Fairfax County plans to replace its 18-year-old homelessness strategy with a new approach that sorts people into six distinct groups.

The Board of Supervisors' housing committee reviewed the draft plan, called "The Way Home Fairfax," at its Tuesday, Oct. 6, meeting, FFXnow first reported. The five-year strategy would guide the county's efforts through 2031 across Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, and the towns of Clifton, Herndon and Vienna.

For McLean-area residents in the Dranesville District, the plan arrives as countywide homelessness has climbed 42% since 2017. The 2026 Point-in-Time Count, conducted Feb. 4, found 1,365 people experiencing homelessness, up 3% from 1,322 in 2025. Fairfax County's rate of 1.1 per 1,000 residents now exceeds the D.C. region's suburban average of 0.9 per 1,000, according to FFXnow's earlier reporting.

Of those counted, 302 were chronically homeless, a 22% jump from 248 the prior year.

The county's previous plan, adopted in March 2008, aimed to end homelessness within 10 years using a "Housing First" strategy. The count dropped to 964 by 2017. But numbers have risen steadily since, with a 26% increase between 2020 and 2023 during the pandemic.

The new draft breaks the homeless population into six categories, ranging from working families losing housing for the first time to people living on the street long-term with little support. Placement success rates vary widely across those groups, from 2% to 60%, according to the FFXnow report.

Consultant Shenandoah Gale, who presented the draft to supervisors, said the six-category breakdown could help the county match services more closely to each group.

"No single approach works for everyone," Gale said at the Oct. 6 meeting.

Among the new tactics: expanded outreach to unsheltered individuals and households facing eviction, home-sharing arrangements, and pairing people with peer navigators who have experienced homelessness themselves.

Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity said the county should do more of what works and less of what doesn't. Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay called the layered approach a more realistic, trackable goal.

David Meyer, who chairs the Continuum of Care Board, said the added precision in outreach and goals could help change lives.

The plan centers on four goals laid out on the county's housing page: helping homeless residents find stable housing faster, preventing homelessness before it starts, improving support for those who have been homeless the longest, and building public understanding of effective solutions.

The draft is open for public review, according to FFXnow, with an online survey available on the county's engagement site. No date has been announced for a final adoption vote by the Board of Supervisors.