In 1986 Ronald Reagan deeded the federal building at 425 2nd St NW to DC Government and funded its renovation into a shelter. The story is chronicled in "Promises to Keep" (narrated by Martin Sheen) which was aired by PBS. The restrictive covenant between Mitch Snyder and Ronald Reagan requires the city to use this property to serve the homeless until July 5th, 2016. DC Government is allowed to build on, renovate or sell the property. If they sell it, all proceeds must benefit the homeless community.
SHARC (Shelter, Housing And Respectful Change) is pushing for construction of a 1,000-unit affordable apartment building before July 2016. Otherwise, we could conceivably lose both the shelter and the opportunity to build affordable housing in 3.5 years.