Meet Dwight, MCCH's Newest Client!
Dwight Bess is amongst the first clients served by MCCH's newest permanent supportive housing program Archways , which we launched earlier this month. Archways will permanently house at least 60 adults experiencing chronic homelessness, and is a critical component of Montgomery County’s  Inside (Not Outside)  campaign to end chronic homelessness by March 31, 2018.

Dwight experienced homelessness for three years, sleeping at night on a bench at the Rockville Metro station for a majority of this time. While he was in significant pain and in need of a hip replacement, he was unable to get proper medical care without a permanent place to live. After finding emergency shelter, he got the life-changing surgery he needed and was referred to MCCH's Archways Program. In a matter of days, MCCH found Dwight an apartment where he can recover and begin healing from the trauma of homelessness. Watch the video above to hear from Dwight and MCCH's Executive Director Susie Sinclair-Smith about the importance of ending chronic homelessness in our community.
MCCH Staff Rings Our Housing Bell to
Celebrate First Archways Clients
MCCH's Archways program has started off with a bang! Our dedicated staff has already helped four chronically homelessness individuals move into permanent supportive housing. Watch the video above to see Archways staff member Brittany Williams celebrate this amazing news while ringing our housing bell!
We Need Your Help: Turn Their Houses into Homes
Our newest clients will be moving into their own apartments with little or no belongings.  They need all of the basic items  we all have in our homes – kitchen supplies to prepare their own meals, linens for their new beds, cleaning products to keep their homes dignified, and personal hygiene products. 
 
We need your help to collect these items or help raise funds to purchase  these items  by: 
 
  • Donating now so MCCH can purchase these items for our newest clients. 
  • Engaging your group (family, friends, colleagues, congregation, youth group, etc.) in a collection drive for all of the items on this list
 
Contact  volunteer@mcch.net  for great ideas on how to get started and give a life-changing gift to someone who has experienced chronic homelessness. 
Archways Program Receives $10,000 Grant
from The Safeway Foundation
MCCH thanks the Safeway Foundation for a $10,000 grant dedicated towards helping clients maintain their housing stability in our new Archways program.

This grant will be a tremendous help in making sure these clients exit their homelessness and enter into warm, welcoming, and dignified homes equipped with the resources they need to be successful and build brighter futures. 
Homelessness Is Not A Costume
Halloween is an exciting time of year for those who celebrate it, but it’s important to keep in mind what message you’re sending with your costume.

In recent years, many marginalized groups have pushed back against people who dress up as their culture for the holiday. A group of Ohio University students created a poster campaign titled  We’re a Culture, Not a Costume which displayed students of color presenting images of people using their race or culture as a costume. This impactful series went viral online and continues to be shared every October.

Dressing up as any marginalized group is harmful, and one costume seems to be a perennial last-minute favorite – the homeless hobo ...
Thank you for your commitment to ensuring that all Montgomery County residents have a safe, stable and affordable place to call home!

Sincerely,



Susie Sinclair-Smith, Executive Director
Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless and President of Coalition Homes
600-B East Gude Drive Rockville MD, 20850