81% of people experiencing homelessness in the District are Black or African American. Black people are systematically denied economic opportunities because of Washington D.C.’s history of redlining and institutionalized racism, which leads to disproportionate rates of homelessness. This population also lacks access to healthcare services, which increases the risk of homelessness further. Information about resources designed to mitigate this is also inaccessible.
Friendship Place offers free drop-in medical care at its Welcome Center in Tenleytown, making medicine and psychiatric help accessible to individuals who wouldn’t ordinarily have those options. It also hosts its Anti-Racism Training Series, which gives multiple webinars on homelessness and anti-racism every year.
