Following President Trump’s statement about cleaning up the nation’s capital, “The homeless have to move out, ” County officials fear homelessness will spike here.
The County shares a border with D.C. and easily accessible public transportation could mean those fleeing Washington come here. During his weekly media briefing County Executive Marc Elrich noted that could strain the county’s already stretched resources.
Homeless Care Challenges
The county shelters are filled, but other resources available, Elrich said. However, he stressed, “Our resources are not unlimited.”
According to the most recent Point in Time survey, the number of unsheltered people in Montgomery County rose. “This will make it worse,” Elrich said.
“We serve a lot of food, and our lines are long,” he said, adding any increase in the number of unsheltered people moving from D.C. to Montgomery County will only magnify the problem. However, he stressed, “We are not gong to let people starve.”
‘Wait and See’
Dr. Earl Stoddard, assistant chief administrative officer for the county, said the county is taking a wait and see approach while following events closely.
“The reality is, we just don’t know,” Stoddard said, noting the there has been “no clear direction provided” that would enable officials here to understand what will happen. If federal forces only push the unsheltered out of the area near government buildings, the homeless may only move on to other parts of the District, he said.
Those dealing with homelessness, both county and nonprofit organization, recently met to better understand what may be needed to combat a possible influx of unsheltered people, Stoddard said.
County Will Collect Data
“They are all preparing,” noted Christine Hong, chief of Services to End and Prevent Homelessness in the county.
All personnel have been asked to keep records of anyone they serve who has come from D.C. “Our work is data driven,” she said, noting that there is much uncertainty currently.
Stoddard remined everyone that the Trump Administration’s move to deter crime and homelessness in Washington, D.C. is only 24 hours old. “We just don’t know what we don’t know,” he said.
State Officials Decry D.C.’s Federalization
Maryland officials also are concerned with the use of National Guard and other federal officials to fight crime in D.C.
U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks called placing D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department under federal control and deploying the National Guard “drastic executive overreach.”
“The city of Washington D.C. belongs to the great people of Washington, D.C., not the occupant of the White House. If he actually cared about the wellbeing of the people of Washington, he wouldn’t have blocked D.C. from spending its OWN money in the way it saw fit,” Alsobrooks wrote in a statement.
She added, “Republicans’ meddling in D.C.’s budget created a deficit the city had to address in part by freezing hiring of the professional staff in the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and by imposing restrictions on overtime for police officers.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said President Donald Trump’s action “lacks seriousness and is deeply dangerous.” He added, “These actions by the President lack both data and a battle plan. He is simple using honorable men and women as pawns to distract us from his policies, which continue to drive up unemployment and strip away health care and food assistance from those who need it most.”
President Trump's decision to mobilize the National Guard to conduct municipal policing in D.C. lacks seriousness and is deeply dangerous.
We await outreach from the White House if they want to have a serious conversation about public safety. But we won’t hold our breath. pic.twitter.com/CqE67E0GpZ
— Governor Wes Moore (@GovWesMoore) August 11, 2025
