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NathanBacaNews OP t1_iybf6vw wrote

I’m the WUSA9 reporter on this story and will try to answer any redditors questions. Long story short, the new men’s shelter in SE, at the old St. Elizabeth’s campus, was promised to be a lot of things when it opened January 2022. But we talked to several men who tell us the food is often cold, too little, not enough microwaves to even heat it up, no more lunch available, hard cots, elevators broken for months and extremely close quarters. Things are getting better according to DC Dept of Human Services after we started our investigation in September.

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Bayou_vg t1_iyd3ay5 wrote

OP: I see a few complaints by residents. My questions:

  1. How close are the sleeping areas? Distance between beds? People in rooms?
  2. How long were the entire bank of elevators out of service?
  3. Have you talked to the new food vendor? Has any resident participated in the kitchen learning program and received food training?
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NathanBacaNews OP t1_iyd49qn wrote

  1. Sleeping area were within arms reach of each other for several months in the day room, while they are farther apart in the other floors. Residents were concerned about a lack of dividers in the sleeping area, fearing the spread of illnesses through coughing.
  2. The elevators were broken down several months according to DC DHS and residents. DC blames supply chain part problems. Residents reported the elevators had been fixed earlier, but only employees were allowed to be on them until recently.
  3. Henry’s Food Kitchen is beginning to ramp up their takeover of the kitchen. I’m still hearing that breakfast, for example, is cold cereal or microwaveable oatmeal where only one microwave is available for dozens of men. As for dinner, that’s where the major improvement is expected. So far, I am hearing of no kitchen training underway.
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Bayou_vg t1_iydg7yl wrote

Thank you for the reply and writing on this subject. It sounds like:

  1. Elevators were the root cause for the temporary sleeping conditions. That the dividers may had as much to do with privacy as health. That parts delays, which right now affect every industry, was the cause. The issue going forward is what caused an entire bank of elevators to fail.
  2. Cold cereal and waiting to use a microwave for oatmeal seem like very minor complaints. These are acceptable breakfast offerings. It sounds like zero kitchen staffing for breakfast to save money. Buy a $50 microwave. Or staff one person and do a bulk offering of hot oatmeal.

Hearing a resident justify people stealing lunch when getting two free meals a day, suggests a less than ethical/creditable interviewee.

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Swampoodle1984 t1_iyedskp wrote

Interesting. I have cold cereal every morning for breakfast. That seems pretty normal to me,

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BrightThru2014 t1_iydt04g wrote

Aren't most of these facilities run by politically connected individuals who skim as much money as possible from government grants?

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haroldhecuba88 t1_iye50yx wrote

No idea here but definitely incompetent at the very least. Our leaders are failing us.

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