Council Sets Aside $650K for Homeless Housing

Fifteen homeless people in Montgomery County will receive permanent housing as part of a $649,325 appropriation by the county council, the council's office announced on Tuesday.

The money will be used to provide subsidies for rental assistance and utility costs, as well as intensive services such as case management, medical and behavioral health services, the council's office reported.

The 15 people were identified as the county's most vulnerable homeless people in a countywide survey taken during the 100,000 Homes Campaign Registry Week on Nov. 4, 5 and 6. More than 300 volunteers canvassed the county in pre-dawn hours, identifying 369 people on the streets, in the woods and in shelters.

"The 369 individuals surveyed reported a total of 677 inpatient hospitalizations in the past year, and 159 of them were identified as the most medically vulnerable. Medically vulnerable homeless people are more likely to use costly hospital services rather than access less expensive community-based care," the council's office reported.

"Of the 159 medically vulnerable individuals, 80 were hospitalized three times in the last 12 months and 86 were considered to be tri-morbid, meaning that they suffered from physical, mental health and active substance use issues," the council's office added. 

People experiencing homelessness have a life expectancy that is 25 years shorter than people who are housed, the council reported.

Many national-level reports indicate that housing the most vulnerable people and providing them with a high level of services is "not only the most humane choice ... it is also more cost-effective then to allow them to continue to live on the street," the council's office reported.

County Council Member George Leventhal (D-At Large), along with Council Member Nancy Navarro (D-At Large) and Council President Craig Rice (D-District 2), introduced the supplemental appropriation.