The District is in the final stages of selecting a provider to oversee the conversion of a former GW residence hall to a homeless shelter.
Department of Human Services Deputy Administrator Anthony Newman said during the inaugural Community Advisory Team meeting last week DHS selected an organization to operate The Aston shelter in the fall and has been in the process of negotiating a contract. The team, comprised of local governing groups, neighborhood associations and District agencies, will oversee the conversion of The Aston into a homeless shelter, which is slated for this summer.
Newman said he hopes the provider will be present for the team’s next meeting, which will be announced at a later date.
Yimka Odebode, a spokesperson for Friendship Place, a District-based housing provider for people experiencing homelessness, said Friday that the organization was “being considered” as a provider for The Aston.
The Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission called to form the CAT in a resolution passed in June. Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who represents the area encompassing the proposed shelter site, presented the suggestion to the DHS, which is leading the conversion project. In July, District officials finalized the creation of the team in an agreement between Pinto, DHS Interim Director Rachel Pierre, Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Wayne Turnage and City Administrator Kevin Donahue.
The CAT consists of 15 members. ANC Chair Jim Malec and Richard Livingstone, the director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services, co-chair the team. 2A06 Commissioner Joel Causey, whose single-member district encompasses The Aston, will serve alongside Malec on the team. Causey is currently on a leave of absence from the ANC to support his father through medical issues, according to an automatic response from his email.
The ANC elected Courtney Cooperman and Chris Labas to the team in November, using a ranked-choice voting system to decide between the 12 candidates. Malec said it was the first time a D.C. government body has used ranked-choice voting.
Pinto serves on the team alongside her two appointees — Shane Menzel, the general manager of Yours Truly hotel, and Dan Hawkins, a local resident.
Livingstone said at the meeting that a representative from Miriam’s Kitchen, a homeless services provider located just south of The Aston, will attend the CAT meetings to represent a services provider in the area surrounding The Aston. Livingstone also said The Aston’s provider will select a “homeless services consumer” to join the team.
