This Christmas, D.C. General, the hospital-turned-family homeless shelter, was home to over 500 children.
One of those children, an 11-year-old named Christmas, was recently profiled by the Washington Post. Moved by her story, readers sent art supplies to the little girl and donated to the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, a group that provides weekly activities at the shelter.
Playtime Project executive director Jamila Larson told the paper, “I wish people would think, ‘Yes, Christmas needs an art set,’ but then think about all the other things she, her family and the other families need.”
One of those things, Larson believes, is a playground at D.C. General, where the group established a playroom six years ago and runs programs twice a week. Through a partnership with the National Center for Children and Families and the Children’s Defense Fund, the groups provide programming Monday through Friday for about 100 children.
“But there are almost 600 children there,” Larson said, “so we of course want to make sure that there’s something that children can do every day year-round. Not just when we’re there in the evenings.”
Larson describes the area around D.C. General as a “playground desert.” “When you think about it, almost 600 children — that’s as many children as would be in a typical neighborhood,” she said.
“Many of the preschool children, especially, are not in daycare because there’s such a shortage of daycare slots. So there are a lot of young children who may have never played on a playground before,” Larson said. “If you go to D.C. General, you’ll always notice children just hanging out outside the door of the shelter. A lot of our volunteers see them kicking bottles, trying to create their own play, playing in cardboard boxes. And that’s fine if your play is supplemented by other activities. But if you never have the opportunity to climb on playground structures and play in a safe, contained environment, that’s a real tragedy.”
The Department of Parks and Recreation’s website shows the closest public playground at 17th and C streets SE, about a half-mile walk from D.C. General. The playground is located on an unfenced triangle area of grass, sandwiched between three roads.
Larson says, throughout Playtime Project’s history, they’ve battled bureaucracy. “Because of our history, I never dared advocate for a playground,” she said, “just because I know how hard it’s been to get the little that we’ve had.”
But despite what Larson calls “whispers” about D.C. General closing and being redeveloped, rumors she doesn’t give much weight to, she was encouraged by a Pepco executive’s concern that the children had no playground onsite.
“I thought the biggest battle would be a philosophical one,” Larson said, adding that a playground represents community and permanency. But with Pepco offering help, Larson said she was “emboldened” to try and make it happen. So far city officials seem open to the idea, Larson said.
Larson said she walked the grounds of D.C. General with representatives from the Department of General Services, as well as representatives from the planning and construction company Sparks at Play, to discuss where a playground could go. Sparks, which has worked with the D.C. government before, drew up plans and estimated the project would cost $100,000 after vendor and manufacturer discounts.
To avoid liability issues and ensure daily access, the Playground Project board agreed it was best to meet with the Department of Parks and Recreation “to inspire them to have this be their playground.”
“I would love for the kids who come to visit their relatives in the [nearby D.C. Jail] to have access to it,” Larson said, adding that her hope is to have DPR take control of playground maintenance. She would also like to establish “playground guardians” to schedule daily visits to pick up trash. “With so many people coming in and out of that property, there’s certainly a risk for vandalism,” she said. “We’ll really have to come together as a community to make sure that space is safe and protected for kids.”
Larson has yet to meet with DPR, who last emailed her in mid-December to say their playground architect was going to look at the site. She hopes to meet with them this week.
The Department of General Services maintains 92 playgrounds, 21 of which have been renovated in recent years. In November, Mayor Vince Gray cut the ribbon on the 20th playground renovated through his Play D.C. initiative. “The Play DC initiative has transformed the District’s playgrounds into innovative, amazing places for residents across our city – and now we’re expanding it,” Gray said in a statement at the time. “Improving every resident’s quality of life, and providing safe and inviting places for our children to play, are just two of the important tenets of my One City Action Plan.”
In an email, Doxie McCoy, a spokeswoman for Gray’s office, said “The Departments of General Services, Parks and Recreation, and Human Services are reviewing the feasibility of having a playground on the grounds of D.C. General. Note that, currently, there are three playgrounds within a one-to-six-block radius of the shelter.”
When asked to specify the three playgrounds, McCoy identified the aforementioned playground at 17th and C streets SE, the Watkins Recreation Center (one mile away) and Payne Elementary School, which she said is “primarily for school use and not always open to the general public.”
Larson said the vendors are ready to break ground this March if they’re able to find funding and get approval, although she knows it’s a complicated project. If the city doesn’t pay for the project, Pepco has offered to reach out to local businesses and try to help piece together funding.
“I’m think it would be a fabulous win for whatever politicians want to throw their support behind it. It could be a really powerful project,” Larson said. “And if the mayor is willing to build these gorgeous, state-of-the-art playgrounds in other communities, why not make sure that our children that happen to be stuck in a homeless shelter for sometimes a year or two … are part of our community?”
