HOMELESS ADVOCATES SEEK NEW HISPANIC SHELTER IN WARD 1

Advocates for the homeless and Hispanic community leaders, warning that homeless immigrants face living on the streets this winter, are urging the District government to open up a "culturally sensitive" 200-bed emergency shelter in the Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant area.

The only city-run shelter in Ward 1 is La Morada, a 61-bed facility in the 1400 block of Irving Street NW. But community activists say the shelter doesn't have enough room for the area's foreign-born homeless and that an additional facility, with bilingual services, is desperately needed.

"What happened last winter is that we had about 100 people coming over to the shelter and sitting up in chairs all night -- and that was only allowed on very, very cold nights," said Juana Martin, director of support services at La Morada. "That's just not adequate."

About 20 homeless people and community organizations held a sleepout Monday night on the steps of All Souls Unitarian Church, 16th and Harvard streets NW, to dramatize the lack of shelter space for the increasing number of immigrants arriving from Central America.

Mitch Snyder, an advocate for the homeless, Ward 1 D.C. Council member Frank Smith, the Rev. David Eaton, pastor at All Souls, and others spoke at a news conference held before the sleepout. They want the city to contract with a nonprofit organization in the community to provide additional shelter for indigent immigrants.

"Here it is again at the 11th hour, and the city still has not responded," said Terry Lynch, executive director of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations. "Housing is so short that we have 20 Hispanics living in a single row house, or in abandoned buildings or sleeping in the parks and alleyways of the community."

Rae Parr-Moore, spokeswoman for the D.C. Department of Human Services, said the agency will be reviewing contracts with shelter providers to ensure they have bilingual staffs where appropriate.

The 23 city shelters are located throughout the District, and house the homeless on a first come, first served basis. The usual practice is to refer those turned away to another shelter with available beds, and government officials are said to be reluctant to reserve a shelter for a particular population.

But organizers of the sleepout, who estimate there may be 200 to 500 homeless immigrants in Ward 1, said Hispanic immigrants are not going to go to Northeast facilities or to the Community for Creative Non-Violence shelter at Second and D streets NW.

"Foreign-born minorities are going to stay in the community where they feel comfortable and welcome, and you need to get a local contractor who understands the population and has their confidence," said Lynch. He complained that the foreign-born homeless, as well as homeless youth and battered spouses, are "desperately underserved" by the city.

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