With this year’s unusually severe winter conditions, the District of Columbia has seen a nearly doubled rate of families in emergency housing. [1] DASH Executive Director and Founder, Peg Hacskaylo went on air to discuss the DC homelessness crisis with Bruce DePuyt at News Channel 8.

Hacskaylo was joined by Patricia Fugere, the Executive Director of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.

Together they discussed the fact that most of the District’s housing resources are unable to reach the lowest income individuals and families in the region, which has contributed to the current crisis. Fugere however, asserts that there has been an affordable housing crisis in DC for the past several years, and that nearly half of the affordable housing stock once held in the city has been lost in the past decade.

They agree that it is important to focus on providing services, resources, and facilities for those very low income individuals and families as well as preserving the existing affordable housing that is at risk of gentrification.

Discussed within the segment

was: issues of family separation, veteran and senior homelessness, challenges faced by the LGBTQ population, and myths and stereotypes surrounding homelessness.

Check out the entire segment here.