Councilmember Tommy Wells’ Committee on Human Services will open a satellite office at the DC Village Emergency Family Shelter to perform oversight and provide assistance in meeting the needs of families there, Chairman Wells announced today following a public hearing on the Inspector General report on DC Village.

On December 18, 2006, the Inspector General of the DC Government released a report with seventeen findings and recommendations relating to the operations and the facilities at DC Village. Wells said of the report, “Most of these findings are very disturbing.”

The report cited that families with children are forced to share rooms and sleeping quarters with people they don’t know, background checks have not been performed on DC Village employees who have direct contact with children and buildings have numerous unsecured points of entry and do not afford residents adequate safety and protection.

In addition to the report’s findings, Councilmember Wells focused on concerns of making DC Village what it was intended to be, a temporary and emergency shelter for homeless families on their road to recovery. “I’m deeply disturbed about the lack of activities for the residents – job training opportunities, day care opportunities, the opportunity to prepare one’s own meal or even go through a newspaper to look for a job,” Wells said.  “How can we expect people to get back on their feet if we don’t provide them with the most basic opportunities to re-enter the workforce and re-establish a stable home?”

Wells said the satellite office will be operated by members of his staff who, like Wells, have a background and advanced degrees in social work. The staff will work with representatives of the Department on Human Services and employees at DC Village in a collaborative effort to help the residents.

“In addition to helping assess the needs of families at DC Village, my staff will be looking for ways we can bring more resources to bear to meet the needs and move families toward permanent housing and stable jobs,” Wells said.

The announcement came at a public roundtable convened by the Committee on Human Services on Monday, February 12th on the Inspector General’s report entitled “DC Village Emergency Shelter for Homeless Families – a Special Evaluation.”  Representatives of the Department of Human Services, the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, and the Coalition for Homeless Services -- who are responsible for operating DC Village -- were also invited to testify.

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