[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 21, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF ALTERNATIVE HOUSE

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                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 21, 2009

  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an 
outstanding organization serving at-risk youth in Fairfax County. 
Alternative House was founded in 1972 as the first emergency shelter 
for runaway teenagers in Northern Virginia. Through counseling, 
shelter, crisis intervention and neighborhood outreach, Alternative 
House provides support to at-risk young children, teens and their 
families. Recognizing the interdependence of families, Alternative 
House programs seek to empower young children, teens, and families to 
work together and build on their strengths.
  Alternative House has grown organically from its origins in a trailer 
on the grounds of Lewinsville Presbyterian Church to a renovated house 
located on Gallows Road in Dunn Loring. While Alternative House's 
programs have grown, the organization continues to focus on those most 
in need of assistance and those with the greatest possibility for 
making life-altering changes.
  In 1993, Alternative House embarked on an aggressive outreach program 
for at-risk youth. The effort consisted of a mobile unit with two 
counselors who walked through our neighborhoods to provide young people 
with support, resources, and guidance. Since its origins, the Community 
Outreach Program has expanded to include additional recreation and 
education services designed to help children and teens stay in school.
  In 2002, Alternative House expanded its assistance outreach by 
opening the Assisting Young Mothers program. This program seeks to 
provide shelter, education, counseling and support to young women who 
are homeless, pregnant or already parenting. These programs give young 
people hope for brighter futures.
  In 2008, Alternative House's Emergency Shelter for Teenagers provided 
safe shelter, food and counseling to an average of more than eighteen 
young people each month, totaling 220 for the year. In just the past 
twelve months, Alternative House provided neighborhood-based 
counseling, outreach, food and after-school programs to more than 1,800 
at-risk youth in Fairfax County.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the 
consistently growing and increasingly significant contributions of 
Alternative House to at-risk young people in Fairfax County. From both 
its origins to its current efforts, Alternative House is truly an 
exemplar for community-based assistance programs.

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