Democratic D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is being blasted for her claims that the city only has 221 homeless people.
Testifying in front of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Tuesday, Bowser told Republican South Carolina Rep. William Timmons that her numbers are “the facts,” despite other estimates being far higher.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says there are only 221 homeless people in Washington. pic.twitter.com/eWNlEYfCZI
— Anders Hagstrom (@Hagstrom_Anders) May 16, 2023
“Do you agree that we have a major, major problem in Washington, D.C., as it relates to homelessness?” Timmons asked.
To which Bowser responded, “We have 221 people, as of today’s count, who are living on the street. Those are the people that you are referring to.”
The two then engaged in a confusing back-and-forth, with the Democratic mayor insisting that just over 200 homeless people live in the nation’s capital.
“Councilman [Charles] Allen gave me a 5,000 number. He sent me a report that was produced by your –,” Timmons said before Bowser cut him off and said, “There are not 5,000 people living on the street, sir –.”
“There’s 221 people living under 395. We can go right now. It’s 300 yards away,” Timmons butted in. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about facts,” Bowser said. “There are not 300 people under 295 or 395. We have outreach teams that are out across all eight wards, and those are the facts.”
“Your own councilman sent me a report saying 5,000 people are homeless in D.C. What are you – OK, look, we’re going to move on,” Timmons said, frustrated by Bowser’s clown math.
Bowser was citing the 2022 version of the same research in a news release from her own office in April of last year. She boasted that the 4,410 homeless people in the city in the 2022 report were a 13.7 percent decrease from the 2021 figure.
According to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ 2023 estimate, 8,944 people are homeless in the entire D.C. metropolitan region, even though some of the places included in that study aren’t strictly city borders.
Reporters have reached out to Bowser’s office for comment, but they have not immediately returned the request.
Homelessness has been a critical issue in the country. The nation’s capital is home to numerous homeless encampments, with people congregating near important sites like Union Station and under freeways.
