Politics & Government

Fairfax Board OKs Future Human Services Funding Priorities

By William Callahan

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved Tuesday preliminary funding percentages for the county’s Consolidated Community Funding Pool (CCFP), which uses the county’s General Fund to pay for certain human services through partnerships with nonprofits.

Supervisors approved what percent of money would go to which services, although the exact amount of money available has not yet been decided.

Find out what's happening in Mount Vernonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Funding the CCFP is done in two year cycles – the Board took action Tuesday on the CCFP for FY2015 and 2016. Nonprofit organizations will submit proposals for programs in need of funding at the end of this year.

During the FY 2013-2014 cycle, the Board approved about $10 million in projects for each fiscal year, totaling roughly $20 million.

Find out what's happening in Mount Vernonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Whether the amount of money approved for FY 2015-2016 is lower or higher than the last cycle remains to be seen. The exact funding amount will be determined during the county's FY 2015 budget process, after nonprofits have submitted proposals for projects they want funded.

"It doesn’t necessarily add any money to the pool," said Supervisor Penny Gross (D-Mason).

The majority of CCFP money – 45 to 55 percent – will help struggling people, families and communities become self-sufficient over a period of three months to three years. This includes acquiring or renovating affordable housing, services for the homeless, adult education and more. (Click here for a list of CCFP projects approved in FY2013.)

The funding percentages approved for 2015 and 2016 are the same as those approved for FY 2013 and 2014.

“These numbers do change occasionally but they don’t fluctuate a whole lot,” Gross said, clarifying with staff.

Approximately 10 to 20 percent of the fund is expected to go towards prevention, making sure people get help before they need repeated, ongoing care.

Prevention services would include mentoring programs for kids, adults and families, anger management training and after-school programs for at-risk youth, among other services.

Gross said higher percentages of funding towards prevention efforts had worked in the past. Staff said that funding levels could fluctuate in the future but were staying constant at least this next cycle.

Approximately 15 to 25 percent of funds would go towards crisis intervention; short-term or one-time help with food, shelter, transportation or counseling.

The final 10 to 20 percent will help individuals who will likely never achieve self-sufficiency. This money would pay for people moving from institutional to home-based care, home visits from health professionals and more.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Mount Vernon