Residents complain about deteriorating conditions at the Bailey’s Shelter
The failure of New Hope Housing to adequately manage homeless shelters, including the one in Bailey’s Crossroads, has had a negative impact on clients, as well as staff.
Shelter employees have complained about missing paychecks, suspended benefits, and shelters running out of supplies. Meanwhile, homeless people served by the shelter say conditions have deteriorated in recent months, due to inadequate staffing and lack of services.
New Hope Housing had been operating under a corrective action plan for months. The Fairfax County Office to Prevent and End Homelessness took over management of the Bailey’s Shelter and other shelters previously managed by New Hope while it searches for another organization to step in. Staff are being transitioned to Fairfax County temporary employee status.
A client at the Bailey’s Shelter, who asked to be identified as S.L.T., told Annandale Today he’s had three different case managers in the past two years, and none of them have helped him find a job or housing.
Related story: New Hope Housing contract terminated
Another resident, J, complained about the suspension of Operation Stream Shield, a county program that paid Bailey’s shelter residents $56 for four hours of work, such as picking up litter and weeding on county property.
A spokesperson for OPEH anticipates Operation Stream Shield will resume now that the shelter is under county management.
Without a chance to work or have activities, “we’re just sitting here being bored,” J says. He had been living in his aunt’s basement but had nowhere to go after she sold her house. He lived in a tent by Columbia Pike before securing a spot at the Bailey’s Shelter.
J would like to find a job, possibly doing maintenance or janitorial work, but the shelter has been short-staffed, so he hasn’t gotten much help. He also needs good clothing for job interviews, but the $25 voucher he was given for Goodwill didn’t go far enough.
A shelter resident who goes by the name Underdog also misses the opportunity to earn some cash through Operation Stream Shield.
“The residents here who have ambition and motivation to get out of the shelter have been told the county is coming, but we’re not getting a clear answer about what’s going to happen,” he said.
Related Story: Homeless shelter staff complain about late paychecks, lack of supplies
Underdog says he’s had four or five case managers since he arrived at the shelter in January. The frequent turnover has had a negative impact on morale. He would like to get certified as an HVAC technician, unarmed security guard, welder, or forklift operator, but his current caseworker is too busy with other clients to provide a path forward.
He also complains about the lack of security, noting a resident who lives in one of the permanent supportive housing units on the top floor is selling drugs. He says another resident “hands over her whole disability check to him in exchange for drugs.”
“Everyone knows about Bailey’s,” Underdog says. “They know they can come over here and buy drugs and get high.”
“People are ODing almost every day around here,” he says. “A lot of people are doing drugs outside and come back in and cause disruption.”
In one incident during the especially chaotic hypothermia season, a drunk homeless man peed on his clothes and shoes and faced no consequences, as the staff was overwhelmed. “Staff aren’t trained to handle these types of situations,” he says.
Related story: New Hope Housing director blames the county for late paychecks to shelter staff
“The building is disgusting,” Underdog says. “There are roaches, and two of the apartments are infested with gnats. It’s so sad.” The food is terrible, he says, and is often expired.
When county officials came to the Bailey’s Shelter to talk about their plan to cancel the New Hope Housing contract, he says, “they talked to staff, not residents.”
According to Underdog, some staff members “should no longer work here because of their attitude and lack of respect.” But many others are still showing up even though they haven’t been paid in weeks. He singles out a few of the good ones: Miss Karen, Timothy Hunt, Miss Q, and Miss Betty. He notes that “Mr. Cliff saved a young lady who was overdosing.”
Underdog acknowledges he’s had a rough life, having served time in jail “four or five times,” the most recent time for assault. This is his third time staying at the shelter.
What he wants for the Bailey’s Shelter is “to get the drug dealer out of the building; that will keep the junkies out.”
The people who wants to help the homeless are not hired, or told about these positions.
Maybe looking for local help and usable volunteer help, they can create a better working and living environment for the tenants.
This a brand new shelter that was just opened recently, and much nicer than any other facility. And apparently it has turned to shit almost instantly. Hopefully the county can salvage it.
-Without a chance to work or have activities, “we’re just sitting here being bored,” J says.
-He also needs good clothing for job interviews, but the $25 voucher he was given for Goodwill didn’t go far enough.
At the risk of stating the obvious, this entitled attitude could be why this man is homeless.
No one owes you anything, sir.
To “Employed For 60 Years”: Unless you have been there in their shoes then you have nothing to say!!!
No wonder other districts within the county fight to keep things like this out of their districts, and in Mason District. They can feel good about themselves, and we have to see the aftermath.
And, to boot, even with this homeless shelter not properly serving the homeless, or its own staff, we still have to put up with homeless encampments everywhere.
There are decent people there guy. But a lot of terrible ones. I was homeless. Not because of drugs or mental illness in fact I am a disabled veteran. Had bad luck, a bad situation but I am pulling myself out of with the help of the American legion, and some caring awesome individuals. That shelter is a sh**hole, and entitled is a terrible name to call some of the people in there, yet also appropriate for a few. But like anything bad apples, and terrible ones. There are some awful staff there, and some awesome staff. There are humble, kind,residents but also rife with drugs, and junkies. If someone wants to score, ehhhh they go there,staff scores there too. I stayed one night there. And if there were not open churches I preferred sleeping on the sidewalk. But yeah I am owed something,and the VA is paying up. You don’t owe me anything, but I am owed. Many are so please don’t generalize, and have a good day sir.
It was a hard-fought battle that Supervisor Penny Gross waged to get the Mason District a much-needed state-of-the art homeless shelter several years ago. The County farmed out its daily activities to New Hope Housing. Clearly New Hope Housing is not without blame, however, the County’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness (OPEH) was ultimately responsible for the stewardship of the facility, the staff, and the care of the residents at Bailey’s. OPEH and the Mason Supervisor’s office were aware of the problems there throughout 2024 and 2025. Instead of getting out in front of this issue and finding an alternate vendor by the end of 2024, they extended the contract for 6 months in January 2025 and extended it again in July, 2025. They ended the contract only a day or two after Annandale Today reported on the problems there, 3 months shy of the current contract. That tells you everything you need to know about how little OPEH cares about the homeless and the contractor it chose to manage the facility. One has to believe the county would have left the contract in place another 6 months, so long as the problems there hadn’t come to light.
According to the database Govsalaries.com (Fairfax County Salaries – Virginia), the Fairfax County employees in charge of overseeing the contract with New Hope Housing made the following salaries back in 2024.
2024, Thomas Fleetwood, $251,955,
2024, Thomas Michael Barnett earned $190,247
2024, Sean Read, $156,825
2024, Dee Johnson $105,837,
It is interesting how quiet Supervisor Jimenez has been related to the problems at Bailey’s Shelter throughout 2024 and 2025. He and his staff knew about the problems and chose to do nothing to address them. That is NOT what real leadership looks like!
Jimenez is not a leader. I wouldn’t even want him as a team member. That this wasn’t obvious to my fellow local voters is just sad.
If there’s clean bathrooms and a protected place to sleep, protection from other residents, it’s still better than other homeless alternatives.