A unanimous vote Tuesday to increase funding for homelessness services by about $3.6 million drew applause for the Montgomery County Council from a crowd that packed the council chambers in Rockville to advocate for the special appropriation.
Christine Hong, county chief of Services to End and Prevent Homelessness, told councilmembers prior to the vote that the county has seen a 47% increase in family homelessness between 2023 and 2024, and that the number of evictions executed has also increased over the past three fiscal years.
“We are currently seeing 20 families per month enter our homeless system, which is unprecedented, and we are running out of space in the motels we use for sheltering,” Hong said. “We are projected to overspend our [fiscal year 2025] budget by $550,000.”
County Executive Marc Elrich (D) submitted a request for the special funding appropriation to the council in November.
The additional funding helps alleviate cuts to homelessness services funding made by the County Council in May before approving the county fiscal year 2025 operating budget. The council made the cuts while faced with the decision to either raise taxes or tighten department budgets.
Janice Wellington, a licensed clinical social worker with the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, told the council that budget shortfalls in county programs have dramatically impacted the amount of time that county families facing homelessness have spent in shelters like the one her organization runs.
“Every day is a struggle for people who feel stuck. … Prior to these cuts, there were long waiting lists for entry into programs,” Wellington said. “We have documented evidence that the funding reductions are creating harm. Since the cuts in May, most of our families are staying an average of 158 days in programs. Prior to that point, families were leaving in 90 days or less.”
According to county officials, the money, which will come from undesignated county budget reserves, will help fund four programs administered by the county’s Department of Health and Human Services’ Services to End and Prevent Homelessness division as follows:
- $1.6 million for the Short-Term Housing and Resolution Program (SHaRP);
- $550,000 for the Shelter Services expansion (motel rooms for families);
- $1.1 million for the Housing Stabilization Services eviction prevention program; and
- $367,584 for the Rental Assistance Program.
The appropriation will fund both services and staff for these programs, according to officials.
Hong said that in fiscal year 2024, which ended June 30, the department overspent its budget to provide motel rooms for homeless county residents by about $1 million. The department is decreasing the frequency of that practice and wants the county government to invest increased funding into rental assistance programs instead.
Roman Gomez, a county resident who has experienced homelessness, urged the council to increase funding for the programs that help county residents find housing. Gomez said that after his divorce, he could no longer afford his housing on his construction worker income. He was evicted and ended up in a shelter.
“I was again overcome with stress and the instability of not having a place to live, and I had a heart attack. Many of these struggles I experienced happened like dominoes falling apart, losing my home,” Gomez said. “The rental assistance program helps many county residents like myself get assistance they need before things spiral out of control. This way, we can stay in our homes, find productive work and continue to contribute to the community, with pride and dignity.”
The county executive’s office is evaluating whether more funding for homelessness services will be required in the upcoming fiscal year 2026 budget, according to its special appropriation memorandum. Fiscal year 2026 starts July 1.
