Currently, 1,444 students attending Montgomery County Public Schools are without stable housing. Some are living with friends or in hotels; others are in shelters or living outside.
Rainbow Place Shelter in Rockville is working to add a young adult shelter. It will help more than 100 young adults in unstable housing when it opens, according to its website. It’s currently an emergency shelter for women during the cold months, serving about 100 women each season.
Homelessness amongst families with children has “significantly increased” during the past five years, according to Christine Hong, chief of Montgomery County’s Services to End and Prevent Homelessness.
Homelessness for families with children increased 634% during the past five years for a number of reasons, said Hong. Special funding as well as an eviction moratorium during the pandemic helped many families remain in their homes. Without that funding and other safety nets, plus inflation and the high cost of housing, there has been “an explosion” of families without permanent shelter, she said.
“There are a large number of families who are struggling,” Hong added.
Montgomery County added $6.9 million to its Short-term Housing and Resolution Program (SHaRP) this fiscal year, which helped 253 families (more than 800 people) remain in their homes.
ShaRP covers the security deposit and monthly rental for a year in amounts that are determined by the renter’s income.
The county tries to help as many people as possible, but there aren’t enough funds to do that, she said, adding that some families are in arrears to their landlord for thousands of dollars.
According to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, every child between five and 17 years must attend school.
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