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County says SHARP helped cut family homelessness; HUD grant uncertainty threatens gains
Summary
DHHS told the committee SHARP has housed hundreds of families and contributed to large drops in family homelessness, but staff warned pending HUD CoC NOFO changes and grant delays could cut permanent supportive housing and rapid‑rehousing funds affecting hundreds of residents.
DHHS officials told the Montgomery County Health and Human Services Committee that the SHARP rapid‑housing program has been a leading driver in the county’s recent reductions in family homelessness, but that federal funding uncertainty could reverse those gains.
"We started housing people in February 25 ... it's all been families ... 299," Christine Hong, Chief of Services to End and Prevent Homelessness, said in the presentation summarizing the SHARP program’s results. County point‑in‑time data showed a 47% reduction in people in families compared with the prior year and an overall 26% reduction in the PIT count to 1,117 people.
Diana Pina, Deputy Chief with SEF, warned the committee that HUD had not yet released renewal grant agreements and that a changed CoC NOFO could cap the share of tier‑1 funding that is renewed. "That could be up to 350 people who will lose housing in around $4,300,000," she said, summarizing the department’s estimate of programs that could be defunded if the NOFO narrows eligibility or tiers. Committee members asked for broader trend charts and clear execution plans to move from sheltering to prevention and permanent housing. DHHS committed to share additional analysis for council review.
