INITIATIVE 17

the facts:

In November 1984, over strenuous opposition from the District government, D.C. voters passed Initiative 17 (The D.C. Right to Overnight Shelter Act) by nearly 3 to 1.

Now the Mayor and some City Council Members propose dramatically reducing the District's obligation to shelter the homeless.

MYTH: Some city officials say that the passage of Initiative 17 has attracted homeless people to D.C. from other parts of the country.

FACT: A study conducted only 6 months ago revealed that 90 percent of D.C.'s home-less have been here for one year or longer.

DECEPTION: The mayor says that million last year to shelter the District spent $27 he homeless.

FACT: More than $10 million was spent on the Tenant's Assistance Program (TAP), not, on providing emergency shelter. Of the remainder, two-thirds went for sheltering homeless families in filthy, rat-infested hotels, like the Capitol City Inn.

Should we punish the homeless because the city can't provide emergency shelter to families for less than $3,000 a month?

FACT: The District spends less than $6 million a year sheltering single homeless men and women: less than many other communities of comparable size.

Councilwoman Nadine Winter proposes that adult homeless men and women be given no more than 10 consecutive days of emergency shelter in any 6 month period.

Some members of the City Council have suggested a cap on spending for emergency shelter programs.

If a cap were established, the District would be encouraged to spend money as irresponsibly as it does now: the sooner the year's budget is exhausted, the sooner the city can get out of the shelter business. There would be no incentive whatsoever for the District to save money on shelter programs.

Some city officials prefer the "good old days". Before Initiative 17, the city did little or nothing to meet the needs of the homeless.

That is what prompted its passage in the first place. In the past year, the District has been sued because it so dismally failed to meet even the most minimal health and safety standards in city-run shelters. Since March, the District has twice been held in contempt of court for violating the judge's order to upgrade conditions and open desperately-needed additional shelter space. In retribution, the Mayor cut funding for two very good programs that provide transitional services to the homeless. The message is clear: force us to obey the law, and 1) we will get even with you, and 2) we will change or eliminate the law.

Common human decency demands that, at a minimum, D.C. provide the homeless with basic over-night protection from the elements. Some elected officials feel differently. They prefer to bury their heads in the sand and hope that the problem will go away. But it will not. If this human tragedy is to be resolved, it will take hard work, commitment, and the responsible use of resources. We must let the Mayor and the City Council know that the people of the District of Columbia are not willing to punish and sacrifice the homeless for the incompetence and the mismanagement of city officials.

In 1984, You cast your ballots in support of help for "the least of these" in 1984. It is time, once again, to speak out clearly and forcefully on behalf of our homeless brothers and sisters, God's children all.

Please write and call:

Mayor Marion Barry
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-727-6319

The Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-724-8000

Please encourage other concerned citizens to also call and write the Mayor and the City Council.

If you want to volunteer your time to help in this effort, or if you need more information, please call:

202-393-1909