WASHINGTON — With temperatures about to drop, some living in a D.C. homeless shelter for families are bracing for the cold. Residents have been flagging problem heating in the newly built facility for months.
Rochelle Thomas, along with her husband and five kids, moved into the Rolark family homeless shelter in Southeast D.C. a week ago. She said her family’s unit has no heat.
"They gave us blankets but the comforters are so thin that they don’t keep us warm," Thomas said.
Thomas said the shelter also provided her a loaner space heater, but said she’s concerned about using it because she claims there is also water leaking from the nearby bathroom. She said she's worried it could be a hazard.
"Water leaked out, and it started to spark when I plugged it in, so I decided not to use the heaters," Thomas said.
Jewel Stroman was once homeless herself, and she’s now known in the community as an advocate for others. Stroman said at least five families have come to her with complaints over lack of heat in the district-operated shelter.
"I’m extremely concerned, and I’m outraged that we have families living like this in the district," Stroman said. "This is a shelter that hasn’t even been open for a full year yet."
Stroman said she alerted D.C.’s Department of Human Services, the Mayor’s office and council member Trayon White.
WUSA 9 reached out to D.C.’s Department of General Services on Thursday, and Director Keith A. Anderson, provided this statement:
The Department of General Services (DGS) takes very seriously the safety of all residents of the Rolark Shelter, located at 4300 12th Street, SE. Our facilities maintenance teams are aware of reported heat concerns within the facility and are on-site working to remedy the heat concerns both for the short-term, as required, and for the long-term.
Stroman said she’s especially worried because of the number of children in the building, including small infants.
"When I was receiving the calls, families were panicked, Stroman said. "To my knowledge this issue has been going on since November."