19 Fairfax County Homeless Programs Fully Funded With $10M In HUD Grants

FAIRFAX, VA — Fairfax County received $10 million in federal money recently to fully fund 19 existing projects that provide rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, according to a county release.

The money Fairfax received was part of the $2.6 billion in FY2021 Continuum of Care Competition Awards, Secretary Marcia L. Fudge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced on March 14 in Houston, Texas. The grants were awarded to about 7,000 local homeless and service programs across the U.S.

“These Continuum of Care program grants, coupled with the historic resources in the American Rescue Plan, will deliver communities the resources needed to ensure that every person in a respective community has the equitable opportunity to a safe and stable home," Fudge said, in a release.

The $10 million is a 9 percent ($842,143) increase over what Fairfax County received in fiscal year 2020. The money is primarily used to support the expansion of Shelter House's Domestic Violence Rapid Rehousing program.

"The programs funded with these HUD resources can help these individuals find safe and affordable housing, assist with rent payments if necessary, and provide the supports and resources to help them stay housed and enhance self-sufficiency and stability.”said Tom Barnett, deputy director of the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development, in a release.

Shelter House is just one of the many local organizations that provides direct emergency assistance to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. This could be in the form of distributing blankets, food and clothing out of car trunks to providing rapid rehousing to victims of domestic violence.

“Domestic violence affects 1 in 4 households in Fairfax County and has even been called a ‘pandemic within a pandemic’ due to the elevated levels of violence and coercive control victims have experienced during this time of increased isolation and financial strain,” said Dani Colon, deputy executive director of Shelter House. “Over the last Fiscal Year, Artemis House, Fairfax County’s only 24-hour emergency shelter for victims of domestic and sexual violence, stalking, and sex trafficking, saw an unprecedented number of victims needing services. This new funding will ensure our community is able to provide the critical support victims of domestic violence and their children need in order to obtain and maintain safe housing, heal from trauma, and rebuild their lives.”