A DEATH NEAR WHITE HOUSE AGAIN UNDERSCORES PERIL FOR HOMELESS

A homeless man who spent the night huddled under a blanket a block from the White House was found dead yesterday morning, the second such death on a District street in five weeks.

The unidentified man, who police said appeared to be in his thirties, was found at 7:30 a.m. by paramedics called to the 1700 block of Pennsylvania Avenue NW, across from the New Executive Office Building.

The location is apparently a popular overnight spot for homeless people, who rely on the building's architectural features to shield them from the elements and, at least at night, from public view.

No preliminary cause of death was released, and almost no verifiable information on the dead man was available yesterday. The case is similar to the Nov. 6 death of Johnson Griffith, who remained unidentified for days after he was found near Dupont Circle. An autopsy later revealed that Johnson, 30, died of critical hypothermia.

News of the second death spread quickly among advocates for the homeless in the District, many of whom have been predicting a bleak winter for the indigent. The District has cut money for the homeless drastically this year -- the appropriation is now $3 million, compared with $8 million last year -- and the number of shelter beds has been reduced from 1,770 to 1,200.

There are homeless people who refuse to use shelters and instead choose to spend the night outdoors, and it is that segment advocates are trying to target. The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, for example, is about to embark on an education campaign because advocates there believe many of the indigent do not know what services are available.

One of the group's measures involves distributing waterproof cards that include emergency hot line numbers for shelters, as well as basic medical information on hypothermia.

The only information available on yesterday's death came from office workers who had seen the man recently and from one of his overnight companions. "A man died here last night," said the companion, who referred to himself only as Lee. "It's a terrible thing."

Lee declined repeated offers of help yesterday, choosing instead to lie on the spot where the man was found dead. In a brief interview, Lee said the dead man, whom he knew as Fred, had spent several nights at the side of the building.

The last few nights have been unseasonably warm, and advocates for the homeless said that always results in more people rejecting shelters. But the perception that it is warm, sometimes bolstered by alcohol, can prove dangerous. The overnight low was 39 degrees, reached at 5 a.m. yesterday, according to Accu-Weather, a forecasting service.

Among the unconfirmed stories circulated by office workers, many of whom pass the group of men and women every day, was that a homeless woman spent part of the night holding the dying man's hand. Patricia Casal, who works nearby, was one of several people who paused to check on Lee after hearing about the death.

"You see it on the news and you read about it, but when you actually see one of them pass on, it's a whole new insight," Casal said. "It was horrible and ugly. People shouldn't have to die like that."

Casal, who had just bought a sandwich and potato chips for her lunch, decided to give both to Lee. "He prayed," she said afterward. "He said, 'God bless you.' "

Articles appear as they were originally printed in The Washington Post and may not include subsequent corrections.