August 26, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) announced today expanded outdoor homeless services at the DowntownDC Weekend Homeless Services Program, located in the 800 block of Vermont Avenue NW, across from McPherson Square. Launched in July 2020, the location serves as a resource for people experiencing homelessness and a venue for community organizations, faith-based institutions and individuals to continue to provide weekend food, clothing and religious services as an alternative venue to Franklin Park.
“The BID specifically created the DowntownDC Weekend Homeless Services Program at Vermont Avenue to ensure our homeless brothers and sisters could continue to receive vital services during the renovation of Franklin Park,” stated Neil Albert, DowntownDC BID President and CEO. “These expanded services and providers at Vermont Avenue will provide clients with medical and dental care, catered meals, clothing and shoes, personal hygiene and haircuts, access to books, arts and crafts, and health educational material through the addition of ten new community partners. We are furthering our commitment to helping people experiencing homelessness find a way to permanent housing.”
The BID will mark the expansion and continuation of these services with a special event for individuals experiencing homelessness on Saturday, August 28 from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Effective September 25th, weekend services will expand to 6:00 p.m.
Expansion of the DowntownDC Weekend Homeless Services Program is thanks to the support of sponsors Sandy Spring Bank and Coca-Cola Consolidated in addition to community partners, listed below. Individuals and groups interested in partnering with DowntownDC to provide services at Vermont Avenue are encouraged to pre-register as a community partner by calling 202-873-0533 or by registering at: www.eznetscheduler.com/calendar/DowntownDC.
Current Community Partners:
- Unity Health Care
- HIPS
- Food Rescue, Inc.
- Mt. Sinai Baptist Church Missionary Ministry
- Hillcrest Children & Family Center
- Brown Dental
- Distant Relatives Project
- Whitman Walker Clinic
- The Shell Shack Catering
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About the DowntownDC Business Improvement District
The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) was founded in 1997 and is a private non-profit organization that provides capital improvements, resources and research that keep the BID area clean, safe, economically and environmentally strong and accessible. The DowntownDC BID is a catalyst, facilitator and thought leader in diversifying the economy, promoting public/private partnerships and enhancing the DowntownDC experience for all. This special district, where property owners have agreed to tax themselves to fund services, encompasses a 138-block area of approximately 520 properties from Massachusetts Avenue on the north to Constitution Avenue on the south, and from Louisiana Avenue on the east to 16th Street on the west. For more information, visit DowntownDC.org or follow us on Twitter @downtowndcbid.
Located three blocks from Franklin Park at 1313 New York Avenue, NW, the Downtown Day Services Center (The Center), operated by the BID with funding from the DC Department of Human Services (DHS) also continues to provide direct outreach on weekdays. The Center, established in 2019, recently re-opened for daytime walk-in visits and serves about 200 individuals each day with meals, showers, laundry, medical and mental health services, dental care, housing services, legal aid, employment assistance, computer access and more.
The DowntownDC Foundation is a registered 501c3 non-profit launched in 2019 to support the DowntownDC Business Improvement District’s (BID) philanthropic initiatives. Our mission is to enhance the DowntownDC community for all by elevating services in four key areas: homeless services, Franklin Park, public space revitalization and events and programming. For more information and to find out how you can get involved, please visit DowntownDCFoundation.org.