Homelessness Task Force

UPDATE: The Homelessness Task Force hosted a Community Feedback Roundtable from 6-8 p.m. May 16 at the Sherwood Community Center (3740 Blenheim Blvd.) for feedback on the draft of recommendations (click here to review and download). The task force presented their final recommendations to the City Council on June 25, 2024. Read the final report.

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Fairfax City has established a homelessness task force to address the impact of homelessness within the city, for both individuals experiencing homelessness and the greater community.

Led by Councilmember So Lim and Councilmember Kate Doyle Feingold, with Mayor Catherine Read, the task force is comprised of city residents and representatives from city businesses (including at least one representative from Fairfax Circle businesses). Lesley Abashian, director of the City of Fairfax Human Services Office, serves as advisor and staff support for the task force.

On the task force are representatives from human service organizations connected to the Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness service continuum, including the Lamb Center, FACETS, A Place to Stand, and the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board.

Key partners of the task force include the City of Fairfax Human Services Office, City of Fairfax Police Department, City of Fairfax Fire Department (including a community paramedic), the Fairfax City Office of Economic Development, the Fairfax County Office to Prevent and End Homelessness, City of Fairfax Regional Library, and the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.

Task force members were chosen through an application/interview process to ensure membership reflects diverse stakeholder perspectives. The complete list of task force members is listed on the Homelessness Task Force webpage: fairfaxva.gov/homelesstaskforce.