Top 20: Walgreens, 7-Eleven Not Welcome, Babysitter Indicted, Affordable Housing, DNA in Crimes and a Long, Happy Marriage

Top news of the week from our Patches around Virginia and DC.

Patch has 31 community sites in Virginia and D.C. Here are some of the top stories from around the region over the past week. 20. Affordable housing continues to be a major topic of discussion in Alexandria. The Virginia Department of Transportation sold Hunting Point, two eight-story apartment buildings, to a realty firm. Alexandria's City Council had asked that any purchaser not turn the buildings into luxury apartments that could displace its current tenants who require more affordable housing. That message was passed on to the new buyers, according to VDOT, but was not a condition of the sale. 19. On the west side of Alexandria, the City Planning Commission gave the go-ahead to major rezoning in the Beauregard area that will tear down …

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James

4:44 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

I remember that 7/11 on Crestview got robbed pretty recently.   more ›

Loudouners Provide Meals to Needy

Good Shepherd Alliance, Loudoun Interfaith organize meals for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving dinner will be a reality for hundreds of local families who are in need. Loudoun Interfaith Relief started distributing meals over the past weekend, according to Bonnie Inman, Executive Director of Loudoun Interfaith Relief. The organization collected enough Thanksgiving baskets for 2,000 dinners, which included everything to prepare a meal.  In addition, they collected gift cards so families could go out and purchase additional food for the meals, especially turkeys, which are more difficult to distribute due to space. “So far, we have distributed 1,100 meals and we will continue to distribute them until Wednesday afternoon,” Inman said. "We are meeting the current need, thanks to the generosity of the community.  We will be …

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ABC Spotlights Rise in Loudoun's Homeless

The story features the Ashburn-based Good Shepherd Alliance, which tries to help the homeless get back on their feet.

Mobile Hope Van Reaches Out to Homeless Children

The keynote speaker at Inova Loudoun's annual Community Affairs Summit luncheon recounts a career teaching homeless children.

Loudoun‘s ahead of Fairfax again – by a whisker thin margin, it's the richest county in the United States – maybe in the universe. So there’s no problem with homeless children here. Right? Wrong, said Donna Fortier, Inova Loudoun Hospital’s community affairs executive, to the nearly 200 guests at the 4th annual Chaplaincy and Community Affairs Summit, hosted by the hospital at the National Conference Center in Leesburg. The theme for 2011 is “Focusing on the homeless children in our community.” Public schools in Loudoun tallied 659 homeless children, ages 18 and younger, in the 2010 school year, Fortier said. There are surely more, and close to 40 percent of them have no identified parent or guardian. And most programs that reach out to …

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GSA Walk for Shelter Helps the Homeless

The Good Shepard Alliance shunned wet weather to raise awareness and funds for Loudoun's less fortunate.

A large crowd of Good Shepherd Alliance walkers assembled at the Douglass Community Center to walk down East Market Street, raising funds and awareness for the Loudoun's homeless. At the Douglass Community Center, the Common Ground Church supplied plenty of food, a DJ, moon bounces and more for participants to enjoy after the walk. Former Washington Redskins wide receiver James Thrash kicked off the walk with a few words about the importance of community. The overcast sky led way to a rainy walk, but spirits were high as walkers enjoyed each other's company and shared umbrellas to keep dry.

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The Intractable Problem of Homelessness

This weekend's Old Tyme Country Fair benefits those in Loudoun experiencing economic woes.

Homelessness in Loudoun County doesn’t look the same as it does in Metropolitan Washington, or even in neighboring Fairfax. Nonetheless, for those who fall into that situation, there are needs. “It’s much different here from what people typically associate with homelessness,” states Vickie Koth, executive director for the Good Shepherd Alliance, an Ashburn-based nonprofit created to help people get back on their feet. “The homeless here are not usually chronic homeless.” Not that the chronic homeless don’t exist in Loudoun, of course – Koth can cite examples of individuals and even families that have been homeless for years – but they are outnumbered by those who find themselves temporarily homeless and struggling to return to a stable …

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Mark Gunderman

5:51 pm on Monday, June 13, 2011

GSA has developed critical programming to meet the needs of homeless people. Our Six Steps Stage Development Model assesses the needs of homeless people and attempts to engage them in accessing support services such as shelter, clothes, and food, financial and medical aid. The children of homeless parents are assisted in registering in nearby public schools. Homelessness can have detrimental …   more ›

The Season of Giving Back

Various charitable opportunities are available for those who wish to time or money

The month of December is important to various religious folks with Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Bohdi Day and the winter solstice all occurring this time of year. Here are a few area organizations that offer you ways to help others who are less fortunate during the holiday season:  

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