Street Sense is asking D.C.’s leading mayoral candidates for their positions on several important issues facing the city’s poor and homeless people in this series of five interviews. This month Street Sense gets their answers on homeless services. Next month: affordable housing.

Street Sense: The last few years have seen big changes in the city’s network of emergency homeless shelters, with some facilities closing, and new shelter beds in new locations. Will you continue the current trend of opening large emergency shelters on the east side of the city ?

Michael Brown: No one ever wants anything that’s perceived as bad in his or her neighborhood. Just like moderate-income housing — it shouldn’t just be in the eastern part of the city, it should be all over the city. When you go to Manhattan, there are homeless shelters right off of Central Park West. That’s the culture of the city, and it’s “okay” — people who live in those high rises in Central Park West are totally comfortable with what is downstairs and around the corner, because that’s part of living in the city. You can’t just put whomever you consider the “undesirables” in a certain part of the city. So, no, I would not continue that trend.

Linda Cropp: Large shelters are not the ideal way to provide services to those who are homeless and they should not be concentrated in any one section of the city. District shelters must be dignified places for emergency assistance, not destinations.

The best way to address the needs of persons who are homeless is through smaller manageable housing where persons can receive services to help them get and maintain stable housing. This means locating shelters and other types of housing in reasonable proximity to supportive services.

Look at the face of the homeless. They come from all walks of life. Many are employed, or were previously employed. Many are now homeless largely because of economic hardship often coupled with physical or mental health issues.

Adrian Fenty: I think the District has made a mistake by closing too many downtown shelters and replacing them with shelters that are harder to access and farther away from services and jobs. I will continue to press the Williams administration to honor its commitment that the Franklin Shelter will not close before the Gales Shelter has been reopened and there are enough beds in the downtown area.

Marie Johns: As Mayor, I would continue the best practices surrounding homeless services. These include moving toward smaller housing facilities that are neighborhood-based and which have the appropriate support for homeless individuals so that they become a part of the community.

The search for more appropriate housing is the answer. The more appropriate housing we have the less the need to rely on larger emergency shelters. The answer depends on what type of housing is available. I will work to ensure an appropriate mix of housing.

Vincent Orange: I do not support opening large shelters, especially when they are concentrated in one area. I support a comprehensive plan to reduce homelessness, including access to health care, temporary housing and long-term housing. I believe that services for the homeless should be dispersed throughout the District.

SS: And will you pledge not to close any emergency shelter until an equal number of replacement shelter beds have been made available in the same neighborhood?

Brown: Absolutely.

Cropp: I will seek to ensure that no emergency shelter is closed until replacement beds are available. I will look at their location to ensure that they are accessible to those in need of emergency housing and to supportive services to assist in transitioning to permanent housing.

Fenty: It makes no sense to me to close a shelter without providing an adequate number of shelter beds at another location nearby.

Johns: Decisions about closing any emergency shelter would be made on a case-by-case basis. Each consideration would be assessed based on data provided by the Council of Governments and other sources on the homeless population. The demand for shelter is a continuing challenge.

Orange: [No response.]

SS: Tell us about your plans for the Homeless Services Reform Act (HRSA) (which became law in the fall of 2005 and mandates uniform standards for city-funded homeless services.) What are your top goals and timelines for implementing HSRA? And if those goals are not met in a timely fashion, what consequences will there be?

Brown: A bill it is a good first step when you’re trying to create a law, but it doesn’t go far enough. Some folks don’t mind living in the street — they’re fine, they’re comfortable, they just want the services. But there are also reasons why folks end up homeless in the first place. And how did that happen? Was their house too expensive? They couldn’t afford their property tax? They didn’t have the right job? They lost their job? What happened? I think we need to get in on the front end, rather than back end, and I don’t think this bill goes far enough.

I believe you have to make sure that people can attain the goals we all set for ourselves, but I don’t think the penalty should be “well if you don’t meet them you lose your money.” We have to get out in front of the curve and say, “let’s make sure you achieve the goals.” But I don’t think these goals should be the standard for whether people get their funding or not. This particular bill doesn’t have all the nuances that you’re discussing now — if the goals are attainable, what happens to the funding if the goals aren’t reached? All those kinds of things aren’t addressed. I would just scrap that bill, and probably introduce a new one.

Cropp: My plans are to ensure that HSRA is full implemented. This law is a major step in creating a continuum of services to move our homeless citizens into permanent housing. Along the way, it ensures that people are treated with the respect they deserve and are given the opportunity to receive the services necessary to help resolve the circumstances that led to their homelessness.

Among my top goals are to facilitate the creation of affordable housing, including apartments and single-room occupancy housing, emphasize transitional housing with supportive services (shelters should not be viewed as a form of permanent housing), and to work with the public and private sectors to emphasize educational and training programs to improve employment opportunities.

As Mayor, I will hold every government employee charged with implementation fully accountable and will take appropriate steps if goals are not met. Contract services providers will be held accountable by the agency with appropriate oversight. I will be held accountable by the public.

Fenty: I’m proud that, as chair of the Committee on Human Services, I was able to guide HSRA through the Council and into D.C. law. The law has been in effect since October, and now it’s important for the Interagency Council on Homelessness to convene and begin working. The first order of business for the Interagency Council will be to determine where the District can locate shelters in critical areas.

Franklin is scheduled to be closed soon, but it would be irresponsible to close the shelter without a replacement in the downtown area. La Casa Shelter in Columbia Heights is about to be closed while a permanent replacement can be built in the same place, but there is still quite a bit of uncertainty about where the temporary site will be. HSRA also establishes clear standards for shelter providers, and they should meet those standards as soon as they possibly can. The District simply should not spend public dollars on substandard shelters.

Johns: I would seek to fully implement all requirements of HSRA, including apartment-style shelter for homeless families and the adoption of uniform standards and planning. My top goal, as mayor, would be having the funds in place to make sure we can address these requirements immediately.

I will ensure accountability and will be committed to effectively involving current and former homeless individuals as part of my accountability structure. This will be achieved in part by the HSRA provision calling for an inter-agency council on the homeless. I look forward to working with its members to solve the issue of homelessness in Washington, D.C.

Vincent Orange: I fully support the Homeless Services Reform Act, and in an Orange administration, I will make it a top priority to fully implement and comply. As mayor, my goal is to connect education, to employment, to economic development. All students are not going on to college. I support vocational education, so that you can learn a trade and make adequate wages to support yourself and your family. I will do all that I can to create a prosperous economy, so that we can provide emergency shelters, short-term and long-term housing, and affordable housing.