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Minh Connors

After more than a year of delays, D.C. officials on Monday celebrated the opening of the Aston — a former college dormitory that has become the city’s newest shelter for the homeless despite ongoing opposition from some neighbors.

In May 2023, George Washington University selected the D.C. government among a pool of bidders for the 67,000-square-foot graduate student housing building at 1129 New Hampshire Ave. NW. And after closing on the <a href="https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Legislation/CA25-0254" target=_blank>$27.5 million</a> purchase months later, the administration of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) began to more fully detail its plan to transform the Aston into D.C.'s first shelter allowing couples and mixed-gender adult families to stay together.

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Advocates for the homeless hailed the Aston project as a critical step to better serve people without homes who are medically vulnerable, in mixed-gender families or are parents with children older than 18 — people who often aren’t best served by the city’s traditional, “low-barrier” facilities that are divided by gender and contain sleeping areas with several beds.

But over the past 18 months, the Aston has also faced opposition from some neighbors who have raised questions and concerns about how the facility might  affect the affluent surrounding neighborhood. Officials have said that these opposing efforts, which now include a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/08/25/ward-2-shelter-lawsuits/" target=_blank>lawsuit</a> and zoning challenge initiated by a group of neighbors called the West End DC Community Association, contributed to the shelter opening <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/11/16/dc-homeless-shelter-george-washington-university-dorm-delay/" target=_blank>about one year later</a> than officials had initially hoped.

For Bowser, Monday’s ribbon-cutting marked a continuation of her efforts to combat homelessness in the District. Her administration in 2021 fulfilled a pledge to open eight smaller, short-term shelters, one in each ward, to replace the D.C. General shelter. (Unlike the other shelters created under Bowser’s plan to close D.C. General, Ward 2′s primary shelter is for adult women.). The 5,600 or so people experiencing homelessness in the District this year reflects a 14 percent increase from 2023, according to May data from the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/05/16/homelessness-point-in-time-count/" target=_blank>Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments</a>.

Pointing to the Aston’s required case management and non-congregate setup, Bowser called the Aston the “missing piece” in the city’s shelter system. She and advocates for the homeless say the Aston will be a more attractive shelter option for homeless families and individuals who might otherwise opt to sleep outside or in a vehicle to avoid traditional shelters.

“People [are] coming from situations where they have been living on the street. They need a bridge. … They need to get their feet up under them. They need to get their health together,” Bowser said. “And <i>then</i> we can work with them on permanent solutions for housing. We think this is a great model.”

The Aston is modeled after a successful federally funded effort in 2020 led by D.C.’s Department of Human Services that placed homeless individuals with medical risks in hotel rooms.

“We incorporated those lessons we learned from that program into all that we did as we began our work here at the Aston,” said Laura Zeilinger, the longtime director of D.C.'s Department of Human Services, who is soon stepping down from the role. “We also learned that when people access what they need in a setting that recognizes their dignity and humanity — that is able to serve their whole families and partnerships — outcomes are better, and everyone benefits.”

At its peak, officials have said, the Aston could house up to 190 residents, with up to two people per room and a bathroom for each unit. For now, the building’s capacity will begin at 50 people, then gradually increase to 100 as the city assesses the shelter’s early progress.

Jean-Michel Giraud, CEO of <a href="https://friendshipplace.org/" target=_blank>Friendship Place</a>, a nonprofit housing services provider that was selected to perform services inside the Aston, said 25 people moved into the building within the first 10 days of it being open this month. Giraud said that seven more potential residents visited the building Monday and that the goal was to reach a total of 50 residents by Thanksgiving.

Officials expect that demand for the Aston will remain high. Residents are generally expected to stay for an average of three months.

“To the neighbors in this neighborhood, thank you for welcoming us. We are ready to work with you,” Giraud said. “We know that the process was long. But we stuck to it.”

Some city officials, including D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), talked about the ongoing, at times divisive effort to engage the community on the Aston project. That has entailed the creation of a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/11/16/dc-homeless-shelter-george-washington-university-dorm-delay/" target=_blank>community advisory team</a> with the neighborhood’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission to facilitate discussions and hear perspectives — including those shared by residents and business owners who say the shelter will negatively affect public safety and the surrounding economy.

Last year, the West End DC Community Association filed a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/08/25/ward-2-shelter-lawsuits/" target=_blank>lawsuit</a> in D.C. Superior Court alleging, among other claims, that the city ignored zoning laws by improperly offering medical services at the Aston. The same group also filed an appeal challenging the D.C. Department of Buildings’ August decision to grant the city a zoning permit for the building — arguing that D.C.'s plans for the Aston should have required a special exception.

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Earlier this month, the West End DC Community Association unsuccessfully petitioned the Board of Zoning Adjustment for a stay that would have prevented residents from moving in. A hearing on the zoning appeal is scheduled for Jan. 29; if successful, it could require D.C. to move out the Aston’s residents.

Scott Morrison, an attorney serving as counsel for the West End DC Community Association, expressed confidence in the process.

“What the Aston poses is a very significant risk of adverse financial repercussions to businesses and serious detriment to the quality of life of the long-term residents who have lived in that location,” Morrison said in an interview. “What [we] never understood is: Why this location? There are numerous locations that the city controls that would be far better situated for a homeless shelter. And the District doesn’t want to explain that.”

Speaking at the ribbon-cutting earlier in the day, Pinto offered an explanation: “Here in Ward 2, we have some of the highest amounts of people experiencing homelessness, and particularly those living outside.” When she asks those experiencing homelessness what might push them to try a shelter and case management to find housing, Pinto said she constantly hears “about the need for privacy.”

Pinto said there’s a need for non-congregate housing “where people can get on their feet and get organized,” and receive case management, job support and “everything else you need to live a sustainable life.”

Officials with the Department of Human Services have also said that the Aston’s centralized, downtown location will also allow residents to easily offer other resources,  such as the nearby<b> </b>nonprofit Miriam’s Kitchen.

Jim Malec, chair of the community advisory team and previous chair of the area’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission, said that the debate surrounding the Aston ultimately strengthened plans for the building. The <a href="https://dmhhs.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dmhhs/Aston%20GNP%20Draft%20Updated%2010%2001%2024%20for%20CAT%20Final%20Review%2010%2004%2024.pdf" target=_blank>community agreement</a>, for example, instructs Friendship Place to hold an open house for West End neighbors to see the space firsthand and learn more about the services offered there.

“The majority of the community has always been behind this. That has been my sense of the sentiment of the neighborhood since the beginning of the process,” Malec said. “Obviously, there’s always a few loud voices who want to make sure they are heard. … We did hear them and made sure they were represented throughout the entire process.”

Officials are hoping the Aston can help set a standard for city shelters. Zeilinger said the city is proceeding with a plan to create a similar shelter at <a href="http://anc6e.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ANC-6E01-Presentation-25-E-Street-NW-Feb-ruary-26-2024-Updates-.pdf" target=_blank>25 E St. NW</a>.

There, some residents have quietly raised concerns and questions that mirror those faced by the Aston. But Bowser said these voices are nothing new.

“This is my experience with all of the things that we’ve done to transform the homeless services system, that there’s always a lively debate, sometimes lawsuits, sometimes fights at the council,” Bowser said. “It has been our position to be bold — to go for what we know is best to transform the system — and let people come here to get their feet under them.”

University of Maryland, College Park, BA in journalism

Michael Brice-Saddler covers D.C. government and politics for The Washington Post's Metro desk.

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