County of Fairfax, Virginia
To protect and enrich the quality of life for the people, neighborhoods
and diverse communities of Fairfax County
February 2023
Dear Chairman McKay and Members of the Board of Supervisors,
The Advisory Social Services Board (ASSB) presents this annual report on the services provided by the Department of Family Services (DFS) and the outcomes DFS achieved in 2022. The ASSB is required under the Code of Virginia to issue an annual report on the department’s activities, and as this report shows, the need for DFS services remains high throughout Fairfax County. In particular, the ASSB in 2022 studied the intersection between housing policy and DFS outcomes, with the ASSB concluding the Board of Supervisors must continue to take greater measures to expand the amount of housing—both affordable and market-rate—in order to continue to improve the quality of life for residents DFS works tirelessly to promote.
Over the past year, the ASSB focused its meetings on the intersection of housing and the needs of vulnerable groups such as older adults, victims of domestic violence, and families with children. Crucially, the ASSB discovered, the success of programs and services in DFS often depended on the affordability and availability of housing.
These essential services, as well as others offered by DFS through the divisions of Adult and Aging; Children, Youth, and Families; Domestic and Sexual Violence Services; and Public Assistance and Employment Services continue to help people in need and provide assistance through prevention programs, avoiding the need for more serious, and expensive, actions later. We know with critical early intervention children are more likely to be successful in school, teens are more likely to be engaged in work or educational pursuits, adults are more likely to own homes and businesses, and older adults are more likely to remain active and independent. These elements form the foundation of our robust community here in Fairfax County.
As a result, we strongly believe that (1) successful programs in DFS and throughout the Health, Housing, and Human Services system must remain funded and be allowed to expand to meet demand as needed throughout Fairfax County, and (2) reforms should be implemented to fully meet the demand for housing in Fairfax County. Ideally, the board should take the steps necessary to study, develop, and implement zoning reforms; change our county’s proffer system; increase the amount of housing available to families with extremely low-income; and update land development policies (such as converting underutilized commercial office space to housing) to both increase the amount of and reduce the cost of housing.
Finally, the ASSB remains proud of DFS’ accomplishments in another year marked by the county’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. DFS took many of the new initiatives and innovations in delivering services developed in 2020 and 2021 and applied them to the long-term benefit of the community in 2022.
As we build upon our accomplishments, we look forward to working collaboratively with the county to address the challenges of affordable housing and providing stability, opportunity, and the improvement of people’s lives.
Sincerely,
David T.S. Jonas, Chair
Advisory Social Services Board
*Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all county programs, services and activities. To request reasonable accommodations or to receive this information in an alternate format, contact Kristina Jordan by email or call 703-324-7741, TTY 711.
