Insane Washington, D.C. Homeless Shelter Situation

Warmest spiritual greetings, The situation at Adam's Place Homeless Shelter in Washington, D.C. has gone completely insane. In spite of the dedicated compassionate management of Catholic Charities, the existential reality is that the shelter is fundamentally unfit to house anybody anymore, due to safety concerns. In the last two days, the fire alarm has misfired so many times that we have lost count. Each time the alarm goes off, the entire population of the shelter must immediately go outside, until at least one of the fire department's hook and ladder vehicles, plus a supervisorial vehicle arrives to turn off the malfunctioning alarm. On April 16th, 2026, the alarm malfunctioned at 4:30 in the afternoon, complicating the routine check-in at 5 p.m., again malfunctioning at 3:00 a.m. (which resulted in a chaotic eruption in front of the building by some of the more emotional homeless guests), and again the fire alarm malfunctioned at 7:45 a.m. this morning, necessitating that everybody immediately leave the building. Those who are epileptic are particularly concerned that the unpredictable demand that they exit the building will trigger a seizure. Please know that at age 76, I am accepting immediate replacement to an interim facility, while seeking subsidized senior housing in central Washington, D.C. (preferably near the MLK, Jr. Public Library). My caseworker at Adam's Place is Nora Williams. Please contact her. Thank you. Craig Louis Stehr Adam's Place Homeless Shelter 2210 Adams Place NE #1 Washington, D.C. 20018 Telephone: (202) 832-8317 Email: craiglouisstehr@gmail.com April 17, 2026 Anno Domini