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October 2022
This week I honored World Homeless Day, an opportunity for local communities to mobilize around the goal of preventing and ending homelessness. Montgomery County has made significant progress in our efforts to provide everyone with a safe place to call home, including a 10% increase in people transitioning to permanent housing over the last year. In partnership with nonprofit partners, the county has decreased families experiencing homelessness by 50% and overall homelessness by 41% in the last 10 years.
Homelessness is an issue that affects people 365 days a year, and it is important for us to honor the work that our county and nonprofit partners conduct all year long.
Let’s recommit to our shared goal of ensuring homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring.
On Wednesday, I joined other parents, teachers, public safety officers and students at Wheaton Woods Elementary School for National Walk and Bike to School Day. As an advocate for safer streets, it’s wonderful to see thousands of schools across the country join the movement to raise awareness about pedestrian and bicycle safety. Walking or biking to school has many benefits for you and your children – it reduces the risk of obesity and heart disease, improves mental health, and helps to create good habits for an active lifestyle into adulthood.
 Photo Credit: Dave Asche
October is LGBTQ+ History Month – when we honor the history and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community and bring extraordinary figures into the spotlight. On Friday, October 21 at 7:00 pm, you’ll have the chance to chat via Zoom with one such individual – author Gabby Rivera. In her acclaimed novel, Juliet Takes a Breath, Gabby drew inspiration from her own background as a queer Latinx youth to bring her vibrant characters to life. Her talk will delve into the importance of diversity and the importance of encouraging young people to develop their creativity. Gabby never shies away from tackling tough questions and she always offers thoughtful progressive solutions. My thanks to the Friends of the Library for providing us with the opportunity to hear from this thought-provoking author. To register: FOLMC | Gabby Rivera.
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, women’s reproductive rights are now being systematically dismantled in states across the nation. When the draft opinion from the Supreme Court was leaked in May, I proposed adding funds to expand access to safe and legal abortions in Montgomery County. I’m pleased that the County Executive and Council worked together to support new grant opportunities that will provide one-year funding from $50,000 to a maximum of $500,000 for organizations that help individuals seeking access to abortion, reproductive health, and related services. Click here to learn more about the Abortion Access Grants Program.
A local business owner recently contacted my office to ask about a large increase in the FCC (Fire Prevention and Code Compliance) fee for her art studio business. She had been paying for one permit per year, but a recent visit from a county permitting and code compliance inspector resulted in her being charged a separate fee for each of the 35 individual studios that constitute her space. We reached out to the Department of Permitting Services (DPS) on the constituent’s behalf, and later that same day, DPS informed her that they would adjust their records so she only has to pay for one FCC permit. I’m glad we were able to resolve this situation and help another small business in our community.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me about any issue you may have. Email me at Councilmember.Glass@montgomerycountymd.gov or you can call my office at (240) 777-7966.
Seasonal flu shots have been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization, and death. The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services is offering FREE flu vaccine clinics for adults and children at three locations. Flu vaccinations are also available through private health providers, as well as at many retail locations throughout the community.
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