Register Today for HomeAid's Housing Forum!
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Director of Homelessness Research Institute to Keynote
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Samantha Batko, director of the Homelessness Research Institute, will keynote HomeAid Northern Virginia's 2017 Housing Forum.
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Thursday, March 30, 2017
Registration: 8:00am
(Registration is Free but Required!)
Program: 8:30am-12pm, followed by a networking lunch
Brookfield Residential, 3201 Jermantown Road, Fairfax, VA 22030
Samantha Batko, director of the Homelessness Research Institute - National Alliance to End Homelessness, will keynote HomeAid's
Annual Housing Forum on March 30, ensuring a fascinating and informative look at trends and best practices in homelessness, homeless assistance, and at-risk populations. Ms. Batko is also known for her ability to translate research into improved homelessness policy and practice, and she and panelists will focus and explore these and other topics during the
"Complex Needs and Promising Solutions: Interventions for Housing and Homeless Service Providers"-themed Forum.
Small group discussions will flow from the morning session's topics, giving attendees a unique and valuable opportunity to meet and learn from shelter partner colleagues, share best practices, and gather take-away strategies from community leaders in the field.
Empower yourself - and learn through collaboration with colleagues - to end homelessness by
registering today!
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HomeAid, CalAtlantic Complete Townhome Renovation for At-Risk Family
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Inside and out, CalAtlantic and trade partners updated and renovated a Cornerstones-owned townhome for a mom and her two children. |
 HomeAid Northern Virginia; Builder Captain
CalAtlantic Homes; and 18 trade partners have completed the renovation of a three-bedroom townhome in Reston owned by
Cornerstones Housing Corporation. The $26,000 invested in the project was donated in full by CalAtlantic and trade partners, enabling Cornerstones to assign a full-time caseworker to the single mother and two children who are now living in the home.
"With the funding we were able to save through the generosity of all who worked on this renovation, a family of three - who were in danger of permanent homelessness - are now benefiting from a caseworker who is providing them with financial and job counseling, educational support, and childcare," said
Michael Scheurer, vice president of housing and community development for Cornerstones. "Having a go-to person will make all the difference for this family, and will allow us to help a single mom reach self-sufficiency within two or three years. If we had a checklist of everything an affordable housing unit should have, this unit has it: easy access to public transportation, a school, a community pool, and shopping. And on top of all that, it's now one of the most nicely renovated and updated properties we have."
CalAtlantic and their team primarily remodeled a badly outdated kitchen, installed new flooring,
painted, and updated ...
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HomeAid Builds on What Matters Most
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Since 2001, HomeAid Northern Virginia has completed more than 114 housing projects for the homeless, with a retail value exceeding $14.6 million. In
2016 alone, we - along with our Builder Captains and Trade Partners - invested more than $1 million into our community, as we completed seven building and renovation projects that impacted 1,871 men, women, and children who were facing homelessness in Northern Virginia. And, we saved shelter partners $677,000 in funding - precious dollars that shelters could instead direct toward programming for their clients.
But our story goes back even further than our own 15 years: In 1989, the homebuilders association in Orange County, Calif., wanted to give back to the community by building homes for the homeless rather than writing a check. The program grew, ultimately inspiring a national charity -
HomeAid America. The organization now has 17 chapters nationwide and has completed the renovation or construction of more than 470 housing projects worth more than $215 million, nearly half of which was donated to the recipient charities by the builders and subcontractors on those projects.
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Change a Life, Using your Time and Talent
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In 2015, more than 30 families in Prince William County joined together to donate 12 baskets full of bathroom supplies and essentials to the Transitional Housing BARN.
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Not everyone works for a homebuilder, and not everyone has the skills needed to build and renovate housing and shelter facilities for HomeAid's shelter partners. But that doesn't mean that you can't volunteer or support HomeAid's mission of building new lives for the homeless!
Some of the best opportunities to help in an impactful way are available through our
Helping Hands program - which provides household essentials, including cookware, bed linens, towels, shower curtains, and dishes, as well as grocery gift cards, to individuals and families moving into recently completed HomeAid projects. These donations also help shelters redirect critically important funding toward programs rather than having to spend it on household items.
"When families in our community are struggling to feed themselves and keep a roof over their heads, there are often only hard choices and tradeoffs that no person would willingly accept for their family," said Cornerstones' CEO,
Kerrie Wilson. "Grocery gift cards received from HomeAid donors and volunteers have empowered people recovering from homelessness by giving them the ability to choose and purchase exactly what their family needs most from
grocery stores - particularly ...
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Christy Zeitz Reflects Back on Her Time with HomeAid
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Christy Zeitz
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In the eight and a half years under
Christy Zeitz's leadership, HomeAid Northern Virginia has grown in every way: Though its mission has not changed, its partnerships, projects, events, and, most importantly, number of people reached have increased exponentially. Although she does not take sole credit for this growth and attributes the success to HomeAid's Board of Directors, Builder Captains and trade partners, donors, and other volunteers, there is little doubt that her leadership has played a large role. This month, Christy leaves HomeAid for a new professional opportunity. She has been named executive director of Fellowship Square, an organization that provides affordable housing for very low-income seniors.
In this Q&A, she looks back on her time with HomeAid and looks forward to a new challenge and finding new ways to help end homelessness.
Q: What has been the biggest change during your time at HomeAid?
A: HomeAid started with a modest plan that it would build or renovate one shelter each year for a service provider in Northern Virginia. By the time that I got involved in 2008, they had started to see that there was a greater need from shelters, and more builders were interested in taking on HomeAid projects. But by 2009, there was a lot of uncertainty in the homebuilder world as the Great Recession was upon us, and none of us knew how things would work out. Amazingly, HomeAid was able to complete all the shelter projects requested of us in 2009 because of the ongoing commitment of the Board of Directors and our Builder Captains. That was certainly one of the proudest moments in HomeAid's history - being able to answer the call to the community in the tough years following the Recession. We also started making changes internally
in how we ...
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If you know someone who is struggling to find housing, please visit our
for help!
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Every donation to HomeAid furthers our mission of building new lives for Northern Virginia's homeless, and helps the people we serve get back on their feet and become productive citizens of society. Help us break the cycle of homelessness by supporting our
Annual Campaign!
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Thank You and Congratulations!
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Christy Zeitz, our executive director for more than eight years, has accepted a new opportunity as executive director of Fellowship Square. We are grateful for her lasting legacy of reducing homelessness in Northern Virginia and giving thousands of people a second chance.
Kristyn Burr, formerly our program and operations manager, has returned to HomeAid from Cornerstones to serve as HomeAid Northern Virginia's executive director, ensuring a seamless transition for our staff, partners, and Board!
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Kristyn Burr (left) and Christy Zeitz (right)
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HomeAid Northern Virginia's
2016 Annual Report is now available! Download it today and learn how HomeAid and our partners helped change the lives of nearly 2,000 men, women, and children who finally had a place to call home in 2016.
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An internship with HomeAid can launch a
career, and HomeAid is now offering internships in a variety of
positions. All offer meaningful, real-world work experience in a small but busy office. Stipends offered! To apply, send a cover letter and resume to
[email protected].
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Call for Builder Captains
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Join HomeAid's growing list of homebuilders in our prestigious
Builders Circle of Excellence; be a Builder Captain and help us rebuild the lives of the homeless! Contact
Kristyn Burr for details on projects of varying scope throughout Northern Virginia.
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Homelessness knows no boundaries. So even in Loudoun County - the richest county in the United States - there are hundreds of homeless individuals, youth, and families who have nowhere to go and nowhere to turn. In 2013, HomeAid Northern Virginia partnered with Builder Captains
Miller & Smith and
Winchester Homes, as well as with
Volunteers of America Chesapeake, to renovate eight apartments at the
Loudoun County Shelter, giving new hope and a warm, safe and stable place to call home. #TBT
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Catch up on the latest housing news from the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association:
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HomeAid America National Conference
March 13-15, 2017
Boulder, CO
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March 30, 2017
Don't miss one of the best opportunities of the year to gather with shelter and housing agency colleagues to network, share best practices, and learn from leaders in the field.
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3rd Annual HomeAid Northern Virginia Golf Tournament
September 22, 2017
7:00 a.m. Breakfast & Registration
8:00 a.m. Shotgun start
Raspberry Falls
Golf & Hunt Club
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November 4, 2017
6:00 p.m.
Lansdowne Resort & Spa
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Don't miss out on next month's issue of
Building Hope.
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