Loudoun To Run Daytime Shelter

Action Keeps Drop-In Center In Leesburg

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to take over the operation of a drop-in center for the homeless from a nonprofit organization, citing a growing demand for social services in the county and a desire to have more control over the way the services are delivered.

The faith-based nonprofit group, Good Shepherd Alliance, is the county's largest and oldest provider for the homeless. Recently, however, the group has clashed with county officials and the community over where the daytime drop-in center should be, leaving the future of the center -- where the homeless can shower, do laundry and have a meal -- in question.

Supervisor Lori L. Waters (R-Broad Run) proposed the measure, in part to prevent establishment of a new center in a residential area in her Ashburn district. Hundreds of residents have spoken out against that option, demanding that the drop-in center remain in Leesburg.

"Residents have asked for the county to step up in this area, so I think this is a win for the population that most needs the services as well as a win for the community," Waters said yesterday.

The decision is a departure for the Republican-led board, which has praised the tax-saving role that nonprofit groups play by providing services to the community. Supervisors agreed to take on $100,000 in upgrades and $2,300 in monthly rent needed to keep the Leesburg center running.

It was a necessary move, said Waters, who said she thinks Good Shepherd Alliance cannot handle the needs of the fast-growing county and its homeless population.

This year, Loudoun census-takers counted 211 homeless people, 27 more than last year. But the count doesn't tell the whole story, advocates say.

Good Shepherd Alliance has turned away more than 700 people looking for space in its shelters this year. The Volunteers of America, which operates two Loudoun shelters, turns away an average of 60 to 70 people a month.

Part of the challenge has been the change in the county as it has transformed from a rural to a suburban community, said Andy Johnston, executive director of Loudoun Cares, a service and referral organization. Rents have shot up, he said, and finding a place for a homeless shelter has become virtually impossible amid dense, well-heeled subdivisions.

Moreover, he said, there has been a cultural shift toward a more suburban lifestyle in which people turn to government rather than charities to solve social problems. "In the past, the church took care of people, and that was that," he said.

Waters said she thinks that it is more than just a demographic shift. Good Shepherd has had numerous problems in recent years, including a stabbing at one of its shelters. Last year, the organization abruptly shut down its shelter for single men, leaving nowhere for single, homeless men in Loudoun to go.

The problem was exacerbated by the group's subsequent announcement that it would discontinue its cold-weather emergency shelter, which had been its office, the desks and chairs moved at night to make room for cots.

Good Shepherd has lashed back, saying it has carried the primary burden for the homeless for a quarter-century. "No one has done more in Loudoun County on behalf of the homeless and the indigent, not even the county," spokesman Nicholas Graham said.

Good Shepherd chose a 7,000-square-foot building in Ashburn because it was large and affordable, even though it was farther from the county's homeless population, officials of the group said. The organization expects to go forward with its plans to build an office and thrift store in Ashburn.

Loudoun officials are in the planning stages of building a large homeless shelter outside Leesburg that would open in 2009 with at least a dozen beds for single, homeless men.

Without a permanent shelter for men, the drop-in center and a temporary winter shelter funded by the county are lifesavers, said Jerry, a homeless man who did not want his last name disclosed for fear it might hurt his job chances.

Jerry said he was disappointed by the outcry over the proposed center in Ashburn. "I guess it's because they've got all those big houses going up out there," he said. "I guess they think it makes the place look bad."