Council committee backs expanded SHARP and homelessness funding as evictions rise

The Montgomery County Health and Human Services Committee recommended county-executive funding changes meant to expand housing stabilization and reduce reliance on motel sheltering after Department of Health and Human Services (SEF) staff presented eviction and shelter data showing rising writs and an increase in family use of motels.

Chief Christine Hong and SEF staff reported a near-doubling in executed evictions between FY22 and year-to-date FY25 and said writs received are increasing even though the sheriff's office is able to execute only a portion of writs. Chief Hong described coordinated outreach to households that receive eviction notices and credited partnerships with the sheriff's office and nonprofits for preventing many evictions. Councilmembers and the chief discussed the challenge of providing proactive assistance before a writ or formal notice is filed; Councilmember Lukey and others asked whether the county could do more for residents who seek help earlier.

The county executive's FY26 recommendations for SEF included a major expansion of the Short Term Housing and Resolution Program (SHARP): a request of $6,900,000 for up to 12 months of rental assistance and navigation services to help households quickly resolve housing crises. County staff explained SHARP is estimated to cost about $33,291 annually per family if the program pays 100% of base rent; with the FY26 request the county expects to support roughly 2,208 families over the year under the recommended funding scenario. SEF reported that, after a January start, SHARP housed 84 families through late April (about 8 families per week) and that SHARP participants have a lower family recidivism rate than emergency interventions (families' return rate about 3% versus 22% for individuals in some SHARP pilots).

Committee members also reviewed other recommended increases that sustain earlier supplemental appropriations: $2.95 million to annualize eviction prevention and rental-assistance (housing stabilization) supports, $2.0 million for rapid rehousing to account for rising rents and longer average lengths of stay (average admitted household length ~460 days), and $1.2 million to replace ARPA funding for 39 households in the Housing Initiative Program (permanent supportive housing). Council staff recommended concurrence with the county executive on these items; the committee approved them without objection.

SEF briefed the committee on motel oversight and community partner roles. SEF contracts with a small number of hotels for family overflow shelter; Chief Hong and contract manager Denise Anderson described site visits and issue-resolution processes but acknowledged they lacked a centralized dashboard tracking complaints, resolutions and contract closeouts. Councilmember Sales asked SEF to provide a dashboard of outstanding issues and follow-ups for motel contracts; SEF agreed to produce one.

Chief Hong and members emphasized the fiscal rationale: motel shelter costs are high and the county's strategy is to house families faster than they enter the system (outpace inflow to reach a functional zero), which in turn reduces costly motel spending. Councilmembers and the chief also highlighted the need for longer-term planning, regional coordination and a strategic update to the county's homelessness plan to reflect current increases in need.