WASHINGTON, D.C.: An anonymous donor has given $3 million to help address homelessness. The city is using the donation to try something new — a homeless shelter with fewer rules and more open space.
The city is running the Navigation Center as a kind of pilot project. The goal is to create an efficient path from the street to housing. One big hope is that tech companies will see success and contribute much needed funds for more programs like it.
Inside the Navigation Center is a big open courtyard with lots of sunlight. Guests are reading books, working on bikes, playing music. There is a lounge area with a TV playing.
This place does not feel like typical shelters, which are struggling just to provide a place to sleep. There is an abundance of open space. The capacity is 75 guests, and no one is crammed anywhere. There is no curfew, so people can come and go whenever they please.
