WASHINGTON — On Saturday evening, a portion of Pennsylvania Avenue in Southeast D.C. was temporarily closed under the I-295 overpass for members of the community to honor the life of a woman who spent the last ten years living there.
Angela Hill, 58, was a fixture in her Southeast community.
According to her family, she died Wednesday morning during the winter storm. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a press briefing the cold contributed to her death.
Hill is a native of Southeast D.C. and she shared a home with her mother just two blocks from the Sousa Bridge where she ultimately spent the last decade of her life.
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Family members said they have tried to desperately get her off the streets.
"We tried to get her inside but she refused, so the family would actually go by all the time and visit with her and make sure she was OK. We tried to get her help but weren't trained in how to help her," Hill’s first cousin LaShaundaHicks said.
Saturday night dozens of community members came to honor Hill under the overpass.
Flowers, candles, and balloons laid on the spot Hill resided for the last decade.
“A lot of people don't think that she was loved but she was really loved by the family,” Tony Hill, a cousin to Angela said. “We always tried to make sure that we looked out for her and tried to do things for her and we made sure if we could do something for her we always try to make sure we did something for her.”
Hill was a familiar face to many who lived East of the River and traveled on Pennsylvania Avenue. Neighbors, city leaders and relatives all tried to get her off the streets over the years. In severe weather, city workers would manage to get her into a hypothermia shelter but she quickly returned to her spot under the bridge.
"She wasn't just the lady under the bridge," Hicks said. "She had a family that loved her and we still do."
A GoFundme has been established to help support the family. Many neighbors have expressed their wishes to contribute to the burial.
RELATED: Frigid cold overnight Saturday
In cold weather, you can contact the District's Hypothermia Hotline or dial 311 to help someone get off the streets and out of the cold.