Franklin Residents Being "Dumped" Outside With Nowhere To Go

Some of you know and others are about to find out that many of the men at Franklin School Shelter have been told not to return after Thursday night. The staff has begun the winding down process, since Franklin is slated to close in just over 2 months. Two lists have been comprised -- an "in" list and an "out" list. The 320 men who have stayed at Franklin the most during the 90-day period ending July 25th will be allowed in after July 31st. Not all of the 320 men on the "in" list stay there every night. So, it is quite possible that only 200 of those on the "in" list will be there on any given night, leaving as many as 100 empty beds.

All others will be told that they can't return in August (even if there are empty beds). Some of those who are not allowed to return will not have anywhere to go and will be left outside to battle the elements. (The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless reported that on July 28th there were only 55 vacancies in other male shelters across the city. This will not be enough to accommodate the 300 men at Franklin or even the several dozen who can't return on Friday.) This calls for some actions to be taken on behalf of the homeless.



QUESTION (for DHS): Supposing that there are 100 vacancies on Friday and 100 men who were told to leave after Thursday, will they be turned away even if they have nowhere to go? .....if it's raining?



We need people to document the events of Friday such as:

1 -- people being turned away with nowhere to go

2 -- other shelters indicating that they are full

3 -- if it is raining

4 -- homeless people who leave Franklin and go to the parks and storefronts to sleep

5 -- how many empty beds there are at Franklin



We also need people to call or e-mail the mayor with their concerns for the homeless men of Franklin. Let him know how inhumane this is. One of his e-mails is: mayor@dc.gov .



Let the media know what is being done. Let's use some bad publicity. (As long as it's true, there's nothing that they can do about it.)



As for my part, I'll keep people posted.


The above ideas are just a start.

Comments

Chief Historian said…
While having breakfast at Miriam's Kitchen, I was asking why they are closing Franklin Shelter. I heard "Political Pressure", but the pressure comes from those who work and live in and around that general area. I think that a lot of people are afraid of the homeless, and even though I am homeless myself, I do fear a lot of them, for the way they choose to appear among society. Still, that does not give anyone the right to just throw people out on the street with nowhere to go. As the bible says "Do Unto As They Would Do Unto You"(Matthew 7:12)Perhaps the people responsible for this action who seem to fear the homeless more so than what they are about, will experience this kind of situation in their own lives someday, and then they will get the message.
July 31, 2008 at 9:52 AM
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