Montgomery County advisory panel warns of sharp rise in homelessness, urges eviction-prevention funding

The Interagency Commission on Homelessness told Montgomery County’s Health and Human Services Committee that family homelessness nearly doubled in the most recent point-in-time count, jumping 98% to 204 households with children, and recommended a suite of prevention and housing responses ahead of FY27 budget decisions.

Chief Hong, reading the ICH statement, said the county’s continuum of care expanded services during the pandemic when federal funds flowed but has seen capacity decline as that funding expired. "Family homelessness nearly doubled, doubled, rising 98% to 2 0 4 households with children," the statement said, and adult-only homelessness rose 10% to 7 96 individuals.

Why it matters: the commission urged prioritizing prevention interventions—eviction-prevention and diversion programs that help residents avoid shelter entry; increased rental-assistance and shallow subsidies for households with disabilities and older adults; and expansion of rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing slots. The ICH noted that prevention is typically less costly and less traumatic for families than shelter placement.

The commission also recommended stronger fair-housing enforcement and an expanded landlord risk-mitigation fund to attract landlords willing to lease to households exiting homelessness. "Preventing eviction is not only more cost effective than sheltering households, but also spares them the trauma and long term disruption caused by homelessness," the statement said.

Council members pressed for practical next steps. Committee members discussed using existing county resources and partnerships—legal assistance, case-management, and behavioral-health connections—to better triage households whose arrears or needs exceed what current eviction-prevention programs can solve. Chief Hong said the county is linking those with repeated shelter risk to behavioral-health services and psychiatric rehabilitation programs where appropriate.

What’s next: the committee flagged homelessness and eviction prevention as priorities to address in upcoming budget deliberations and asked the Interagency Commission and Department of Health and Human Services to provide follow-up briefings and data on program capacity, funding gaps and the expected fiscal impact of recommended expansions.

Provenance: The commission’s data and recommendations were presented to the committee during testimony beginning with Chief Hong’s statement.