Community Corner

Putting a Face on Homelessness in Montgomery County

Results released for county's largest homeless outreach survey

When Jasper Young turned up at a homeless shelter in Montgomery County two years ago, he knew he needed housing help but he though his health was fine.

But through the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless network, Young got connected to medical services—and even found housing in Germantown, according to Susie Sinclair Smith, executive director of the Coalition.

His medical checkup revealed he had a heart condition.

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“I didn’t think my heart was bad,” Jasper said. “I had heart attacks about three or four times and didn’t know nothing about it until I went to the doctor or emergency room and they told me I had a heart attack.”

Jasper shared his story Wednesday at the Montgomery County Council chambers in Rockville, where county officials and community leaders announced the results of the county’s largest homeless outreach survey.

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Montgomery County was one of roughly 200 communities to participate in a nationwide 100,000 Homes Campaign.

“The goal is to create 100,000 homes for vulnerable and chronically homeless people,” Smith said.

As part of the campaign, teams of volunteers scoured all parts of the county between 4 and 6 a.m. Nov. 4-6 to survey homeless people.

There were 369 completed surveys, Smith said.

Of the surveys, 160 of the people who responded could be considered “medically vulnerable.”

On average, those surveyed had been homeless for 4.3 years and were 46 years old. According to the results, 288 suffered from a mental disorder or substance dependency.

The vast majority—270—were male. 

County health officials said they want to use the information from the surveys to help them figure out how to best help people like Young.

Montgomery County Councilman Craig Rice, who lives in Germantown, said if Young’s medical procedure probably wouldn’t have happened if were still living on the street.

“He would have died,” Rice said.

Rice said he got an “eye opening” experience volunteering for a prior registry week in Germantown. On his first day out, he encountered a man at a bus stop in 34-degree weather.

“And he was in a T-shirt and was coughing and hacking,” Rice said. “There’s no question to me that that man is not going to survive this winter if we don’t intervene and get him help. It is life or death.”

Rice said that there’s a homeless encampment about a mile from his home.

“Their place is outside in the woods,” Rice said. “That’s not acceptable. We cannot continue to let these people put themselves at risk and allow them to die outside. We’ve got to provide them resources.”

On Nov. 1, the county opened its winter overflow shelters, which has 393 beds, according to Uma S. Ahluwalia, director of Health & Human Services.

Last week, Gaithersburg hosted a Homeless Resource Day served 319 homeless people, county officials said.

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett said the county has maintained 8,000 affordable housing units and spent $300 million toward affordable housing funding over past few years.

“That’s just a drop in the bucket when you realize the nature and the intensity of the problem,” Leggett said. “We have to do much more.”

Councilman George Leventhal, who is on the campaign’s executive committee, said he and Rice planned to introduce a $700,000 supplemental appropriation for the council’s current budget to house 15 homeless people.

“I don’t know if will ever end homelessness altogether in Montgomery County,” Leventhal said, “but what I can tell you is that for the 15 clients Craig Rice and my legislation is going to help, for Jasper, for each individual we identify and place in a house, his or her homelessness has ended.” 

Young said that though he’s not homeless any more, he’s still reaching out to  the community, working in soup kitchens and helping spread the word about homelessness in Montgomery County. He said he hopes more people would do the same. 

“God didn’t leave us behind,” Young said, “So why should we leave the homeless behind, and they’re out sleeping outside?”


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