Homelessness On The Rise In D.C., Loudoun County, But Steady In Region, Study Shows | Washington D.C. | The Washington Post
The number of homeless people in the region dipped slightly — by 0.4 percent — to 11,830 this year, according to the annual “point-in-time” homeless survey released Wednesday by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
In the District, the number of homeless families soared 18 percent and homelessness increased 6 percent overall, the report said. The District is struggling with a $7 million shortfall in services for the homeless after a loss of federal funding. The city’s family shelter is filled to capacity, and more than 100 families are living in motels along New York Avenue NE at an average cost of $100 a night.
“The family situation is a crisis in the District,” said Kelly Sweeney McShane, the executive director of Community of Hope, a nonprofit group that provides housing and services to 250 local families. Advocates such as McShane are urging the D.C. government to find more funds to move families out of the motels and into subsidized apartments as the budget debate goes on.