about 200 in one section that has been under renovation. It is expected to reopen this week.

"I have no doubt in my mind that when people hear that the shelter has been renovated, it will fill up in a month," he said.

The annual report released yesterday is required of all cities that receive U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds for homeless programs. Last year, the city spent $33.4 million, about half of which was local funds, on homeless programs, including outreach, hypothermia prevention, transitional housing and emergency shelters.

The District has the fourth-highest poverty rate in the country, according to the report. The average number of people who spend the night in an emergency shelter is 1,300.

The report said that last year, a total of almost 10,000 men and more than 2,000 women stayed in emergency shelters in the District at some point. The figure is higher than the daily estimate of 5,750 because some of them find housing during the year. The report said most homeless people in the city reside in subsidized rentals or emergency shelters; only 8 percent live on the streets.

"We are the leaders in galvanizing local and political support to ending homelessness," Mathews said. Saying the decrease was encouraging after years of working to create more services for homeless people, she added: "There is certainly more work that needs to be done."