Southeast DC Mourns the Loss of Homeless Grandmother

For the past decade, Angela Hill had been a fixture under the overpass that carries 295 over Pennsylvania Avenue. There is no exact address under that overpass, but Hill was an active member of the surrounding community. 

Those who came to know Hill, and met her on that bridge, are now mourning her death.

“I’m a Ward 7 resident so Ms. Hill was my neighbor, right?” said Thennie Freeman, one of a number of people who regularly checked in on her.

Freeman regularly made sure Hill had necessities like water and blankets.

“It was a community affair,” she said. 

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Hill’s family say she had lived with her mother, within walking distance of the bridge. But when her mother died, Hill began living on the streets.

"Family members have come and tried to get her to go with them," Freeman said. "She has a daughter, a son and two grandkids she's never met."

Advocates for people who are homeless say Hill resisted outreach.

“We would ask MPD, we would ask city social services to check on her, and they did,” Troy Prestwood, a community activist, said.

Family members took some comfort in knowing that they weren’t the only ones reaching out to her. Despite the pain of seeing her when they passed under the bridge, they knew she was alive.

"She wasn't always receptive, but that's understandable," Freeman said. "She would make it very clear, drop and go and keep moving."

Hill's family hopes her death will focus new attention on outreach for those who are homeless. And perhaps, a life will be saved. Family and acquaintances said that would be a fitting legacy to their lost loved one.

Hill's family is seeking help with funeral expenses and the cost of counseling for the family.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed the dangers of homelessness in today's weather conditions. She encouraged residents to call the city's help line to report any neighbors experiencing homelessness who need shelter from the cold.

The number is 202-399-7093.