Tag: social services
Economic Mobility Pilot distributes cash payments
A randomly selected group of lower-income Fairfax County households are receiving cash payments as part of a pilot program to promote economic mobility.
The Chris Atwood Foundation helps people struggling with substance abuse
For those burdened by substance abuse addiction, the Chris Atwood Foundation offers a helping hand. The organization helps people get into detox and offers peer recovery coaching and support, harm reduction services, housing assistance, support for the families of addicts, Narcan kits, and help with health insurance, food, employment, and legal documents. The Chris Atwood … Continued
The Future for Annandale: An open letter to Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez
By Dan McKinnon It was 54 years ago when my family arrived in Annandale, thanks to the U.S. Navy. We bought a townhouse; I complained, and wound up president of the Pinecrest Heights Community Association. We saw neighbors picking up trash on Little River Turnpike and guiltily joined because we had yet to pay Virginia … Continued
Healthcare, education, safety initiatives in the works for Culmore
A new project in Culmore is connecting residents to healthcare, education, afterschool programs, and much more in their own neighborhood. The Culmore and Bailey’s Crossroads Place-Based Initiative (PBI) is creating a hub for community-serving programs at Culmore United Methodist Church. The PBI, run by George Mason University’s College of Public Health, is a coalition of … Continued
Fairmont Gardens residents worry about crime, drugs, and children’s safety
Residents of Fairmont Gardens are concerned about crime, drug abuse, keeping children and teens safe, and fear of retaliation if they call the police. Those are the major themes that emerged at a Town Hall convened on April 18 by the Opportunity Neighborhoods–Annandale program. Nearly 70 people showed up to hear from county, school, and … Continued
Culinary training available for offenders
The Office of the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney and its partner agencies celebrated the anniversary of the Taking Root diversion program and announced a new component to teach graduates culinary skills. Taking Root provides extensive, individualized services to people charged with non-violent offenses. Offenders accepted into the program receive case management, mental health assessments, substance … Continued
Nonprofit for foster kids moves to Annandale
UMFS, a statewide nonprofit that provides services to at-risk children, relocated its Northern Virginia office last week to a space inside the Annandale United Methodist Church on Columbia Pike. The organization helps find foster parents for children who’ve been removed from their birth parents, trains foster parents to help children who’ve experienced trauma, and helps … Continued
Public input sought on new community space in Annandale
The public is invited to a community engagement forum to provide input on the new community space at the Heritage Mall shopping center in Annandale. There are three sessions: Oct. 13, Oct. 27, and Nov. 3. All three meetings are 6:30-8:30 p.m. at 7611 Little River Turnpike in Annandale. Related story: Discussions underway on a … Continued
GMU project engages with residents of Culmore and Bailey’s Crossroads
George Mason University is spearheading a place-based initiative to bring together residents of Culmore and Bailey’s Crossroads and the organizations that serve them. The project will develop an action plan “to solve systemic-level issues.” Project Manager Katie Wilson of GMU described the Place-Based Initiative (PBI) for Bailey’s Crossroads and Culmore, known unofficially as the Culmore … Continued
Mason District has some of the neediest areas in Fairfax County
The 2022 Needs Assessment recently published by Fairfax County confirms that some of the neediest areas are in Bailey’s Crossroads and Annandale. The current Needs Assessment report documents economic conditions and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The data helps county officials and others respond quickly to emerging community needs. It also suggests strategies for … Continued
Design revealed for Patrick Henry Place
Plans are moving forward to replace the Patrick Henry Emergency Shelter in Seven Corners with a larger facility. The new building will provide permanent supportive housing for families facing homelessness. The project had been delayed while Fairfax County worked out land acquisition and other issues with the Hollybrooke II Condominium Association, which owns the property. … Continued
Lincolnia church opens its doors to Afghani refugees
Rev. Sarah Scherschligt of Peace Lutheran Church officially opens a refugee resettlement center at the church. Peace Lutheran Church is extending its welcome to Afghani refugees through the opening of a new refugee resettlement center in its building operated by the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS). Many of the refugees evacuated from Afghanistan after … Continued
Community center coming to Annandale
Plans are moving forward for the establishment of a community resource center in the Heritage Shopping Center in Annandale. Construction is expected to start in early 2022, said Supervisor James Walkinshaw (Braddock). Fairfax County signed a lease with the Webb Cos. for a 1,200-square-foot long-vacant space formerly occupied by CrossFit Annandale.
Haven of Northern Virginia reopens for in-person grief counseling
Haven is based in a former farmhouse that is more than 100 years old. Haven of Northern Virginia, a nonprofit based in Annandale that helps people deal with grief, has reopened for in-person counseling. Haven offers emotional support to the bereaved and their families and friends through one-on-one counseling and support groups led by well-trained … Continued
Residents of Annandale’s ‘opportunity neighborhoods’ work on action plans
ON-Annandale community organizer Nayely Lopez surveys residents of Fairmont Gardens. [FACETS] The biggest concerns among residents of Annandale’s Opportunity Neighborhoods are security and safety; children’s issues; and apartment issues. That’s the chief finding of a survey conducted by volunteers with FACETS, the nonprofit organization coordinating the ON-Annandale initiative.