Shannon Woloszynowski

Shannon D. Woloszynowski is the Executive Director of Williamsburg House of Mercy and a retired Fairfax County Police Detective. Shannon is committed to community service and giving a voice to the most vulnerable. She is the previous Board Chair of the Greater Williamsburg Outreach Mission, and currently serves on the boards of NAMI-Williamsburg, Hope Family Village, and Olde Towne Medical & Dental Center. Shannon holds a BA in Sociology from The George Washington University, and an MA in Moral Theology with a focus on Bioethics from Christendom College. In her role as a Fairfax County Police Officer and later a Detective, Shannon’s assignments included county-wide Street Crimes Unit, the Retail Anti-Theft Team, Homeless Liaison, and Community Services Bureau. Shannon was forced to retire after 8 years of service following a line of duty injury that required multiple surgeries and led to a service-connected disability retirement. As a police officer Shannon developed a passion for working with the homeless and sought to understand the issues they faced and build relationships whenever possible. Under Shannon’s direction Williamsburg House of Mercy has led the charge on homeless services and rehousing here in Williamsburg. House of Mercy is home to the Harbor, the regional day shelter for the homeless; Grace Haven Family Shelter; Community Kitchen (daily soup kitchen); and the Bridge to Home Emergency Shelter program, as well as many other services and activities geared toward restoring and preserving the dignity of the individual and helping them to acquire permanent, safe, and stable housing. Williamsburg House of Mercy currently employs 16 people and has had over 700 volunteers work over 17,000 hours since July 1, 2020. This year of COVID has resulted in many unique challenges. The volunteer and community support have made it possible to continue to serve!