Get Help
Britepaths is only able to provide food and financial assistance to Fairfax County residents who are referred to us by a County or other social worker.
Britepaths’ Financial Empowerment and Workforce Development services, offered through the Financial Empowerment Center at South County, are free and available to Northern Virginia residents without a referral. More information listed below. Services are mostly provided virtually.
To Speak to a Social Worker, Contact:
Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning (CSP): 703.222.0880
Outside Fairfax County, contact 2-1-1 Virginia for assistance (dial 211 on your phone to speak with a representative). Virginia’s CommonHelp is also a helpful resource.
Britepaths does not conduct in-person intake or provide assistance on a walk-in basis. Contacting CSP or a social worker does not guarantee a referral to Britepaths' services.
If you have questions, please call us at 703.273.8829 or email us at info@britepaths.org.
Community Resources
These are links to some on-line resource guides that we've compiled, or from government and community partners, that Britepaths' staff finds to be helpful.
Our Financial Assistance Program provides small grants to eligible Fairfax County residents to help with rent, utilities, vital car repairs, and some other basic emergency needs. Funds are paid directly to the landlord, utility or vendor, often as part of a "package" of funds that is pledged by several organizations.
Fairfax County area residents wishing to receive assistance must be referred to Britepaths by Fairfax County's Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) at 703.222.0880. Contacting CSP does not guarantee that financial assistance will be provided or that Britepaths will be one of the agencies providing assistance.
Funds are available from the 15th through the end of each month, and recipients of Financial Assistance are asked to attend a free Financial Coaching session.
Fairfax County area residents seeking food assistance must be referred to Britepaths by a social worker. Call Fairfax County's Coordinated Service Planning at 703.222.0880, or request a referral for food assistance through your child's school. The social worker will make a referral to the most appropriate local food program; it may not be Britepaths’ program.
Britepaths is the lead non-profit partner at the Financial Empowerment Center at South County (FECSoCo) at Fairfax County's Gerry Hyland Government Center on Richmond Highway in Alexandria.
Get Started:
- For a free Financial Coaching session, sign up online, call 703.704.6101 or email info@FECSoCo.org.
- To join a a workshop, visit the FEC calendar and choose the classes you are interested in. Sign up online or call 703.704.6101.
- To enroll in the Financial Mentoring Program, the first step is to have at least one Financial Coaching session. Afterward, a staff member will interview you for the program. The requirements include working 30+ hours a week, and a strong desire to improve your financial situation.
Additionally, Britepaths and FECSoCo offer many other free services, including job readiness coaching and workshops, tax preparation, small business consulting, consumer legal advice and much more. Visit the Google calendar on the FEC services page and join FECSoCo's email list.
Britepaths’ Workforce Development Program provides coaching and training opportunities to Northern Virginia residents who need some extra supports to optimize their job search, build networks and train or prepare for a better paying job or launch a new career. Most services are provided virtually. No referral is needed.
Click on the Links to Learn More:
- Job Readiness Coaching
- Avenues to Career Training IT Training (AWS Cloud Certification & Google IT/CompTIA A+)
- Network Up Short-Term Career Mentoring
Britepaths' Back to School Program does not provide direct school supply assistance to community members. We partner with select Fairfax County Public Schools each summer to provide school supplies directly to the schools for distribution to students who have a demonstrated need. Families in need of school supply assistance should contact the social worker, family liaison or counselor at their child's school.
Britepaths does not distribute holiday assistance directly to community members.
Families seeking assistance might inquire at their local nonprofit or other charitable organization. If you are a Fairfax County resident in need of food, contact Coordinated Services Planning at 703.222.0880. For food assistance outside of Fairfax County, Virginia CommonHelp or 2-1-1 Virginia are helpful resources. To seek other holiday assistance, you might also search Fairfax County's Human Services Resource Guide or findhelp.org. We are not able to guarantee that the information on these sites is up to date.