Franklin Shelter Closes Despite Protests, Emergen

WASHINGTON -- Despite some calls to keep it open, the District government closed a downtown homeless shelter Friday.The Franklin School shelter at 13th and K streets has caused controversy for several years. After D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty said it would close by Oct. 1, the D.C. Council passed emergency legislation to keep it open, but the shelter closed before the emergency legislation could take effect. Lawmakers had said it must remain open until Mayor Adrian Fenty tells the council where the 300 people who use it will be relocated.Crews began removing hundreds of beds from the building Friday.Fenty promised the city will provide other sites and services, but protesters said the city is being heartless. Closing Franklin will be better for the men who lived there, Fenty said.

Dozens of homeless men remaining at the shelter will be placed into more permanent housing, according to the Fenty administration.The men have been moved to shelters far from downtown, where some of them work, activists said. Other sites where the men were sent are too full, according to activisits.Council Member Tommy Wells said he is "closely monitoring" the situation. He expects the shelter to be open Monday, unless the mayor provides more information.Fenty said in a statement Friday his administration had housed more than 300 long-term shelter residents. He also said staffers are preparing a summary that will illustrate the fulfillment of his commitment to providing permanent supportive housing for the homeless.Lewis Cannao, who has lived at the shelter for two years, said now he'll live out of his car parked nearby.About 40 homeless advocates tried to go to Fenty's office Friday but were turned away. They're creating a soup line outside Franklin Friday night.The city plans to use the Franklin site for development purposes.

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