The D.C. Council will consider a bill that would permit and require the quick building of a playground at the homeless shelter where hundreds of children currently live.
Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) introduced a bill that would amend the Homeless Services Reform Act to “require the identification of a public space suitable for a playground for children” at D.C. General, a former hospital that serves as the largest family shelter in D.C. As written now, the bill would require the Department of General Services to identify a suitable location within 30 days, but defer to the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project for final selection. That group, which provides programming for children and teens at the shelter, would be allowed to give private donations and grants for the construction of the playground to DGS, which would be required to “act with great haste.”
Playtime Project executive director Jamila Larson has been the driving force behind brining a playground to D.C. General. “If you go to D.C. General, you’ll always notice children just hanging out outside the door of the shelter,” she told DCist in January. “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.”
In an email today, Larson said, “We are grateful for Councilmember Cheh’s advocacy efforts and the support of so many people in the community whose goal is simply to provide the children of DC General with a safe place to play outside right where they live. Children at the shelter will play outside; the question is will it be somewhere safe?”
While building a playground for homeless children seems like a no-brainer, D.C. General’s uncertain future complicates matters. Mayor Vincent Gray has instructed Department of Human Services Director David Berns and Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services BB Otero to develop a plan to close the facility, although details have not been released. Councilmember Jim Graham, the chair of the Human Services committee, wants to close the facility by the end of the year and move families into hotels.
But advocates for the homeless believe it will take years for the shelter to be closed while a replacement is found or built.
Councilmember Tommy Wells expressed his disappointment at the need for such a bill. “It’s embarrassing that the Council has to introduce a bill to allow a free playground to be built at D.C. General,” Wells said.
