Best practice guidelines could be in place for county encampment closures, but as two encampments are cleared, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has yet to approve explicit policies for dismantling an encampment.

Mary Paden of the Fairfax NAACP said its Housing Committee is drafting guidelines for closing out encampments with “respect, and dignity.”

According to Paden, as part of its guidelines, the NAACP emphasizes the need for “the county to offer an alternative if they're going to clear people off county land or Park Authority land, they should offer them a place to go.” Consideration should be given to alternate shelters with privacy and storage. Other important practices include public notices of pending encampment closures, independent witnesses, and trained personnel to handle encampment clearances.

Paden noted racial disparities in homelessness, with approximately 50 percent of the homeless population in Fairfax County being Black, a fact verified in the 2024 Point-In-Time Count of the number of people experiencing homelessness. The county reported that 48 percent of people experiencing homelessness identified as being Black, African American, or African. 

“Homelessness is a complicated, uncomfortable, and an increasingly common community challenge.”

Fairfax County lacks policies that guarantee encampment residents have a clear, legal place to go and sufficient alternative and appropriate housing near or readily accessible to the needs of people experiencing homelessness, such as employment, established medical care, and family. The county is not required to notify encampment residents and healthcare/social service providers within a minimum number of days so that they can assess housing needs and meet them. And the county does not assist its homeless residents with packing, moving, and long-term storage of their belongings as they relocate to housing or alternative encampments. Often, as in the case of two recent encampment closures, personal belongings must be left behind, lost forever. People experiencing homelessness often find they have lost critical documents, medication, and more.

Fairfax County Closes Two Encampments in One Week. 

In less than a week, Fairfax County shut down two encampments, one in Reston called "The Hill" on Sept. 10 and the other at the Towers, Thaiss, and Mantua parks in Fairfax City on Sept. 4. The county procedures before and during the clearouts and the services provided to encampment residents differ.

Shortly before 10 a.m. on Sept. 10, Cornerstones staff, Reston Strong members, Fairfax County officials, two county police officers, and others gathered at The Hill in Reston to wait for Fairfax County Facilities Management Department members. Fairfax County's Allyson Pearce, who was present, said that the Facilities Management Department would determine the most effective equipment for clearing the debris in the encampment. All of the encampment residents had left the site.

However, two men scavenged the site; one named George said he was homeless, and the other identified himself as “president of tent city.” Asked if he meant “The Hill,” the man replied, “No,” and explained the other encampment, the one across the street next to the condos and the lake.

Members of Reston Strong installed a tarp in front of the encampment on Fountain Drive that read, “Humanity, not handcuffs.” 

Jerry Poje, a member of Reston Strong and longtime housing activist, said, "Housing is the only solution to homelessness. It's not about moving people into a new encampment. It's not about moving people into a one-week overnight stay somewhere. It's building permanent, accessible, and affordable homes for everybody. ... We need to revivify Bob Simon's vision that all people, of all incomes, can live here now."

Natalie Watkins said she stays at the Temporary Overnight Shelter for people experiencing homelessness who live on The Hill. When asked what changes she would like to see to improve her housing situation, Watkins responded, "I would like to see an increase in the number of bus stops around Reston, access to the Metro and residential areas, and more affordable programs from the [Temporary Overnight Shelter] and Embry Rucker Shelter, but also from the state of Virginia."

When asked where she goes during the day when the TOS is not open, Watkins said she usually looks for organizations seeking volunteers to pick up trash.” She added, “I’m looking for work.” Later, Watkins was seen speaking with someone from Trader Joes in Reston, who stopped by to ask how Trader Joes could assist Reston Strong that day.

For years, the Hill's campsite has existed in the woods on the west side of Fountain Drive in Reston, sandwiched between Inova's Emergency Room and Sunrise at Reston Town Center. On Aug. 27, the county began the official closure of The Hill by attaching statements to its "No Trespassing" signs, stating that they would clear the premises on Sept. 10. The county ordered the removal of all belongings, declaring that anything remaining would be considered abandoned and discarded.

In March 2024, about fifty people lived on The Hill, including some long-term residents like Pops, a senior citizen who told this reporter at the time that he spent almost two years living in his tent, including the winters. He has since secured housing in a county-owned apartment complex a short distance away. Two weeks ago, Pops said in a phone conversation with this reporter he was "doing good.”

Shortly after 3 p.m. on Friday, the day before the camp's closure, Allyson Pearce emailed that 19 people remained at The Hill. 

Friday night, less than four days before the Hill would be cleared, Supervisor Walter Alcorn, representing the Hunter Mill district on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, held a town hall meeting. He said The Hill offered “a safe haven" for those experiencing homelessness. It also “created issues for neighbors." Alcorn described how the parcel with The Hill encampment is part of a larger redevelopment of Reston Town Center that would provide the community with a new regional library and homeless shelter.

Alcorn explained how, in response to the issue of homelessness, knowing the encampment had to come down, they created an alternative for unsheltered people living on The Hill. Fairfax County and non-profit Cornerstones supported the North County Human Services Temporary Overnight Shelter, open daily from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. It is a three-minute walk from The Hill encampment. The Embry Rucker Community Shelter, located a five-minute walk from the campsite, was and remains full at capacity.

Alcorn acknowledged the challenges in financing and bureaucracy for housing people experiencing homelessness. He said 300 state grants to provide more housing vouchers and services for those with serious mental illnesses should be available this fall, but it would be too late for those on The Hill. Alcorn praised the efforts of community members and representatives from Cornerstones and Reston Strong for their time and money making a difference.

Sarah Selvaraj-D'Souza, founder of Reston Strong, a grassroots organization that advocated and supported The Hill’s residents for years, announced positive news during the town hall meeting concerning the eldest residents of The Hill.

“The three seniors are sleeping in a safe hotel room tonight, and on Saturday, they will be going into a temporary housing situation ... a beautiful home, thanks to the community stepping up to make it happen and to Walter’s office for making it happen. This does not happen anywhere else in the county.” 

Selvaraj-D'Souza said that members of Reston Strong, the county’s Office to Prevent and End Homelessness, and others had been in meetings all day to pull this off. “We’ve come together to take care of our neighbors.”

On Saturday, shortly after noon, Supervisor Alcorn released a statement: “I want to thank county staff, my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, nonprofits Cornerstones and RestonStrong, and the community for all the extraordinary efforts to help unhoused people who were living in an encampment in Reston that has become known as The Hill. This collaboration led with compassion, including opening a temporary overnight shelter. This is not the end of homelessness in Reston, but our efforts are a model for county-community collaboration to meaningfully address homelessness.”

The Pumphouse Encampments in Fairfax Circle Area

As for the “pumphouse encampment” located in the woods of Mantua, Thaiss, and Towers parks in the Fairfax Circle area of county near Fairfax City, according to a county spokesperson, the process to assist those residing in Towers Park began in late May. “During the past several months, community outreach workers – working in cooperation with the Office to Prevent and End Homelessness – have met with each person experiencing homelessness who is currently residing in the Tower, Thaiss or Mantua Parks, to assess their individual needs and connect them with customized services.” 

No trespassing signs were posted on Aug. 28 at Towers Park. They indicated the designated clearing day as Sept. 4. Park Authority maintenance staff conducted the dismantling of Towers Park.

On Sept. 8, Tara Ruszkowski of the Lamb Center said, “Today, the most vulnerable members of our community faced displacement as homeless encampments near the Lamb Center in Mantua Park were disassembled. We believe in the dignity of every life and are deeply concerned about where our displaced neighbors will sleep tonight.”

Ruszkowski said that many people assume individuals experiencing homelessness have housing options available to them. She added that the waiting period for beds in County shelters is often 90 days or more and the majority of those displaced from the encampment dismantling “had no alternative but to seek another outdoor location to spend the night.”

“Homelessness is a complicated, uncomfortable, and an increasingly common community challenge. There are no simple answers. It will take all of us working together, grounded in a belief in each person’s dignity, to find compassionate and lasting solutions,” Ruszkowski said.