Washington Post & Fx County Times Article

Tuesday January 12, 2010

A collaboration of hope
Nonprofits bring services to central location
by Gregg MacDonald | Staff Writer

A single mother on the verge of homelessness must decide which of her children will make a sacrifice today: Will her son miss out on help from a tutor, or will her daughter give up free medical help three bus transfers across town?

According to Sarah Newman, executive director of nonprofit Helping Children Worldwide, these types of decisions are made every day by families in need of social services in Fairfax County.

After five years of planning, Newman’s vision of a partnership of nonprofit service providers operating in one location is about to become a reality.

Connections for Hope, consisting of six private nonprofit organizations and the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, will move into a new 10,000-square-foot facility in Herndon next week.

Newman said the facility will allow the nonprofits to deliver their programs more consistently and cost-effectively, as well as more conveniently, for program recipients.

“By spreading the operating expenses across several organizations and taking advantage of the economics of resource-sharing, each nonprofit will have more financial resources to invest in program development and the delivery of services to those whose lives depend on them,” she said.

Helping Children Worldwide will sublease the physical space to the partnering organizations, which in turn will commit to their respective spaces for the terms of their individual leases.

Newman said deciding on a location took some doing. “We had some unique zoning requirements,” she said. Eventually, setting up shop in Herndon at 13525 Dulles Technology Drive seemed ideal, she added. “It is on the edge of a corporate park and there are also two elementary schools nearby — McNair and Hutchinson — both with a high number of students enrolled in the [National School Lunch Program], so there are obviously pockets of need around us here,” she said.

For some of the organizations involved, the need to establish a convenient, centrally located facility that pursues an integrated approach to serving the needs of the community could not be more pressing.

The Jeanie Schmidt Free Clinic, a community-based organization providing health services to uninsured, low-income residents in western Fairfax County, began its volunteer services in the cafeteria of Herndon Middle School in 2002. It opened a clinic office in 2007, but increased demand has since outgrown what that facility can adequately provide.

“We treat children countywide and adults in the Herndon, Reston, Chantilly and Centreville area that have high blood pressure and diabetes,” said Meagan Ulrich, the clinic’s executive director. “We would like to do more, but we just can’t. Unfortunately, we have to turn many people away.”

Even so, Ulrich said that last year the clinic treated about 1,000 people, a 62 percent increase from the previous year. The clinic will relocate to the new Connections for Hope facility next week.

“We will gain an extra exam room and the overall space will be much more usable, even though the cost will remain relatively the same,” Ulrich said.

Retired public health nurse Jeanie Schmidt initially conceived the idea for the clinic — the first free clinic in Fairfax County — to provide low-income students with the physicals they needed for school and activities. The clinic expanded its services to adults soon after.

Schmidt moved out of state to retire after she opened the clinic, but the community has kept it going, said Kerrie Wilson, chief executive officer of Reston Interfaith, another nonprofit that is part of Connections for Hope.

The clinic and Reston Interfaith often refer clients to one other, as both organizations work with low-income families in the area. Now, those in need will only have to walk across a hallway to access both organizations.

“And really, Connections for Hope will be much more than just shared space,” Newman said. “It will provide synergistic collaboration among the agencies, providing wrap-around services in one location for Fairfax County families in need.”

Connections for Hope members

Helping Children Worldwide aids impoverished children by meeting their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. http://www.helpingchildrenworldwide.org, 703-793-9521.

The Jeanie Schmidt Free Clinic provides health services to uninsured, low-income residents in western Fairfax County. www.jsfreeclinic.org , 703-481-8160.

The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board provides help for those with or at risk of developmental delay, intellectual disabilities, mental illness, and alcohol or drug dependency. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/csb , 703-324-7000.

Just Neighbors provides immigration legal services to low-income immigrants and refugees of all faiths and nationalities in Northern Virginia. http://justneighbors.org , 703-979-1240.

Vecinos Unidos/Neighbors United provides free homework assistance to students in grades 1 through 8 and offers a summer program that includes field trips, arts and crafts, games and educational activities. www.vecinosunidos.org , 703-201-2809.

Reston Interfaith promotes self-sufficiency through support and advocacy for those in need of food, shelter, affordable housing, quality child care and other services. www.restoninterfaith.org , 571-323-9555.

The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia recruits and trains volunteers to tutor adults who need to develop basic reading, writing and English speaking skills. www.lcnv.org , 703-237-0866.