The Embry Rucker Community Shelter (ERCS) is a residential county shelter operated by Cornerstones. The shelter has 75 beds, including 6 medical respite beds, and provides healthy, safe, emergency shelter for over-18 individuals experiencing homelessness.
The shelter is located at 11975 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston, VA 20190 across from the North County Governmental Center.
Cornerstones is committed to helping single adults transition from homelessness to stable affordable housing. The ERCS is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is staffed by 20 full-time team members, along with several part-time staff and more than 400 dedicated volunteers.
NOTE: As of April 1, 2025, the Embry Rucker Community Shelter offers emergency shelter for adult-only households.
- Adults without children who need shelter should contact ERCS directly at 703-437-1975 for support.
- Adults with children (families) seeking emergency shelter should call Fairfax County’s Coordinated Services Planning at 703-222-0880.
Services
- Our comprehensive services include child care, medical assistance, nutritious meals, a nurse on staff and financial counseling.
- In addition, our in-house employment specialist helps unemployed or underemployed residents expand their skills as they prepare to look for work.
- For children, we offer tutoring and mentoring assessments to help achieve developmental and academic milestones.
- We also employ a full-time licensed housing broker who specializes in finding both traditional and non-traditional affordable housing and helps our residents settle into stable housing as quickly as possible.
- In addition to our residential programs, we offer drop-in access to hot meals, laundry machines, and shower facilities for unsheltered homeless people. These are clients who, either by choice or because our beds are full, live outdoors in cars or other places unsafe for human habitation.
- During the winter months of December through March, Cornerstones partners with Fairfax County to operate the North County Hypothermia Prevention Program (NCHP), one of three hypothermia prevention sites in Fairfax County.
- We operate a cooling center for the homeless as well as emergency shelter during severe storms and summer weather.
For additional assistance from Cornerstones and our resources partners, click here.
Interested in donating items to the shelter? For a list of most needed items at the Embry Rucker Community Shelter, please visit our Amazon Wish List. Thank you!
English