Arlington’s U.S. congressman is hosting a resource fair for federal workers and contractors this weekend.
The event — hosted by Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) in partnership with Arlington County, Fairfax County, the City of Alexandria and the City of Falls Church — will run from noon to 5 p.m. at Wakefield High School on Saturday.
It will offer access to services including unemployment assistance, mental health support, housing information, food aid and information on federal workers’ rights.
Beyer intends this to be the first in a series of events addressing unfolding issues in Northern Virginia, titled “Rising to Meet the Challenge.”
“It’s my hope that the various public and private resources available will help federal workers and contractors’ needs [and] answer your questions and concerns,” he said in a social media post. “We want to allow you to connect with community experts and empower yourselves to navigate the changes unfairly brought on you by the Trump administration.”
I am organizing a resource fair to support federal workers and contractors on March 8th from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Wakefield High School in Arlington with information on federal workers’ rights, unemployment assistance, mental health support, housing information, and more. pic.twitter.com/3gZptFeJgW
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) March 3, 2025
While parking at the event is limited, a free shuttle will be running between the Ballston Metro and Wakefield.
This is the latest local effort to provide assistance to Northern Virginia residents affected by President Donald Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce.
Last week, hundreds of federal workers and contractors packed a town hall hosted by the Arlington County Democratic Committee to seek guidance and vent frustrations. Arlington Democrats are following that with a similar event this evening (Thursday).
Beyer, Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner (D-Va.), Arlington County and the Commonwealth of Virginia all have posted webpages with links to resources.
At last week’s town hall, a representative from Arlington Public Library also advertised a packed schedule of library events like yoga, mindfulness exercises and drop-in resume and job search help — many of them designed to help federal workers.
Library workshops scheduled for later this month have titles like “Reducing Stress Through Meditation,” “Managing Workforce Stress” and “Launch Your Dream Business: Life After Government.”
“The library is here for you,” the representative said last week. “When you want a private meeting space to work on job interviews or meetings, the library is here for you. When you want e-books or audio books or physical books to get your mind off of all the things happening in the world, the library is here for you.”
Taking a longer-term approach, Arlington Economic Development has also kicked off a new program, Arlington Tech Launchpad, with the goal of attracting more tech companies.
The program hosted its first virtual meeting last week. Its second event, a three-day business immersion program, is scheduled to happen in May.
