Our Mission

Community Lodgings’ mission is to lift families from homelessness and instability to independence and self-sufficiency through Transitional and Affordable Housing, and Youth & Adult Education Programs held at our Fifer Family Learning Center.

Our History

In 1987, Community Lodgings was founded by eight Alexandria churches and purchased five apartment buildings in the Arlandria community. Since then, our organization has grown to provide housing for 46 homeless and low-income families. Our Transitional Housing Program (THP) provides housing and intensive case management for an avergae of 22 families per year. All families receive round-the-clock case management, child services coordination, job counseling, family therapy and expert budget mentoring. In 2011, 8 families completed and graduated from our program fully-employed and able to rent/purchase their own home. We also provide affordable housing for an additional 32 low-income families.

To further promote self-sufficiency, we opened a learning center in 1998 where THP families and other disadvantaged Alexandrians took courses in computer literacy and ESL. In 2002, we introduced our Family Learning Center (FLC) and a Youth Education Program (YEP) to provide afterschool services for at-risk children in THP and throughout the community. YEP’s goals are to increase academic achievement and decrease at-risk behavior. Since 2008 the space has quadrapled in size, allowing the award-winning youth program to expand and provide more instructional time for more than 70 at-risk children and their parents. With trusted bilingual staff and quality services, we are Arlandria’s best resource to help families reach self-sufficiency – serving over 250 families per week. The Catalogue of Philanthropy named Community Lodgings as “one of the best small charities in the Greater Washington region”.