Faces of Service: Helping People Find Their Way Home

For Damien Quesada, success isn’t always measured by grand achievements. Sometimes, it’s about recognizing the quiet victories, the moments of progress that often go unnoticed. 

As a Homeless Services Outreach Coordinator with the Prince William County Department of Social Services, Quesada works directly with people experiencing homelessness, connecting them with services, community resources and most importantly, hope. 

Quesada knows that while housing is often the long-term goal, the path to stability is built on many smaller milestones. 

“I believe the perception is that because a person is homeless then they must only want to be housed,” Quesada said. “While long term that may be true, there are all these little successes that we may be missing along the way that are helping them be ever more stable to get to that housing goal. If we don't acknowledge those little successes, I don’t believe we are truly celebrating their accomplishments.”  

Those little successes include getting people shelter referrals and helping them complete a Rapid Rehousing application, which allows the homeless to potentially qualify for financial assistance with move-in costs, such as the first month’s rent and security deposits.  

 

Recently, a series of small victories led to several of Quesada’s clients, including a family, moving from the streets into shelter and eventually into permanent housing. 

Quesada first encountered one client through the county’s Community Panhandling Response initiative. The woman had been living in her car for more than a year when Quesada began checking in regularly, slowly building rapport and trust.   

Over time, he helped her complete an application for the Housing Choice Lottery and obtain the necessary documents for an opening in the Streetlight Medically Fragile program. Initially, the woman did not want to enter the program because she would have to share living space. After meeting the Streetlight staff and seeing the home, the woman decided to enter the program, ending 18 months of homelessness.  

Another case began with a call reporting a woman panhandling in the Dumfries area, sometimes with her child. Quesada learned the family had stayed at the SERVE Shelter for about a month before leaving the shelter after the woman’s partner was asked to exit the program.  

Quesada learned that the woman had since been living with her partner and child in hotel rooms, paying for the rooms through panhandling. She was open to county and community resource information but declined shelter assistance and help from Child Protective Services, or CPS. 

As Quesada continued to engage with the client, community calls about the family continued. Eventually, county staff decided to send CPS out to offer possible preventative solutions to the family.  This time, the family was ready to receive help.  

CPS helped them secure a spot at the Hilda Barg Homeless Prevention Center, where they stayed for seven months before finding permanent housing through Rapid Rehousing in May 2025. 

The path to shelter isn’t always smooth. 

 

“During this wait, clients may lose their phone or phone service which then causes them to miss the call back for shelter,” Quesada said. “Other clients may become disengaged from services such as outreach and just can't be found.” 

Despite the challenges, Quesada said seeing someone finally off the streets makes every effort worth it.  

“It’s a great feeling to get someone into shelter since I know that they no longer have to sleep another night outside in the community,” Quesada said. “At times, there is a lot of coordination with different agencies to support getting people into shelter. When different parts of the agency can work effectively and efficiently to support someone in crisis, it makes me proud to be a part of this agency.” 

Months or even years later, Quesada sometimes runs into people he once helped, now thriving in homes of their own. Some even recommend the outreach program to friends in need. 

“That’s the reward for me because it tells me that whatever I might have done has provided a long-standing, positive effect on someone’s life,” Quesada said. “I truly believe people living on the street are no different from everyone else. That’s what motivates my service, treating everyone with respect.”  

Learn more about the county’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness by visiting pwcva.gov/department/social-services/homeless-services.