The Nebel Street Shelter that opened about 10 months ago currently is at “over capacity” but we are making do,” explained Susie Sinclair-Smith, CEO of the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless.
The recent below freezing temperatures and snowfall created a situation in which more people than usual wanted to be indoors. The 200-bed facility now includes mats for sleeping in the conference and dining rooms.
The shelter is providing space for about 60 additional men.
“This has been really the first bad cold snap in a couple of years,” Sinclair-Smith said.
It is not just room to sleep that is needed, she said. “We need to ramp up our capacity to serve them” with food and other supplies. Her organization works to assess anyone who comes to the shelter and also keep records on that person.
Anyone using the Nebel Street Shelter must leave the facility during the day and can only return in the evenings.
While the shelter will keep those men from freezing during nightfall, it is not an answer to homelessness, according to Bethesda Cares. This organization advocates Housing First, getting someone into housing with a full complement of supportive services quickly and then working on the individual’s issues.
“It’s a difficult time for people,” said Executive Director John Mendez. “A lot of them have tried going to shelters in the past,” but are not comfortable.
Instead, they end up “finding nooks and crannies,” going to the second and third floors of garages or staying at overnight cafes.
“We have 100 to 150 people like that throughout Montgomery County,” Mendez said. These places have become “kind of like a shelter by default.”
The idea is not to manage homelessness but rather end it with permanent housing, not emergency shelters, Mendez explained.
Still, he said, some people are “absolutely” more willing to enter shelters when the temperatures dip into the single digits.
This region conducts a Point-in-Time homeless count annually. During the January 2023 count, homelessness in Montgomery County rose 54% from 2022,
Last January, 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.
This year’s Point-on-Time begins Wednesday at 8 p.m. and ends Thursday at 3 a.m. Volunteers and staff members of various organizations working to end homelessness reach out to anyone they see sleeping outside, in their cars or elsewhere.
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