Committee hears 2025 point‑in‑time findings as Montgomery County reports sharp rise in family homelessness

Montgomery County Health and Human Services officials and regional partners presented the results of the January 2025 point‑in‑time (PIT) count and local data to the county’s HHS Committee on June 26, saying the regionwide snapshot and county figures point to mounting needs and urgent preventive steps.

"It is only a point in time," Sam Kenny, regional homeless systems coordinator at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), told the committee, stressing the PIT is a snapshot and not a full measure of need. He said the region’s count for the nights collected in January 2025 was roughly 9,660 people and that local variation means jurisdictions must pair the PIT with other data to understand trends.

County officials told the committee Montgomery County saw a substantial local increase. "Overall, Montgomery County saw a significant increase in homelessness, 32% rise from 2024," Chief Hong of the county Department of Health and Human Services said. Hong said the increase was concentrated among families: the number of people in family units rose by about 80%, and family units "essentially doubled from 103 to 204." She added parenting youth and veterans also increased.

Why it matters: county staff and COG framed the spike as driven…