Photo by Devin Smith.

D.C. may be in the midst of a homeless crisis—with nearly all overflow shelter space at motels having reached near capacity by early January—but Mayor Muriel Bowser is still optimistic about ending family homelessness by 2018.

Today, Bowser unveiled her administration’s new plan to help homeless families find housing, which will include putting together a team os specialists serving as “housing navigators” tasked with helping families find the right housing opportunities.

“We will bring on professionals to increase the District’s capacity to quickly connect families experiencing homelessness to housing opportunities in the private market,” Bowser said in a statement. “Family homelessness is a city-wide problem that affects every part of our city. We will make sure families experiencing homelessness have the resources they need to find quality, affordable housing. My administration is committed to tackling homelessness head-on: we will end family homelessness in the District by 2018, and all homelessness by 2025.”

Under Bowser’s new plan, the new team, who will have a specific expertise in real estate, will work quickly to connect families to housing, and alleviate the District’s overflow shelter capacity at motels.

Additionally, Bowser also announced today they her administration has found new vouchers for long-term housing for homeless residents. From the Post:

Bowser also announced the city had secured 152 new vouchers for long-term housing for the homeless. Most of the apartments the city locates for homeless families are funded for up to a year by the city, Bowser says she wants to transition that to more permanent affordable housing.

While this push by the city is certainly needed, there’s no real quick solution to solving the homeless crisis. Acting Department of Human Services Director Laura Zeilinger said that the city needs to take a more methodical approach to combat the issue in the long-term

“We know that when a family experiences homelessness, leadership is critical in putting the right resources together to provide a smart, effective response,” Zeilenger said in a statement. “Often, this does not fall within the lines of one city agency, and that’s why we are taking a comprehensive approach to combat this issue.”