For Immediate Release: Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Council President
The initiative will provide $500,000 for rental assistance and case management staff for 50 families and individuals who are homeless. This doubles the number of households currently served in the Partnership for Permanent Housing, an innovative program providing access to permanent affordable housing as well as case management for families in shelters and motels.
In addition, the Councilmembers propose $500,000 to increase access to medical care, including doubling the number of visits to shelters by the Mobile Medical van. The initiative would bolster the two sites that currently provide health care to the homeless – the Gude Men’s Shelter and the Shepherd’s Table – and would add two new sites.
The $500,000 will be dedicated from the proposed $5 million increase for Montgomery Cares, the County’s health program for uninsured persons.
Joining the Councilmembers were Sharan London, Executive Director, Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless; Robert Spector and Sheldon Grossberg of Mobile Med; and Jacki Coyle, Executive Director of Shepherd’s Table. Also attending the news conference was Melonie Campbell, whose family has been able to exit homelessness through the Partnership for Permanent Housing program.
“Children should not have to live in motel rooms,” said
“Everyone in
“The Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless believes that each person is entitled to the dignity of a home,” said
The Councilmembers also announced their support for County Executive Doug Duncan’s budget proposal to provide $500,000 beginning in January, 2007 to develop a new component of the County’s Rental Assistance Program which will provide significant subsidies to very low income households (30% of area median income or $27,100 for a family of four) and who are homeless or have special needs, for example, developmental disabilities, mental illness, or elderly needing assisted living. This budget proposal will serve a broader spectrum of households beyond those who are homeless and will require additional planning prior to implementation.
The Councilmembers’ proposals will be considered as part of the County Council’s actions this spring on the Fiscal Year 2007 Operating Budget.
# # #