Montgomery County, Maryland Commission on Veterans Affairs Annual Report 2016

 

 

 

 

Commission on Veterans Affairs 2016 Annual Report  Page 7 

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Mike Love, Founding Member of the Beach Boys, gave a message of healing to local Veterans on May 31, 2016 by 

sharing  his experience with Transcendental Meditation (TM).  He was in town over  Memorial Day weekend to  

headline a PBS Concert on the lawn of the Capitol.  Former U.S. Senator Max Cleland, a U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran, 

was the facilitator of having him contact the Commission to meet with local Veterans.  Commissioners Bill Gray, Past 

Chair, and Wayne Miller, Team Leader, Silver Spring Vet Center, joined him in sharing their experience with TM as 

well. Veterans of all branches and members of the general public were welcome and encouraged to attend.  The Com-

mission sponsored the event and it was by the American Legion Hall, Post 41, in Silver Spring. There were over 50  

people in attendance.  

   

From left to right: Bill Gray, Mike Love and Wayne Miller 

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Commission on Veterans Affairs 2016 Annual Report  Page 8 

 

Press Release: Friday, December 18, 2015 

Montgomery County Councilmember George Leventhal, who serves as chair of the Council’s Health and Human  

Services Committee, at 11 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 21, will host a press conference at the Council Office Building in  

Rockville in the third floor conference room announcing that $500,000 in funding appropriated by the Council was used to 

house 18 homeless Veterans and helped the County to provide housing for every identifiable homeless Veteran. The  

County has also submitted certification requests to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Zero 2016  

Campaign, and Councilmember Leventhal anticipates an announcement about the findings in the coming days.   

  

Councilmember Leventhal will be joined by Councilmembers Craig Rice and Sidney Katz; Susie Sinclair-Smith,  

executive director, Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless; Susan Kirk, executive director, Bethesda Cares; Uma 

Ahluwalia, director, Department of Health and Human Services. Other invited guests include: Veterans who now have  

stable housing; Nan Roman, president and CEO, National Alliance to End Homelessness; Matthew Doherty, executive 

director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness; and Stacy Spann, executive director, Housing  

Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County. 

  

The County committed to ending homelessness for Veterans by setting a goal to move 58 Veterans experiencing  

homelessness into permanent housing by December 31, 2015. So far this year, the County has provided housing for 53 

Veterans. By the end of the year, 58 Veteran households will have housing or a permanent housing plan. 

  

“Housing every identifiable homeless Veteran in Montgomery County has always been and continues to be one of my top 

priorities,” said Councilmember George Leventhal. “Montgomery County now has a coordinated and efficient system, 

which has been developed with our community partners to ensure that every Veteran in our County has access to the  

supports needed to move quickly from homelessness to permanent housing.  Providing a stable home for our Veterans is 

simply the right thing to do for those who have sacrificed so much for our country.”       

  

County funding to house homeless Veterans was in jeopardy because of proposed cuts recommended as part of the Fiscal 

Year 2016 Savings Plan. The Council’s Health and Human Services Committee and the Council restored $500,000 to fund 

the housing resources needed as part of Montgomery’s Zero 2016 Plan. 

  

Montgomery County’s Zero 2016 Plan was developed with a primary focus on the rapid exit of Veterans from  

homelessness to permanent, sustainable housing. This plan was developed as the result of collaborative discussions among 

the County’s Department of Health and Human Services, family and single adult shelter providers, Veterans groups, the 

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Services for Veterans Families and others. This group reviewed the 

homeless continuum of care to determine what federal, state and local resources were available and the strategies  

necessary to specifically address Veteran homelessness. 

  

Achieving a “functional zero” for homeless Veterans does not mean that there will never be a Veteran experiencing  

homelessness, but future homeless Veterans will be housed quickly because of the systems in place and the ability to  

mobilize resources. 

  

The community collaboration that has worked together to achieve this goal includes the Montgomery County Coalition for 

the Homeless, Bethesda Cares, the County’s Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Housing and 

Community Affairs, the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County, the U.S. Department of Veterans 

Affairs DC Medical Center and others.   

  

County Cable Montgomery recently profiled one of the Veterans who received permanent housing on Veterans Day.  

The link to this story is 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqFJ2-LJlrc&feature=youtu.be

.

 

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