Small business and community leaders gathered at an event hosted by the Washington Circle Business Association at the 2400 M Apartments on Thursday to discuss homelessness and small business growth in the District.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., spoke about a bevy of issues relating to D.C. and small businesses. Many students and faculty, like Bernard Demczuk, the assistant vice president for District relations, were also in attendance.

Norton said tourism has been feeding into small businesses and turning once unpopular neighborhoods into trendy parts of town, as tourists go from the National Mall into the rest of city.

“I want to get them out into the neighborhoods, because the neighborhoods are where the action is, so I’m very open to hearing how I can help you with my work, which is essentially to use the Monumental presence in order to make sure that our small businesses reap the benefit,” Norton said.

Anna Harvey, the director of the Department of Small and Local Business Development, said her history as a small business owner and government contractor has helped her work with the more than 60,000 small businesses in D.C. She said that many businesses have left places like Adams Morgan in favor of Virginia, as rent has skyrocketed in many parts of the city.

“I know that we want the city to be welcoming, to provide universal paid leave, and $15 minimum wage, but that’s choking small businesses, so we need to find a way to actually create some balance between what we offer to our residents and how small businesses, that are really providing the jobs, can survive,” Harvey said.

Second District Metropolitan Police Department Commander Melvin Gresham said that community policing is important in D.C. and that the police force had done a good job in recent years.

“Crime in the area is down by 30 percent overall,” Gresham said. “I’m not satisfied with it just being down by 30 percent, I want it to be down by 100 percent if that’s possible.”

Marina Streznewski, the president of the Foggy Bottom Association, said the neighborhood association has been around for decades and their mission is to improve the quality of life for residents and to maintain the historical character of the neighborhood. Streznewski said the organization has been working to address homelessness and the overpopulation of rats in the District.

“We are working on a number of big deal issues right now,” Streznewski said. “Issues like how to manage homeless encampments and a community cleanliness program to help manage, eradicate and get rid of rats.”

Bowser also spoke of her plan to shut down D.C. General, the city’s homeless shelter, and replace it with three new shelters. She said that she recognized that many of the homeless did not want to go to the shelters since they were dangerous, but endorsed laws forbidding people living in tents on the streets.

“Tents are not a permissible way to live,” Bowser said. “It is against our laws.”