Press Room
FranklinShelter.org / Press Room /
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29, 2008
CONTACTS:
Pete Tucker, 202-365-6118
Jane Zara, Lawyer for homeless filing suit, 202-390-2449, Jjzara@aol.com
Former Franklin Shelter Residents Sue the City
Press Conference Before Court Hearing Addresses Crisis Caused by Shelter Closing
Washington, DC- Former Franklin Shelter inhabitants filed an action in
Superior Court on Friday in response to the Fenty Administration’s
rapid closure of the shelter that morning. Prior to a Tuesday,
September 30th hearing for a temporary restraining order against
Franklin’s closure, former Franklin residents and supporters will hold
a press conference at 8:30 am in front of the Superior Court Building
at 500 Indiana Ave. NW. Speakers will highlight the fact that many
former shelter residents are now living on the streets of DC.
What: A press conference to highlight Mayor Fenty's disregard for the
homeless; followed by a hearing on the Committee to Save Franklin
Shelter's motion for a temporary restraining order to stop the Mayor
from keeping Franklin Shelter closed.
When: The press conference begins at 8:30 AM; The hearing begins at
9:30 AM.
Where: The Superior Court, 500 Indiana Ave, NW. The press conference
will be outside the Courthouse, and the hearing will be in Courtroom
516.
”Fenty has thus far failed to provide any rationale, or economic
analysis for closing Franklin Shelter so abruptly on the eve of
hypothermia season,” said Jane Zara, lawyer for former shelter
residents filing suit. “The city has not provided an accurate,
up-to-date assessment of how the city will accommodate rising needs for
shelter this winter.”
The suit alleges that Mayor Adrian Fenty violated requirements to weigh
costs to DC residents resulting from the abrupt closing of the shelter,
as well as the Frigid Temperature Protection Amendment Act, requiring
relevant government entities to provide shelter in district buildings
to those in need. Many of the inhabitants have been living on the
streets throughout the rainy weekend since the shelter was closed.
From an encampment in Franklin Park Friday night, former residents and
supporters observed Protective Service Police yell over a loudspeaker
from their squad cars that the shelter was closed, as uninformed
inhabitants sought shelter there from the rain.
Nearly one out of five of DC residents live at or below the poverty
line. The rate of homelessness continues to rise in the District,
attributed to an ever increasing lack of affordable housing in the
District, stagnant wages and slashed public assistance. The general
decline in the welfare of DC residents is evidenced by a lack of
adequate health care services and a lack of adequate mental health
facilities and will contribute to a rise in physical and psychological
abuses suffered by the homeless. In DC, 71% of the home
less individuals
reportedly suffer from either substance abuse or mental illnesses.
Only a small number of Franklin residents were placed in housing prior
to the shelter closing, and of those, many report that the housing is
dangerous, rodent and roach infested, unhealthy, and far from health
and mental health facilities. Other residents were sent to shelters on
the edge of town that lack transport to downtown jobs and services, and
still others face nights on DC streets.
As Shelter's Closing Nears, a Traffic-Halting March
Friday, September 26, 2008; Page B02
List of articles detailing the situation leading up to and including the closure of DC's only downtown shelter just before cold season gets going.
- Remaining Homeless Moved Out of Shelter
- Activists: Final Franklin shelter residents moved
- Franklin Shelter Closes Despite Protests, Emergen
- NW Shelter Closes Despite Opposition
- Activists: Final Franklin shelter residents moved
- 400 of 'Most Vulnerable' Homeless to Get Apartment
