Miller House For Disabled Adults Leads To Award For Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, VA — The City of Falls Church has won a Community Health Innovation award from the Virginia Municipal League for its role in reviving the Miller House for adults with disabilities. The award will be presented at the Virginia Municipal League conference on Oct. 8.

Miller House opened in the spring as a living space for five adults with disabilities. It's run by CRi, a nonprofit offering services to people with developmental disabilities and mental health needs.

The City of Falls Church had owned the land parcel since 1973 before it was revitalized. The house donated by the Miller family had previously been a group home for adults with disabilities, but it fell into disrepair in recent years. City staff had recommended the house be demolished because it was inhabitable, but parents of adult children with disabilities spoke out. These parents expressed the need to find a home for their children because they were getting too old to properly care for the children.

Falls Church ended up selling the property to Community Havens, Inc., the property affiliate of CRi. The land use was restricted to the operation of a group home. The five adults with disabilities are living there; three of them hadn't lived outside their family's homes before.

"This is a fantastic example of how a city can meet the specific needs of a segment of its residents using existing resources," states the Virginia Municipal League.

The Innovation Awards recognizes local government programs based on innovative problem solving, improved quality of life, excellence in management, making the most of local resources, increased citizen participation, long-term value to the community and adaptability to other communities. Virginia Municipal League had over 50 entries this year, and judges picked winners in six categories. One of the category winners will be chosen by to receive the President’s Award.

Other winners are:

• City of Fredericksburg, environmental quality
• City of Richmond, communications
• Town of Warsaw, economic development
• James City County, public safety
• City of Danville, working with youth