D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 517
517.1 Homelessness in the Washington, DC, on any given night, is a significant problem that has become worse in the wake of the current housing boom. In January 2005, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) estimated that 11,419 people were experiencing homelessness in the region, including 2,694 who were chronically experiencing homelessness. More than half of those experiencing homelessness and two-thirds of those chronically experiencing homelessness lived in the District. Provisions to assist those living without housing must include emergency shelter that accommodates seasonal change and weather variations, transitional housing, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing. On many levels, the need for such facilities and services outpaces supply. The shortfall will worsen if regional partners and colleagues do not match Washington, DC's efforts, with more persons living without housing in the District.
517.2 By 2017, the number of persons experiencing homelessness declined to 11,128 persons across the region, and the persons experiencing chronic homelessness declined to 2,522. However, persons experiencing homelessness in Washington, DC now represent over two-thirds of the region's population living without housing and 70 percent of those chronically experiencing homelessness. The sharpest increase in Washington, DC has been in families living without housing, which increased 22 percent to 3,890 persons between 2012 and 2017. Increases in the number of families experiencing homelessness strain shelter capacity and affect the District's ability to serve other vulnerable populations, such as single adults with disabilities. Longer shelter and hotel stays were leading to a need for more shelter units, while rising costs are making it more difficult to provide services and secure housing for those in need. Homelessness has enormous social and economic consequences, resulting in increased medical, legal, and incarceration costs, as well as shelter costs.
517.3 In 2015, the District published Homeward DC, a collaborative effort by the District Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) intended to prevent housing loss and quickly stabilize and safely shelter individuals and families who are living without housing. The plan emphasizes permanent housing solutions and community support networks. Its goal is that any household experiencing housing loss will be rehoused within an average of 60 days or less, with homelessness reduced by 65 percent by 2020. The efforts aim to transform the system to focus on crisis response, helping people quickly get back on their feet. ICH has drafted and will publish Homeward DC 2.0: 2020-2025, which builds on the lessons learned from the first five years of Homeward DC implementation and identifies additional strategies to advance the District's efforts to address homelessness in Washington, DC.
517.4 The goal of Homeward DC is to provide housing first, moving people to permanent housing as quickly as possible, accompanied by necessary supportive services. While individuals and families may face housing loss in the future, homelessness will be prevented whenever possible. When it does occur, it will be a rare, brief, and nonrecurring experience.
517.5 With the closing of the DC General facility, Washington, DC is expanding transitional family housing in all eight wards and will also continue to implement plans and assist specific subsets of the population living without housing, such as youth and veterans. Blacks are disproportionately affected by the drivers of homelessness, representing 85 percent of those experiencing homelessness in the District. These drivers include income and wealth gaps, discrimination in the criminal justice system, and credit disparities. For instance, the Solid Foundations DC plan to end youth homelessness states that a disproportionate share (24 percent) of youth experiencing homeless identify as LGBTQ or other and are exploring targeted solutions for vulnerable communities who are at risk of victimization for sexual exploitation, behavioral health, and other problems. Washington, DC will also continue to provide year-round access to shelter, which is especially important during the winter months and in heat emergencies. Provisions to assist those experiencing homelessness must include emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent housing, along with supportive services. However, the need for such facilities and services outpaces supply. Rising housing costs will continue to place more families at risk of homelessness.
517.6 Policy H-4.2.1: Ending Homelessness Reduce the incidence of homelessness to rare, brief, and nonrecurring events in Washington, DC through prevention efforts, development of permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness in all District Planning Areas, and active coordination of the placement of persons experiencing homelessness into housing that best fits their needs.
517.7 Policy H-4.2.2: Neighborhood-Based Services for Persons Living Without Homes Encourage the provision of services for persons living without homes through neighborhood-based permanent supportive housing and SRO units. The smaller service model can reduce the likelihood of adverse impacts to surrounding uses, improve community acceptance, and also support the reintegration of persons experiencing homelessness back into the community.
517.8 Policy H-4.2.3: Increasing the Permanent Supportive Housing Supply Increase the supply of permanent supportive housing affordable to extremely low-income households to reduce the length of shelter stays, free up additional shelter capacity, and provide stable long-term housing for those who are living without housing or at risk of living without housing.
517.9 Policy H-4.2.4: Homelessness Prevention and Crisis Response Expand programs to stabilize high-risk households before they arrive at the shelter door by researching the common causes of homelessness and implementing targeted homelessness prevention programming, especially for those transitioning out of institutional settings such as foster care, correctional facilities, or behavioral health facilities. Continue efforts to create a more effective crisis response system to address homelessness, focused on helping individuals and families get back on their feet as quickly as possible.
517.10 Policy H-4.2.5: Reducing Housing Barriers for Persons Experiencing Homelessness Reduce the barriers that prevent persons and families experiencing homeless from finding affordable and supportive housing. Overcome onerous eligibility requirements and restrictions based on credit, income, and criminal history by providing incentives to landlords willing to housing those escaping homelessness. Improve business processes and information systems, including user tests, to decrease the time it takes for individuals and families to complete paperwork and locate and lease-up an available rental unit.
517.11 Action H-4.2.A: Homeward DC Implement the recommendations outlined in Homeward DC: 2015-2020, which updates and expands on the Homeward DC: Strategic Plan 2015-2020 and continues the District's efforts to make homelessness in the District rare, brief, and non-recurring. Homeward DC recommended strategies to expand homelessness prevention strategies, improve the quality of the District's emergency shelter facilities, and increase the number of permanent supportive housing units and tenant-based rental subsidies available for populations experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Homeward DC 2.0 builds on the recommendations outlined in Homeward DC and highlights additional strategies to advance these efforts.
517.12 Action H-4.2.B: Emergency Assistance Expand the emergency assistance program for rent, security deposit, mortgage, or utility expenses for very low-income families with children, older adults, and persons with disabilities to prevent homelessness.
517.13 Action H-4.2.C: Ending Youth Homelessness Implement Solid Foundations DC: The Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness. The plan includes strategies for youth homelessness prevention, expanded outreach and reunification, additional youth shelter capacity, improved support services, continuing education, and capacity building programs for organizations that support the emotional, physical, and social well-being of at-risk youth.
Maintain discharge programs from the foster care, health care, and the criminal justice systems that prevent homelessness and provide a safe transition to independent living.
Develop and test pilot programs designed to incentivize landlords to house individuals and families exiting homelessness. Evaluate strategies and make recommendations on maintaining and improving an ongoing program.
SOURCE: District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; 31 DCR 1049 (March 9, 1984)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Element Amendment Act of 1984, effective March 16, 1985 (D.C. Law 5-187; 32 DCR 873 (February 15, 1985)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1989, effective May 23, 1990 (D.C. Law 8-129; 37 DCR 55 (January 5, 1990)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1989 NCPC-Recommended Amendments, and Closing of Public Alleys in Square 669, S.O. 88-452, Act of 1990, effective May 23, 1990 (D.C. Law 8-132; 37 DCR 2213 (April 6, 1990)); as amended by District Government Land Use Temporary Amendment Act of 1994, effective October 1, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-190; 41 DCR 5360 (August 12, 1994)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1994, effective October 6, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-193; 41 DCR 5536 (August 19, 1994)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Amendment Act of 1994, effective March 21, 1995 (D.C. Law 10-235; 42 DCR 30 (January 6, 1995)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 1996 effective April 18, 1996 (D.C. Law 11-110; 43 DCR 530 (February 9, 1996)); as amended by Second Technical Amendments Act of 1996 effective April 9, 1997 (D.C. Law 11-255; 44 DCR 1271 (March 7, 1997)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 1998, effective April 27, 1999 (D.C. Law 12-275; 46 DCR 1441 (February 19, 1999)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 1999, effective April 12, 2000 (D.C. Law 13-91; 47 DCR 520 (January 28, 2000)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2006, effective March 8, 2007 (D.C. Law 16-300; 54 DCR 924 (February 2, 2007)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 2008, effective March 25, 2009 (D.C. Law 17-353; 56 DCR 1117 (February 6, 2009)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2010, effective April 8, 2011 (D.C. Law 18-361; 58 DCR 908 (February 4, 2011)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2021, effective August 21, 2021 (D.C. Law 24-20; 68 DCR 006918 (July 16, 2021)).