NVFS to Operate Hilda Barg Homeless Prevention Center
(Oakton, Va., May 14, 2015) Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) has been selected by Prince William County to manage the Hilda Barg Homeless Prevention Center (HPC), the county-owned emergency shelter for families and singles located at 14945 Jefferson Davis Highway in Woodbridge. NVFS will assume operations on July 1, 2015, from Action in Community Through Service (ACTS), which had managed the shelter contract since Oct. 2013.
The Hilda Barg Homeless Prevention Center joins NVFS’ SERVE Family Shelter in Manassas and a portfolio of NVFS housing and support services in the Greater Prince William Area that includes affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, the Hunger Resource Center, emergency assistance, health access, life skills training, employment and entrepreneurship services, Healthy Families child abuse prevention program, and Early Head Start. With SERVE’s 92-bed shelter and Hilda Barg’s 30-bed facility, NVFS will manage 87 percent of the emergency shelter options in Prince William County.
“NVFS is committed to comprehensive, long-term case management for our clients,” said Mary Agee, the nonprofit organization’s president and CEO. “Most of our shelter residents experience some sort of destabilizing event, whether it’s the sudden loss of a job, an accident or a surprise medical diagnosis. NVFS is committed to helping our clients overcome these life challenges – through our programs and services and through supportive programs offered by our community partners like ACTS.”
NVFS has earned national acclaim for its rapid rehousing model at SERVE, presenting at several national conferences and providing technical support to homelessness program providers throughout the region. Since 2009, the agency adopted a “Housing First” service philosophy, decreasing the number of nights residents spent at SERVE and, ultimately, providing more stability in families’ road to self-reliance. NVFS’ best practices align with federal and state goals to prevent and end homelessness. The SERVE program has received rapid re-housing certification by the National Alliance to End Homelessness for having met national benchmarks.
NVFS and ACTS plan for a smooth management transition to minimize the potential disruption to clients. In fact, ACTS intends to completely renovate the shelter’s kitchen this summer, which was a generous donation through a bequest to enhance the infrastructure of the shelter. “In consultation with ACTS staff, the County, and volunteers who provide daily meals to shelter residents, we have decided to provide the shelter with a new, state-of-the-art kitchen that will benefit the residents and volunteers for many years to come,” said Steven Liga, ACTS CEO.
“Just as SERVE has supported the residents of the Greater Prince William Area for 40 years, NVFS will ensure that the Hilda Barg HPC remains a community resource for the residents of Woodbridge,” added Agee.
When asked about the transition, the shelter’s namesake, Hilda Barg, said: “It has been my life’s work to ensure all Prince William County residents have a safe and comfortable place to live. While working toward finding their own homes, I am pleased to know that this facility will continue to be here for those who need it.”
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Northern Virginia Family Service is the largest private, nonprofit human service organization in Northern Virginia. NVFS helps nearly 34,000 individuals and their families each year find housing and emergency services; anti-hunger programs; health and mental health services; early childhood education and child placement services; intervention and prevention programs; job training; and legal services. Throughout its history, NVFS has been recognized as an innovator of efficient and comprehensive service methods, while effectively creating sustained financial and social independence for its clients. 2014 marked the 90th anniversary of NVFS.
Action in Community Through Service (ACTS) is a private, nonprofit organization serving the residents of the Greater Prince William Area. Founded in 1969, ACTS’ mission is to alleviate hunger, homelessness and interpersonal violence in order to help individuals achieve self-sufficiency. Services include the Food Pantry, Beverly Warren Homeless Shelter, an anonymous crisis telephone service, a comprehensive domestic violence prevention and intervention program, support groups for suicide survivors and their loved ones, and the only sexual assault crisis center serving Prince William County.