Setting the Record Straight: The Community Connections Expo and Incorrect Information from the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Department

On Tuesday, March 18th, FAHASS will proudly host our 2nd Annual Community Connections Expo at the Fredericksburg Convention Center. This event, co-hosted with the Fredericksburg Regional Continuum of Care (CoC), is dedicated to connecting our unhoused neighbors and ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families with vital resources, including healthcare, employment support, food assistance, and more. However, recent misinformation has threatened to undermine the integrity of our work and the purpose of this event.

The False Narrative

On Friday, February 21st, I was first alerted by a community member that the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Department was falsely claiming that the Community Connections Expo would provide free housing for those in need. This was alarming, as our event does not provide direct housing services but instead connects attendees to organizations that can help with housing-related support.

Then, on Sunday, February 23rd, a local newspaper article detailed the Sheriff’s Department’s plan for “Operation Clean-up,” which included targeting unhoused individuals for removal and listing our Expo as a resource ahead of planned arrests. To make matters worse, members of the CoC confirmed that the Sheriff’s Department had been told explicitly that housing would NOT be offered at the event. Yet, they continue to repeat this false claim.

Escalating Misinformation

The situation has since escalated. Yesterday, I received reports from another community member who attended two separate meetings where the Sheriff’s Department not only continued to falsely claim that housing would be provided at our event, but also stated that they are official sponsors of the Expo. Let me be unequivocally clear: the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Department is neither a sponsor, a vendor, nor a participant in the Community Connections Expo in any way. Their attempt to associate themselves with our event in order to justify their planned operation is both misleading and unacceptable.

A Clear and Firm Response

The CoC and FAHASS is drafting a joint press release, co-signed by myself and CoC Chair Cait Woodward, to set the record straight. The release will clarify the true purpose of the Expo and reaffirm that misleading claims about the event are inaccurate, without specifically naming the Sheriff’s Department. We will clarify the true purpose of the Expo. FAHASS and our partners refuse to allow our work to be co-opted to provide cover for any operation that criminalizes homelessness instead of addressing its root causes.

Why This Matters

I fully acknowledge that law enforcement has a duty to address trespassing and other concerns. However, our event should not be manipulated to bolster the image of the Sheriff’s Department or the Spotsylvania Board of Supervisors, which has repeatedly failed to allocate funding toward meaningful solutions for homelessness. Instead of funding eviction and criminalization efforts, resources should be directed toward real, long-term solutions—affordable housing, mental health services, and employment support.

FAHASS and the CoC remain committed to our mission of supporting vulnerable populations with dignity, compassion, and tangible resources. We will not allow our work to be distorted or misrepresented.

I urge the community to stay informed and support organizations that are truly working to address homelessness—not just making empty promises.

For more information about the Community Connections Expo and how you can help, visit www.fahass.org.