Department of Parks and Recreation
Families that live in District short-term housing shelters are offered free breakfast and dinner daily. Yet many residents do not regularly participate in these meals. We are working with the Department of Human Services (DHS), the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and shelter providers to better understand why. Together with residents, we will develop recommendations for changes to make dining at the shelter more appealing.
Dining room at The Horizon Short Term Family Housing Shelter. (Photo credit: DHS)
Why is this issue important in DC?
At any given time, up to about 300 families are living in short-term family housing offered by the District. These sites provide vital services, including food and lodging, as they work to help families secure permanent housing. For many families residing in shelters, finances are limited, work schedules are demanding, and kitchen space to prepare meals are not provided. Having access to healthy, free, and appealing meals offered by the shelter can help alleviate these stresses.
What are we doing?
We are talking with shelter residents to learn more about what barriers prevent them from eating the meals served at the site. Together with shelter residents, we’ll brainstorm potential changes to the meal program, such as different menu options or changes to the cafeteria space, that might make them more likely to participate. Then, we’ll work with shelter providers to prioritize changes that residents propose and develop a plan to roll out those changes.
What have we learned?
We expect results from our work in 2026.
What comes next?
This work aims to inform the strategies that shelter providers use to encourage more residents to participate in meals.
What happened behind the scenes? This work fits into the District’s broader efforts to strengthen meal programs. The Lab worked with DHS and DPR to secure federal funding through the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which now reimburses the District for meals served in shelters to children and adults with disabilities. Using federal funds for these meals frees up local tax dollars for other investments to promote the health and wellbeing of District residents.
Between 2018 and 2021, Mayor Bowser transformed DC’s shelter system Mayor Bowser transformed DC’s shelter system by closing DC General and opened seven short-term family housing shelters throughout DC’s wards. These new sites are designed to serve up to 50 families with private bedrooms and shared resources in the building—such as bathrooms, laundry room, a dedicated play space for children, computer lab, and an active communal dining room.