The D.C. Council removed a provision allowing families experiencing homelessness to be housed in communal shelters from the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget ahead of the council’s final budget vote on July 28, temporarily settling fears from advocates who worried a return to congregate housing would set back progress in creating safe shelter for families experiencing homelessness.
When Mayor Muriel Bowser shared her $21.8 billion FY 2026 budget proposal in late May, it included a provision that would have permitted the District to temporarily house families experiencing homelessness in “congregate” shelters or communal, less private spaces where multiple families share rooms.
In mid-July, the council shared its initial budget proposal, which instead suggested sending families to a semi-congregate shelter setting at Harbor Light, a facility that formerly served migrant families. That proposal would have allowed just two families to stay in one room, offering somewhat more privacy. But homelessness advocates expressed concerns that either proposal allowing shared shelter for families would have risked the progress the city has made since it closed megashelter D.C. General in 2018…