US Communities Unveil Plans to Battle Homeless Crisis

WASHINGTON - Michael Doss cleans up around his tent, the place he calls home in Washington, D.C. He’s not alone; dozens of people are living outdoors in makeshift shelters within view of landmarks and federal government buildings.

The nation’s capital, like many U.S. communities, is struggling to cope with a growing homelessness crisis aggravated by the historic economic downturn and the coronavirus pandemic. “I was forced to live on the streets,” Doss told VOA. He’s among nearly 600,000 Americans living without adequate shelter. “I lost my bartending job, then my apartment, and things kind of spiral downhill from there,” said the 33-year-old African American D.C. native. Doss points to a section of the park where he’s seen this tent encampment grow in the last few months. “We have a lot of military veterans, immigrants and minorities living here. I’ve been out here for more than a year,” he said. Nearly 10 out of every 1,000 D.C. residents are homeless, two times the national average. Minorities are especially impacted with Blacks, Native Americans and Hispanics far more likely to be homeless than white Americans.