(NewsNation) — Just one day after President Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., homeless people in the city are feeling the brunt of the changes.
Trump declared a public safety emergency for D.C. and announced a federal takeover of D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department for 30 days. This development has left many homeless people in the area feeling they will have nowhere to go.
Two advocates for homeless people told NewsNation that the shelter space in D.C. is “very limited.” The city has 1,000 homeless people on the streets and only 60 shelter beds available.
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“That’s gonna be a mess,” said one person living in one of the city’s homeless encampments. “Because that’s gonna be a mess, I’m telling you.”
“These guys, they say we have nothing to lose. We’re all already on the street. So do whatever you wanna do. If you really care about me, then help me.”
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Another person in the encampments said they are just trying to find work, even with the changing reality.
“I’m just trying to live, I’m just trying to survive. It’s been hard out here being homeless. The shelters are not always clean. It’s like you’re surviving for yourself,” they said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said homeless people will be given the option to leave their encampment, to be taken to a homeless shelter or offered addiction or mental health services.
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“If they refuse, they will be susceptible to fines or to jail time,” said Leavitt. “Again, these are preexisting laws that are already on the books. They have not been enforced.”
Many homeless people noted they prefer to be in their tents, which could make the troops’ takeover a lot more complicated.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the administration’s move “unsettling and unprecedented,” but not surprising.
