JAN 15, 2:41 PM

People Experiencing Homelessness Are Being ‘Forced To Adapt’ To Inauguration Security

Mikaela Lefrak | https://twitter.com/mikafrak



People experiencing homelessness in the District could be displaced by inauguration security.

Tyrone Turner / WAMU/DCist

Joe Mettimano hits the streets of downtown D.C. every Wednesday to help people experiencing homelessness find access to food and other services. He’s had the same weekly routine for the past 10 years. ... That routine was abruptly interrupted last week, after a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol Building and the city effectively went on lockdown. Mettimano and other volunteer service providers couldn’t access the downtown areas where they typically meet clients.

“I’m not complaining about the safety precautions or the streets being blocked off. It makes perfect sense,” says Mettimano, the president of D.C.’s Central Union Mission. “But it also means that the homeless oftentimes aren’t getting the resources they need.” ... Groups in Washington that provide meals, supplies and shelter to people experiencing homelessness are further curtailing their services next week due to the enhanced security measures being put in place ahead of Inauguration Day.

Mayor Muriel Bowser has urged people to stay away from the Downtown Central Business District area, a part of town where many people experiencing homeless often congregate or sleep. Many downtown streets are already closed off, and fences are going up to create wide perimeters around the Capitol, White House and Constitution Avenue. The National Mall is closed through January 21.

Outreach workers are working double time to connect with unhoused people ahead of Inauguration Day. Their goal is to get the majority of people into shelters, or away from downtown to avoid confrontations with federal law enforcement. ... “We’re hoping [the Secret Service agents] do not have to forcibly remove anybody, but that’s not really in the control of the city,” says Laura Zeilinger, the director of the D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS), the city agency in charge of providing services for people experiencing homelessness. ... Still, some social services professionals worry they won’t be able to connect with all of their unhoused clients in time. There’s been a rapid increase in security in the city following last week’s insurrection at the Capitol, and the and “red zone” security perimeter has been expanded.

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