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A Fairfax City nonprofit plans to take showers, case management and other essential services directly to people experiencing homelessness through a new mobile outreach program.
Pathway Homes aims to launch its Mobile Outreach Unit in the fourth quarter of 2025 after securing nearly $300,000 in grants. The program will initially serve Fairfax and Prince William counties before expanding elsewhere in Northern Virginia.
The unit, described as the first initiative of its kind in the region, will feature a trailer equipped with a shower available on a drop-in basis. Guests will also be able to meet with case managers and receive hygiene and wellness kits.
Only two of Northern Virginia’s 41 homeless shelters offer drop-in shower access, according to Pathway Homes. The nonprofit modeled its initiative after a mobile shower service in Orlando, Florida.
“Ending homelessness requires innovation,” CEO Sylisa Lambert-Woodard said. She said the mobile response would help the organization reach unsheltered residents and connect them with case managers who can assist them in moving off the streets.
Virginia Housing, Amazon, the Cafritz Foundation and the Potomac Health Foundation were among the organizations supporting the nearly $300,000 effort.
Pathway Homes pursued the program after completing a feasibility study on operating the unit from its headquarters. The organization is currently based at Gatewood Plaza, 10201 Fairfax Blvd., Suite 200.
The mobile unit will be anchored primarily at the nonprofit’s headquarters but will also travel to other locations around the region. Details about how destinations and schedules will be selected are still being developed.
Pathway Homes expects to move its headquarters to 4010 University Drive in early 2027. The new location is planned to include a community hub with a food pantry, storage for supplies and a training center. It will also have at least 10 supportive housing units for older adults with serious mental illnesses or other disabilities.
A representative for the nonprofit said it hopes the mobile unit will become a resource for regional shelter partners.
Pathway Homes chose the acronym “MOU” to echo the abbreviation for “memorandum of understanding.” The name is meant to represent an agreement between the community and people experiencing homelessness to provide dignity, assistance and opportunity.
Lambert-Woodard said bringing services directly to people who might not seek them independently could help build trust and restore dignity. She described the unit as another collaborative tool for preventing and ending homelessness in the community.
Founded in 1980, Pathway Homes provides permanent housing and support to people with serious mental illnesses and co-occurring disabilities. It owns and leases units across more than 500 properties in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.
The regional Point-in-Time count recorded 1,322 people experiencing homelessness in Fairfax County in January. That marked an increase from 2024 and remained well above the levels reported before the COVID-19 pandemic.