Homeless Summit Explores Local Regional and National Topics

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Wed. June 20, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC – Several dozen property and facility managers, city officials, leading service providers, and representatives from non-profit organizations attended the DowntownDC Business Improvement District’s (BID) first Homeless Summit yesterday, which explored the future of the organization’s Homeless Services program and facilitated a far-reaching panel discussion about homelessness in America.

The Summit, part of the DowntownDC BID’s ongoing communications program with BID-based property and facility managers, was held at the First Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC), the site from 1998 through 2007 that served as the BID’s Downtown Services Center and brought together several non-profit organizations to assist the homeless community with everything from showers to help getting medical assistance.

“It’s ironic that we came full circle with this Summit,” said Steven Jumper, the director of corporate public policy for WGL Holdings, and chairman of the DowntownDC BID Board of Directors. “But it was an opportunity to showcase the successes of the BID’s Homeless Services program and inform a range of stakeholders and partners about our work going forward and how they can participate, because the reality is that much still remains to be done on behalf of Downtown’s homeless community.

During the panel discussion, experts talked about the importance of partnering amongst organizations in an effort to pool limited resources as well as continuing to support programs that provide housing as a catalyst to encourage people to seek services and remain off the streets. The panelists included Anthony Love, deputy director for national programs with the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness; Nan Roman, president and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness; Fred Swan, the family services administrator for the D.C. Department of Human Services; and Linda Kaufmann, the eastern U.S. field organizer for Community Solution’s 100,000 Homes Campaign. Richard H. Bradley, executive director of the DowntownDC BID, moderated the panel.

The BID announced that it is launching a Property Manager Portal, which can be used by property and facility managers to access new How2 Guides to assist with a range of topics, including homeless issues, and receive up-to-date information on topics of relevance to them. An updated DowntownDC Outreach Services Information Card, which connects homeless individuals to the services that they need, was also distributed.

The BID also took the opportunity to formally thank Chet Grey and Jonathan Ward for their many years of dedicated service to the Homeless Services program.  Grey, the BID’s former director of Homeless Services, recently retired. Ward, formerly Pathways to Housing DC’s clinical director and head of the joint DowntownDC BID-Pathways to Housing Downtown Homeless Services Team, was promoted to a new position within the city government. Each was presented with letters of appreciation from Mayor Vincent Gray for their tireless efforts on behalf of the city’s homeless population.

During the Summit, the BID formally introduced and welcomed Will Connelly, Pathways’ new director of Outreach and head of the joint Downtown Homeless Services Team. The Summit attendees were given information on how to reach the team, and everyone was encouraged to join the BID as it looks to expand its network of service providers, advocates, policy makers and government officials who work on behalf of the homeless community.

Organizations and businesses that are interested in partnering with the BID or finding additional ways to support or help Downtown’s homeless population, can contact Rick Reinhard, the BID’s deputy executive director, or David Kamperin, the BID’s director of Public Space Management, at 202-638-3232.

A video of formerly homeless adults now living in permanent supportive housing because of efforts by the DowntownDC BID and Pathways to Housing DC can be seen on YouTube at www.youtube.com/downtowndcbid. For additional information on the DowntownDC BID Homeless Services Program visit www.downtowndc.org/homelessness.