Fairfax City is stepping up surveillance of its historic downtown and two public parks with the help of private security guards.
Starting today (Monday), uniformed but unarmed guards will patrol the Old Town commercial district, Stafford Drive Park (3300 Stafford Drive) and Draper Drive Park (9797 Beech Drive) as part of an eight-week security pilot program developed by the City of Fairfax Police Department.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted today (Tuesday) to authorize consideration of an amended interim land swap agreement with Inova Health System for the redevelopment of Reston Town Center North.
Under the agreement, the county will acquire the land under the North County Governmental Center, which is currently owned by Inova, in exchange for a wooded area that has hosted the county’s largest homeless encampment — until today.
Fairfax County will soon begin shutting down a homeless encampment that has occupied woods near the Inova Emergency Room in Reston for years.
The county’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness announced today (Thursday) that “no trespassing” signs will be posted around the site known informally as “The Hill” next Tuesday (Aug. 27). A fence will be constructed on Sept. 10 to formally close the property.
Fairfax County is moving ahead with plans to open a temporary overflow shelter for people experiencing homelessness in Reston.
After weeks of planning, the shelter is officially scheduled to open at 5 p.m. on Monday, July 29 in the North County Human Services Center (1850 Cameron Glen Drive), the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) announced today (Tuesday).
An initial design concept is in the works for a new Embry Rucker Community Shelter in Reston.
The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) began preliminary concept design and programming evaluations in May to establish an updated cost estimate for the long-planned emergency homeless shelter, according to public information officer Sharon North.
Fairfax County was the only locality in the D.C. area where homelessness declined last year, decreasing by 2% from 1,310 individuals to 1,278, according to a new report.
County officials stated in the report, which was published last week by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), that the decrease is primarily due to fewer families residing in shelters and temporary housing provided by the county.
(Updated at 2 p.m. on 05/10/2024) As the Virginia summer looms, residents of Reston’s tent encampment are preparing for challenges beyond sweltering temperatures.
Many are anxious about the impending installation of no-trespassing signs, which will mark the beginning of a two-week countdown before they must leave the forested area between Inova’s emergency room, the North County Government Center and Sunrise Assisted Living. The encampment stretches across multiple properties owned by Inova and the county.
A tent encampment housing between 20 and 35 individuals in the woods between Inova’s emergency room and Sunrise Assisted Living Center in Reston may soon fold.
Fairfax County officials hope to open up a temporary overflow shelter in a government building in the Reston Town Center North area to accommodate the people who’ve been living in the tents.
(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) Congress has passed another short-term budget package, averting a partial shutdown of the federal government just hours before a midnight deadline.
In addition to funding the Justice Department, Housing and Urban Development, and other key agencies, the slate of bills passed 75-22 by the Senate on Friday (March 8) includes $12.7 billion in “pork” — money designated for local projects requested by lawmakers for their constituents.
As homelessness increases in Fairfax County, affected residents can use revamped county resources to cope with extreme summer heat.
The county will activate its extreme heat response when the National Weather Service issues a heat advisory, excessive heat watch or excessive heat warning.
