That tension between theory and policy is, sadly, beginning to emerge yet again in Washington, DC, where some community advocates have raised objections to plans for a new residential re-entry center that would provide temporary housing, job and skills training, substance-abuse counseling and other critical support for inmates returning home after serving time.

BOP tapped CORE DC for the project, a social service provider that operates a homeless shelter and a home confinement program in DC and is a subsidiary of a non-profit organization that manages homeless shelters and re-entry centers throughout New York City.

The effort to establish a functional re-entry center in Washington, DC, has been a difficult and complicated one, partly because of the troubled history of Hope Village, a social service provider that closed its doors earlier this year, ending its 42-year run as the District’s only option for returning citizens.

Against this backdrop, representatives at CORE DC have gone to great lengths to reassure the public that they are committed to helping turn the page on this long and turbulent chapter and work closely with the community to establish a re-entry model that is tailored for the District’s unique set of needs.

Holcomb indicated his opposition to a new re-entry center in his community, saying that “using Ward 7 as a dumping ground to place the least attractive facilities has gone on far too long.”