Posts Tagged ‘Central Union Mission’
Catholic Church Threatens to Withhold Social Services if City Passes Same-Sex Marriage Law
Well, this is really shameful.
For most of the Fall, we’ve been reporting on the latest strains on homeless services around the city: First, it was Central Union Mission struggling to find space for a new shelter; Next, we focused on budgetary concerns crippling shelters around the city.
Well, forget all that. Now, we have a new reason to worry key social services will soon evaporate: The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington claims that it will discontinue contracts with the city if it is forced to extend employee benefits to same-sex married couples if the D.C. Council’s gay marriage bill passes into law.
The Latest News on Central Union Mission
Turns out Central Union Mission will not be developing the land it owns by Georgia Ave. and Newton Place in Park View/Columbia Heights/Petworth. (Note: I’ve had enough of you neighborhood name police! It’s a blurry area! Get over it.)
DCmud reported yesterday that the newly-selected developers for Park Morton will be “absorbing” Central Union Mission’s land into their gigantic $130 million “New Communities” project.
Central Union Mission and Georgia Ave.’s Nimby Politics
This story will run in this week’s print edition of the Washington City Paper.
Update: Central Union Mission Still Pursuing the Gales School.
In September, representatives with the Central Union Mission went before community members from Petworth and Columbia Heights to explain plans for a big project on Georgia Avenue NW. The mission wants to launch a development with office space plus 37 units of affordable housing for people making between 50 and 80 percent of the area median income.
“Affordable housing” + community groups = jitters.
A rash of questions emerged about just what Central Union Mission had in mind. “The initial concern was that it was going to be low-income housing, basically,” says Columbia Heights ANC Commissioner Lisa Kralovic about one recent meeting. And that initial concern has some roots in local history.
Read More “Central Union Mission and Georgia Ave.’s Nimby Politics” »
Central Union Mission Still Pursuing the Gales School
I guess there aren’t enough development stories to go around in this town! As I was reporting on the Central Union Mission’s latest attempt to relocate its homeless shelter, DCmud was working on its own piece.
To summarize: After Petworth/Columbia Heights residents balked at a plan to open a 150-175 bed shelter in their neighborhood, the Mission re-focused its attention on moving into the vacant Gales School, located near Capitol Hill. Then came a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union–I’ll let DCmud explain:
Originally, the plan was for a land swap in which the city would gain the Georgia Avenue property and the Mission would get use of the school as a shelter. But the exchange was derailed by an America Civil Liberties Union law suit claiming an Establishment Clause violation – i.e. separation of church and state – because the property swap would result in a net gain of $12 million for the Mission, which requires homeless men to participate in religious services in return for room, board and counseling services…
Well the latest, ahem, development with the Gales School is that the Mission is still pursuing it–and negotiating a different deal with the city, according to executive director David Treadwell.
Read More “Central Union Mission Still Pursuing the Gales School” »
