Transitional Housing

Online Forms & Documents

• Applicant Pre-Screen Form
• Eligibility Document
• Waiting List Procedures
• 2010-11 Homeless Certification Form
• Agency Shelter Referral Form

According to the 2011 Homeless Enumeration Report, Alexandria’s homeless population consists of 52 families including 58 adults and 94 children. While that number has risen by 18% since 2009, the number of transitional housing beds available to homeless families decreased. Luckily, our program provides nearly one-half of all transitional housing beds available in the City. In fact, in the last year, Community Lodgings received referrals from 164 homeless individuals. We were able to house and serve 61 of those individuals (or 21 families) through our Transitional Housing Program for homeless families.

Ben L. is just one of our program’s many success stories. In November 2008, Ben was evicted from his basement apartment, leaving him homeless. When he entered our Transitional Housing Program, he was caring for his two-month old son who was born prematurely and required intensive monitoring. Ben also had a son from a previous relationship and received full custody after finding stability in our program. The subsidized housing we provide was key to helping Ben get back on his feet. But he also took full advantage of our services. In addition to working closely with our caseworkers to address family and employment issues, Ben attended our educational workshops which focus on parenting, substance abuse, domestic violence and job skills. Ben was always a willing and energetic participant in our meetings and workshops which are mandatory for all program participants.

At the time, Ben worked as a custodian in DC Public Schools but he lost his job during the DCPS reorganization. With help from our job counselor and job skills training courses, he was able to secure a custodial job at another school. While Ben thrived in his new job, he still dreamed of becoming a security guard. In April 2009, we paid for him to enroll in a criminal justice academy where he took courses to become a licensed security guard. Once certified, he moved into a full-time security job where he has progressed steadily, increasing his earnings from $1700 to $2300 per month in less than a year. He was able to take advantage of his increased earnings by following advice given to him by one of our expert Budget Mentors, who meet with program participants to provide financial counseling at least once per month. In November 2010, Ben graduated from our program completely self-sufficient and moved his children into their own apartment. Without support from Community Lodgings and the Alexandria community, Ben and his children may have never realized such great success.

This program is funded in part by the City of Alexandria.