Shelter to keep taking in the homeless

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Washington officials said they revoked a move to begin rejecting men at a homeless shelter after residents sued to combat the action.

The Franklin School shelter, which is to be shut down Oct. 1, will keep running on a walk-in basis, said Laura Zeilinger, deputy director for program operations for the Department of Human Services.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said the shelter is being closed to encourage the city to offer more long-term housing options for homeless people.

Officials at the shelter had said only 320 men would be given permission to remain there through autumn, The Washington Post reported.

Washington Legal Clinic attorney Andy Silver said many homeless men would be sleeping on the streets if only 320 were allowed to stay. His non-profit group said about 1,000 men have spent time at the shelter in the past three months.

The clinic assisted homeless residents in lodging a suit Thursday with the Office of Administrative Hearings, but withdrew it after the reversal was announced.