Tom Bridge / Flickr
A view of Anacostia from west of the river.
On Monday, we wrote about how a nonprofit’s plans to open a transitional housing building in downtown Anacostia for homeless women has sparked protests by neighbors. Some feel Anacostia is becoming a “dumping ground” for social services, and this is hurting the neighborhood’s chances for economic development.
DCentric commenter Ann-Marie Watt, who is opposed to the project run by Calvary Women’s Services, had this to add:
A couple of years ago, I was volunteering and spoke with a homeless man in McPherson Square park. He said that he was an advocate for the homeless and operated a blog on homelessness issues. He was sooo angry at DC and other groups moving their services to Anacostia. He said that people were trying to get rid of the homeless population by moving them to the other side of the river. He also said that it would be more difficult to get back to the other side every day. So, what about that?…
Calvary is planning to relocate from Chinatown to Anacostia. It’s true that more job opportunities exist west of the Anacostia River than east of it. Traveling across the river can be timely or expensive; one alternative is the DC Circulator, which recently started running a rapid $1 bus line connecting Anacostia to the Potomac Avenue Metro across the river.
