ACTION ALERT: Save Franklin, Save Lives - WE NEED YOU HELP

We need your help again to keep homeless men from being turned out to the street with no place to go.

In April of 2008, Mayor Fenty announced that Franklin Shelter (13^th and K Street, NW) will close by October 1, 2008. Before the Department of Human Services (DHS) began reducing the capacity of the emergency shelter in preparation for its closure, up to 300 men stayed there every night; 1000 different men stayed there over a recent three-month period. Now the capacity has been reduced to 260 men, and DHS plans to continue reducing the number of men who can stay there until they close the building on October 1^st.

What can you do to help save Franklin Shelter?

1. Support the men from Franklin for a RALLY tonight and MARCH to the Mayor’s house. Meet at 5:30 PM at Carter Baron Park (16^th and Colorado St, NW). Contact D’Juan Bean at djbean@yahoo. com for more information.

2. Urge the Mayor (mayor@dc.gov, 727-2980) to suspend the closure until affordable housing is available for those who need it AND an adequate alternative downtown shelter site is in place so that people have a safe space to sleep until they can access affordable housing.

3. Ask key Councilmembers to support emergency legislation to stop the closure of Franklin:

Tommy Wells, Ward 6, Chair of the Human Services Committee: twells@dccouncil. us, 724-8072

Jack Evans, Ward 2 (Franklin is in Ward 2): jackevans@dccouncil .us, 724-8058

All Councilmembers: membersonly@ dccouncil. us

4. Thank Chairman Gray for his support (see attached letter): vgray@dccouncil. us, 724-8032.

5. Sign an online petition: http://www.ipetitio ns.com/petition/ franklin.

6. Pledge continued support to the residents of Franklin Shelter. Contact D’Juan Bean at djbean@yahoo. com to be involved in an ongoing way.

Why shouldn’t Franklin Shelter close on October 1^st?

There is not enough affordable housing to serve everyone at Franklin Shelter, nor those who will depend on Franklin tomorrow and the next day. The Mayor’s Housing First program deserves full support, but even if successfully implemented by October 1^st, it will not fully meet the demand for housing or emergency shelter. An effective system for addressing and ending homelessness has both adequate affordable housing and an emergency safety net to catch people who fall into bad times (just as an effective health care system includes emergency services, acute care, assisted living and preventative medicine).

The weather will get cold very quickly after October 1^st, leaving homeless men on the streets, vulnerable to hypothermia. The city is legally and morally obligated to provide life-saving emergency shelter during severe weather—its failure to do so can mean the difference between life and death for District residents who are homeless.

Franklin Shelter isn’t perfect, but it is better than other options. Conditions are no worse at Franklin than in other shelters. In fact, the Fenty Administration has improved conditions there in the past year. Hundreds of men choose Franklin over the street or other shelters every night.

The downtown location is critical to the men who stay at Franklin. Franklin Shelter is the only low barrier emergency shelter for men downtown. Many men stay at Franklin because they need to access jobs, services, transportation, and dining programs that are located downtown.

The Mayor should keep his commitments. Mayor Fenty has promised many times to keep Franklin Shelter open until DC has an adequate replacement downtown.

Thanks very much for your support. If you’d like more information, please feel free to contact the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless at (202) 328-5500.

Read Washington Post Article HERE