Understanding Poverty and Homelessness in Montgomery County – and How Businesses Can Help

Montgomery County is one of the wealthiest counties in the country but faces a persistent and sometimes invisible crisis: homelessness and poverty.
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In February, County staff and volunteers took part in a country-wide one-day census of people experiencing homelessness, known as the Point-in-Time Count. This effort found roughly 1,120 people experiencing homelessness in the coldest month of the year. This is a meaningful improvement from 2025’s count of 1,510, but still is a concerning number of people facing very difficult challenges. Two groups did not share in this improvement: homelessness in adults 65 and older increased 16% since last year, and those experiencing chronic homelessness increased 14%. as it has been year after year.

Individuals and families are struggling to maintain stability against a backdrop of rising costs of essentials like rent, food, and healthcare. This is forcing them to make difficult financial decisions that can affect their stability. Studies estimate that nearly 79,000 residents live on incomes below the Federal Poverty Limit (an individual income of less than $15,960) and nearly 45% of County schoolchildren are eligible for Free and Reduced-price Meals.

For businesses and business owners, the significance of these issues goes beyond charity: instability affects access to the local workforce, sales, employee retention, and the overall health of the communities where you hire and operate.

What businesses and their employees can do:
Luckily, there are great options for you to do something about it. Hands-on engagement, including volunteering and donation drives, can make a big impact on our community as well as provide team-building opportunities. Local organizations addressing poverty and homelessness offer concrete ways businesses and their employees can get involved this summer:

• Team volunteer days at a shelter or a supportive housing site (organizing activities, cooking or serving meals, gardening)

• Donation drives for essential items (clothing, linens, toiletries, backpacks and school supplies) — an easy option for an office collection

• Meal sponsorship for shelter, supportive housing, or outreach programs

• Skills-based volunteering — share professional expertise (financial literacy workshops, resume help, etc.) that can be in short supply at nonprofits 

For more information and to be connected to a local organization, please email Alex at [email protected]. 

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