Homelessness in Montgomery County rose 54% from last year, according to the newly released Point-in-Time count that was conducted in January. The count reflects a one-night effort to reach as many homeless people as possible and is considered a snapshot on the issue.
This year, Montgomery County staff and volunteers located 894 people experiencing homelessness, which is an increase of 313 people as compared with 2022’s count. That translates to almost one person for every 1,000 residents.
Throughout the D.C. area, a total of 8,994 people are experiencing homelessness, according to the report by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. That is an increase of 1,339 people as compared with the 2022 count. That year, the region experienced its lowest number on record for the county.
Over the past five years, homelessness decreased in the region by 9%. However, in Montgomery County, there were 247 more people experiencing homelessness during the past five years, or a 38% increase.
During 2022, Montgomery County increased the number of medical beds available in shelters and also added 20 new beds in its medical respite program. There are a total of 864 beds available in the county.
Across the region, 29,000 residents who have experienced homelessness are permanently housed, which is an all-time for the area, according to COG.
Chronic homelessness, which includes those with a disabling condition who have been homeless at least a year and have had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years, decreased throughout the region by about 4%.
“Through our investments in housing services and programs, we ensure more residents can access safe and stable housing in our region,” explained Elisabeth Young, COG Homeless Services Planning and Coordinating Committee Chair and the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness Deputy Chief of Policy and Programs’ “As housing programs prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic have ended, including eviction moratoriums and some emergency housing assistance, the region is saddened to see more residents experiencing homelessness,” she said.
The 2023 count showed that 35% of adults without children experiencing homelessness were over the age of 55. 383 of these individuals were unsheltered, an increase from 118 unsheltered seniors in the 2022 count.
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