Celeste, who found herself experiencing unexpected homelessness, which led her at times to sleep in her car, volunteers to pack up clothing for distribution by Restonstrong.
Permanent supportive housing is the key to ending chronic homelessness. According to Fairfax County, in May of 2024, it received resources in the form of 300 new housing vouchers over the next three years and three new staff positions at the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority to operate the program and construct permanent supportive housing projects.
Yet program gaps remain on the mission to end homelessness, especially for those individuals who are unsheltered. As 2024 comes to a close, Sarah Selvaraj-D'Souza, co-founder of Restonstrong, offered updates of the nonprofit's past, current and future initiatives. The BIPOC-led community action organization addresses basic human needs, sustenance and rest while seeking to break the cycle of homelessness for those who are unsheltered.
Restonstrong is a young, nonprofit organization founded in 2022. The goal of the 100 percent volunteer-powered 501(c)(3) nonprofit is not to replicate services already provided to Reston residents, such as those by the nonprofit Cornerstones, which turned 50 in 2020, but to support and fill gaps wherever possible.
Restonstrong has gained recognition for its boots-on-the-ground service to the most vulnerable residents of Reston, those experiencing homelessness who are unsheltered.
In a Dec. 5, hourlong interview with The Connection, Selvaraj-D'Souza discussed the challenges faced by the former community of 40 unsheltered people experiencing homelessness after they peacefully disbanded their encampment at The Hill in Reston, located on a wooded parcel behind Inova Emergency Center on Baron Cameron Avenue. Selvaraj-D'Souza described the individuals as “drifting,” having lost their emotional resources as everyone “dispersed.”
The Connection has covered Restonstrong initiatives for the last two years, most recently, their support of The Hill encampment, the largest in Fairfax County. In the spring of 2024, when the hypothermia shelter closed on March 31, Restonstrong set up 20 new single-person tents on a wooded parcel known as The Hill and brought in supplies, anticipating 40 people at the encampment. People came, and people stayed.
However, on Aug. 27, Fairfax County posted no trespassing notices, and the encampment peacefully self-disbanded by the posted formal closure date of Sept. 10, with county police present but no arrests. The county closed The Hill to make way for a land swap as the Board of Supervisors envisions redeveloping the property from a collection of irregularly shaped parcels, which are incompatible with next-door Reston Town Center and surrounding development, into a vibrant urban, mixed-use environment. The plan features office, residential and retail spaces, as well as multiple expanded public uses, including the Reston Regional Library, the Embry Rucker Shelter and Supportive Housing, and the North County Human Service Building.
“The encampment was a community," said Selvaraj-D'Souza. "It was their home." They lost their family — their social ties, friends, and protectors. Selvaraj-D'Souza said, "That tie, that society, that social animal that we are — that's what they've lost [when the encampment disbanded].
“They've become part of the long list of numbers that Fairfax County counts of folks who are some nights sleeping at the Temporary Overnight Shelter, some nights at the [Embry Rucker] shelter, and hypothermia, or some nights they're sleeping outside. They've lost that sense of what this was … a neighborhood,” Selvaraj-D'Souza said.
Selvaraj-D'Souza explained that Cornerstones, the service provider that operates the Embry Rucker Community Shelter, the North County Hypothermia Prevention Program, and the North County Human Services Temporary Overnight Shelter with Fairfax County, keeps Restonstrong informed about the status of the former encampment residents they support.
A member of Restonstrong, Mary Barthelson has a weekly call with Cornerstones. They go line by line, updating the housing status of encampment individuals by tent numbers, not names. According to Selvaraj-D'Souza, two years ago, a staff member at the Office of Supervisor Walter Alcorn compiled a list of encampment residents.
“We ask, ‘Are they lined up for housing? Are they having a conversation? Have they done the intake?" Selvaraj-D'Souzaa said. “What the list allows Restonstrong to do is, if they see from the service provider that a former resident of The Hill is ‘not engaging,’ that the client has said they do not want housing or they refuse to take a shelter bed, Restonstrong members offer to have that conversation with the individual.”
“There is a different relationship with Restonstrong than with the service provider [Cornerstones],” said Selvaraj-D'Souza. “We're their advocates … We're able to get the truth. We're able to push back and say, ‘You know, come on, you have to take whatever is offered to you, and then let's look at how we make it work. Because right now, being outside is not a solution for you,’” Selvaraj-D'Souza said.
Selvaraj-D'Souza added that Restonstrong can provide additional resources and ask the unsheltered individuals, ‘What is your biggest challenge? Why are you refusing to do the intake? What are you scared of?’ … Sometimes, the fear stems solely from the document itself,” said Selvaraj-D'Souza. If the client agrees, a member of Restonstrong accompanies them to the intake.
Kerrie Wilson, CEO of the nonprofit Cornerstones and its affiliate, Cornerstones Housing Corporation, has led the organization since 2001. On the county leaders podcast, Wilson said, “We’re partnering with Fairfax County on a strip of land that was unbuildable, but we’re going to build 33 homes for people who right now are unhoused living on the street. And we are going to be there with services and support them … “And, you know, I can’t wait till we cut the ribbon on that and welcome those folks.”
Selvaraj-D'Souza expressed her gratitude and joy for the few former encampment residents who received permanent housing after The Hill disbanded. "We're so thrilled; Pops and Steve, we're happy for them," Selvaraj-D'Souza said.
She told how Charles and Steve of The Hill, later joined by Celeste, newly homeless and unsheltered, spent two months at an interim temporary housing, an unoccupied furnished home in Reston whose owners offered it to Restonstrong for two months. She told how those clients, previously homeless and unsheltered, interacted with Restonstrong volunteers who came by with food and supplies or to chat and welcomed them into their temporary home. The volunteers noticed the residents’ positive emotional growth and mental health changes over the two months they lived in stable housing.
Charles has yet to secure permanent housing. Steve moved into permanent housing on Nov. 25 after staying elsewhere between temporary housing and permanent housing through the efforts of Cornerstones. According to Selvaraj-D'Souza, his donated furniture will arrive on Dec. 10. Selvaraj-D'Souza said Restonstrong stepped in and provided furniture and supplies for him in the interim. Steve has no phone, car or computer. Celeste secured a low-cost apartment on her own and signed a six-month lease.
Many remain homeless and unsheltered this winter; Restonstrong’s planned initiatives are on the horizon. Selvaraj-D'Souza described how people who are unsheltered had options for where to go during the day. They can go to the Reston Regional Library when it is open and the Embry Rucker Shelter on drop-in days. There, they can access hot meals, laundry machines, and shower facilities. They can go to the Wellness Center for a few hours. All are within a block or two of the former encampment.
During the winter months of December through March, Cornerstones partners with Fairfax County to operate the North County Hypothermia Prevention Program at the Embry Rucker Shelter, one of three hypothermia prevention sites in Fairfax County. There is also the Temporary Overnight Night Shelter. Selvaraj-D'Souza said there is no consistency; no one location where they can be with their possessions, whether it is a tent, a sleeping bag, or a tarp tied together. There is “no home,” she said.
Selvaraj-D'Souza discussed their "Hispanic neighbors with identification and documentation issues," who are not eligible for housing and cannot be placed on Cornerstones housing lists due to funding from federal programs. Although they can get a shelter bed, and the availability of the temporary overnight shelter “is a blessing” in that they are able to go in and sleep indoors, “there's a huge gap during the day of a safe and welcoming space they can go into from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m,” she said.
Restonstrong has new initiatives to provide support and advocacy for those experiencing homelessness and who are unsheltered. Restonstrong is working on a day drop-in solution for their “unhoused neighbors” and for members of the greater Reston community.
“It is one of our youth-led initiatives by our 15-year-old volunteers,” Selvaraj-D'Souza said, adding that corporate executives are mentoring the students.
“They are in lease negotiations right now, very close to signing the lease for a space in Reston. This will be totally funded by Restonstrong and by volunteers in the community. It'll provide a warm, welcoming space, as well as food and laundry services down the line, clothing, books, and computer resources if they need things to be printed, a resume, or an application. Volunteers [will be] available to assist them … and it will offer all kinds of classes, from resume writing and GED to candlemaking,” Selvaraj-D'Souza said.
A significant second Restonstrong initiative—remains under wraps, but Selvaraj-D'Souza believes a public announcement is probable in 2025.
____________________________
Fairfax County Point-in-Time Count
National rise in people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
The annual Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Point in Time (PIT) count in Fairfax County over the past three years, conducted on a single night in January, reported 57 unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness in 2022, 113 in 2023, and 86 in 2024. The data is only a sample.
Counting those experiencing homelessness can be daunting and federal funding is vital for all communities, including Fairfax County. Each community receiving HUD funding must conduct a Point-in-Time count in January at least every other year.
Former HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge told ABC News in a Feb. 3, 2024, interview that “It’s not an exact science …. There's no other way at this point for us to count all of the homeless people, so we just do a sample." The 2022 January Point-in-Time Count of those experiencing homelessness in Fairfax County numbered 1,191 people, then 1,310 in 2023, followed by 1,278 in 2024.
Ann Oliva, the CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, testified to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on July 19, 2022, and offered insights on combating homelessness.
“Making evidence-based policy decisions in addition to sustained investments in housing and services at the national level is critical,” Oliva testified. “This includes protecting the affordable housing stock we have, increasing supply, increasing affordability by expanding the Housing Choice Voucher program, and making the services that people want and need more accessible.”
Oliva added, "A critical challenge is the need to address growing unsheltered homelessness. … The nation has seen a rise in unsheltered homelessness every year since 2015. … The unsheltered population includes people with behavioral health conditions; youth and young adults; pregnant women and families living in cars or tents; older adults whose needs can no longer be met in shelters and end up on the street; and many others.”
____________________________
Restonstrong Proposes Hybrid Plan for Local Center
Addressing homelessness, especially for unsheltered individuals, is a daunting task for a single organization or entity. There is a need to look beyond short-term solutions to sustainable housing solutions and use rapid housing-first approaches.
A collaborative cross-government commitment of multiple agencies and partners with different strengths supports much-needed housing supply, well-being support services, and a means of approaching a person’s needs in the context of their relationships, support networks, community and connection to place.
As for a daytime community space, Selvaraj-D'Souza said that on Monday, Dec. 2, Restonstrong tested a model of a mixed community space through a BBQ ribs and wings dinner hosted by the organization at North County Government Center in Reston. The nonprofit organization invited its neighbors, with no exceptions: individuals experiencing homelessness, those unsheltered, and members and leaders of the local community at large, to mix and mingle over dinner.
Selvaraj-D'Souza spoke highly of the success of the Lamb Center in the City of Fairfax and the Aotearoa/New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan. She discussed the notion that if Restonstrong combined the attributes to fit the Reston community, it could provide an innovative resource and approach to a daytime communal space for all.
“We tested it out on Monday night [Dec. 5] ... and hosted 67 people … our first community dinner at the supervisor's office, where he has a community room … They sat together, shoulder to shoulder with each other at the same tables. … Every single person was happy, satisfied, grateful, and enjoyed a meal.”
“I was happy to open up my office’s community room for Restonstrong’s community dinners. They help to build connections, empathy and understanding among our neighbors and community, and I look forward to the continued success of these gatherings,” said Supervisor Walter Alcorn (D-Hunter Mill) of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.