The clock is ticking on a now-vacant Seven Corners homeless shelter.
Plans to replace the Patrick Henry Family Shelter have slowed in recent months, but it won’t be long now until the entire building at 3080 Patrick Henry Drive is razed, a county spokesperson told FFXnow.
“The demolition of the existing building is scheduled to commence in mid-summer this year,” said Sharon North, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES).
The current building, which can house nine families at once, is no longer adequate after more than 60 years of “high utilization … and wear and tear from everyday use,” according to county officials.
Constructed in 1952, the Patrick Henry Family Shelter was operated by the nonprofit Shelter House, which is dedicated to assisting people experiencing homelessness. The organization still runs the Katherine Hanley Family Shelter outside Centreville, Artemis House for domestic violence victims, and the recently opened Fair Ridge Shelter near Fair Oaks.
Fairfax County relocated families who were staying at the Patrick Henry shelter to the 85-unit Fair Ridge facility in April.
In an Instagram post on May 2, Shelter House CEO Joe Meyer reflected on the 20 years he had spent operating the Patrick Henry shelter, whose halls he walked for the last time that day.
“This building is more than just bricks and mortar — it’s the foundation of Shelter House,” Meyer said. “It’s where it all began. So many dedicated people came before me, and many stood with me through this journey. Thank you for the memories. But more importantly, thank you for the hope this place has provided. Thousands of lives were touched here. Thousands found a path forward.”
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The building’s demolition will ultimately make way for “Patrick Henry Place,” an updated, 24,000-square-foot facility that will include 16 units of permanent supportive housing and be more than twice the size of the current one.
The new facility will have four floors, as opposed to the current three, and will feature five 2-bedroom units, eight 3-bedroom units and three 4-bedroom units, according to plans.
The project is being funded by a portion of $48 million in bond sales approved by voters in 2016 for replacements or refurbishments of four county shelters.
Progress on the project, which was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in August 2022, had been delayed as county officials navigated land-use rights.
Though the board owns the current building, it is surrounded by the Hollybrooke Apartments, whose condominium association controls surrounding land and parking areas.
While it is unclear how the project’s schedule has been affected by any delays, the most recent estimates have construction on the new building starting later this year. The affordable housing units would then open for tenants starting in late 2027.
