Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.metro From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Phaseout of shelter discussed Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 15:13:22 EST Message-ID: \SE B;METROPOLITAN \HD Phaseout of shelter discussed \BY Matt Neufeld \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES District officials and advocates for the homeless are scheduled to meet today to plan the phaseout of the 108-bed Foggy Bottom shelter in Northwest, one of the advocates said. John Shetterly, president of Seed Ministries, which runs the temporary shelter behind the Howard Johnson Hotel in the 2600 block of Virginia Avenue NW, said a city memo indicated that the plan was supposed to begin last night. But after some initial confusion, he said, the plan was scratched. A city Department of Human Services (DHS) memo said the Foggy Bottom shelter was to stop taking new residents and refer them to other shelters, beginning yesterday. But shelter operators did not discover the memo, sent out late Friday, until yesterday and were unclear about how to proceed. City officials previously announced the shelter - which has been criticized by some neighborhood residents as a nuisance - would be completely phased out by March 31. Advocates for the homeless protested the shelter's closing. According to Mr. Shetterly, the DHS memo said that as of yesterday, 36 emergency beds would be available at the shelter, with 54 reserved for the mentally ill. The remaining 18 beds would remain vacant. The note said anyone seeking shelter would be bused to other facilities said Mr. Shetterly. A DHS official said the phaseout plan was already announced by the District government and that the city has no intentions of leaving anyone out in the cold. Every person who seeks shelter will be provided a bed, the official said. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM