Last 3 Homeless Encampment Residents Find Housing In Reston

RESTON, VA — Three seniors who were about to have their homes taken away from them by Fairfax County have gotten a reprieve thanks to the generosity of a Reston community member and the dogged efforts of a team of local organizations.

On Tuesday morning, Fairfax County work crews were poised to clear "The Hill," a homeless encampment located near the Fairfax County Human Services Center in Reston. This was a day after the county's deadline for residents to vacate the encampment.

As of Sept. 3, all but three elderly residents had been able to find alternative housing.

"All three seniors have strong ties to Reston including their medical network," Restonstrong said, at the time. "Restonstrong is not able to provide them with a short term solutions because it will disqualify their chronically homeless status, which they need to qualify for long term housing."

Related: Homeless Given Deadline To Clear Out Of Reston Tent Encampment

But on Monday night, Restonstrong and its partners reached an agreement with the county on temporary short-term housing for the three elderly residents.

"A gracious member of the community stepped up after the call for help went out last week and offered temporary accommodations," the nonprofit said, in a release on Tuesday. "Restonstrong will cover the hotel expenses for the week until their new short term housing is ready. The county has offered assurance that this emergency arrangement will not impact their qualification for long term housing, which they are on the waitlist for. Restonstrong will cover all utilities, insurance, cleaning and maintenance costs including a live-in house manager to provide support during this period."

Restonstrong had partnered with First Baptist Church of Vienna, Fairfax NAACP and Reston Citizens Association to find housing for the three remaining encampment dwellers.

"It has been a hectic few weeks for our volunteers, residents on the Hill, and all of the partners working to prepare for the closure," Restonstrong said. "This is a testament to the strength and compassion of our community."

Restonstrong thanked Tom Barnett, deputy director of the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness; Cornerstones CEO Kerrie Wilson and her staff; and Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter Alcorn and his staff, particularly Gwenn Minton, for helping to reach a positive outcome.

Related: Call Out To Help 3 Elderly Residents Of Reston Homeless Encampment

“I want to thank county staff, my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, nonprofits Cornerstones and RestonStrong, and the community for all the extraordinary efforts to help unhoused people who were living in an encampment in Reston that has become known as The Hill," Alcorn said, on Tuesday. "This collaboration led with compassion, including opening a temporary overnight shelter. This is not the end of homelessness in Reston, but our efforts are a model for county-community collaboration to meaningfully address homelessness.”

The following is the full text of Restonstrong's announcement on Tuesday morning.

Reston, VA - Restonstrong is happy to report our three seniors on the Hill were moved to a hotel by our volunteers at 9pm September 9th. They were in high spirits and appreciative for the help they received.

A gracious member of the community stepped up after the call for help went out last week and offered temporary accommodations. Restonstrong will cover the hotel expenses for the week until their new short term housing is ready. The county has offered assurance that this emergency arrangement will not impact their qualification for long term housing, which they are on the waitlist for. Restonstrong will cover all utilities, insurance, cleaning and maintenance costs including a live-in house manager to provide support during this period.

It has been a hectic few weeks for our volunteers, residents on the Hill, and all of the partners working to prepare for the closure. This is a testament to the strength and compassion of our community. This is RESTON. WE ARE RESTONSTRONG.

On behalf of Restonstrong and our partners - First Baptist Church of Vienna, Fairfax NAACP and Reston Citizens Association we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who made this happen.

• Walter Alcorn - our Hunter Mill Supervisor and his staff, especially Gwenn Minton - his housing staff aide for her tireless efforts to address the needs of our neighbors in tents.
• Deputy Director Tom Barnett - Office of preventing and ending homelessness.
• Kerrie Wilson - CEO Cornerstones and their staff

These outcomes will not be possible without their efforts. However we celebrate cautiously. We do not want to forget that today's solutions are just temporary - many of our neighbors are moving to Temporary Overnight Shelter (TOS) - a nightly solution and not permanent housing. Much more needs to be done to prevent homelessness in Reston including addressing the desperate need for well funded permanent supportive housing units and services.

In Solidarity,
Restonstrong