On April 15, Rachelle Ellison called the D.C. shelter hotline, hoping to find a bed for someone experiencing homelessness. When she reached an operator, she learned there were no more beds available in city-run shelters that night. So Ellison tried to take her client to the Community for Creative Non-Violence (CCNV), the city’s largest shelter, but learned that too was full. In the end, the person Ellison was seeking shelter for had to spend the night at the George Washington University Hospital.
As hypothermia season ends and seasonal shelters close, year-round homeless shelters in D.C have begun facing capacity problems. Every year, the District opens beds over the winter and then closes them when temperatures begin to warm again. This winter, the city opened over 700 beds, according to past reporting by Street Sense, and closed them by April 15. That night, low-barrier shelters for men were full.
On April 15, the city also closed Eve’s Place, a seasonal women’s shelter some thought would stay open year-round, removing 40 beds of shelter capacity…