On Nov. 25, I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new non-congregate shelter in the District of Columbia called The Aston. It is situated in a highly affluent neighborhood in Ward 2 and still faces opposition from several lawsuits brought by neighbors in the community.
Ward 2 has the highest number of people experiencing homelessness, particularly people who are living outside, according to Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto. “Speaking with residents about what they want, what they need, what will give them the opportunity to have stable housing long-term, sustainable housing options, one of the most consistent pieces of feedback is the need for privacy, the need for a non-congregate setting,” Pinto said at the ceremony. “This model is a new model; we need a transitional option for people. One group is not a monolith, there is not one solution that fits everyone.” Human beings need to be treated with individuality of care, she said. “The one-on-one case management that occurs right here in this community building that can happen within the courtyard we are in, on every floor on this building,” Pinto said.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also spoke at the event. “While there is still more to do a decade later, I know for sure we have changed this system,” Bowser said. “The legacy of the last 10 years is a transformative one, the transformation of our shelters is representative of the transformation of our entire system,” she said. “We have prevented thousands of families from ever entering the system. We made the investments, and they have indeed worked,” Bowser said. “We have made it possible for people to ask for help, meet people where they are. This is a new option, but this is not just the celebration of the building, but it’s about the services.”
Along with Bowser was the now departing Department of Human Services Director Laura Zellinger, who said “I want to thank everyone who worked to make The Aston possible. I would like to acknowledge the passionate advocacy of so many people who fought to make this project really work.”
“It is fitting for me, as I prepare to conclude my tenure in a couple of weeks as director of the Department of Human Services, that we are here together celebrating the opening of this very special place. It’s the embodiment of what we can do together. We can only do great big bold things when we do them together,” Zeilinger continued. “Government can’t do it alone. When we are willing to be bold, we can do things amazing things,” Zeilinger said. “Here we have listened to our neighbors, housed and unhoused, who said we need services in this neighborhood, and we worked hard to address the concerns of our skeptics.”
For me, it spoke to a need that was greatly missing within the D.C. continuum of care. D.C.’s shelter history started with lawsuits, occupation, and a movement spearheaded by Mitch Synder and the Community for Creative Nonviolence (CCNV). With great exasperation, CCNV made an old federal government building a low-barrier shelter, one of the largest in the nation at that time. Fast forward to today, and again D.C. is taking a large step forward in ending homelessness in the city. The Aston is a non-congregate program, meaning residents will be able to cohabitate as spouses or as adult children and partners, etc. While D.C. has a primary focus on ending family homelessness, the Aston represents a chance to secure better programming for homeless unaccompanied persons.


I feel this program will benefit many of my peers who are currently unhoused. With The Aston, it’s possible for couples and adult families to stay together. “The Aston Bridge Housing is precedent in combating D.C.’s unhoused crisis,” according to Wesley Thomas, who was homeless from 1988 to 2017 and is on Miriam’s Kitchen Guest Advisory Board and a homeless advocate. “Once housed, I decided I was going to give back and pay it forward to others still unhoused on the streets of D.C., so now I dedicate significant time, effort, and energy to ensuring others don’t fall into the cycle of chronic homelessness,” Thomas said. “Several months ago I was appointed to participate on the Aston Community Advisory Team where I utilized my lived experience to offer input for the greater good,” Thomas said.
I remember when I was out on the streets, segregated shelters were all I could live in. If I had a significant other then, I would have had to live outside just because of love. It is unanimous that a non-congregate setting will benefit these residents greatly. However, with only 100 beds, it remains to be seen whether The Aston will be as effective as those needing its services hope.