Strengthening Ties & Shaping Lives Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Report
Our Mission FCHC’s mission is to preserve and increase service enriched affordable rental housing, serve unmet needs, and help to ensure that low to moderate income people have housing they can afford.
Strengthening Ties & Shaping Lives
Collectively, through your support, the ties between our neighborhood, our community, and our city remain strong. The mission of FCHC Virginia Community Development Corporation is to preserve and increase service enriched affordable rental housing, serve unmet needs, and help to ensure that low to moderate income people have housing they can afford. In 2017, we saw this mission become aligned with many in Falls Church.
Richard Burns
Thomas Vaccaro
Over the last year, we also witnessed as Falls Church was recognized as the healthiest city in America, and maintained their spot as one of the wealthiest. We are proud of this recognition, because we believe that there is no better place to grow and preserve affordable housing, than in those areas that demonstrate the highest opportunities for families and individuals. In the US, over 80% of affordable housing is in areas of low opportunity. Our goal is to change this trend, and we see no better place to make that happen than in the City of Falls Church. In 2017, we continued to build on the successes of previous years, and those highlights are what we hope to celebrate in this Annual Report. Once again we are excited to announce that we have sponsored an internship for the City of Falls Church and the Department of Housing and Human Services (DHHS). Read on to learn how our fourth intern continued to deliver valuable research to DHHS and provide insight into the landscape of housing in the city, to better inform staff, elected officials, and all residents. FCHC and the City of Falls Church have worked together in a variety of ways over the past year, to elevate the conversation of housing in the community, and enhance the understanding of what affordable housing looks like in The Little City. We want to thank the Falls Church News Press for running a profile on our organization and the residents we serve. It is important that our neighbors are aware of the partnerships we have with the City, other local not-for-profits, and the dedicated and mission driven work we have done and currently do. Lastly, we are thrilled to describe in this annual report, the many projects we have accomplished over the past year. With your help and others, we can continue to open new doors for people, and in the process, shape lives.
Richard Burns
Thomas Vaccaro
President Executive Director & COO FCHC a Virginia Community Development Corporation
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FCHC Community Engagement
Housing Commission Liaison FCHC serves as a liaison to the Falls Church Housing Commission. The role has been to provide not-for-profit private sector experience and serve in an advisory role on matters concerning the current status of affordable housing in the City. As an example, to further educate and encourage support by Falls Church City residents for more affordable housing options in the community, FCHC partnered with the local Housing Commission in publishing a multi-part series in the Falls Church News Press dedicated to making the case for quality affordable housing in the region. Summer Internship Program As we enter our fourth year of sponsoring a Housing intern for the Department of Housing and Human Services, FCHC’s partnership with the City of Falls Church is a valuable and vibrant one. We are excited to see the development of the next intern, who will undoubtedly follow in the footsteps of our past participants in the program, in their displays of excellence and career development. Former interns demonstrated a strong work ethic and academic discipline, which was evident in their research. The value of having a housing intern for the City cannot be overstated and we see every reason to continue this program in the future. We are pleased to have nurtured intern talent and now employ one of our former Housing Interns, current Data and Communications Analyst for FCHC, Joshua Shokoor. In addition to managing FCHC data analysis, this past year, he authored our first commentary for the Falls Church News Press, detailing the present status of affordable rental units in the City, and proposing potential solutions to this systemic problem. Profile of FCHC in Falls Church News Press In 2017, in addition to our commentaries published in the Falls Church News Press, the paper’s editorial staff penned a profile piece on our Winter Hill community, and the history of FCHC. The piece, “Falls Church Housing Corporation Fights for Affordable Homes & Tight-Knit Communities,” documented the current lack of affordable housing options in the City of Falls Church, the burden costs have incurred on renters, and how essential it is for FCHC to provide affordable housing for our senior residents.
Joshua Shokoor, Former Housing Intern
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James Moran Community Center The multipurpose Community Center continues to provide a space where seniors can interact with one another, socialize, host events, and exercise. In 2017, Operation Pathways, a resident services program, provided activities for seniors via its “Pathway to Aging in Place.” This programming provides the senior residents of Winter Hill the necessary tools to ensure economic security, prevent illness, improve health, understand their legal rights, and live in a safe environment. Residents engage in one-on-one, small group, and large group activities and events, all of which engage and hone their social skills. Other Operation Pathways initiatives for FCHC residents included: community-centric celebrations and activities, computer and technology classes, wellness workshops, exercise and yoga, flu shot clinics, and financial workshops. Additionally, the City of Falls Church and DHHS perform outreach in this location once a month, updating residents on new services, distributing educational materials and transportation coupons for taxis. The Community Center remains a refuge for residents of the city who suffer from power outages and high temperatures, as it can be utilized as an emergency cooling center. These are just a few examples of how FCHC and Falls Church work together to provide a service enriched environment for our residents as well as to residents of Falls Church who access the space for meetings and gatherings.
Bingo!
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FCHC Community Engagement
from left to right: Julio Idrobo, chair of the Housing Commission; Kieran Sharpe, founder of Homestretch; and Christopher Fay, winner of the 2017 Sprague Champion Award for Affordable Housing Advocacy. Photo: News-Press
Steve Sprague Award In honor of the late Steve Sprague (former Falls Church Housing Commission Chair), FCHC provided the space for a celebration bestowing the 2017 Sprague Champion Award for Affordable Housing Advocacy on Christopher Fay, the Executive Director of Homestretch. FCHC joined the Falls Church Housing Commission and the City of Falls Church City Council to recognize Fay and Homestretch which is a local not-for-profit focused on empowering homeless families with children living in Virginia. CASA For three years now, FCHC has welcomed CASA to administer their services at our Winter Hill offices. CASA is the largest organization of Latino immigrants in the D.C. Metro region. CASA provides workforce development training, health education, legal services and counseling, and financial and language literacy training to immigrant communities. Because of their location in Winter Hill, our community is now better equipped to serve our senior residents and all immigrant populations residing in Falls Church. FCHC Financial Opportunity Program Your contributions have resonated with individuals and communities within Falls Church, and the surrounding region. FCHC functions as a Lending Institution, concentrating on establishing lucrative returns on noble investments.
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FCHC Portfolio Asset Management
In the First Quarter (1Q) of 2017, a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) was awarded to FCHC, for the purpose of reconstructing/ renovating the weathered foundation and barrier walls throughout the Winter Hill property. The total cost of the project was $41,400, 88% of which was covered by CDBG funds. This work was essential to securing the safety of our residents and their homes. Flooding could have caused environmental damage to our landscape and the fortification our units. By being proactive and conducting this work now, we were able to avoid future damage and as a consequence higher reconstruction costs. We are happy to inform our members that the work was completed in a timely fashion and has extended the lifetime of our Winter Hill property.
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Members as of December 31, 2017
FCHC, a Virginia Community Development Corporation, is reliant on these valued partners in the pursuit of our mission. We appreciate their generosity, and hope to gain more partners as we build on this foundation of support.
Jocelyn & Ronal Barrow Patti & Alan Brangman Jane & Ron Brousseau Marilyn Bugg Carol Ann Siciliano & Kevin Ogle C. Tutty Fairbanks
Barbara & Richard McCall Martha & Richard Meserve Alphonse M. Nguyen Sara & Charles O’Hara Glenda L. & Dr. Steven Rogers Ellen & Carl Salsbury Sara Fitzgerald & Walt Wurfel Nancy & Jim Scott Ann O’Neil & Lex Shelton Edith & David Snyder Jeanne & Ted Trott CASA of Maryland Inc.
Ellen & Richard Flaherty Mary Ellen & John Gannon Linda & Bill Hamill Judith & Randall Lemke Virginia & George Long Willa & Ted Lutz
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Commitment. Experience. Teamwork.
330-B.S. Virginia Avenue, Suite 2 Falls Church, VA 22046 703.241.540 • www.fchccdc.org
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