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Speaker alleges abuse, retaliation at county-funded shelters during public hearing on EMS insurance bill
Summary
During a Feb. 11 public hearing on Bill 1-25 (Emergency Medical Services Transport Insurance Reimbursement Program), one registered speaker used the allotted testimony to allege systemic abuse and retaliation at county-funded shelters and to call for greater transparency and accountability from county agencies and shelter operators.
The Montgomery County Council held a public hearing Feb. 11 on Bill 1-25, the Emergency Medical Services Transport Insurance Reimbursement Program, which would permit fire and rescue personnel to inquire about insurance coverage in certain situations. One registered speaker, Rabita Moses, used the allotted six minutes to describe alleged systemic abuse and retaliation in county-funded shelters and to urge council intervention and transparency.
Moses said she has been an advocate on behalf of women in publicly funded shelters and accused the shelters’ leadership, including Interfaith Works, of "abuse, coercion, retaliation, intimidation, and denial of basic human dignity," particularly toward women who are disabled, elderly, veterans, domestic violence survivors or living with mental-health conditions. "If taxpayer money is funding these shelters, why is the county allowing these abuses to continue?" she asked.
She described a personal history of advocacy and asserted that, after raising concerns, she experienced retaliation, including claims that letters from Interfaith Works sought to discredit her. Moses said county officials have met privately with Interfaith Works leadership and that public advocates were not afforded comparable consideration. "Instead of holding shelters accountable, the government works to silence the voices of those trying to expose the truth," she said.
Moses also described separate housing problems and ongoing eviction proceedings that she connects to what she characterized as failures of county offices to respond after she advocated for residents. She said the landlord-tenant office would not assist her because of a past relationship between an official and Interfaith Works and said she is now facing eviction despite having disability and health needs.
Council president Kate Stewart closed the speaker’s six-minute time and the council took no immediate action on the testimony. The hearing on Bill 1-25 itself remains in the committee schedule; the council packet notes a Public Safety Committee work session on the bill is scheduled for March 17, 2025, and materials could be submitted by March 10, 2025.
