Space at D.C.’s year-round low-barrier shelters was limited throughout the summer, with many shelters reaching full capacity as early as 7 p.m. on the hottest days. Shelter capacity reports from singles shelters from June and July suggest that on at least nine days, not everyone experiencing homelessness who wanted to sleep in a shelter could.
In response to the federal government’s crackdown on unsheltered homelessness, the city opened an additional 100 shelter beds in mid-August. The most recent census, from Sept. 7, showed over 100 available beds.
D.C. experienced 40 heat alert days from June 18 to Aug. 18, including 15 extreme heat alert days. Individual shelter beds were full or nearly full across the District every single heat alert day, with men’s shelter Adams Place and women’s shelter St. Josephine often having only one or two extra beds available on hot days.
During the summer, the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) issues a heat alert when the heat index forecast, or what the outside temperature feels like, reaches 95°F or higher, according to the updated guidelines in the 2025 District of Columbia Heat Plan. The city added an extreme heat alert category this year to keep up with the rising temperatures across the country, government officials said in an Interagency Council on Homelessness meeting on the plan. Extreme heat alerts are issued when the heat index forecast hits 105°F or higher…