FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2026
Foundation for Success Awards $30,000 Grant to Good Shepherd Housing to Strengthen Healthcare Access and Youth Workforce Programs
FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services (GSH) announced today that it has received a $30,000 grant from the Foundation for Success (formerly the Optimist Club of Alexandria) to support two of its core programs: Healthcare Navigator and Career Power.
The award follows a recent visit by members of the Foundation for Success to GSH’s headquarters, where they spent time in conversation with staff, including career counselors and the organization’s Healthcare Navigator. The visit offered a firsthand look at how these programs operate day to day and the impact they have on families working toward stability.
The Healthcare Navigator program helps residents and community members access essential healthcare services, including insurance enrollment, medication, and preventive care. By addressing barriers that often accompany housing instability, the program supports healthier, more stable households.
Career Power, GSH’s youth workforce development initiative, equips young people with the tools to pursue long-term economic mobility. Through career exploration, education support, job readiness training, and employer connections, participants build a foundation for sustainable employment and future growth.
“We are grateful to the Foundation for Success not only for this investment, but for the time they spent with our team,” said Genee Hayes, Executive Director of Good Shepherd Housing. “It meant a great deal for our staff to share their work directly and to have thoughtful, grounded conversations about what families in our community are facing. This support allows us to continue that work and expand our reach.”
“The Foundation for Success is proud to support successful community based non-profits that expand housing, support access to health care, and educational opportunities to people facing roadblocks to a successful future. ”
— Henry Brooks, President of the Foundation for Success
The Foundation for Success has a long history of supporting programs that strengthen youth and families across Northern Virginia. This grant advances that commitment by investing in efforts that connect residents to healthcare and create pathways to economic opportunity.
For more information about Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services, visit www.goodhousing.org.
About Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services
Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services is a nonprofit organization based in Fairfax County, Virginia, dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in Northern Virginia. GSH provides affordable housing, supportive services, and workforce development programs to individuals and families. With more than 100 scattered-site affordable housing units across Fairfax County and the City of Alexandria, GSH helps residents build stability and move toward long-term opportunity.
About the Foundation for Success
The Foundation for Success is a community based charitable foundation that was founded by former members of the disbanded Optimist Club of Alexandria. It focuses on supporting youth development, education and community well-being across Alexandria and Northern Virginia
Media Contact
Candice Bennett
Deputy Executive Director, Good Shepherd Housing and Family Services
1-703-768-9404
cbennett@goodhousing.org
Photo 1 (table discussion) Left to Right: Genee Hayes, Raquel Sands, Carolyn A Miller, Jon Cooper, Louis Hofheimer, Susan Berkow, Howard Kaye, Vera de Paulis, Debi Sutton, Henry Brooks
Photo 2 (check presentation) Left to Right: Raquel Sands, Carolyn A Miller, Susan Berkow, Jon Cooper, Henry Brooks, Crystal Sampson, Vera de Paulis, Genee Hayes, Howard Kaye Louis Hofheimer, Debi Sutton, Nobiana Dodi, and Kevin Gonzalez