Some of the ways you and your organization can help

Awareness  Know the signs that someone may be at risk of homelessness:

• Inconsistent work history (e.g. hired/fired, hours consistently reduced)
• Difficulty making their rent payments or utility payments
• Difficulty getting along with neighbors
• Difficulty managing their finances
• Untidy apartment (e.g. hording, clutter)
• Behavior that may indicate mental health problems
• Behavior that may indicate potential substance problems

Advocacy  Support community investments in affordable housing

• Dedicated funding to address homelessness
• Creation of a Homeless Trust Fund
• Zoning actions that create affordable units in new/redeveloped properties
• Call for employers to pay a living wage

Direct Action  Invest your organization’s resources

• Participate in Adopt-A-Family programs
• Hold food and clothing drives
• Provide financial, volunteer and in-kind support to non-profits

You can partner with and support these organizations on the front line in the work to prevent homelessness:

Arlington Food Assistance Center is a food pantry that provides supplemental groceries to Arlington families in need.  Area churches can provide food and monetary donations; glean fields and orchards; send groups to volunteer for grocery bagging evenings or major food drives; support AFAC’s Plant a Row for the Hungry program; provide long-term driving teams for grocery store runs.  Contact:  703-845-8486 or visit www.afacinfo.org. 

Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless:  Apartment-style family shelter for up to 12 families; subsidized rental payment program; intensive case management; employment and training services; children’s services – medical, educational, recreational.  Contributors always needed.  Volunteers needed to staff front desk, work with clients and their children, building and ground maintenance.  Contact:  Katie Tressel at 703-525-7177 or visit www.aachhomeless.org

Arlingtonians Meeting Emergency Needs, Inc. (AMEN) provides emergency financial assistance to low-income and homeless Arlington residents. Upon referral by County and private agency social workers, will provide same day funds for emergency needs including rent, medical and dental care, prescriptions, transportation, and work clothes. Congregations can support AMEN by donating funds to AMEN. Contact Geraldine A. Shannon, Executive Director, AMEN, Inc. 703-558-0035 or visit www.emergencyneeds.org

A-SPAN  Provides street outreach, temporary shelter, rental subsidies and eviction prevention, and intensive support services for those in transition from the street or shelters into housing.  Provides bagged meals for the homeless.  A new supportive housing program provides rental subsidies and intensive support services to formerly homeless persons with psychiatric disabilities.  We need your financial and volunteer support.  Contact:  Sarah Morse at 703-842-0168 or visit www.a-span.org. 

CrisisLink provides crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and information and referral services to anyone facing a crisis, trauma, or life transition to empower them to help themselves.  CrisisLink provides access to 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention hotlines (703-527-4077 AND 1800-273- TALK) as well as 2-1-1 VIRGINIA for Northern Virginia residents. 2-1-1 is the 24/7, statewide, easy-to-remember three digit phone number residents can call to be linked with over 22,000 health and human services to meet their needs.  You can help CrisisLink by volunteering on the crisis hotlines or as Community Outreach Volunteers, donating monetarily to support the operation of the programs, donating snacks for our volunteers who answer the hotlines 16 hours out of every day, or by providing CrisisLink with telephone equipment or new office space.   Contact:  703-527-6603 or visit www.crisislink.org. 

Doorways for Women and Families strives to end homelessness and family and intimate partner violence by offering safe shelter and housing, life changing support services and community advocacy.  Your congregation can assist us in our mission by providing volunteers through community service, donations through collection drives or sponsoring families in need year round, and awareness by inviting a staff member to educate your community. For more information  Contact:  703-522-8858 or visit www.doorwaysva.org.   

New Hope Housing Inc provides supportive housing for chronically and treatment-resistant homeless individuals who are unable to comply with the structure of other programs. On-site 24/7 staff offer housing first and then use an engagement approach to build trust and to link residents to services. You can help by volunteering at the site (ex: run life skills groups, provide house coverage, help with lawn care, or plan activities), giving financial contributions and gift certificates or preparing meals.  Contact:  703-465-0520 or visit newhopehousing.org.

Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR)  Works with offenders and ex-offenders in and out of local detention centers and prisons providing them with educational and vocational courses, food vouchers, clothing, transportation tokens, and employment assistance including work clothing and job referrals.  You can help by volunteering as Life Coaches for recently released individuals, contributing to OAR’s Project Christmas Angel for Children of Incarcerated Parents, donating metro cards and food vouchers, just to name a few. Contact Elizabeth Jones at 703-228-7441 or  visit www.oaronline.org.

TOW/PATH programs of the Behavioral Healthcare Division of Department of Human Services.   Outreach to adults with serious mental illness who are also homeless.  This team of three clinicians meets people “where they are” literally – on the street, in a shelter on the doorstep of a public building.  We provide crisis intervention, mental health assessment, general counseling services, appointments and transportation to psychiatric appointments.  We could use referrals even of unnamed individuals, low value fast food gift cards, non-perishable snack items, socks, gloves, info about rooms for rent.  

Virginia Cooperative Extension's Financial Education Program provides free one-on-one financial counseling to discuss financial management concerns, building or repairing credit, or setting financial goals.  Offers numerous money management or financial education classes for free to the public.  Partners with other organizations within the community to address all concerns stemming from financial distress.  We're always looking for new Master Financial Education volunteers, or funding with our programs.  Contact Jennifer Abel at jabel@vt.edu or 703-228-6417.

Volunteers of America Chesapeake – Residential Program Center  We offer a 44- bed Emergency Shelter for single adults; 12-bed Social Model Detoxification unit, 12-bed early Recovery Residential Treatment program.  Donations needed: Personal Hygiene items: toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotion, soap, razors, male and female underwear, towels and washcloths, Holiday dinners.  Contact: 703-228-0014 or visit www.voaches.org.