Fairfax County is fully committed to providing residents facing vulnerability with a safe place to receive necessary services, in a way that mitigates challenges through a holistic, streamlined, respectful, and individualized approach. The role of local government is to identify people who need support in order to reach their personal level of “self-sufficiency,” which is related to various factors including health (mental and physical), age, and varying levels of personal ability.
While there are basic human needs that must be met, individual circumstances may require a number of supports to address multiple, overlapping challenges that may emerge, evolve, and resolve over time. Therefore, it is critical to ensure a close connection with people facing vulnerability, so situations can be monitored and responded to in an effective manner. The role of caregivers should also be elevated when needed, so that people who want to empower caregivers to advocate for their needs can do so, to the extent possible by law.
While the pandemic enabled many community members to connect using new technology tools, many of our most vulnerable residents suffered from a lack of in-person support, as well as reduced oversight in some situations that compromised their safety, especially those impacting the elderly and children.
