Ministries to DC homeless share concerns about their welfare amid encampment removal

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- Images of the clearing of homeless tent encampments in the District of Columbia have led people of faith to question the future of these people as they're scattered, and whether they can still attend to basic needs as they're helped by the many charitable organizations -- many of them faith-based -- who feed them.

On Aug. 11, President Donald Trump announced he was placing the city police "under direct federal control," activating the National Guard and getting "rid of the slums" in what he called an effort to combat crime in Washington. The White House, as of Aug. 19, said more than 40 homeless encampments had been emptied.

Continuous video images can leave the impression of many thousands dispersed. But data released by district officials Aug. 18 counted a little more than 5,100 unhoused people. That represents a 19% decrease from 2020, and 9% fewer than last year.

So far, representatives from two charities have not seen a major impact on their operations or in the numbers who seek basic services.

"We've seen a few more people -- not many," Dennis Dee, executive director of the Father McKenna Center, told OSV News. "Men, mostly, from shelters run by Catholic Charities."

The center provides meals, showers and a place to do laundry, among its services, and describes itself as "in the Ignatian Catholic tradition."

"They really haven't found their way here at this point," Dee said of the encampment evictees. But when they do, "We would certainly take them in."

He called the evictions "a political stunt that's harming people. They're more vulnerable than everyone else. They struggle."

Dee says the dispersed may not be visible to many people in the short term because they're sleeping on couches of friends or crowding in with family members.

At the nonsectarian So Others Might Eat, "we've noticed an uptick in people coming in for breakfast. We can't say it's attributed to the encampments," said David McCorvey, director of communications at SOME.

McCorvey said he had spoken with "a handful of people who said they've seen firsthand encampments being torn down in the White House vicinity. Downtown DC is where a variety of services are offered for people experiencing homelessness, so displacing them is extremely harmful to their day-to-day lives."

Betty Gentle, SOME's director of advocacy and public policy, said it was unlikely that the displaced homeless will return to their former encampments and many are likely to eventually leave the district.

"Historically, when encampments are cleared without housing being offered, people migrate together to new locations that provide those same elements of safety and stability. In this case, returning to the same areas is unlikely because of the seemingly persistent threat from the federal government to remove them."

Some, she added, "may temporarily enter shelter if capacity allows, but many will continue sleeping outdoors in more isolated areas -- where they face greater risks to their safety and are harder to connect with stabilizing resources."

And others, she said, "already have housing vouchers, and we're hopeful that the placement process can be accelerated for them."

"Ultimately, the real issue is not whether encampments return. Without affordable housing options, people may become less visible to the public and even to their support systems, but they will still be experiencing homelessness."

The Georgetown Ministry Center, formed in 1984 by Georgetown University and the Georgetown Business District, guides chronically homeless individuals toward stability. The center, which includes medical and psychiatric care among its services, issued a statement from its executive director, Claire Wilson.

"For more than three decades, we have shown that a privately funded, community-driven model works," Wilson said Aug. 15. "We meet our guests where they are, without judgment, and help guide them toward stability, health, and housing. The District thrives when all residents -- regardless of housing status -- have their basic needs met."

She noted that the center serves "some of the most vulnerable individuals in Georgetown, including a significant number of guests over 55, women, and veterans."