The Department of General Services, Washington D.C.'s department in charge of constructing homeless shelters, has seen rapid turnover and is reportedly struggling with low morale.
Shelters in Washington, D.C.'s 7th and 8th Wards are behind schedule, and some point to staffing problems as a cause. "The new shelters are meant to replace the decrepit D.C. General, which is currently the city’s largest homeless shelter and houses about 250 families each night," Cuneyt Dil reports for the Washington City Paper. The Department of General Services (DGS) has lost three different people in charge of "project delivery" in a short period before replacement, Michael Jellen, took over the role on March 26.
City Councilmember Mary Cheh voiced concern about morale at the department, worrying about the lack of continuity and morale issues and their effect on the building of shelters, Dil reports.
FULL STORY: High Turnover and Low Morale Among D.C. Workers Managing Homeless Shelter Construction Projects
Los Angeles Tightens Restrictions on Encampments
During a city council meeting that had to pause while police cleared the room of activists opposing the measure, the council voted to ban public sleeping within 500 feet of schools, making one-fifth of city sidewalks off-limits to unhoused people.
D.C. Council Chooses Commercial Property Tax Breaks Over Homeless Funding
Carolyn Gallaher, an associate professor at American University, makes the case for local political leadership to better support Washington, D.C.'s homeless population. The D.C. Council has been focusing its resources elsewhere.
Homeless Rates Climbing in Washington, D.C.
With rapidly rising costs of living, one study shows the number of homeless in the nation's capital is double the national average.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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