A plea  went out to local media outlets from a large group of frustrated Ward 8 residents in response to what we consider the ongoing problem of crowding group homes and residential facilities within feet of each other in residential blocks.  In particular, The Peaceaholics plans to install a residential facility for youth offenders within feet of two other group homes on the same neighborhood street. The Advoc8te has witnessed first hand the ease in which these programs are placed in our community with a total lack of even basic notification to neighboring homes or even a notice being sent to the local ANC. Most times the neighborhood is unaware until they notice an increase in foot traffic in and out of single family home  that have been converted to group homes, trash and/or or loitering.  In the case of The Peaceaholics who are currently in the process of buying an apartment buidling on Congress Place they have told concerned residents basically, "too bad - deal with it." City agencies seem ineffective at best and loathe at worst to even get involved and thus Ward 8 residents are again left to feel as if they are without a voice in what is brought into their community.

That got me to thinking.  Do we even know the location of most of these group homes? Does DC goverment? Does zoning? Has anyone done a survey to see the ratio of group homes to residential properties in other neighborhoods or Wards?

I created a map on Google Maps and I am requesting that neighbors put placemarkers on group homes, rehabs, transitional housing, etc.

I've shared a map with you called Group Homes of Ward 8:

View Group Homes of Ward 8 in a larger map


You can view and edit this map HERE.
(You can zoom in and out of the map by using the icons in the upper left hand corner in the map)

If we can put together a map of the group homes, rehabs, shelters, transitional facilities, etc. that are in our neighborhood and Ward 8 perhaps we can show the "powers that be" and the city agencies that they are not being fair or logical in the distribution of these group homes in our neighborhoods without even informating residents or the community.

To put a placemarker on the map:

Go HERE.

Click "Edit"

Locate the place on the map where you want to put a placemarker and right click on the space and choose "Create Placemarker" from the drop down menu

A placemarker will appear with a new window where you can input the name of the location and a description. If you have the address and the name of the group home/facility please input it.

Thank you for your help and for being so vigilant about our community!

Note: To edit this map, you'll need to sign into Google with this email address. To use a different email address, just reply to this message and ask me to invite your other one. If you don't have a Google account, you can create one at http://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount?reqemail=tonette.sivells@serco-na.com.

UPDATE: I am getting emails asking for details about the Peaceaholics project so I am including an excerpt of an email about it:

"We found out that the Peaceoholics plans on opening an independent living facility for troubled youth ages 16-21 next door to us at 1300 Congress Street SE. (I say "found out" because we received no official notice from the Peaceaholics.) The referrals would come from the courts, churches, etc. We met with Ron Moten (COO) and Jauhar Abraham (Program Manager). During the meeting it became quite clear that we were spinning our wheels. When asked why not put this program in NW Mr. Abraham responded “why put our problem in another neighborhood?” We are tired of feeling like it is ok to dump all the “problems” in SE.

(I wrote about that initial meeting with the Peaceaholics where Moten declared 'I don't need government money. I'm a bad man.' on my blog (No Peace, No Progress) and the post was also featured on the Congress Heights on the Rise blog.)

We still do not know what crimes some of these youths might have committed. Is there the possibility of sex offenders and if so the domestic violence agency next door houses women and children? Is it prudent to put that “problem” next door to the House of Ruth?

And I am especially outraged when the Peaceaholics told us they were not even considering that particular building until they got a call from someone in DC government suggesting that they buy it. When we asked why they didn't check to see who and what was nearby as most people do before buying, they dismissed this idea and basically said they could do what they want. The Peaceaholics (along with some of their associates who work for DCRA) insist that the building is simply "apartments" and that their plans to use it to house ex-offenders is not anyone's concern. (And this is not the first time that the residents of my building have been let down by DCRA, since they allowed a dishonest developer to sell units in our building when everything was not up to code--but that is another story).


While we have the support of our ANC Comissioner, our attempts to speak with government agencies has also led to stalling and quite a few conversations in which we were mislead and/or spoken down to as if DC residents should have no say in what happens in the neighborhoods in which they live.


There are an inordinate amount of agencies within 500 feet of our building. There are already two community residence facilities, the House of Ruth, located at 3324 13th Street SE and another program across the street at 3323-3325 13th Street SE. There are also plans to build a homeless shelter on the next block near Mississippi Street SE. "

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