Posted on 11/29/2016 11:45:12 AM PST by mbarker12474
As Costs to Shelter Homeless Grow, D.C. Mayor Wants Non-City Residents Out Posted on November 29, 2016
Steve Burns WMAL.com
WASHINGTON – (WMAL) As costs continue soaring to house the District’s homeless population, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Tuesday said the District should put an end to housing non-District residents in the city’s homeless shelters.
“If we are serving everybody else’s residents, we can’t serve our own,” Bowser said during a Mayor-Council breakfast Tuesday morning. “We have an obligation to serve our residents, but we cannot serve the entire region.”
City officials say costs are expanding rapidly as the homeless population grows. DHS Director Dr. Laura Zeilinger said the city is paying $80,000 a night in motel costs to house the homeless population that can’t fit in city shelters.
“It is incredibly costly in a way that we are not going to be able to afford in the long run,” Zeilinger said.
The debate exposed what may be a generational divide on the Council, as one newer Councilmember, Robert White, disagreed with the Mayor’s sentiment, comparing the issue to the concept of sanctuary cities.
“We have an obligation to people, even if they happen to sometimes live across the border,” White said. “I think homelessness doesn’t know jurisdictions.”
Councilmember Jack Evans, who is in his 24th year on the Council, said the city has been down this road before in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
“We had people from all over the region using our shelters, we ran out of capacity, and the amount of money we were spending ballooned enormously,” Evans said.
The District went nearly bankrupt by 1995, and was placed under the supervision of a federal Control Board for six years.
“Listen to the history, and understand where we have been,” Councilmember Anita Bonds said. “We can run out of money. Bottom line, that’s what will happen with our government if we try to take care of the region.”
Copyright 2016 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: CNN) Filed Under: WMAL News Now
Why can't Dems see this on a National level?
Build the services, “They will come.”
Didn’t this guy see the movie? “:^)
If a person is homeless, how does the mayor determine if (s)he is a DC resident?
By definition, a resident is someone who lives in a place for a period of time.
If a person, no matter where the person comes from, lives in a homeless shelter for a period of time or even on a park bench, heating grate, etc., doesn’t that person in fact fit the definition of a resident of the location in which the facility is located?
A homeless person who occupies a shelter space in DC but conducts business in Northern Va or MD is simply commuting from residence to workplace. Same as those who commuted to DC to work and then return to their residence in other locals.
Will they need to show ID”s?
So he’s saying if you’re not an illegal alien criminal invader you are not welcome? I’m confused. Either that, or I’m really pissed.
How ironic!
Someone should tell the Mayor: These are just Undocumented D.C. residents!
Regards,
My observations confirm yours, my FRiend!
(A Republican was just elected; quick, prepare the shopping carts!)
Aren’t all homeless people residents of no city?
“I think homelessness doesn’t know jurisdictions.”
Oh, I’m pretty sure the homeless understand jurisdictions.
YOUR home is their jurisdiction as long as YOU’RE handing out free stuff.
About 2/3 of the homeless are addicts/alcoholic/mentally ill.
Therefore as such, many will NOT follow rules.
If given a chance to be indoors, to be fed, with rules, many will opt to remain outside, hungry.
No amount of money, no mount of compassion will solve their problems.
(There exists a subfield in Psychology called “Dual-diagnosis” which is aimed at helping substance abusers that are also mentally ill.)
At their very worst they are a very unattractive collection of lost souls.
* speaking as somebody with nearly 23 years sober, and having witnessed a lot of these folks.
“How do the homeless prove residency? “
What state plates did the car they were previously living in have?
“If we are serving everybody else’s residents, we can’t serve our own,” Bowser said during a Mayor-Council breakfast Tuesday morning. “We have an obligation to serve our residents, but we cannot serve the entire region.” <<<
Exactly why we need checks on illegal immigration. It’s good to see that some demorats do get it!
Same idiot belives in illegal aliens.
but but but
Dey be a sanctuary city!
Wasn’t Bowser in Sha Na Na?
Yes, the Democrapt politician mindlessness: Complain about non-city residents taking up DC dollars for housing, while 2 days ago the Mayor declared that DC would be a Sanctuary City. I guess the right side of her mouth doesn’t know/remember what the left side of her mouth said.
No problem, they’ll get free food and shelter in San Francisco.
Here we go now with the homeless again.
Yes so true. And it’s total BS. I live in the wonderfully progressive state of CA where the governor is a Dem and the legislature now holds a super majority and over the past eight years of Obama our homeless population has grown so out of control. You’d think these comoSsuonate progs out here would address the problem but they like to throw it back to Ronald Reagan blah blah blah shut down all the mental health facilities blah blah blah. And I just say back to them, you guys have controlled this state for the past 30 years, you could have easily undone all the evils of Ronald Reagan and reopened those facilities They have no response to that.
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