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AMNA NAWAZ: At the start 
of the pandemic, we were 
all urged to stay at home 
and avoid crowds. But,

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for homeless people, 
packed shelters made COVID 
transmission nearly unavoidable.

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And so many cities, using 
federal COVID money,housed 
people in vacant hotels to

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better protect them. This 
year, Washington, D.C.,

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announced it would phase out 
its program, following others 
like it across the nation,

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leaving some unhoused people 
unsure where they will go next.

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William Brangham has that story.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: At 
McPherson Square, once 
the largest homeless 
encampment in Washington,

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D.C., the 70 or so people 
living here are losing the 
closest thing they have to home.

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MAN: Please collect 
your belongings and 
exit the park now.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Daniel Kingery 
(ph) lived here for three years.

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He says life outside 
was much better than 
inside city shelters.

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DANIEL KINGERY, Washington, 
D.C.: I have heard people who 
go to the homeless shelters,

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and they're more violent 
than the streets are.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: These 
sweeps,which are occurring 
constantly in cities across the

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country, come at a particularly 
bad time, because a successful 
homelessness program

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is now ending in D.C., 
following other programs 
like it around the country.

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During the pandemic, the 
city brought homeless 
people at particular 
risk from COVID because

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of preexisting medical 
conditions to hotels like 
this one in Southwest D.C.,

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people like Dean Eliot 
Clark, who is diabetic.

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D.C. housed more than 
2,000 people like him 
in these hotels. Here,

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Clark gets health care, 
meals and privacy.

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DEAN ELIOT CLARK, Washington, 
D.C.: You can't ask for 
no more. A person that 
don't appreciate this,

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they don't appreciate 
nothing. And that's sad.

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That's sad. When it's cold 
outside, it's warm here.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Tiayana 
Williams, who has an autoimmune 
disease, had been living on

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the streets and in the 
woods for over eight years 
when caseworkers offered 
her a spot in the hotel.

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TIAYANA WILLIAMS, Washington, 
D.C.: I say you know what,

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what's it going to hurt 
me? Let me go in this year.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Give it a try.

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TIAYANA WILLIAMS: Yes, 
give it a try, and where 
I get to take a shower,

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get something to eat. 
I don't have to run out 
my tent every morning.

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So, when I got here, I did 
take a little break for 
myself. I started resting.

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DR. CATHERINE CROSLAND, 
Unity Health Care: I have 
often said that housing

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is health care. I now 
say housing, with the 
appropriate supports in 
place, is health care.

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I'm good. How are you doing?

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Doctor 
Catherine Crosland has

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treated residents in D.C.'s 
hotels since the program 
began. She says one of her

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patients saw a huge 
improvement in his health 
after just a week inside.

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DR. CATHERINE CROSLAND: He 
was not short of breath. The 
swelling in his legs were

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gone. The ulcers were healed. He 
had all his medications lined up

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on his dresser. And my medical 
intervention had not changed at

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all. What had changed was 
that he had this stable 
place to care for himself.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Another 
hotel resident who asked 
we just call him Joe found

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the same effect. With 
stable housing, he takes his 
psychiatric medicine regularly.

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JOE, Washington, D.C.: Yes, 
it helps me keep on medication 
and any jobs that I hold down.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Having 
a steady place to stay?

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JOE: Yes. Yes.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: How were 
you able to do that when 
you were living in a tent?

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JOE: It was really hard. 
Actually, I wasn't able 
to. I wasn't able to 
hold down very much.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: This hotel 
is one of three remaining 
that's still housing

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people in Washington, D.C. But 
as federal funds disappear, and 
the city phases out the program,

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the 400 or so people that still 
remain face an uncertain future.

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But city officials say the 
program, known as PEP-V,

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was never intended to 
be a permanent solution.

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DENA HASAN, D.C. Department of 
Human Services: Continuing PEP-V

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as designed is ill-timed. 
It was launched during 
a global pandemic.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Dena 
Hasan is the director 
of policy and program

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support for D.C.'s 
Department of Human Services.

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DENA HASAN: As we are phasing 
out the PEP-V program, aligned

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with the phase-out of pandemic 
efforts throughout the nation,

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we will make sure that 
every PEP-V resident is 
linked to the services 
that they are eligible for.

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Some of that will include 
permanent housing. 
Some of that will not.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: According 
to D.C.'s Department of 
Human Services, as of 
the end of February 60

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percent of all PEP-V 
residents had been matched 
to a housing subsidy that 
would cover the cost of

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their rent. DHS estimated around 
50 people will have to return 
to shelters after PEP-V closes.

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AMBER HARDING, Executive 
Director, Washington 
Legal Clinic for the 
Homeless: I'm worried that

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they're going to phase 
it out without a plan B.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Amber Harding 
is the executive director at the

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Washington Legal Clinic 
for the Homeless.

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AMBER HARDING: Now that 
the federal money for 
these hotel programs is 
lapsing in May, it's going

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to be a real test for 
local governments as to 
how high of a political 
priority it is to actually

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provide a program they 
know is saving people's 
lives and is improving 
their health in many ways.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: 
For Dr. Crosland,

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the idea of sending her 
patients back to shelters 
is the worst outcome.

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DR. CATHERINE CROSLAND: Seeing 
people together under one roof 
with end stage renal disease,

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metastatic cancer undergoing 
chemotherapy, congestive heart 
failure, severe COPD requiring

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oxygen, these are folks who 
should never be in a shelter, 
let alone an outside encampment.

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And so it has really highlighted 
the need of a place for this

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vulnerable population 
to be while they're 
experiencing homelessness.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: 
Researchers say this model 
offers a blueprint for

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temporary housing across 
the country, but a long-term 
solution should be the end goal.

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Some point to California's 
Project Homekey, where local 
entities are provided grants to

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purchase vacant hotels and 
convert them into permanent 
housing for the homeless.

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SAM BATKO, Urban Institute: 
No shelter solution,

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be it either congregate or 
noncongregate shelter, will 
be successful without having

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a housing exit strategy 
for the people that are 
staying there temporarily.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Sam Batko is 
a principal research associate 
at the Urban Institute.

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SAM BATKO: The most important 
thing that a community can 
do is rehouse people as

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quickly as possible. And so 
what that means is making 
sure that every single

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shelter that you have is 
oriented towards helping to 
minimize the amount of time that

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people spend in it and 
getting them into what we 
call permanent housing.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: While 
D.C.'s program is ending,

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Hasan says the city 
will continue to improve 
housing options for 
its unhoused residents.

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Do you worry that there might 
be some people, given that the

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federal money is now 
disappearing, that might 
fall through the cracks?

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DENA HASAN: What we are 
committed to is making 
sure that the lessons

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we have learned from this 
crisis is implemented,

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is integrated into our 
longstanding services and 
supports for our residents.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: After just 
over a year in the hotel,

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Tiayana Williams secured a 
subsidized apartment with 
the help of her caseworker.

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TIAYANA WILLIAMS: Yesterday, 
I was with my worker. And 
she took me to this apartment

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complex. I love it, because it's 
up there by the zoo. I want to 
take my grandkids to the zoo.

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I signed my papers 
yesterday, so I'm waiting 
on my inspection, and then 
I will be on to my life.

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WILLIAM BRANGHAM: It's a happy 
ending for her, but one that 
not everyone will experience.

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For the "PBS NewsHour," 
I'm William Brangham 
in Washington, D.C.