As part of a continuing community series to help Montgomery County residents learn about services, Councilmember Andrew Friedson led a webinar on housing accessibility and affordability Wednesday.
During the one-hour bilingual United in Service and Support Community Webinar, several public and private housing specialists reviewed what is available for people having trouble paying their rent.
Housing prices rose 11.2% last year in Montgomery County while wages only rose 1.7%, according to Friedson. Many residents were rent or mortgage burdened in 2024 before the federal government’s layoffs began, he said.
“We are trying everything we can” to help residents, he said. “We are putting money where our mouths are,” he said, adding, “We are trying everything we can.”
He pointed to several recently adopted programs that make it easier for developers to build on church property or Metro parking lots.
Executives from the county’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Services to End and Prevent Homelessness and the Housing Opportunities Commission explained where residents can turn for help. A loan officer from First Savings and Mortgage also spoke.
According to Christine Hong, chief of Services to End and Prevent Homelessness, there were 1,510 people in Montgomery County living in shelters or on the street during a national Point in Time Survey in January.
“We saw a dramatic increase,” she said, noting homelessness rose about 32% over the previous year. She called that “very, very troubling.”
During 2025, 1,059 people were evicted. In 2024, that number was 999, and in 2022, it was only 532, according to Hong.
On the positive side, Hong noted in the past four months, 121 families were housed in short-term housing, taking adults and children off the streets.
The county has a rent stabilization program covering nearly 60% of rental units here. Under that program, landlords cannot raise rents more than 6% a year. Beginning July 1, that increase drops to 5.7%
The next United in Service and Support Community Webinar is set for June 11 at 7 p.m. Councilmember Sidney Katz will lead the meeting on Local Law Enforcement Resources for Eviction, Domestic Violence and Child Support.
