With its current home being eyed for redevelopment, Pathway Homes is using its expected future displacement as an opportunity to reimagine its headquarters.
The nonprofit, which provides housing and other support services to adults with serious mental illnesses and disabilities, announced yesterday (Tuesday) that it has acquired a three-story office building at 4010 University Drive in Fairfax City.
In addition to housing its new headquarters, the 19,000-square-foot building will be renovated to include at least 10 supportive housing units for people 50 and older who have serious mental illnesses and co-occurring disabilities, Pathway Homes says.
“Pathway Homes needs a new home, and we plan to make it one that serves our community even better,” Pathway Homes CEO Sylisa Lambert-Woodard said in a press release. “It will give us the space to run the nonprofit while also providing direct services and housing to clients.”
Founded in 1980 by families and mental health professionals looking to improve supportive services for people with mental illness, Pathway Homes views permanent, safe housing as critical to helping its clients find stability. It owns and leases units in over 500 properties across Northern Virginia, offering behavioral health services to residents.
The nonprofit is currently based in Gatewood Plaza at 10201 Fairfax Blvd, Suite 200, but the property owner has proposed replacing the 5-story office building with a 7-story, 307-unit multifamily residential building with office and retail space on the first floor.
Under the name 10201 Fairfax Boulevard LLC, the property owner first presented a concept to Fairfax City’s planning commission and town council in 2023 before submitting an initial development plan on July 29, 2024. A revised plan submitted on Dec. 5 includes commitments to incorporate “smart home technology” and “flexible design features” in the homes, along with a shared-use path on Fairfax Blvd and other pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
Though the redevelopment is likely years away, with the application still in the early stages of review, Pathway Homes is getting a head start on its relocation plans. Built in 1982, the commercial building at 4010 University Drive was put on the market in December 2022, and the nonprofit closed on its $4.6-million purchase on Jan. 9, according to city property records.
Funded by private contributions, including seed money from the Woodbridge-based Potomac Health Foundation, the headquarters build-out is expected to be complete by early 2027. The new facility will include a food pantry, on-site case management and educational programming and training space.
The supportive housing units will be rental apartments reserved for people earning 30% of the area median income or less. Fairfax City’s existing affordable housing stock is limited, as its program requiring units to be included in new developments was only established in 2020.
“We are excited to transform a commercial property into an innovative, multi-use facility that will help us address the affordable housing crunch that hinders our ability to serve more people,” Lambert-Woodard said.
The full press release from Pathway Homes is below.
Pathway Homes Buys Fairfax City Building to Serve as Nonprofit’s Multi-Use HQ
New HQ will Integrate Supportive Housing for Those with Mental Health Issues
FAIRFAX, Va. (January 14, 2025)—Pathway Homes, a regional nonprofit providing mental health services—starting with safe, stable housing—to individuals marginalized by poverty and inequity, has closed on a 19,000 square foot building in Fairfax City. The commercial space will be built out by early 2027 as Pathway’s new mixed-use headquarters that will include at least 10 units of supportive housing to help people with serious mental illnesses and other disabilities who are over 50 to age in place.
“Pathway Homes needs a new home, and we plan to make it one that serves our community even better. It will give us the space to run the nonprofit while also providing direct services and housing to clients,” explained Sylisa Lambert-Woodard, CEO, Pathway Homes. “We are excited to transform a commercial property into an innovative, multi-use facility that will help us address the affordably housing crunch that hinders our ability to serve more people.”
With its current location slated for redevelopment, Pathway Homes has bought a three-story commercial building at 4010 University Drive in Fairfax City for its new home, which will enable it to expand its programs and services. The new site will serve as Pathway’s organizational hub for as well as allow for on-site case management, a food pantry, flexible space for educational programs and training, and at least 10 affordable apartments with supportive services. Seed money from the Potomac Health Foundation helped with the initial costs of kicking off the project along with other early contributions.
Pathway envisions that the embedded housing will be permanent supportive housing units with access to WIFI and other smart features for the region’s most vulnerable—those with income 30% or below the Area Median Income. The ADA accessible, one-bedroom units will embrace universal design—which creates spaces to suit all abilities—and feature a private kitchen and living area along with effective resident services to promote resident independence.
Currently, Pathway Homes leases, owns, and manages more than 500 properties across Northern Virginia that provide supportive services using the Housing First Model. Pathway Homes’ supportive services focus on helping individuals attain and strengthen the skills needed to manage their mental and physical health and remain stably housed. Its highly skilled team provides the coordinated care and intensive treatment participants need to maintain their home, enhance personal relationships, develop healthy life habits, and achieve their personal goals.
Lambert-Woodard added: “Our new building will be the hub that enables us to be even more creative and collaborative in finding solutions to help people live their best lives. We look forward to more funders joining us in making this a successful endeavor for Fairfax.”
For more than 45 years, Pathway Homes has enabled tens of thousands of people in the National Capital Region with serious mental illnesses and other co-occurring disabilities to access affordable housing and critical supportive services to help them recover their lives. Following the Housing First model, Pathway Homes is a partner in preventing and ending homelessness, touching nearly 2,000 lives in 2024 and ensuring access to affordable stable homes in permanent supportive housing units.
