In the most affluent sections of Loudoun and Fairfax Counties, two of the richest counties in the country by median income, many families struggle to make ends meet. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the Fairfax median income was fifth in the country at $133,974. Similarly, Loudoun ranks first at $156,821. Over the summer, the median price for a single family home in Fairfax approaches the $1 million mark. Of the 743 properties that went to closing between July 1st and September 1st averaged $943,000, up from $900,000 in 2020.
“We are currently in a ‘hyper-peak’ [market],” said Casey Samson of Samson Properties. “We are seeing signs that the steam is leaving some of the markets,” he said. “Buyers are starting to push back. Buyers are no longer tethered to the office, so they can move farther out, where properties are less expensive”. “One buyer from Los Angeles bid $1.65 million on a home, which was $250,000 over list and $150,000 over the next highest bidder,” Samson said. “His comment was that he could get a rambler for that price in L.A.” If Fairfax County reaches that $1 million mark, it will be the fourth Northern Virginia jurisdiction to do so, joining Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church.
But it’s not just housing costs. A lack of assistance for housing and utility costs, in-process evictions, and food pantries add stress to families dealing with significant trouble at home. The 2023 Point-in-Time count found that of the 1,310 people experiencing homelessness, 87 were fleeing domestic violence and 227 reported experiencing domestic violence in the last year. This year marks an overall 10% increase throughout the DC region after years of steady decline.
Margaret Anne Lara of the Reston-based nonprofit Cornerstones had this to say about her own struggles and the resource allocation in the area. “The [food] pantries are tapped out. If I need to feed my family, that means money coming out of my electricity bill, and I can’t pay my electricity bill. Or it’s coming out of my rent payment, and I’m in jeopardy of being evicted. It’s a Bermuda Triangle we’re in right now for so many families.” “I’ve been here 21 years, and while I’m not trying to compare myself to a doctor in a war zone, I feel like it just never ends,” said Courtney Park-Jamborsky, one leader of the nonprofit. “It’s a constant trauma. Sometimes I wake up at night and feel tense. I say to myself, ‘Well, what is it that’s wrong with me?’ I’m worried about these families. I’m worried about these kids. This is way more stressful than COVID. It’s exhausting.”
Park-Jamborsky told a story about a woman and her adult son who walked 55 miles in four days from Loudon County to Fairfax County after being evicted because aid sources were not available in Loudon. “Her feet were so swollen. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life.” Park-Jamborsky said. The woman refused an offered mat, and there were no beds available at the Cornerstones shelter. She would eventually end up in the hospital.
Cornerstones briefly held funding for a hotel in Reston that served as a temporary shelter, but the rising inflation pushed out the nonprofit. Park-Jamborsky shared a dream that someone would supply the funds for Cornerstones to purchase a hotel to house the homeless. She claimed that such an option could cost “millions and millions of dollars”. For those who cannot donate monetarily, however, Cornerstones offers volunteer opportunities in nearly every sector, from food donations and distribution to sorting goods, accountants and greeters, foreign language translators, and transporting goods. Their website can be found at https://www.cornerstonesva.org/, or they can be mailed directly at 11150 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 210, Reston, VA 2019.
