A recent survey found fewer homeless people in Fairfax County than there were last year, Sharon Kelso of the Homeless Oversight Committee told the Board of Supervisors March 10, but that does not mean the county is winning the battle against homelessness.
"We all were very highly tempted to sit around that table and pat ourselves on the back," when the results of the Jan. 22 survey were released, she said. The results showed that 1,944 homeless people lived in Fairfax County, down from 2,067 in 2002. But because the number of homeless people fluctuates wildly, it is nearly impossible to get an exact count of homeless people in the county, she added. "On any other day we may take the count and the count may come up differently," she said.
"I am pleasantly surprised," said Board Chairman Katherine Hanley (D-At Large) about the survey results.
"The numbers aren't daunting but they're significant enough to have an impact," said Carla Taylor, a member of the committee.
THE HOMELESS Oversight Committee challenged the board to create at least 10 new affordable housing units in their districts in the next year. Supervisor Catherine Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) proposed a motion that the board accept the challenge, which passed unanimously.
"There've been some real small gains in affordable housing over the last few years and we just want to up the ante," said Taylor. "I was very impressed with Supervisor Hudgins' commitment."
The county is building a fourth homeless shelter in western Fairfax to complement approximately 300 beds that are already available for homeless people in the county. The shelter is being built as part of a proffer from WestGroup, a local developer which is building high-end residential units in Tysons Corner. A new shelter will save the county money, advocates said, because it will allow the county to move homeless families out of motels and into the shelter. Right now, homeless families have to wait an average three months to get into a family shelter. With each shelter housing about 35 families, the waiting list generally hovers around 60 families.
But equally important, said Taylor, is the need for transitional or permanent affordable housing where people moving out of homeless shelters can live.
"We need people to move through the continuum," said Taylor. "For every shelter bed you might need five transitional [spots] to capture the throughput."
THE NUMBER OF emergency requests for financial help to cover the rent or the mortgage has increased by 9 percent between 2001 and 2002 after a 30 percent increase between 2000 and 2001. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment was $1,219 in January 2002, an increase of 3.2 percent over January 2001. The vacancy rate stands at 5.5 percent.
"The best thing we can do for affordable housing is preserve what we've got," said Supervisor Gerald Connolly (D-Providence).
There is not much affordable housing under construction in the county because of the strong housing market, said Taylor.
"What's being built is being built for the high end of the market, not the low end," she said. "As long as there's adequate demand for high end housing that's what's going to be built."
But the softening economy combined with such government programs as the first time homebuyer program or the housing choice voucher program designed to help people find places to live are hopeful signs that the Board of Supervisors could still reduce the number of homeless people in the county, Taylor said.
"There's more they can do but they've got a really thorny challenge on their hands."