Fairfax County has identified new operators for three of its homeless shelters after cutting ties with New Hope Housing in September.
The Fairfax City-based nonprofit Shelter House has taken over the Eleanor Kennedy Shelter (9155 Richmond Highway) in Fort Belvoir as well as Mondloch House and Place, an emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing site (3510 Lockheed Blvd) in Groveton.
Operations of Bailey’s Shelter and Supportive Housing (5914 Seminary Road) in Bailey’s Crossroads were awarded to FACETS, another Fairfax City nonprofit, the Fairfax County Office to Prevent and End Homelessness (OPEH) announced Tuesday (Nov. 18).
Effective as of last Saturday (Nov. 15), the operational changes were necessitated after OPEH terminated its contract with New Hope Housing on Sept. 30, alleging that the shelter provider had been out of compliance for more than a year. Workers and patrons at New Hope’s facilities reported inadequate staffing and supplies, health and safety concerns, missed paychecks and other management issues.
New Hope denied mismanaging shelter operations, arguing that Fairfax County’s contracts provide insufficient funding.
After terminating the contract, OPEH assumed control of the Kennedy, Bailey’s and Mondloch facilities, working with a temporary staffing agency, Arco Service Corporation, to retain former New Hope workers who wanted to stay in their existing jobs.
Over 80 workers expressed interest in making the transition, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) previously told FFXnow.
“These employees will have the opportunity to interview with the new partner agencies,” the county said in a press release on Tuesday. “HCD OPEH and partners will be rolling out the procedures to do so in the coming days.”
With the newly announced contracts, both Shelter House and FACETS are expanding their operations in Fairfax County. From the press release:
In addition to operations of the Bailey’s Shelter and Supportive Housing facility, FACETS will operate the Homeless Healthcare Program, the Hypothermia Prevention Program, the Medical Respite Program, Operation Stream Shield, and Street Outreach in Region 2. FACETS will also continue to operate the following programs:
- The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing assistance program and the Next Steps Family Program in Region 1.
- The Home Connections permanent supportive housing program, Homeless Healthcare program, Street Outreach (adult-only households), and Hypothermia Prevention Program in Region 4.
Shelter House will continue as the operations lead at the Fair Ridge Shelter, Katherine Hanley Family Shelter, and Kate’s Place in addition to its new responsibilities managing the Eleanor Kennedy Shelter, as well as Mondloch House and Place. Shelter House will also manage the “Diversion First” and “Housing First” permanent supportive housing programs, as well as shelter units for Adult Protective Services. Additionally, Shelter House will lead operations for:
- The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing assistance in Human Services Regions 2 and 4.
- The Street Outreach in Region 1.
OPEH also announced that it’s sticking with Cornerstones as manager for the Embry Rucker Shelter in Reston and the main program provider in Region 3, which encompasses the northern half of the county, including Reston, Great Falls, Herndon, McLean, Tysons, Vienna and Oakton.
Operation Stream Shield, a program that employs people experiencing homelessness part-time to clean up local waterways and trails, will be managed in Region 4 (the southwestern area from Centreville to Fairfax City and West Springfield) by the Lamb Center.
County to update plan for homelessness services
While working to immediately stabilize shelter services, Fairfax County is also considering how its approach to addressing homelessness should evolve in the future.
The Office to Prevent and End Homelessness launched an update of its strategic plan yesterday (Wednesday), a process that will result in recommendations to guide programs and services for the foreseeable future.
This will be the first update since the county adopted a 10-Year Plan to prevent and end homelessness in 2007 that emphasized helping people find and stay in permanent housing, rather than relying on temporary shelters. Over the next decade, the county saw a nearly 50% decline in homelessness, a 2018 report found.
However, homelessness has been increasing again in recent years, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in 2020. A regional point-in-time count conducted in conjunction with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments in January identified 1,322 homeless individuals in Fairfax County — the most since 2013.
The strategic plan update could provide valuable information and guidance to help the county chart a path forward.
“Homelessness is a community-wide issue, and it requires a community-wide response,” OPEH Deputy Director Thomas Barnett said in a press release. “In order to be successful, our community needs to be at the forefront, giving ideas and input.”
To gather public feedback on the plan, OPEH has partnered with the consultant Oryx Solutions, which will support a series of community meetings kicking off at the Lorton Library on Dec. 1 at 6:30-8 p.m.
The two weeks of upcoming meetings will include some virtual and Spanish options:
- Dec. 3: Thomas Jefferson Library (7415 Arlington Blvd) in West Falls Church, 7-8:30 p.m.
- Dec. 4: Zoom meeting, 7-8:30 p.m.
- Dec. 6: Zoom meeting in Spanish, 3:30-5 p.m.
- Dec. 7: Centreville Regional Library (14200 Saint Germain Drive), 12:30-2 p.m.
- Dec. 13: Reston Regional Library (11925 Bowman Towne Drive), 4-5:30 p.m.
- Dec. 14: City of Fairfax Library (10360 North Street) in Spanish, 2-3:30 p.m.
Additional community meetings will be scheduled at other locations around the county in 2026, according to OPEH. Online surveys will also be conducted, among other public engagement methods.
“All critical parties involved in preventing and ending homelessness will have opportunities to share their input and ideas, including people experiencing homelessness, homeless service providers, the Continuum of Care board, and the community at large,” OPEH said on its website.
A final report recommending updates to the strategic plan is expected to be presented to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors sometime in 2026.
