County Prepares to Evict Homeless Residents
Hello, neighbor!
This Tuesday (August 27), the county will put up No Trespassing signs around the Hill encampment, giving residents there two weeks before they will be evicted. So, the last day anyone can stay there will be September 10.
The county has made efforts to compassionately “wind down” the Hill, but it’s still incredibly life-altering for someone with no resources to be forced to relocate. Many of them have a choice between sleeping in a shelter without privacy or hiding in the woods where cops might kick them out. I’ll continue keeping up with my friends from the tents no matter where they end up.
If you’d like to help out, check out this list of needs.
TL;DR
🚫 On September 10, the county will clear everyone out of the Hill encampment
📈 A few more folks have started using the overnight shelter (~10 people/night)
💻 If you want to see what items folks need, check out this new page
🐺 Good Wolf Gear has graciously donated many camping supplies to the Hill
📋 An advocacy group in DC has a petition to stop anti-homeless street sweeping
🧙♂️ A longtime Hill resident created a snazzy-looking wizard
The County Is Finally Forcing Everyone Out
It’s been a long time coming, but the county is finally putting up No Trespassing signs at the Hill. For many people, the Hill has been a last-stop residency where they can live independently with their own things. As I’ve mentioned many times before, many people have issues with the shelter for the following reasons:
- There is no privacy (workers watch you while you sleep, and you’re in a room with dozens of other people)
- There is no storage for belongings (although this might be changing with the temporary overnight shelter)
- You must leave early in the morning (usually at 7am)
For these reasons, I’ve often said that if I were homeless, I’d prefer to live in a tent than in a shelter (if the weather is not a threat to my health). It’s unfortunate that this option is being removed from an underprivileged group of people. I’ll continue to keep in touch with everyone and help out wherever they end up.
More Folks Trickle In…
When it first opened, the temporary overnight shelter only served three guests for the night. Now, we’re up to nearly ten people per night. This is a good number, and it makes me hopeful that more people will use the shelter rather than trying to stake it out somewhere else on their own. Still, there are roughly thirty people who could be using its services, so hopefully more will join.
List of Needs at the Hill
Sometimes people ask me what would be good to donate for the Hill. So, I’ve made a new page which lists all the current needs. I’m keeping this page up to date (it shows when it was last updated). If you have any of these items, feel free to contact me to coordinate a drop-off.
Good Wolf Gear Has the Best Donations!
When you’re living outside, camping gear is always needed. Luckily, many tent residents can receive outdoor items from donations by Good Wolf Gear, a local small business which sells new and used camping gear. Whenever they receive used gear that’s not fit for sale, they often donate it to the encampment or elsewhere. These donations have incredibly improved the quality of life for many residents of the encampment.
Stop Anti-Homeless Street Sweeps in DC
The DC police plan to aggressively clear homeless people from the area around the MLK library. There’s an advocacy group which has a petition on which people can address their concern over such policies which have life-altering effects for the homeless population. Sign here!
A Wizard Appears
One longtime resident of the Hill (who I call the “tarp architect”) likes to dabble in small art projects. He takes scrap that otherwise has no purpose (old bike tires, wire, tent poles, etc.) and turns them into chandeliers, table centerpieces, or other decorative displays. When I turned up a few days ago, he’d made a ten-foot tall wizard! I was very impressed, and with his permission, I’m showing it off here.
I’ll be keeping up with everyone as they make plans now that the Hill is officially closing. I appreciate all your concern and support!
Thanks,
Matthew