Many residents of Seneca Heights Apartments in Gaithersburg have faced serious setbacks in their lives, including spending time living on the streets, but thanks to funding from Montgomery County and the federal Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), they are living in their own apartments now and getting their lives together.
That could all change, and quickly, if a proposal by the U.S. Congress to slash PSH funding by 70% is adopted.
“This is obscene what is happening,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. Councilmember Dawn Luedtke agreed, noting, “This makes my blood boil.”
That’s why many of the residents, as well as officials who serve their community, rallied in unison Wednesday morning. They waved signs that read, “Homelessness Ends When Housing Begins” and “Homeless People Matter.”
Frank, a resident who asked to be identified only by his first name, said he and his dog, Muffin, were homeless for about eight years. Since moving to Seneca Heights, he said, he has thrived, even starting a garden on the property and teaching younger residents how to grow vegetables.
Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless recently launched a new campaign called Standing with Solutions. Almost everyone at the rally was clad in a bright blue shirt bearing the coalition’s logo for the initiative.
The county receives this federal funding to help the neediest, including people with disabilities and older adults. The money is used to get residents into a home and to enroll them in supportive counseling. It also covers costs for some staff.
More than 400 people across the county would not be able to stay in their apartments and the county would lose about $10 million if the federal funding program is cut, according the coalition’s CEO Jen Schiller.
“What’s at stake is all the work we’ve done for years,” said Christine Hong, chief of the county’s Services to End and Prevent Homelessness. “Homelessness is not just for people with privilege and wealth. It is for all people,” she said.
Currently, 757 people are in housing here thanks to federal dollars, according to Ken Silverman of Housing Opportunities Commission.
Seneca Heights Apartments was previously an Econo Lodge motel before the county took it over and converted the property into a supportive living residence.
This morning I joined the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless & community partners at Seneca Heights to stand up for permanent supportive housing.
Housing is a human right. We can’t let federal cuts push our most vulnerable neighbors back into homelessness. pic.twitter.com/CSg2KQWS3M
— Montgomery County, MD – County Exec Marc Elrich (@MontCoExec) November 5, 2025
