1980s
The Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless was created in the mid-1980s as a response to the growing number of people experiencing homelessness in our community. The founders established an informal network of homeless service providers including shelters, soup kitchens, county government officials and congregations. 

The initial functions of the Coalition included organized advocacy and public education efforts. In addition, the Coalition created a forum for education of, and networking between, homeless service providers. This new forum led to the identification of unmet needs and the development of vital homeless services, which were spun-off for other organizations to run.

1990s
In 1990, the Coalition’s leadership decided to officially incorporate allowing the organization to professionalize, raise funds, hire staff and operate its own programs, while continuing its vital collaborative work. 

In the early 1990s, MCCH collaborated with partner organizations to operate emergency shelters throughout the county in various public facilities (even the Executive Office Building lobby for one night). Eventually a permanent shelter was opened at the current Gude Drive location in the form of a trailer. While the trailer was a less than ideal facility, the shelter did provide homeless men with a warm, overnight refuge on winter nights.

The Coalition's first year-round direct service program, Laytonsville Safe Haven, opened in 1993 to address the need for a low-demand transitional housing program for mentally ill women.  Due to the success of this program, the Coalition applied for and received its first HUD grant to open three more Safe Havens, which led to the hiring of a full-time Executive Director in 1996.

In 1998, the Men’s Emergency Shelter began operating year-round and offering supportive services, but remained in substandard facilities.  Intensive advocacy efforts spearheaded by the Coalition in 1998- 1999 led to a significant public-private partnership to construct a new shelter. The County government and Home Builders Care Foundation partnered with the Coalition and committed cash, in-kind goods and services. This unique collaboration of resources resulted in the construction of a 5,800 square foot building that opened in 2000 and shelters up to 100 men at a time.  Instead of sleeping on the floor of trailers, the men now sleep in a facility with bunk beds and cots and have access to showers, toilet and laundry facilities in the building. 

Today
Beginning in 2000, the Coalition began to really examine the county’s homeless system in its entirety and analyze what was working, what was not working, and why. In 2002, the Coalition released Homelessness in Montgomery County: Beginning to End, a blueprint to house all county residents by 2012, which was quickly endorsed by the County Executive and County Council.  This plan continues to guide the growth and development of the Coalition.

Also in 2002, the Coalition partnered with Community Ministries of Rockville, Community Ministry of Montgomery County, and Stepping Stones Shelter to launch Hope Housing, a permanent supportive housing program for homeless families and individuals with disabilities.  Another important collaborative effort led to the creation of the Partnership for Permanent Housing, the county’s pilot “Housing First” program, in 2003.

Fulfilling an action item in our 10-Year Plan to end homelessness, Seneca Heights Apartments, a former motel located in Gaithersburg, became home to 40 singles and 17 families in 2004.  Combining singles and families, permanent and transitional housing in the same complex, and drawing on unique funding sources, this innovative housing model has since won numerous national and local awards. 

The Coalition’s innovative approach to addressing our community's homeless problem continued in 2005 with the establishment of Breaking Down Barriers and the creation of Coalition Homes, Inc., a subsidiary organization that owns and manages property for the formerly homeless. 

The most recently created program, launched in 2006, is Home First, which provides permanent supportive housing for 12 chronically homeless adults and will serve an additional 10 clients in 2008.  

Alongside program development and implementation, the Coalition fulfills its mission by advocating, educating and collaborating with a range of community partners.  From a loose network of service providers to the creation of multifaceted and professionalized programs and sites, the Coalition continues to evolve as an innovative and determined leader in the goal of eliminating homelessness in Montgomery County.

Click here to access our video on the history of the Coalition and its initiatives!