VBA Lunch Featuring Shelter House

Please join us for the October 19 VBA Lunch at the Vienna Community Center featuring Shelter House Executive Director, Joe Meyer.

Nozzo Pazzo will be catering with an assortment of delicious hot and cold subs and sandwiches and sides.

Everyone is welcome, and be sure to bring your business cards for networking and door prizes!

Shelter House, Inc. is a community-based, non-profit organization that provides crisis intervention, safe housing, and supportive services to neighbors experiencing homelessness and victims of domestic violence in our community.​

Shelter House was formed in 1981, as a grassroots responder to the homelessness crisis in Fairfax County.  Community volunteers from several ecumenical groups joined together to help address the needs of their homeless neighbors. They started by providing direct emergency assistance – items such as blankets, food, and warm clothing were distributed from the trunks of their cars.

The tragic hypothermia death of a homeless man on Christmas day in 1983 in the Bailey’s Crossroads area galvanized the community to do more. Churches opened winter shelters, and Shelter House volunteers and others advocated to Fairfax County Government to devote more public resources to the homeless.​

As a result of this advocacy, Shelter House secured a County contract in 1985 to open one of the first charter shelters in Fairfax County. Since then, Shelter House has continued to grow as an organization to accommodate the growing needs in our community, by also expanding into Loudoun County. Today, Shelter House operates five shelter facilities and several housing programs.

www.shelterhouse.org


Speaking on behalf of Shelter House will be Joe Meyer, Executive Director & CEO
Joe Meyer has been the Executive Director & CEO at Shelter House, Inc. since May of 2014.  He started his tenure at Shelter House in 2005 as the Shelter Director at the Patrick Henry Family Shelter in Falls Church. 

Joe has been working in homeless services for over 20 years where he started his Social Work career as a Case Manager with Reston Interfaith (Cornerstones). He has served on numerous committees and councils that have promoted the Ten Year Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.  He currently Chairs the Nominations on the Fairfax County Council to End Domestic Violence and serves on the Prince William County Social Services Board.   

Joe is a graduate of Leadership Fairfax’s Emerging Leadership Institute (ELI) class of 2006, Leadership Greater Washington 2013 and received his Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership in 2016 from Duke University.  Joe has been recognized at the 2017 Emerging Influential of the Year by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and honored at the 2019 Northern Virginia Leadership Award luncheon with the Nonprofit Leadership Award for his work around identifying issues driving community change. 

Hope you can join us!