D.C. opens homeless shelter for LGBTQ adults in southeast

D.C. officials cut the ribbon Thursday for what they said was the first homeless shelter for LBGTQ adults in the city.

Located in southeast D.C., the 40-bed shelter is designed for LBGTQ people ages 25 and older, according to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office.

The local government used American Rescue Plan Act funds to establish and operate the shelter, her office said.

“With this new facility, we’re breaking down barriers to shelter, building community, connecting residents with the trauma-informed services they need to live healthy, happy lives, and getting Washingtonians back on a path to permanent housing,” Ms. Bowser said in a release.

The shelter will offer mental health, substance abuse treatment, medical and victims’ services, as well as help with job placement, education and housing.

The apartment-style shelter “affirms dignity, acceptance, and belonging” for the LBGTQ homeless population, according to the director of D.C.’s Department of Human Services, Laura Green Zeilinger.

D.C.’s homeless population has been declining for the past six years, according to the mayor’s office. 

The Point in Time count, which tracks the city’s homeless population, showed that the overall number of homeless people in D.C. was down by nearly 14% in the past year and decreased by 47% since 2016.

According to PIT data, 9% of D.C.’s homeless population identifies as LBGTQ.