[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 4 (Friday, January 9, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E41-E42]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING PAULA SAMPSON ON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT FROM 
                             FAIRFAX COUNTY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 9, 2015

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and commend Paula C. 
Sampson on the occasion of her retirement after a long and 
distinguished career in public service to the residents of Fairfax 
County, Virginia. For the past 15 years, Paula has been the director of 
the Department of Housing and Community Development. She has spent her 
career focused on putting home ownership within reach of more people 
and finding more affordable options for those not yet able to purchase 
their own home.
  After graduating from the University of Michigan with degrees in 
political science and history, Paula landed a job as a local urban 
planner. She then relocated to the National Capital Region and accepted 
a position with the National Association of Counties in its Legislative 
Affairs Office.
  Fairfax County recruited her to become the Housing Department's 
Director of Real Estate Finance in 1986. In 1994, Paula left Fairfax to 
become CEO of the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund, a state-wide, 
nonprofit organization focused on affordable housing. Thankfully Paula 
realized her true home was here in Fairfax, returning in 1999.
  I served on the Board of Supervisors at the time and knew she would 
be a real champion for housing, which is no small feat. On the 
administrative side, you're managing public dollars, gauging the local 
housing market, and building community partnerships with banks and 
nonprofits. But there is also a human side, in which you're working to 
assist residents across the spectrum, from those seeking help buying a 
first home to those wanting assistance managing their money so they can 
one day afford a home to those who are homeless and simply need a warm 
place to rest their heads.
  Paula truly gets it and proved adept and skillful in juggling those 
different aspects of her duties. In describing herself, she says, 
``While the complexities of real estate finance, the challenges of 
deal-making and the excitement of the ribbon-cutting are all fun, the 
real motivator for me is helping an individual have a place to call 
home. My own modest beginning showed me that growing up in a stable 
home is the stepping stone to future success.''
  I had the pleasure of working closely with Paula during my tenure as 
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors on a successful affordable housing 
preservation initiative. We had identified the growing shortage of 
affordable housing as a primary challenge for the County. Job growth 
was significantly outpacing construction of new housing units, and 
those that had once been affordable were quickly being converted or 
redeveloped into condominium units to capitalize on the hot real estate 
market at the time.
  We convened a summit of business, faith, nonprofit, and community 
leaders, and from that exercise we appointed a task force, which 
recommended the Board of Supervisors establish a goal of preserving 
1,000 affordable housing units over a four year period, which at the 
time we viewed as a stretch goal. As Chairman, I was pleased to 
champion that goal and set that course for our community, but it was 
Paula who seized the mission and kept the Department's staff focused on 
advancing this cause at every turn and through every hurdle. Thanks to 
her efforts, and those of our many partners, we not only surpassed our 
goal, we nearly tripled it with 2,700 homes preserved. We were so 
successful that at one point, the Board dedicated the value of one 
penny on the local real estate tax to the preservation effort.
  Based on the success of that initiative, we launched a campaign to 
prevent and end homelessness in 10 years, again hosting a summit and 
appointing a task force to build community support. It is because of 
that effort that Fairfax was able to break the mold and actually reduce 
its homeless population during the Great Recession while other 
communities struggled. Through it all, Fairfax has been blessed to have 
the strong support of the faith, nonprofit, and business communities, 
including Catholics for Housing, Homestretch, Cornerstones, Pathway 
Homes, United Community Ministries, Sekas Homes, Deloitte, the Fairfax 
County Chamber, and so many other community partners. We also worked 
together in advancing the concept of Magnet Housing in the

[[Page E42]]

County to provide workforce housing for nurses, police officers, 
firefighters and other young professionals serving the community.
  More recently, I was pleased to collaborate with Paula in support of 
the County's application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 
Development for acceptance as a Move to Work agency. That designation 
provides invaluable flexibility with federal dollars to allow Fairfax 
to better leverage its housing and human service funds with assistance 
from community partners to provide homeless residents with housing and 
job training so they can ``move to work'' and self-sufficiency.
  In addition to her regular duties, Paula also has served on multiple 
regional, state, and national boards, including the National 
Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies, the National Community 
Development Association, and the Freddie Mac Affordable Housing 
Advisory Committee.
  Without question, she has helped make our community stronger, and 
helped provide other communities with the tools to model our success in 
Fairfax. Thanks to Paula's leadership Fairfax is moving ever close to 
goal of providing safe, affordable housing for all those who wish to 
call our community home.
  Mr. Speaker, Paula Sampson's commitment to public service has set an 
example that will benefit our community for generations to come. Her 
accomplishments are truly outstanding and deserving of our sincere 
appreciation. When I was Chairman of the County Board, we often joked 
when retirement announcements like this came before the Board that we 
should pass a resolution to not allow such talented and dedicated staff 
to leave public service, and I certainly wish that was the case here.
  I wish Paula the best of luck in her retirement, and I ask my 
colleagues in the House to join me in expressing our appreciation for 
her long and fruitful service to the residents of Fairfax County.

                          ____________________