The District government’s permanent supportive housing program serves people who have been chronically homeless and struggle with one or more of the following conditions: substance abuse, mental illness, and physical or developmental disabilities. PSH vouchers come with intensive services – which recipients can refuse – but caseworkers must check in at least twice a month, at least one of those times in person.
Residents of several apartment buildings in our neighborhood and across the District have said for years that the promised services are not being delivered, leading to increases in crime and other disturbances. And on Thursday, November 6th, Council members Matt Frumin and Christina Henderson are jointly convening a roundtable to “examine the effectiveness” of DC’s PSH programs. The discussion will be livestreamed beginning at 11 a.m.
Only invited witnesses can testify, but written testimony can be submitted here (select the “Record testimony” option) until November 20th.
DC’s Department of Human Services issues the PSH vouchers, as well as targeted assisted housing vouchers for individuals or households who need fewer services. In its continually updated “A Path to Ending Homelessness” report, it said that nearly 9,900 clients have been served by its voucher programs since 2016, with more than two-thirds receiving PSH vouchers. The growth in the DHS programs corresponds with significant upswing in voucher renters in at least six neighborhood rent-stabilized buildings, first reported in 2019. And with the growth came complaints that people with severe mental health and substance abuse issues were being “dumped” in apartments without necessary services.
The lapses continue. An attendee at ANC 3F’s October 14th meeting excoriated the District, saying voucher renters in The Chesapeake Apartments (4607 Connecticut Avenue) were arriving with nothing but mattresses.
At the same meeting, 3F Chair Courtney Carlson asked that MPD Lt. Bobbette Forrest of PSA 203 report domestic violence data at future ANC meetings. Carlson said that tenants in apartment buildings along Connecticut Avenue have been reporting an increase. Indeed, a FOIA request of MPD data from 2017 through 2024 revealed domestic disturbances doubled during that period.
Separately, data shared by DC’s Child and Family Services Agency in advance of Council oversight hearings showed investigations of child abuse and neglect quadrupled in Ward 3 since 2017. And since September 2024, three children have died.