Homelessness is up by 32% in Montgomery County compared to the same time last year, according to a report released Wednesday, though county officials believe that the number of unhoused people is likely underreported.
The data was collected by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments as part of Montgomery County’s annual point-in-time (PIT) homelessness count survey on Jan. 29.
Montgomery County had the greatest increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness from 2024 to 2025 among the jurisdictions in the council’s report, with 366 additional people counted. The council also includes Washington, D.C.; the city of Alexandria; Prince George’s County; and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William counties in Virginia.
The annual point-in-time count is designed to provide a “snapshot” of the number of people who are experiencing homelessness on one night, according to the county’s Department of Health and Human Services.
The point-in-time count is conducted almost entirely by volunteers. Between 170 to 200 volunteers participated in this year’s Montgomery County count, according to official. Led by experienced team leaders who work for local nonprofits, volunteer teams are assigned to different geographical regions of the county.
Provided with a map, the teams are tasked with checking out various “hot spots” where unhoused individuals are most likely to be spending the night. Volunteers then approach these people to ask them questions about their demographics – including race, gender identity, employment status – and their experiences with homelessness.
While not flawless in its ability to capture an accurate count, the survey is an essential tool for determining how pervasive homelessness is in the county and what services and funding are needed, according to Christine Hong, the county’s chief of Services to End and Prevent Homelessness.
Generally, the number of unhoused people counted in the survey is underreported due to the nature of homelessness, according to county officials. The survey doesn’t account for individuals who may couch-surf in the homes of others or sleep in their cars in secluded areas, or aren’t found during the survey.
Data in the report also examines who is experiencing homelessness. In Montgomery County, 204 families encompassing 712 people (417 of them children) were counted as unhoused during the point-in-time count night.
Racial demographic information was not available in the report for Montgomery County specifically, but across the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments jurisdictions, Black residents made up the vast majority of the unhoused population – 67% of single unhoused adults were Black, and 79% of adults in unhoused families were Black.
The data in this year’s survey points to an alarming trend: Montgomery County has seen an increase in its unhoused population over the past few years. The 2023 PIT count revealed that homelessness was up 53% in the county from the previous year. The county saw a 47% increase in family homelessness between 2023 and 2024, according to Hong, indicating the problem is continuing to worsen.
County officials have cited lower-income salaries not keeping up with inflation, increasing rent prices and the end of COVID-19 emergency federal funding for rental assistance as recent driving factors contributing to an increase in homelessness.
The increasing numbers led the County Council and County Executive Marc Elrich (D) to prioritize funding to address the crisis in the county operating budget for fiscal year 2026, which starts July 1. The council took a preliminary unanimous vote to approve the $7.6 billion budget Thursday.
“Just this week we learned that Montgomery County’s unhoused population has increased 32% over the last year,” council President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) said Thursday following the council’s straw vote. “To combat these rising rates, we’ve allocated $62 million for Services to End and Prevent Homelessness, and over $200 million in services to support children, youth and families, older adults and people with disabilities.”
In December, the council approved a $3.6 million funding increase for homelessness services at the urging of Hong and other advocates working with unhoused populations. At the time, Hong’s department was projected to overspend its original budget allocation for fiscal year 2025, which ends June 30, by $550,000 due to the need in the community.
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments report includes suggestions for jurisdictions to address rising homelessness. Namely, it says that local governments need to address the systemic and structural issues that may be contributing to the crisis.
“Efforts to prevent and end homelessness must include a critical examination of the structural factors that drive disparities in outcomes,” the report said. “Segregation and discrimination in housing, incarceration, and a lack of access to quality health care and educational opportunities all compound inequities that result in the disparities seen in metropolitan Washington’s systems of care.”
