Frances Goines says she feels “naked” without having a job; she’s been working since she was 11. But when Goines moved into one of the city’s family homeless shelters and was told she needed to have around-the-clock childcare for her 13-year-old son, she had to quit working to watch him.
Goines and her son moved into D.C.’s New Beginning Temporary Family Shelter in November 2025 after being evicted from their home in Trinidad and finding temporary housing at a hotel in Falls Church for about two months. At the time, Goines said staff told her she should maintain both employment and childcare for her son. Families are not required to work to stay in shelter, according to a spokesperson from the D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS).
Goines worked as a bartender, so she couldn’t bring her son to work, and she couldn’t find childcare for teens late into the evening. When she requested an exemption to allow him to stay in the shelter alone during her evening shifts, she was denied.
“No one else was allowed to supervise him or watch him,” Goines told Street Sense. “I had to provide the childcare.”
Childcare has been a hot-button issue in the District in recent weeks as Mayor Muriel Bowser finalizes her budget to share with the D.C. Council and mayoral candidates highlight childcare reform in their platforms. In an effort to rein in increasing costs caused by rising demand, D.C. officials are instituting a waitlist for new families who sign up for the District’s child care subsidy program starting on May 12, according to The Washington Post.
Audrey Kasselman, a policy analyst for D.C. Action, said families experiencing homelessness will not be subject to the new waitlist policy, but a variety of other barriers still make it hard for unhoused families like Goines’ to find childcare. The application process for vouchers and a lack of extended and weekend hours at childcare facilities can make it difficult for families experiencing homelessness to find childcare that works for them. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education reported 9,104 students experienced homelessness at some point during the 2024-25 school year.
Kasselman also said not enough families know about the childcare subsidy program, and families experiencing homelessness might not know that they are exempt from the new waitlist, preventing them from accessing the vital support.
In a letter sent to multiple D.C. councilmembers early this year, including Ward 3’s Matt Frumin, chair of the Committee on Human Services, Goines wrote the shelter’s requirements placed an unfair burden on her family. With no family in the area to help her and limited extended-hour childcare options for children over the age of 12, Goines said her housing and employment situation worsened rather than improved while in the shelter.
“I have been forced to decline positions aligned with my professional expertise solely due to the inability to secure reliable childcare, even though my son has a documented history of safely supervising himself in settings comparable to our current shelter unit,” Goines’ letter, which she also shared with Street Sense, stated.
As she struggled to find employment that would allow her to watch her son, Goines faced the potential loss of the storage unit she had rented since October 2022, which held her father’s ashes, her children’s baby photos, and other sentimental items. Goines was able to pay the $700 needed to keep her items from being auctioned off, but said she remains frustrated she was put in a position where it was almost lost.
“This could have all been prevented if I was still allowed to work,” Goines said.
The city argues the requirement for children to be supervised is essential for safety. At an oversight hearing on March 6, DHS Director Rachel Pierre said while DHS wants to keep parents connected to work as best it can, it is not willing to revisit the policy requiring children to be monitored by their parents in shelter at all times, no matter their age. Pierre said the policy is in place to protect against incidents like the abduction of Relisha Rudd, an 8-year-old girl who was taken from the now-closed D.C. General Family Shelter in 2014 by a janitor.
“I think the whole system has a little bit of PTSD with what happened to Relisha Rudd, so we are very strict about that,” Pierre said. “But, a case manager can help a parent just kind of troubleshoot and figure out options to leave their children if they have to work overnight. If they have a job, leasing up as quickly as possible is also an alternative.”
The shelter environment Goines experienced is much different from what it was when Rudd went missing. D.C. General featured many common areas and spaces where families would be required to interact. Rooms only had beds and dressers, meaning children and their parents used the communal cafeteria and playrooms for food and recreation. In the shelter where Goines lived, families are placed in units that feature a living room and kitchen for the family to use in private.
In her letter, Goines wrote the apartment-style accommodations are enough to keep her teenage son safe if he is left alone while she works. Goines urged the council to consider exceptions for families in similar positions to hers.
“It just amazed me that no one considered families who have minors that are in the age range of 13 to 17 that are experiencing homelessness,” Goines told Street Sense.
As Goines struggled to find work that would allow her to be home when her son would need supervision, she said he began to feel responsible for the situation the family was in.
“My son really felt, I saw he felt bad because I couldn’t work and because of him, that’s how he saw it. ‘My mommy would still have her job if it weren’t for me,’” Goines said. “And I had to let him know, it’s not you. You didn’t make these rules up.”
Jamila Larson is the executive director of the Playtime Project, a local organization that provides play to children in emergency housing, transitional housing, and community sites. She said it’s “heartbreaking” to see how children can end up feeling like a burden to families trying to navigate the family shelter system and poverty or homelessness.
“We definitely need to have more robust evening childcare for all kids, certainly older kids,” Larson said. “It really makes me sad, because I’ve seen a lot of parents feel like they have to choose between their job and their shelter, which is a terrible choice.” Goines feels that without more flexibility, these childcare requirements will push working families deeper into instability. But the District remains firm.
“We are very clear, we’re not really interested in revisiting the policy of leaving children unattended in shelter without their parents, no matter the age,” Pierre said at the hearing.
Families experiencing homelessness can apply for a childcare subsidy at a DHS service center, a level two center — a select few childcare providers that can process eligibility for the subsidy program — or online. Kasselman said applying online might seem like the most accessible option, but families have reported issues navigating the system and uploading all their required documents.
While Goines has been able to press her case worker for help and secure Rapid Rehousing for herself and her family, she said she sent her letter to advocate for the other families who might not have that same drive or time to demand support.
“I’m not a people person. I’m more of a for-the-people person. There is a difference. I’m not out here to make friends, but I’m just trying to prevent a crisis that will happen,” Goines said.
This article originally appeared in Street Sense’s April 8, 2026 edition. It has been updated from the print version to include a comment from the D.C. Department of Human Services.
