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June 2021
Nearly 40% of youth who experience homelessness identify as LGBTQ+.
On Wednesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, I will be hosting a virtual discussion about LGBTQ+ housing and homelessness. The panelists include LGBTQ+ leaders and advocates who will share their personal and professional experiences. Participants will learn about the county and state’s policies and have the opportunity to ask questions about ways to continue making safe spaces for LGBTQ+ residents of Montgomery County.
You can RSVP for the event by registering here.
The Long Branch community, located east of downtown Silver Spring and bordering Prince George’s County is home to a diverse population of about 20,000 people, including new immigrants from over 120 countries.
A few weeks ago I organized a walk around the Long Branch community in collaboration with Community CHEER, a local advocacy group. The community walk was attended by representatives from the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, Recreation, Libraries, Parks and Health and Human Services (HHS). We heard directly from Long Branch residents about their need for programs and services in their community. Many of the positive developments the community and I pushed for include, making improvements at the Flower Avenue Urban Park, reopening the Long Branch library, and helping to address individuals experiencing homelessness.
There is still more work that needs to be done and I look forward to continuing my partnership with the community. If you have issues that need to be addressed in your neighborhood, I encourage you to write me with your concerns.
In a quiet right-of-way nestled across the street from the Westfield Wheaton Mall, there is a community garden that is maintained by members of the Pleasant View Park community in partnership with Impact Silver Spring. I was pleased to visit the community garden and learn first hand from residents and volunteers about the benefits it provides.
What was once an unmaintained and overgrown walkway, the strip of land has become the center of the community as neighbors worked to prepare the land for its new purpose. Impact Silver Spring, the Charles Koiner Center for Urban Farming and the Montgomery County Food Council provided seed funding for garden boxes and equipment to match the neighbors’ passions and talents. The garden now produces strawberries, spinach, onions and much more. It is an excellent example of how we can bring nutrition closer to home and ensure that more people, particularly those who may be experiencing food insecurity, have access to high quality produce.
One of the best things about serving as your councilmember is meeting with you and your neighbors in your own community. Now that nearly 71% of eligible residents are vaccinated, businesses are fully reopening and our reopening processes are underway, I am looking forward to being able to meet in person again with community groups, civic associations, local advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations. If you would like to invite me to attend or speak at an event that your organization is planning, I welcome you to click here and submit a request online. You can also call my office at (240) 777-7966 or email me at Councilmember.Glass@montgomerycountymd.gov
The Pride flag is once again flying over Montgomery County! On June 7, I was joined by County Executive Marc Elrich, Congressman David Trone, my Council colleagues and other officials and community leaders to officially commemorate Pride Month by raising the Progress flag in Rockville. Designed in 2018, the Progress flag is an inclusive symbol that celebrates marginalized LGBTQ+ communities by including black and brown stripes to represent LGBTQ+ communities of color, in addition to the pink, light blue and white, which are used on the Transgender Pride flag.
As the first LGBTQ+ member of the County Council, I have had the honor of raising the Pride Flag and organizing Pride Month events for the past three years. These festivities promote acceptance and inclusion across the community. We must continue making our community a safe and welcoming place for all to call home.
For a list of upcoming Pride Month events visit: bit.ly/mocopride-2021.
A Spanish-speaking constituent recently reached out to my office when she found herself unemployed and unable to make ends meet. After speaking up about unfair labor practices at her cleaning job, she had been laid off and a month later, was still not able to receive unemployment assistance. As an undocumented Guatemalan immigrant with two children, she was understandably worried about how she would keep a roof over her head and feed her children.
Our office reached out to the county’s office of Services to End and Prevent Homelessness (SEPH) to request that a case manager provide assistance and help her apply for county and state assistance programs for which she might be eligible. A bilingual member of my staff coordinated with the case manager and constituent to help her access food and rental assistance while she sought new employment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Montgomery County is leading the nation among large counties when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations, including in the newly eligible population of kids 12 and older. By one key measure, nearly 71% of Montgomery County residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated.
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