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Three generations of the Mondloch family gathered on Saturday, April 19, to refresh the Northern Virginia housing complex named for family patriarch Bob Mondloch.

Sixteen relatives planted gardens, painted rooms and organized outdoor spaces at the Lockheed Boulevard property, continuing a family tradition of community service.

Rick Mondloch, one of Bob’s sons, said his parents taught their eight children to help others. During his childhood, the family visited the former Lorton Prison to conduct Bible studies.

Adult grandsons Shane Mondloch and Joe Bynum cleaned and organized a shed during the workday. Shane described giving back as an obvious choice for the family.

Housing and support under one roof

The complex consists of two residential buildings. One shelters eight chronically homeless single adults with mental health needs. The other contains efficiency apartments for 20 single adults who have experienced homelessness; residents sign leases and pay rent.

The apartment building includes a wraparound porch, common space, a food pantry, computers and onsite staff. Each unit has a bedroom, dining area, kitchen and bathroom. A gazebo, picnic area and raised garden beds occupy the grounds.

Roger Bowman, New Hope Housing’s program director, said the buildings resemble other suburban homes in the neighborhood instead of dormitory-style shelters.

Case managers assist residents with hygiene, cooking, budgeting and safeguarding essential documents such as birth certificates and Social Security information.

Bowman said helping residents makes the work deeply rewarding. He noted that even basic necessities, including food and blankets, can bring considerable relief and happiness.

Some residents have been forced from their homes by family disputes or difficulties meeting household expectations, Bowman said. He recalled one woman with mental health challenges who had been living in her car and could not maintain employment. Staff helped her obtain appropriate medication, a housing voucher and a part-time job.

A family shaped by service and loss

Bob Mondloch served as the first treasurer of New Hope Housing, which began in 1977 with a mission to address homelessness by providing services that help people regain stability.

The organization now manages Northern Virginia shelter programs offering 160 beds throughout the year and another 80 to 100 during winter. It also provides permanent housing for more than 100 single adults.

A soil conservationist, Bob moved from Minnesota to the Mount Vernon area in 1967 with his wife, Mary, for his position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Mary died that year from a cerebral hemorrhage at age 30, leaving Bob to raise six sons and two daughters. Their youngest child was 3.

Bob placed a newspaper advertisement seeking help at home. Joyce Redding, then 24, responded, and the two later married. Joyce, now 82, joined the family’s April 19 volunteer effort.

Greg Mondloch, a Clifton resident and owner of Mondo Improvements, worked with his nephew Nick to paint the gazebo russet red. Greg said helping is simply what the family does and that seeing younger relatives participate made the day especially meaningful.

Dan Monloch and his nephew Evan Vahouny installed new white tile in the shelter kitchen and painted its walls.

Lindsay Lesko, whose father Roger is another of Bob and Mary’s sons, joined other volunteers in planting black-eyed Susans, phlox, coreopsis, tomatoes and peppers. Merrifield Garden Center donated the plants, soil and lumber used for the raised beds, while the property’s onsite gardener, Fernando, supervised nearby.

Lesko also distributed a flyer connecting care for the environment with care for other people, encouraging such small steps as reducing waste and growing food.

A Fairfax County first

The original Mondloch House opened in 1978 through Route One Corridor Housing, the local organization that eventually became New Hope Housing. It was Fairfax County’s first homeless shelter.

New Hope Housing Executive Director Ashley McSwain visited the volunteer event and said community members can contribute money, food or time. Volunteers may also lead workshops on practical subjects such as financial literacy and other life skills.

Anyone seeking help for a person in crisis can contact the Fairfax County Community Services Board at 703-559-3000.