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NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
July 28, 2020
ROCKVILLE, MD -- Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass (At-Large) made the following statement after Tuesday’s Council action in support of $20 million for rental assistance and homelessness prevention, and the approval of $355,000 to provide innovative support programs for veterans experiencing homelessness and other unsheltered adults.
“With rent due later this week and record levels of unemployment in the community, I have heard from constituents who are fearful of being displaced from their homes,” said Councilmember Glass, who serves on the Health and Human Services Committee and is the Council’s Lead on Homelessness and Vulnerable Communities. “The Governor’s decision to lift the eviction moratorium has caused panic for many in our most impacted communities. Montgomery County’s leaders are committed to ensuring that all residents have a safe place to call home during this health and economic crisis.”
“By committing $20 million toward direct rental support, we are expanding our commitment to provide relief for residents experiencing extreme financial burden as a result of COVID-19. These funds will be dispersed in an equitable manner, ensuring that residents in our communities most impacted by the pandemic can safely remain in their homes. The last thing we want is for anyone to become homeless during this emergency.”
“For those residents who are currently experiencing homelessness, today’s approval of $355,000 to provide housing support is further proof of our standing as a national leader in our efforts to ensure that homelessness is rare, brief and nonrecurring. This new program will allow Bethesda Cares to create an innovative and holistic program that provides veterans experiencing homelessness and other unsheltered adults with stable and supportive housing, furniture, food and virtual healthcare. A true partnership, this program model combines public funds with private philanthropy to support our most vulnerable residents.”
Councilmember Glass led the Council’s efforts in April to appropriate $2 million for rental assistance and worked with DHHS’ Services to End and Prevent Homelessness (SEPH) on this current relief package.
The County received funding from the Coronavirus Relief Fund to address emergency needs from the impact of COVID-19. DHHS’s Services to End and Prevent Homelessness’ programs will use the funds to provide financial assistance at levels needed to prevent eviction and end homelessness. The programs evaluate the risks of eviction and homelessness concentrated in communities experiencing disproportionate impacts of COVID-19, prioritizing households determined to be at the greatest risk of eviction and loss of housing. Research has shown that low-income women of color are most at risk of eviction.
The contracts will be funded through CARES funding in the amount of $118,335, and the General Fund in the amount of $236,665, totaling $355,000. Additionally, Bethesda Cares, Inc. will provide an estimated $158,200 to support the program. The County will fund long-term permanent supportive housing for those entering the Bethesda Cares effort.
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For press inquiries, please email Valeria.Carranza@montgomerycountymd.gov or call her at (240) 257- 6198.
Councilmember Evan Glass was elected to the Montgomery County Council in 2018 as an At-Large Member. He serves on the Transportation and Environment (T&E) Committee and the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee, where he is the Council’s lead on Homelessness and Vulnerable Communities. Councilmember Glass also serves as the Montgomery County Council’s representative on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ (COG) National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board and the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Transportation Committee and its Large Urban County Caucus. Councilmember Glass is the first LGBTQ+ member of the Montgomery County Council.
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