WASHINGTON — Thousands of our neighbors in D.C. are experiencing homelessness and just trying to survive day by day. Some sobering numbers just released show nearly 6,000 people in the District are unhouse -- an increase from last year.
On Thursday, encampments in Northwest's Foggy Bottom neighborhood will be cleared out.
Around 10 a.m. officials with D.C.'s Department of Health and Human Services and others will perform a clean up effort at Triangle Park and Edward Kelly Park.
Officials with DHHS say the clean-up effort is taking place ahead of the July Fourth holiday weekend. They will be cleaning up the area, removing any unsafe or hazardous materials and enforcing that public spaces must remain clear. Similar clean-up efforts are scheduled over the next few days.
But some advocates for the unhoused community say clearing encampments makes D.C.'s homeless issues worse.
"Encampment displacement is always really harmful," said Adam Rocap, Deputy Director for Miriam's Kitchen. "It's hard for the people involved, it doesn't do anything effectively to help end homelessness. People will just be moving to other places in the area."
Rocap said clearing the encampment also impacts outreach teams like those with his organization who work to connect people with housing in D.C.
"It's now going to be harder to find people, people are going to trust us less," he said. "It really sets us back in what I think is all of our goals, which is to address things with housing and not displacement. The ultimate solution is housing."
The Department of Health and Human Services plan to clear out another encampment at Eastern Market in Southeast next week, on May 22.
Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you. Tell us about it by emailing newstips@wusa9.com.
MORE WAYS TO GET WUSA9
DOWNLOAD THE WUSA9 APP
Apple App Store: WUSA9 News on Apple
Google Play Store: WUSA9 News on Android
HOW TO ADD THE FREE WUSA9+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WUSA9.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "WUSA9" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE WUSA9 NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to our daily WUSA9 Newsletter for top stories from WUSA9 curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Commanders content, weather, and more delivered right to your inbox.