homeless

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Changes on Tap at Harry’s in Clarendon — Harry’s Tap Room (2800 Clarendon Blvd) is getting a new name and some new food. Renovations at the Clarendon restaurant are expected to begin later this month. When it reopens three weeks later, it will be re-branded as “Market Tavern” and will have a revised food focus. [Bisnow]

Discount on Signature Theater Tickets — Shirlington’s award-winning Signature Theater is offering 15 percent off tickets at the Signature box office when theater-goers present their library card. Two new Signature productions, A Second Chance and Hairspray, will start next month. [Arlington Public Library]

Housing for the Homeless — This week volunteers canvased the streets of Arlington in an effort to identify the 100 most vulnerable homeless individuals in the county. Part of the 100 Homes campaign, the results of the survey will be used to determine which chronically homeless persons will be moved to permanent housing. Findings from the surveys are being presented today to elected officials and to the public. [Washington Examiner, 100 Homes Arlington]

Flickr pool photo by divaknevil

Volunteer Opp: Help Arlington’s ‘100 Homes’ Campaign

By ARLnow.com

Arlington is seeking volunteers to scour the streets next month and find the county’s most vulnerable homeless citizens.

The effort is part of the county’s 100 Homes Campaign, which will try to cut “chronic homelessness” in Arlington in half by July 2013. The campaign will place some of Arlington’s most medically-vulnerable homeless individuals — described as “those most likely to die if not housed quickly” — in permanent supportive housing.

The county is looking for volunteer surveyors, data entry personnel and headquarters staff to work from Oct. 17-19. Surveyors will be asked to go out in teams and interview homeless individuals from 3:30 to 7:30 a.m., while data entry will be done between 6:30 and 9:00 a.m. More information on volunteering can be found on the 100 Homes Arlington web site.

“We have made great strides in addressing homelessness in Arlington, but our work is far from complete,” County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said in a statement. “The 100 Homes Campaign brings important focus to helping some of the most vulnerable members of our community – those living on the streets.”

Arlington’s campaign, co-chaired by County Board member and state Senate candidate Barbara Favola and Shooshan Company president John Shooshan, is based on the national 100,000 Homes campaign.

Heat Advisory in Effect Today

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 9:00 a.m.) Arlington and the rest of the D.C. region is under a heat advisory from noon to 8:00 p.m., as temperatures are expected to soar this afternoon.

Forecasters are predicting a high temperature of 96 degrees, with heat index values reaching into the 100s. Some forecasts even have the temperature hitting 100 today.

As a result of the dangerous heat, Arlington’s Office of Emergency Management issued the following advice this morning.

A HEAT ADVISORY MEANS THAT A PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS…STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM…STAY OUT OF THE SUN…AND CHECK IN ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.

TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS IF YOU WORK OR SPEND TIME OUTSIDE. WHEN POSSIBLE…RESCHEDULE STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES TO EARLY MORNING OR EVENING. KNOW THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE. WEAR LIGHT WEIGHT AND LOOSE FITTING CLOTHING WHEN POSSIBLE AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER.

TO REDUCE RISK DURING OUTDOOR WORK…THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHEDULING FREQUENT REST BREAKS IN SHADED OR AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE OVERCOME BY HEAT SHOULD BE MOVED TO A COOL AND SHADED LOCATION. HEAT STROKE IS AN EMERGENCY – CALL 9 1 1.

In response to the heat, the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network is opening its main office at 2708-B S. Nelson Street early, at 9:30 this morning. Homeless individuals will be able to go inside the office to get cool.

A-SPAN is requesting donations of bottled water to distribute to those remaining on the street. The organization is also requesting assistance in locating any street person who may be suffering from a heat-related medical condition. A-SPAN can be reached at 703-820-4357.

“It’s very important that we get people indoors today,” A-SPAN Executive Director Kathleen Sibert said in a statement. “The extreme heat is just as deadly as the extreme cold of winter and that’s why we’re opening up so much earlier today. If possible, when you go out today, bring an extra bottle of water with you and share it with someone on the street.”

Photo courtesy A-SPAN

Homeless Population Declines in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

The homeless population in Arlington fell by 13 percent from 2010 to 2011, according to a new study.

An annual count of the region’s homeless conducted by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments showed that region-wide, the homeless population rose by 2 percent to 11,988 as of January 2011. But the homeless population in Arlington declined from 531 to 461 during that same period, a drop of 13 percent.

The study found that there were 65 homeless families in Arlington, consisting of 81 adults and 112 children. Of the adults in homeless families, 38 percent are employed, according to the report.

Screen capture via YouTube

With Shelter Closed, Arlington’s Homeless Look for New Places to Sleep

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County’s emergency winter shelter is now closed, and the dozens of homeless individuals who stay there will be looking for a new place to sleep tonight.

About 50 percent of the shelter’s clients will stay in Arlington County over the summer, according to shelter director Olivia Payton. Most others will go to Fairfax, Bailey’s Crossroads, Alexandria and the District, where shelters remain open year-round.

Those who do stay in Arlington will sleep in parks, under bridges, and in wooded encampments. John Rotalsky, who slept at the shelter last night, said he will likely sleep in an encampment near Gateway Park and the Mt. Vernon Trail in Rosslyn tonight.

“We can go to the national parkland, stay there at night, and pack out in the daytime,” he said. “They let us do that.”

Rotalsky, whose religious convictions are documented in a recent online video, said the service provided to the homeless in Arlington “is a huge blessing.”

“Arlington County is just light years better than anything else in this area,” Rotalsky said. “I have not been threatened in the three and a half months that I have been living there. No one has tried to shake me down or rob me, and that’s normal stuff in D.C. shelters.”

The county mandates that the shelter only remain open from Nov. 1 to March 31. The Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN), which runs the shelter, has been pushing for a year-round shelter in Arlington for some time now. Such a shelter is needed, especially during spring cold snaps and summer heatwaves, they say. The County Board formally set the goal of establishing a new, year-round shelter last month. First, however, a location for the new shelter must be found.

While A-SPAN does not operate a shelter in the warmer weather months, it still provides services via volunteers who travel the county bringing food and supplies to homeless individuals and through its Opportunity Place headquarters in Shirlington. A-SPAN also tries to place homeless individuals into permanent housing, but those resources are limited.

Rotalsky says he looks forward to the day when the county is able to open a year-round shelter.

“It’s a real treat staying here at the A-SPAN shelter,” he said. “I don’t want to leave.”

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Schools Operating on Normal Schedule — Arlington Public Schools are operating under a normal schedule this morning, despite a combination of rain, snow and slush that’s making travel a bit tricky for drivers. No word yet on whether students will be sent home early from school. Schools will close two hours early. Heavy snow is expected to start falling later this afternoon.

Homeless Count Scheduled for Today — Despite the inclement weather, volunteers are expected to head out to all corners of the county today to count the number of homeless individuals in Arlington. The count will be used to determine levels of federal and state aid, and to measure the effectiveness of the county’s homeless services. Among those participating in the count will be U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Ron Sims. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Heights Debates Next Neighborhood Project — The Arlington Heights Civic Association is taking suggestions on how to spend the next round of possible Neighborhood Conservation funds. [Pike Wire]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

New Library Catalog System Coming Mid-February — Arlington Public Libraries will be rolling out a new online catalog system that includes a feature that sends you a text message when a book you had on hold becomes available. The system should launch mid-February. [Library Blog]

Penrose Square Ramps Up Marketing — The new Penrose Square apartments on Columbia Pike have a slick new web site. The site markets the apartments as “urban apartment homes” in a “LEED-influenced” building.” Residents are expected to start moving in in May. [Pike Wire]

Arlington Receives Homeless Prevention Grant — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $1.28 million in grant funding to Arlington for homeless assistance programs. The county is looking for a potential location for a permanent homeless shelter to replace its current emergency winter shelter in Courthouse. [Sun Gazette]

New Va. Dem Chair Moran Blasts Transportation Plan — New Virginia Democratic party chair Brian Moran is critical of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s (R) plan to borrow billions to spend on transportation projects. “It’s frankly money we do not have,” he said on WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show. “Arlington is a wonderful place to live and work,” Moran added, after co-host Tom Sherwood jokingly suggested that the governor “obliterate Arlington and make a big interchange.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

A-SPAN Holding Christmas Eve Dinner for Local Homeless

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network is holding a Christmas Eve dinner for homeless individuals at the county’s Emergency Winter Shelter in Courthouse.

The non-profit issued the following press release about the event.

A-SPAN staff, local volunteers and community religious and business organizations have joined forces to serve a festive dinner at Arlington’s Emergency Winter Shelter (EWS), on Christmas Eve. A stuffed turkey has been donated by Temple Rodef Shalom and an assortment of pies and cookie plates for dessert has been donated by Harris Teeter. Dinner set up will begin at 5:30 pm and served to clients from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. The EWS is located at 2049 N. 15th Street, across from the Arlington Courthouse.

Early frigid temperatures have filled the EWS to an average capacity of 60 clients with over 3,000 bed nights so far this season, which began on November 1st and runs through March 31st, 2011. When temperatures reach 32 degrees, the shelter remains open for clients 24 hours. Regular EWS hours are 4:00 pm to 9:00 am, with dinner, showers, social services and breakfast provided.

A-SPAN provides life-sustaining services for Arlington’s homeless, which include daily street outreach, drop-in services such as showers, laundry, and food, and a bagged meal program serving up to 80 individuals 365 days a year. In addition, from November 1- March 31, A-SPAN operates the Arlington County Emergency Winter Shelter. The current economic and unemployment crisis has driven client numbers from 940 to 1740 this year. A-SPAN offers a wide variety of case management services through the Permanent Supportive Housing Program and the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, which is funded by the Federal Stimulus.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Pentagon Metro Station Closed — The Pentagon Metro Station has been closed due to a suspicious package, reports Dr. Gridlock. Trains are still passing through the station.

Boy Scouts Enter Homeless Shelter Debate — At the county board meeting over the weekend, there was an unusual moment when a speaker used his time at the podium to ask questions rather than pontificate. That questioner was Spencer Cobb of Boy Scout Troop 167, who was inquiring about the possibility of a year-round homeless shelter as part of his citizenship project. There are 530 homeless individuals in Arlington, county officials estimate. More from the Sun Gazette.

Eventide General Manager Departs — Changes may be in the works at Clarendon’s Eventide restaurant, which just lost its general manager and bar manager to “differences” with restaurant partners. More from TBD.

SoberRide Nears Milestone — The regional SoberRide program, which funds free cab rides for people who’ve had too much to drink on certain holidays, is approaching its 50,000th ride. Organizers hope to reach that mark by New Year’s Day. Of note: Arlington’s Red Top Cab provides and staffs the call center that dispatches the cabs, a service worth nearly $50,000. More from the Washington Post.

Flickr pool photo by Reid Kasprowicz

A Look Inside the County’s Emergency Winter Shelter

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s emergency winter shelter in Courthouse is now open and serving dozens of homeless individuals. On Saturday, reporters got a tour of the facility.

The Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network, which runs the shelter, gave the tour in advance of the group’s Community Walk for Homelessness. The group highlighted the shelter’s housing case management, nursing services and mental health services.

Also emphasized during the tour was A-SPAN’s big push for the funding and resources needed to operate the shelter year-round.

“Homelessness is not a five month issue, it’s a 12 month issue,” said Kathy Sibert, A-SPAN’s executive director. Newly re-elected congressman Jim Moran, who stopped by to offer words of encouragement, agreed.

“I would like for [the shelter] to be all year round,” he said. “We have people in the community who ought not suffer when we have the resources we do.”

The shelter can only stay open from Nov. 1 to March 31 due to insufficient funding and building code issues, Sibert said. If the shelter is to operate year-round, a new facility and additional funding must be obtained. A-SPAN is working with county staff and the county board to figure out a way to turn its vision of a year-round shelter into reality.

The current shelter facility is remarkably clean and well-kept — Sibert places an emphasis on cleanliness — but there’s no hiding the fact that it’s in an aging building that’s probably just a few years away from being torn down to make way for new development.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Aurora Hills Roof Replacement — The Aurora Hills library and senior center is getting a new roof. The $240,000 project is set to begin on Thursday, Nov. 18. It will take about two months to complete, but the facilities will remain open — work will be done performed in the morning. More from the Library Blog.

Emergency Winter Shelter is Open — Arlington’s emergency winter shelter has opened for those in need of warmth, food and a roof over their head. The Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network is seeking volunteers 18 years or older to work at the shelter, at 2049 North 15th Street in Courthouse. More from ASPAN.

Civil War “Living History” Event in North Arlington — Civil War buffs will be flocking to Fort Ethan Allen Park (3829 North Stafford Street) on Saturday, for an event featuring reenactments and historical interpretations. Attendees will also enjoy marching reenactments, a Civil War medical exhibit, a women’s history exhibit, and activities for kids.  The event is happening from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. More from Arlington County Parks.

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