Temporary Overnight Shelter Closes
Hello, neighbor!
It’s been a while since my last newsletter, and that’s mostly because the county’s temporary overnight shelter has been doing a great job ensuring that people have a place to sleep. That program ended today, though.
TL;DR
🛏️ The temporary overnight shelter and the hypothermia program end today
🎒 Made in Reston collected hundreds of backpacks filled with essentials
⛺ The NAACP shared recommendations for addressing encampments
🌤️ Reston Strong opened a new daytime shelter
👨👩👧 The county opened a new family shelter in Fair Oaks today
🏠 More folks from the Hill have housing!
Temporary Overnight Shelter Closes
Every year during the winter months, Cornerstones operates its hypothermia program, which is a no-turn away overnight shelter for anyone experiencing homelessness. This program always ends on April 1. The Temporary Overnight Shelter, which began when the Hill encampment was shut down, also ended today.
With both of these programs ending at the same time, many people will need to find somewhere else to sleep, or else go back to the streets. As I’ll mention below, there’s a new family shelter opening up, but almost everyone from the Hill were single adults. So, many of them are sleeping outside again, including a man I spoke to today who used to live at the Hill.
Backpack Drive
The group Made in Reston collects backpacks for people who experience housing challenges. These backpacks are filled with hygiene supplies, sun protection, waterproof bags for important documents, and other things that are really practical if you spend most of your time outside. Their last backpack drive brought in nearly three hundred backpacks, which were distributed to folks in Reston, Herndon, and Vienna.
Made in Reston also serves people by making meals for day laborers, and they’ve opened a closet for folks to find clothes. The group is led by Rosa Simon, who has also helped several people earn their driver’s licenses by serving as a translator. Check them out if you’d like to help!
NAACP’s Advice
The Fairfax County NAACP branch had concerns about how Fairfax County was clearing encampments, and it shared six recommendations, which the county’s Continuum of Care board addressed. The NAACP recommended that if an encampment truly must be cleared, then the county should: 1. Offer an indoor shelter with overnight accommodation. 2. Give two weeks’ notice before clearing. 3. Send mental health professionals as well as officers trained in de-escalation. 4. Send witnesses, such as lawyers or representatives from civil rights groups. 5. Ensure that nobody being displaced is arrested. 6. Store the people’s belongings so they can retrieve their things.
The county agreed with most of these recommendations. However, they did not believe there should be witnesses (they cited privacy concerns), and they did not think it was practical to store people’s belongings.
These disagreements don’t make a lot of sense. Encampments are normally in public places, so citing privacy concerns is strange. If a cop can show up, why can’t a lawyer? Also, storage for belongings is incredibly important for unhoused people. When an encampment is cleared, that shouldn’t mean that all your possessions suddenly vanish, along with your home.
New Day Shelter in Reston
Reston Strong has opened a new daytime shelter! This shelter has helpful services like a kitchen, clothing closet, and laundry facilities. It also allows folks to be creative in their art studio. They’re open seven days a week from 7AM-7PM.
New Family Shelter in Fair Oaks
The county has converted a former Extended Stay America into a family shelter that can provide up to 85 beds. This is intended to house families staying at shelters in Reston and Falls Church. Ideally, this will make room for folks who are on the waitlist to stay at the Embry Rucker shelter.
Friends from the Hill Find Housing
I’ve very happy to announce that a senior from the Hill just received a housing voucher! He’s sharing a townhouse in Burke with three other men. When I last saw him, he was getting to know the area, and learning what’s in walking distance from him.