Fairfax County (Map, News) - Linda Wimpey is chair of the Community Council on Homelessness in Fairfax County.

Is homelessness a problem in Northern Virginia and Fairfax County?

Yes. The fact that we have any homeless people in Northern Virginia is a problem. Over the last few years at any given point in time ... we’ve counted about 2,000 homeless people in Fairfax County.

Is there a typical picture of a homeless person or family in Fairfax County?

I don’t like to stereotype anybody, but I will say that the data suggest that in Fairfax County, families become homeless due to poverty, and that single individuals become homeless due to some sort of disability. It could be physical or mental health, or substance abuse issues, or a combination of all of those.

Legislatively, what needs to happen to end homelessness?

One of the things that needs to happen is we need to have a living wage for people so that they can actually afford to live here. In Fairfax County, we have enough housing but we don’t have enough affordable housing for people who are 30 percent and below median income. The Board of Supervisors approved a one-penny tax last year, and that was used to preserve affordable housing ... and we hope to continue to have that kind of support. Many of our homeless people are working, they just don’t make enough money to afford housing here.

What can the average person do?

As individual people, they can certainly get involved with local faith communities and/or nonprofit organizations to adopt a family, mentor a family, mentor a child, tutor a child ... certainly people can talk to their elected officials, and say “I’m willing to support affordable housing in my neighborhood.”

How does the homelessness problem in Fairfax County compare to surrounding jurisdictions and the District of Columbia?

Certainly, we don’t compare to the numbers in the District. The District has thousands and thousands of homeless people. But Fairfax has too many for our county, and for the resources that we have, we should be able to end homelessness in this county. And we believe we’re hearing from the community that people are interested in doing that, and being a part of that.