Archive: Human Services
County Sets Action Plan Aimed at Ending Homelesness
The Board of Supervisors last week approved an action plan which sets a goal of finding permanent housing for all of the county's estimated nearly 2,000 homeless residents. The Fairfax Extra has the news....
By Focus on Fairfax | April 10, 2008; 01:43 PM ET | Comments (0)
Program Helps Parents With Nurturing
According to this article from today's Fairfax Extra, parents struggling with problems that hinder their ability to raise their children in a nurturing way can take advantage of county-sponsored program that will give them the help they need. Read the story and find out more, here....
By Focus on Fairfax | April 3, 2008; 02:20 PM ET | Comments (0)
Culmore Center Expands Programs
The Culmore Family Resource Center near Seven Corners and Bailey's Crossroads, long a place were members of the area's immigrant community have sought information and support, is expanding its services by opening a health center and offering literacy classes for Spanish speakers. Read more in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 13, 2008; 03:19 PM ET | Comments (0)
Local Patients Find Independence in Program for Mentally Ill
This week's Fairfax Extra features this story about the state-funded Program of Assertive Community Treatment which helps severely mentally ill people live independently while being kept under daily supervision. One Fairfax County health official describes the program, which was pioneered in Wisconsin three decades ago, as one in which the patient is "the center of the treatment."...
By Focus on Fairfax | February 29, 2008; 11:16 AM ET | Comments (0)
Churches Step Up Christmas Charity Efforts
Fairfax's faith community is taking I Corinthians to heart, -- "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity" -- this holiday season. Read all about local churches' efforts to help the needy at home and abroad in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | December 13, 2007; 01:45 PM ET | Email a Comment
County Faces Budget Crisis
A shortfall of about $220 million faces the Fairfax County government according to this article from the front page of today's Washington Post. The crunch, which stems from the housing slump, could last several years and affect a range of county services and programs. So what gets cut? Let's hear what readers of Focus on Fairfax would do if you had to make the hard choices that face county leaders....
By Focus on Fairfax | December 12, 2007; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (1)
Fort Hunt Group Works to Help Seniors at Home
Today's Fairfax Extra cover story highlights the work of Mount Vernon at Home, a neighborhood group of volunteers that works to provide senior citizens with the resources the need to keep living independently....
By Focus on Fairfax | November 29, 2007; 11:16 AM ET | Email a Comment
County: No Figure for Cost of Services For Illegal Immigrants
Fairfax County officials can't put a dollar amount on the amount of money the local governement spends on services used by illegal immigrants they say, partly because many of those services are "universal access;"required by federal law to be open to anyone, regardless of immigration status.The officials also cite the difficulty of counting how many undocumented immigrants live in here. This is in today's Metro section....
By Focus on Fairfax | November 27, 2007; 10:01 AM ET | Comments (2)
Volunteerism Alive and Well in Fairfax
According to the cover story in today's Fairfax Extra, people in Fairfax County and in other parts of the Washington area devote on average 10 more hours per week to volunteer community projects than do people in the rest of the country. Read the story and than read here to see how you too can help....
By Focus on Fairfax | October 25, 2007; 10:42 AM ET | Email a Comment
Foster Care Underfunded
Virginia is one of the majority of U.S. states that is not contributing enough to cover the costs of providing basic care for the foster children in its system according to a University of Maryland study. The Fairfax Extra has the news about what some are calling a "crisis."...
By Focus on Fairfax | October 18, 2007; 11:51 AM ET | Email a Comment
County Steps up Home Care Support Services for Seniors
More and more people here are choosing to bring their aging parents and relatives to live with them. To help them deal with the challenges of caregiving, Fairfax County has put more resources into providing support. Today's Fairfax Extra has the story....
By Focus on Fairfax | October 11, 2007; 12:12 PM ET | Comments (1)
Needy Families Build Their Own Condos
With the help of Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia, the future owners of new condominiums being built just outside Fairfax City are doing the work themselves. The condo project is the first such in the area. Read about it in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | September 6, 2007; 11:02 AM ET | Email a Comment
County Searching For Cemetery Land for Indigent
A longtime search for land in Fairfax County to bury the indigent dead continues. The Fairfax County Cemetery has been closed to new burials since 1993 and the county has been contracting with private burial grounds for most of its needs since then. There may be a solution ahead. Read the story in this week's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | August 10, 2007; 09:48 AM ET | Email a Comment
New Homeless Shelter Set To Open
Fairfax County's first new homeless shelter in 20 years will open its doors on Saturday. The shelter, named for Katherine K. Hanley, the former chairman of the Board of Supervisors and located near Centreville, will provide shelter for about 20 families for as many as 60 days while they look for permanent housing. Today's Fairfax Extra has the story....
By Focus on Fairfax | August 2, 2007; 11:59 AM ET | Email a Comment
Fire Shutters Therapeutic Riding Program
A fire is a Clifton barn has left the horses used by a therapeutic program for mentally and physically disabled people homeless and forced the suspension of the program. Read about it in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | July 26, 2007; 11:20 AM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 7/26: Charity Blames Connolly, County Staff for Some of Its Many Woes
Updated 7/26 Officials with Western Fairfax Christian Ministries acknowledge they made mistakes leading to the charity's current budgetary problems -- the organization has slashed its spending and laid off three-quarters of its staff -- but say "the biggest mistake we made was in ticking off Gerry Connolly," contending that the organization's struggles were an embarrassment to government officials. The news is in today's Fairfax Extra. Originally posted 5/1 Western Fairfax Christian Ministries, a coalition of churches based in Centreville which works to prevent homelessness, may have to shutter its doors permanently unless it can find emergency funding this week. When the news was unannounced at yesterday's Board of Supervisors meeting, Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D) expressed anger with county staff for failing to share the information with him in a timely fashion. County officials have said that ending homelessness in the county is one of their top priorities. Today's Metro...
By Focus on Fairfax | July 26, 2007; 10:06 AM ET | Email a Comment
Feeding the Hungry in Fairfax
If you've ever wondered just how that canned food makes it to the table of the needy, this article from today's Fairfax Extra has some answers....
By Focus on Fairfax | June 14, 2007; 05:19 PM ET | Email a Comment
Immigration and Overcrowded Houses
This front page article in yesterday's paper on neighborhood disputes over overcrowded houses in Fairfax County has spawned a spirited discussion with people from Fairfax, the Washington region and elsewhere in the country, joining in by posting comments about the problem. Focus on Fairfax invites readers to continue the discussion here....
By Focus on Fairfax | May 14, 2007; 10:53 AM ET | Comments (9)
Centreville Woman Helps Mentally Ill Find Housing
Stirred to action by the need for housing for Fairfax County's mentally ill citizens, Realtor Trudy Harsh founded the Brain Foundation and bought a townhouse for four mentally ill men. She's raising money to buy a second house presently. Read about Harsh and her work in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | April 19, 2007; 11:37 AM ET | Email a Comment
Parents Organize To Expand Child-Care Subsidies
With Virginia subsidies for child care being cut, a group of Fairfax County parents has taken it upon themselves to work to expand the program that aids low-income working parents. The Fairfax Extra has the story....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 29, 2007; 11:07 AM ET | Email a Comment
Churches Seek Better Solution to Local Homelessness
This cover story from today's Fairfax Extra looks at the coalition of area churches who provide food and shelter to the county's homeless citizens and what they hope to do to provide more lasting solutions....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 15, 2007; 10:33 AM ET | Email a Comment
Child Care Subsidy Shortage Brings Tough Choices
More than 10,600 children are on a waiting list for child-care subsidies in Virginia. While they wait for assistance, some families are saying that they need to restructure their lives and job arrangements, and even stop working, to balance the needs of their children. Read about one such family from Reston in this article from today's front page....
By Focus on Fairfax | March 6, 2007; 10:18 AM ET | Email a Comment
Fairfax News Briefs
From today's Metro section: Police Arrest Suspect in Several Robberies A District man has been charged with an armed robbery in Fairfax County last month and is being investigated in a string of similar holdups, including two in which the gunman fired shots inside the businesses. Police arrested James Rose, of the 3400 block of Fifth Street SE, on Saturday at an apartment in Annandale. He was charged with the Jan. 31 robbery of a 7-Eleven in the Hybla Valley area, which was captured on video that shows a masked man wielding a long-barreled gun. Police said Rose was also a suspect in the Jan. 18 robberies of Chin's Kitchen and Huntington Market in the Huntington area and the Jan. 14 robbery of a Sunoco gas station in the Hybla Valley area. -- Tom Jackman Man Killed While Trying to Cross Route 1 A man trying to walk across Route...
By Focus on Fairfax | February 27, 2007; 10:17 AM ET | Email a Comment
Herndon Labor Center Reports First Year Success
The Herndon Official Workers Center reports that nearly 6,000 immigrant laborers were hired for more than 10,000 jobs during the center's first year of operation prompting the director of the nonprofit that operates the center to declare it, "a very successful year." But even as the report was released, town officials were moving forward with finding a new private operator for the center. The news is in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 22, 2007; 10:12 AM ET | Email a Comment
A New Start for Refugees and Recent Immigrants
Today's Fairfax Extra cover story looks at the people served by the Falls Church-based Center for Multicultural Human Services. The organization helps refugees and recent immigrants to our area get established....
By Focus on Fairfax | February 1, 2007; 02:57 PM ET | Email a Comment
Photo Exhibit Introduces Kids Seeking Adoptive Families
Today's Fairfax Extra cover story introduces us to some older foster children looking for homes who are the subjects of a new photography exhibit at the county Government Center....
By Focus on Fairfax | January 18, 2007; 03:40 PM ET | Email a Comment
A Car-Buying Program for Working Poor
The Fairfax Extra today offers this look at an Oakton-based program to help poor families achieve financial independence through a low-interest loan program for automobile purchases....
By Focus on Fairfax | January 11, 2007; 02:09 PM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 1/10: Fairfax Abandons Plan to Relocate Shelter
Updated 1/10 The latest news is here. Updated 1/9 The plan to move the Lamb Center to a planned Merrifield location was dealt a serious blow yesterday when Fairfax County officials said that they are unlikely to grant the necessary zoning exception. The news is in this article from today's Metro section. The Fairfax City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to spend $2.6 million dollars to purchase an office building in Merrifield to be used as daytime shelter for the homeless. Some neighbors of the planned location say they will continue to stand in opposition to moving the shelter from its current site near Fairfax Circle. Here is the news story....
By Focus on Fairfax | January 9, 2007; 08:10 AM ET | Comments (5)
Homeless Face More Dangers Than Cold
The murder of David Feliz last week is illustrative of one of the dangers homeless people face in addition to the obvious ones that come with their lack of regular shelter. Nationwide, nearly 170 homeless people have been killed in the last six years. Here is the article from this morning's newspaper....
By Focus on Fairfax | December 22, 2006; 10:56 AM ET | Email a Comment
Churches, County Offer Beds To The Homeless
This article from today's Fairfax Extra explains what the county, in cooperation with local churches, is doing this winter to offer shelter to homeless people in our community. Meanwhile in Fairfax City, officials are planning to buy an office building outside the city limits to replace its shelter on Old Lee Highway. That news is here....
By Focus on Fairfax | December 7, 2006; 11:21 AM ET | Comments (12)
A Night With a Child Protective Services Worker
This Fairfax Extra story introduces us to Ann Ochs, a social worker with the county's Child Protective Services, and offers us a look at her important and delicate work as an advocate for those to young to defend themselves....
By Focus on Fairfax | November 30, 2006; 01:03 PM ET | Email a Comment
A Better Way to Evaluate Mentally Ill?
In response to a shortage of independent mental health professionals in Fairfax County, the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards is pushing for a law that would decrease the complexity of the legal proceedings by which mentally ill people can be involuntarily hospitalized. Today's Fairfax Extra has the story....
By Focus on Fairfax | November 30, 2006; 12:45 PM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 12/1: County Relents On Churches' Food Service To Homeless
Updated 12/1 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly (D) blamed overzealous county employees for the policy to restrict church charitable food service to the homeless when he announced yesterday that county government would not interfere with the work. The news is here. Originally posted 11/29 Unless they are prepared in kitchens that meet the same tough health code requirements for restaurants, meals provided by church homeless shelters are forbidden, say county officials. A front page article from today's Washington Post is here. What's your opinion? Some community leaders say that to most homeless people, the chance for a hot, home-cooked meal would outweigh any consideration of the slight chance of contracting a food-borne illness. Should the county be getting into this? UPDATE: This afternoon the county released the following statement in response to the Washington Post's front page story. Fairfax County Response to Misinformation About Feeding the Homeless...
By Focus on Fairfax | November 29, 2006; 10:36 AM ET | Comments (6)
Kaine Rescues Day-Care Program
Gov. Tim Kaine came to Fairfax County yesterday with enough money (3.7 million) left over from state social programs to make up a shortfall of federal dollars that were needed to keep a day-care program for low income families operating. The story is here....
By Focus on Fairfax | November 10, 2006; 11:17 AM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 11/6: Aggressive Lobbying Underway for Mentally Disabled
Updated 11/6 This article from today's paper illustrates the severity of the shortage of care for the mentally ill in our community. Originally posted 10/19 Advocates for those with mental disbilites are making push for Richmond lawmakers to step up and help with more money for locally-administered programs. The story is in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | November 6, 2006; 08:15 AM ET | Comments (5)
Charities Prepare for Busy Holiday Season
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, Northern Virginia's charitable organizations are preparing for their busiest time of the year. Read about it in today's Fairfax Extra....
By Focus on Fairfax | October 26, 2006; 02:16 PM ET | Email a Comment
UPDATE 9/12: Day Care Cuts May Be Solved
Updated 9/12 According to this article from this morning's Metro section, the county will not be dropping children from its subsidized child-care rolls, but it also will not offer its own money to keep the program going. The Board of Supervisor's is insisting that the state continue to back the program. Updated 8/28 Elizabeth Page, the executive director of the Falls Church-McLean Children's Center, wrote about this issue in an opinion column in yesterday's Washington Post. Originally posted 7/11 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (D) yesterday criticized Virginia's Republican-controlled General Assembly for their refusal to pass a budget that would provide funding for day care for about 1,900 low-income children in the county. The story is in today's Metro section....
By | September 12, 2006; 10:38 AM ET | Comments (18)
Adopted Children Learn About Cultures at Camp
At Adoption Service International Agency's annual Culture Camp, internationally adopted children spend three days each summer learning about the cultures of their birth countries and sharing experiences with other families like their own. Read about it in the Fairfax Extra....
By | August 10, 2006; 12:11 PM ET | Email a Comment
No Showers, Laundry Allowed at Homeless Shelter?
The Lamb Center, a homeless shelter in Fairfax City operated by Truro Episcopal Church, is in violation of zoning laws because the center has been providing showers and laundry facilities for about 50 people each morning. Read about it in today's Metro section. In comments responding to the story, washingtonpost.com readers criticize the city for ordering an end to showers and washing machines. One reader, midnight102699, wrote, "I think these Fairfax City Officials need to leave this church alone. They are doing a service to the community by providing a meal, a shower, and a place for a homeless person to wash their clothes. What is wrong with that? These are acts of kindness, but that will also build the homeless persons self esteem and give them the want to to go get a job and maybe eventually have the money to pay rent." What do you think?...
By | July 21, 2006; 09:50 AM ET | Comments (6)
Funds' Misuse Endangers Social Service Programs
Fairfax and Arlington Counties face millions in cuts to human services programs because funds were improperly diverted to programs with broader reaches than that for which they were intended. The article is in today's Metro section....
By | July 10, 2006; 10:51 AM ET | Comments (1)
Relief Fund for Flood Victims
Want to help flood victims? Today's Fairfax Extra reports that a relief fund has been established for residents of the Arlington Terrace neighborhood of Alexandria that was hit hard. Make checks payable to United Community Ministries and send to 7511 Fordson Rd., Alexandria, Va. 22036. "Huntington Disaster Relief Fund" should appear on the check's memo line. For information, call 703-817-7771 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov....
By | July 6, 2006; 11:50 AM ET | Comments (1)
West Nile Virus Shows Up in County
A mosquito pool in the county has tested positive for West Nile virus, the first such positive test in Virginia this year, county health officials said yesterday. So far this year, health department workers have tested more than 31,000 mosquitos looking for West Nile and similar viruses, and treated more than 30,000 storm drains, which can become breeding areas, with lavicide that inhibits breeding. More treatments are scheduled throughout the mosquito season, which usually runs from May to October. Meanwhile, the Health Department recommends that residents take measures to reduce exposure to mosquitos. These include using insect repellants containing the active ingrediate DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon or eucalyptus when outdoors, turning over or removing yard containers and other recepticles of standing water. For more information on West Nile virus, residents may visit Fairfax County's "Fight the Bite" Web page at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/fightthebite or call the Health Department at...
By | July 3, 2006; 11:28 AM ET | Email a Comment
Dental Care Options Scarce for Homeless
For some of the nearly 2,000 homeless people living in Fairfax County, the lack of opportunities for dental care is a painful reality. The story was in today's Metro section....
By | June 12, 2006; 11:16 AM ET | Comments (8)
Fisher Columnizes on Parenting, Mental Illness
What if any culpability do the parents of Michael W. Kennedy have in the deaths of two Fairfax County police officers who died last month when Kennedy opened fire on a police station in Chantilly? In an opinion column this weekend, Marc Fisher wrote about the challenges that parents face finding help for mentally ill adult children who have not exhibited any overtly threatening behaviors....
By | June 5, 2006; 12:08 PM ET | Email a Comment
County Forms Committee on Aging
According to this Fairfax Extra article a new committee formed by the county Board of Supervisors is examining the ways that the government may be able to help with the problems that are likely to come as a higher percentage of citizens begin to reach retirement age....
By | June 1, 2006; 11:43 AM ET | Comments (1)
No Free Rides for Seniors and Disabled?
Yellow Cab, a subsidiary of the Red Top Cab Co. of Arlington will no longer offer free rides to senior and disabled citizens because of a pay dispute with MV Transportation, which operates the MetroAccess service that reimburses the cab company. The story is here....
By | May 8, 2006; 09:55 AM ET | Comments (1)
Fairfax: The 2006 Guide
An Introduction To The Guide Trying to make sense of Fairfax? Join our club. To help newcomers learn and old-timers discover new possibilities, here's The Guide for 2006. We know how easy it is to get confused here, because there are about a million people -- more people than seven states have -- and trying to make sense of the governing machinery can be tricky. The local governments include those of the county and two cities, the City of Fairfax and the City of Falls Church, each with its own idiosyncrasies and treasures. What you'll find in these pages is our attempt to lead you to old favorites you had not thought of for a while or to what might become favorites. There's golfing and fishing and biking and walking, just to name a few leisure pursuits. If you have students in the family, there's a place within the county...
By | April 28, 2006; 09:51 AM ET | Email a Comment
Ending Homelessness in Fairfax?
Ending homelessness in Fairfax County is achievable within ten years, local officials said Friday. Read about the summit and the goals and obstacles the leaders outlined in this story from Saturday's Metro section....
By | April 10, 2006; 10:32 AM ET | Comments (2)
Churches Help Growing Number of Homeless
With numbers on the rise, Fairfax County's homeless population has faced difficulties in getting services and shelter. A coalition of churches, mindful of deaths a couple of winters ago, banded together to help. The story is in this week's Fairfax Extra....
By | March 31, 2006; 12:16 PM ET | Email a Comment
Survey Shows Increase in Homelessness
The most recent count, conducted in January, found 2,077 homeless people in Fairfax County, a 6.5 percent increase over last year. The Washington Post article on the annual county survey and its finding--presented to the board of supervisors today-- is here....
By | March 27, 2006; 11:56 AM ET | Comments (3)
Survey: Northern Virginia's Elderly Need More Transportation Options
Officials at the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission say that their survey of more than 1,600 Northern Virginians 75 and older shows a need for expanded services and to encourage seniors to live within walking distance of services and transit. A detailed article in this week's Fairfax Extra....
By | March 17, 2006; 11:35 AM ET | Comments (2)
County's Poor Wait Months, Years for Help
According to the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, getting hooked up with a therapist can take as long as six months and it may take years to get a spot in a group home. Staff shortages and voluminous caseloads are the cause, officials say. The story is on the front page of this morning's Washington Post....
By | March 17, 2006; 10:23 AM ET | Comments (2)
Fairfax City Homeless Shelter Overwhelmed
Homeless in Fairfax City? You bet. More and more people. The city has one of Northern Virginia's only daytime shelters for the homeless, and it has closed until tomorrow morning so its overwhelmed staff can determine its future....
By | March 7, 2006; 12:04 PM ET | Comments (4)
Please Read: Rules Issued for Commenting on Fairfax Focus Blog
Some readers of this blog have recently raised questions about the role of The Washington Post in policing Fairfax Focus. I have deleted a few blog posts because they did not meet The Post's standards for fairness. For more clarity about how to play by the rules, Jim Brady, the executive editor of washingtonpost.com has posted a message explaining the rules for readers participating in the site's Live Online discussions, discussion forums and for posting comments on the company's blogs. The complete list of rules is here. --Steve Fehr, Fairfax Extra Editor...
By | February 17, 2006; 01:06 PM ET | Comments (2)
Lewinsville Senior Center To Expand
Plans are proceeding to renovate and expand a recreational and assisted living center for seniors in McLean. Read about it here....
By | February 16, 2006; 01:26 PM ET | Email a Comment
Help Available With Returns, Relief for Eligible Taxpayers
From today's Fairfax Extra: People needing help with federal and state income tax returns can take advantage of several free programs. var technorati = new Technorati() ; technorati.setProperty('url','http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/15/AR2006021501049_Technorati.html') ; technorati.article = new item('in brief','http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/15/AR2006021501049.html','People needing help with federal and state income tax returns can take advantage of several free programs.','') ; document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() ); ยท Fairfax County residents making less than $37,000 a year can receive free income tax filing assistance through a county program, officials said. Help is offered at 12 locations throughout Northern Virginia through May 1. For more information about the program and locations, call 703-222-0880 or 703-324-5319. For information in Spanish, call 703-631-3366. Or visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/partnerships . Those preparing their own returns can call the IRS hotline at 800-829-1040 or visit http://www.irs.gov ....
By | February 16, 2006; 12:51 PM ET | Email a Comment
Discussion to Cover Senior Citizens Issues
Supervisor Linda Q. Smyth (D-Providence) and the Mantua Civic Association are sponsoring a meeting on issues involving senior citizens, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 25. The meeting will include a series of panels on topics such as transportation, affordable housing, Medicare and community-based senior services. The meeting is at Mantua Elementary School, 9107 Horner Ct., Fairfax. For more information, call 703-560-6946....
By | February 13, 2006; 02:54 AM ET | Comments (1)
County Human Services Not Yet Part of 211 System
Despite the launch this week of a statewide 211 call center for human services assistance, Fairfax County officials are asking residents to continue using existing phone numbers. The Virginia Statewide Information and Referral System is implementing the 211 number. Fairfax County has been carefully following this process and is working with the Northern Virginia Regional Commission to plan for 211 services in the near future that will best serve the needs of the Northern Virginia region, county officials said in a news release....
By | February 11, 2006; 02:44 AM ET | Email a Comment
Fairfax Homeless Shelters Overflowing
According to a front page article in this morning's Washington Post, Fairfax County has experienced a marked increase in the number of homeless people seeking shelter this winter....
By | February 3, 2006; 10:42 AM ET | Email a Comment
Connolly Proposes Mobile Health Clinics For Homeless
The Board of Supervisors Chairman has directed County Executive Anthony H. Griffin to come up with a plan to address the health care concerns of the county's homeless population, which is expected to increase this year. An article with the details of the proposal in in today's Metro section....
By | January 10, 2006; 11:03 AM ET | Comments (1)
Homelessness Could Increase In County This Year
Driven in part by the rising cost of housing, officials anticipate an increase in the number of homeless individuals and families this year. The story is in today's Metro section....
By | January 6, 2006; 10:26 AM ET | Comments (2)
Coats for Needy Available At Supervisor's Office
From today's Fairfax Extra: The annual winter coat closet in the Hunter Mill area is open for children and adults in need. var technorati = new Technorati() ; technorati.setProperty('url','http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/07/AR2005120701430_Technorati.html') ; technorati.article = new item('in brief','http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/07/AR2005120701430.html','The Board of Supervisors has approved design plans for a four-story parking garage at the Burke Centre station served by Virginia Railway Express.','') ; document.write( technorati.getDisplaySidebar() ); The closet, co-sponsored by Reston Interfaith and Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill), distributed more than 500 coats and jackets last year. The coat closet is in Hudgins's office at the North County Government Center, 12000 Bowman Towne Dr. in Reston. Donations of new or gently used coats and jackets are needed and can be dropped off at the office from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Boxes are available for after-hours and weekend donations. Volunteers are needed to help clients select coats, and to greet donors and sort...
By | December 10, 2005; 11:14 AM ET | Email a Comment
When It's 'Just Impossible' To Throw Anything Away
Todays' Fairfax Extra cover story took a close look at hoarding behavior. There 60 to 90 cases reported in the county each year....
By | December 8, 2005; 10:53 AM ET | Email a Comment
New Hope For An Escape From Poverty
The cover story in today's Fairfax Extra describes how a program run by the nonprofit New Hope Housing is helping local women living in poverty help themselves to a better life....
By | December 1, 2005; 03:22 PM ET | Comments (1)
Ending Homelessness in Fairfax
A group of county government officials, nonprofit agencies and representatives of the faith community is seeking to develop a plan to end homelessness in Fairfax by 2015. The Board of Supervisors endorsed this effort on Monday and called for a homelessness summit to raise awareness....
By Steve Fehr | October 20, 2005; 06:22 PM ET | Comments (2)
