Biggest Concern! Montgomery County Faces Growing Homelessness Crisis, Ranks 2nd in DC Area

DEBARYLIFE – It’s not a list you want to be high on, but Montgomery County is finally near the top once more. According to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the County saw the second-largest increase in the number of homeless people in the whole Washington, D.C. region since 2023.

The list’s top spot went to Washington, D.C. Fairfax County, Montgomery County’s fiercest opponent, was the only local government to see a decline in the number of homeless people, according to COG.

Naturally, Fairfax County has a far higher concentration of well-paying occupations than Montgomery County, making homes more affordable. While praising Montgomery County’s low unemployment rate, politicians frequently fail to point out that the majority of jobs held by our residents are not in the county.

Is It A High Cost of Living In Montgomery County?

Yes, Montgomery County has a higher cost of living and a higher total tax burden than Fairfax. In a jurisdiction where property taxes are already turning into a second mortgage for many people, property taxes are expected to increase once more in the FY-2025 budget, which the Montgomery County Council is about to approve. And that only accounts for a portion of what residents of MoCo must pay in taxes and fees.

In Montgomery County, rents and property values are still rising sharply in spite of the constant building and delivery of new housing units. To make room for more expensive “luxury” construction, thousands of cheap housing units are being razed. Poverty and homelessness are certain to rise in this area due to an absurdly high cost of living and some of the lowest rates of job creation and growth in the area.

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For the past 25 years, Montgomery County has been unable to draw in even one large corporate headquarters, as business after firm has opted to relocate to Northern Virginia or have fled to that long, dry time of moribundity. As a result, Fairfax County creates more jobs annually—more high-paying jobs, in fact—than Montgomery County; in fact, the numbers aren’t close.

Being on any top ten list is practically a good thing these days, as Montgomery County has fallen off of so many lists of the greatest counties in America (Forbes’ list of the richest counties, the list of the best school systems in the nation, etc.). Almost.

The Montgomery County cartel might come up with a few new catchphrases, like “Montgomery County: We’re Number Two in Unhoused Population – We Try Harder (To Make It More Expensive to Live Here).” Alternatively, “The Number of Montgomery County’s Unhoused – Rising Almost as Fast as County Councilmembers’ Salaries!”