The number of homeless people in Montgomery County during a January point-in-time count was down by 11 percent compared to a point-in-time count in 2013.
According to numbers released Wednesday by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, there were 891 homeless people in Montgomery County on the day of the count — Jan. 29. In 2013, there were 1,004 homeless people in Montgomery County on the day of the count.
It’s the lowest amount of homeless people ever counted in the county, something county officials attributed to an increased focus on moving homeless individuals to permanent supportive housing facilities.
The county publicized the MWCOG numbers with its own statistics showing the amount of people in permanent supportive housing in Montgomery County has more than tripled since 2005.
“It is great to know that our efforts to reduce the number of people living under conditions of misery are paying off with measurable results,” Councilmember George Leventhal said in a prepared county release.
Leventhal is the chair of the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee and has taken a lead role in promoting the Housing First philosophy of getting homeless people off the streets.
“We need to continue placing homeless clients in permanent, stable housing,” Leventhal said. “That’s the most effective way to keep bringing our homelessness rate down and to assist clients to repair their broken lives.”
Via Montgomery County
