WASHINGTON — Plans to clear out an encampment of unhoused people from D.C.'s McPherson Square have been moved up two months. The National Park Service had originally planned to clear the encampment on April 12. The new clear-out date is now February 15.
In a letter dated Jan. 27, Jeffrey Reinbold, Superintendent for National Mall and Memorial Parks, said the change of date is due to the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services’ (DMHHS) request to move the date up to Feb. 1 because of, " high levels of illegal drug activity and other dangerous and unsafe activities significantly impede social services outreach and endanger social services providers, mental health clinicians, unsheltered individuals, and the public. The NPS worked with United States Park Police to determine the Feb. 15 closure date.
According to the letter, the McPherson Square encampment is the largest in the District, and it continues to grow. Those who provide help to the people living at the encampment said they feel increasingly unsafe.
Just last week, D.C. leaders conducted its Point in Time county of every person experiencing homelessness.
"There are many people here that could use the help," said Dale McCune, who is one of dozens living in a tent in McPherson Square just blocks from the White House.
"The count is really critical to understand who we are helping," said Christy Respress, the President and CEO of Pathways to Housing D.C. who was part of the counting effort.
Laura Green Zeilinger the Director of the Department of Human Services said despite the visibility of the camps like the one at McPherson Square, homelessness is still dropping in D.C.
"People often feel like the visibility of homelessness is up so, they believe homelessness is on the rise when the data tells us we're seeing these remarkable decreases," Zeilinger said last week.
On Wednesday, D.C. Ward 2 councilwoman Brooke Pinto said that 25 of the about 70 people living in the park have completed the housing assessment tool – 15 of those people have been matched to housing.
Pinto said she's working with the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS) to urge them to move with "deliberate speed" to expedite the applications of the 10 residents who have not yet been matched to housing with the goal of having them in safe housing in the next two weeks.
Here is Pinto's full statement from Wednesday:
This week, the National Park Service (“NPS”) announced that it will be closing McPherson Square to camping on February 15th. The challenges present at McPherson Square are not new – I have been working with service providers, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (“DMHHS”), community members, and NPS for months to address the unsafe conditions in the area and help ensure residents can be moved into safe and stable housing.
I recently visited McPherson Square to meet with Pathways service providers and hear directly from residents about their needs and what continued obstacles were still present. My visit confirmed to me that the continued growth of this encampment threatens the safety of the residents in the encampment and the surrounding community.
After months of engagement by outreach workers, 25 of the about 70 people living in the park have completed the housing assessment tool and of those 15 have been matched to housing. I am continuing to work with DMHHS and urging them to move with deliberate speed to expedite the applications of the 10 residents who have not yet been matched to housing and ensure they can be moved into safe and stable housing in the next two weeks.
Unfortunately, to date, nearly 50 residents have not yet been successfully engaged. I am hopeful that in the next two weeks, outreach workers can connect with these residents and get them placed in housing or shelters. I have asked the Mayor and DMHSS for daily outreach to residents and increased staffing, including prioritizing behavioral health experts, and staging busses to be set up at the site for these ongoing conversations and sharing of supplies. I will continue working with service providers, advocates, and the Mayor’s office to ensure every effort is being made to reach more of these individuals, develop trusting relationships, and get them into a safer situation. Getting people housed is the only long-term solution to effectively address encampments.
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