Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Thursday that Washington, D.C., will soon offer a new shelter for homeless people during President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of the city’s crime response.
“We have shelter space available for anyone who needs it,” Bowser wrote on X. “The new bridge housing at E Street—expected to open in the fall—will increase our capacity to meet people where they are and bring more people inside.”
D.C. work crews began clearing homeless encampments at multiple city locations, including one site near the E Street Expressway, in March. Trump’s actions to combat crime accelerated the process.
Bowser unveiled the E Street Bridge Housing Program, the district’s second non-congregate homeless shelter, at a Thursday press conference.
“Building on the success of The Aston, our new bridge housing program at E Street will increase our capacity to meet people where they are and bring more people into shelter,” Bowser said. “We know that the safest place for people to be is inside, and so another part our message today is that we have shelter space available for everyone who needs it.”
The Aston Bridge Housing Facility opened in December 2024, with Bowser touting the shelter as the first of its kind. The non-congregate model means families or individuals can receive private rooms and other accommodations instead of sharing large communal spaces with other residents.
The Aston was transformed from a college dorm formerly owned by George Washington University. The district bought the dorm for $27.5 million.
For the E Street location, D.C. leaders are partnering with a woman who owns the building. The facility is expected to open this fall, with no set date announced yet.
Before federalizing the local police force and deploying the National Guard, Trump vowed to address the city’s homelessness crisis.
“I’m going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before,” he wrote on Truth Social on Aug. 10, the day before launching the federal takeover. “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.”
HOMELESS MUST ACCEPT TREATMENT OR FACE JAIL IN TRUMP DC CLEAN-UP PLAN
While homelessness has remained a problem for the district’s image, the issue has trended downward in recent years. About 5,000 people were experiencing homelessness in D.C. as of January 2025 compared to 2024, according to the latest statistics released in May. This represents a 9% decrease from the previous year. For comparison, more than 8,000 people were unhoused in 2016.
This year’s homelessness rate was 19% lower than the rate in 2020, which was recorded right before the COVID-19 pandemic.
