homeless

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

It’s Election Day — See our election day guide here.

Don’t Give Money To Panhandlers, Say Advocates — What should you give when a panhandler approaches you on the street? Whatever you do, don’t give money, say advocates for the homeless. The Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network recommends giving its new “Arlington County Street Guide,” a pocket-sized information packet for the panhandlers. More from the Sun Gazette.

JetBlue Now Flying Out of DCA — Yesterday marked the first day of JetBlue flights out of Reagan National Airport. The airline is operating seven daily nonstop flights to Boston’s Logan airport, one daily nonstop to Orlando and one daily nonstop to Fort Lauderdale, each out of Terminal A. JetBlue is currently offering a special $49 fare to and from Boston for travel between Dec. 1 and Jan. 31. More from JetBlue.

Arlington Dentist Buys Back Candy — Dr. Michael Rogers of Fairlington Dental has a special offer for trick-or-treaters. He’s offering to pay kids $3 per pound for cavity-causing Halloween candy. He’ll even throw in a free toothbrush. What’s Dr. Rogers going to do with all that candy? He’s going to ship it to our troops in Afghanistan. More from TBD.

Flickr pool photo by Plaszloc.

Homeless Children Arrive at School Well-Supplied

By ARLnow.com

Thanks to generous donations, the 62 homeless youth served by Doorways for Women and Families were able to go back to school today with supply-filled backpacks.

The backpacks contained lunch bags, water bottles, pencils, crayons and even a gift card redeemable for donated clothing.

“The security of starting the school year well prepared will help these children to overcome some of the other uncertainties in their life right now,” Doorways services coordinator Kristen Barnes wrote on the organization’s blog.

Photo courtesy of Doorways.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Awarded HUD Homelessness Grant — Arlington County has been awarded a $540,000 competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The money will help homeless families reunite or remain united by providing them with housing vouchers. With the family placed into housing, the children will no longer need to be placed into foster care. The vouchers will also be used by youth exiting the foster care system. A total of 50 individuals and families are expected to benefit. More from Arlington County.

Virginia Hospital Center Cheaper Than Inova Fairfax — Bloomberg reporter Peter Waldman takes a look at the impact of local hospital monopolies on the cost of medical procedures. According to the article, the average cost of a conventional birth at Arlington’s Virginia Hospital Center is $5,100, compared to $6,750 at Inova Fairfax. An abdominal CT scan costs $1,150 at Virginia Hospital Center, but costs $2,300 at Inova Fairfax. One analyst said the price difference is a result of Inova’s dominance in Northern Virginia.

Business Leaders Still Peeved at HOT Lanes Suit — Arlington business leaders are still fuming at Arlington’s costly lawsuit against High Occupancy Toll lanes on I-395. This time, the Chamber of Commerce is speaking out against the recent naming of Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez as an individual defendant in the suit. Mendez will now have to hire his own attorney and face Arlington’s charge that HOT lanes benefit wealthy white people at the expense of poor minorities, Chamber chairman Philip Keating told TBD.

Arlington Residents Commit 37 Percent of Crime in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Most people arrested for crimes in Arlington live outside Arlington, according to police department booking records.

In 2009, Arlington police arrested 4,599 individuals for crime ranging from eluding to homicide. Of those, only 1,731, or 37.6 percent, listed Arlington as their city of residence.

The remaining 62.4 percent either lived elsewhere or did not list a fixed address.

According to police, 538 individuals listed no fixed address — which amounts to 11.7 percent of all arrests.

Comparable statistics were not available from neighboring jurisdictions.

Volunteer Opp: Back to School Donations

By ARLnow.com

Believe it or not, it’s almost back-to-school time. With August just around the corner, the Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless is seeking volunteers to help the children of homeless families get some new gear.

Specifically, AACH wants individuals or groups to commit to buying a complete outfit — pants, shirt, underwear, socks, shoes — for an individual student. The organization is also accepting donations of gift cards.

The deadline for donations is August 23. To donate, contact Katie Tressel ([email protected]).

A-SPAN Provides Hot Weather Relief

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network has stepped up some of its services in response to the dangerously hot weather.

Executive Director Kathy Sibert says volunteers have been visiting homeless camps in Arlington and handing out ice water-filled water bottles donated by Harris Teeter. A-SPAN has also been opening its drop-in center in Shirlington at 9:00 a.m. instead of the usual 1:00 p.m. And they’re handing out additional water to the 90 people who usually show up for dinner.

Sibert says days like today demonstrate the need for a year-round homeless shelter. Currently, the county only operates an emergency winter shelter.

“Homeless people don’t just exist in the winter, it’s a year-round issue,” Sibert said.

As Temperatures Drop, Winter Shelter Remains Closed

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s Emergency Winter Shelter will remain closed tonight despite gusty winds and temperatures dropping into the upper 30s.

Kathy Sibert, executive director of the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN), says that illustrates the need for a year-round shelter. A-SPAN has been lobbying the county board for funding for such a shelter.

“Homelessness is not just a winter problem, it’s a problem that exists year-round,” Sibert said.

A-SPAN volunteers will distribute bus tokens to individuals who want to head to shelters in Alexandria, Fairfax County or the District tonight.

Anyone who sees someone experiencing a life-threatening emergency — because of the cold or for any other reason — should call 911, said Kurt Larrick, spokesman for the Arlington County Department of Human Services.