Volunteers painted the walls of the Nebel StreetShelter in North Bethesda sky blue Saturday in celebration of its fourth anniversary.
“They are trying to give ‘Nebel’ a bright look to say people here matter,” said Lynn Rose, director of development at Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless.
The volunteers worked in two shifts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Since its opening, the shelter has housed and provided services to more than 3,000 homeless men.
The Nebel Street Shelter “is not just about space. It creates stability,” said Jen Schiller, CEO of the coalition. “These are places of hope. These are places of dignity.”
The volunteers who came to paint show they care, she noted.
“You are not just painting walls. You are painting hope,” Schiller said.
During the pandemic, Montgomery County converted two of its recreation centers to shelter the increasing number of residents without housing. When the world began to open up again, the county returned those centers to their original purpose.
County Executive Marc Elrich recalled wondering where those people who were sleeping in the recreation centers would go.
“We had no money in the budget,” Elrich said. He sought other housing, he said, while knowing there was no place to house them.
The county ultimately located the building on Nebel Street, fixed it up and opened its doors, according to Elrich. “This is some of the most important work we do. It’s humane,” Elrich said.
It continues to be important as the number of evictions in the county “are ramping up. Those cases are accelerating,” he said.
“It is incredible the number of people who have come through those doors that you have served,” Councilmember Kate Stewart said. “The goal really is to end housing insecurity.”
Christine Hong, the county’s chief of Services to End and Prevent Homelessness, noted that Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless served more than 800 people in the previous year, which added up to 17,000 bed nights.
The county’s homeless rate dropped by 26%, according to the Point in Time homeless count that was conducted in January, she said.
Sherwin Williams donated the paint, and That 1 Painter guided the volunteers.
Pictured from left to right: County Executive Marc Elrich, Councilmember Kate Stewart, Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless Director Lynn Rose and CEO Jen Schiller and County Homeless Chief Christine Hong
