The Healing Power of Community
Dear Friend,
Earlier this month, I attended the Montgomery County Annual Community Homeless Memorial Service - an event that honors the lives of those who passed away while receiving support from County and community-based programs like Interfaith Works. Each name read aloud represented a life marked by hardship, resilience, and the hope that someone was there for them in their final days. While their absence is deeply felt, I take comfort in knowing they were not alone. They were seen, supported, and cared for.
This year’s service reminded me that our work goes beyond providing shelter or food - it’s about helping our neighbors bridge the gaps so they can move from isolation to connection, crisis to stability, despair to dignity.
We heard from Patrick, a current client whose story illustrates this perfectly. After living a fairly typical life, Patrick struggled with mental health and substance use disorder and eventually became homeless. For years, he lived unsheltered, disconnected from the systems that could have provided help. That changed when he connected with Interfaith Works. Through our shelters, Essential Needs Center, and Vocational Services Program, Patrick is building a new path forward - one grounded in stability, purpose, and hope.
At the service, we also remembered a client who had passed away just one week after entering our care. Though her time with us was brief, she spent her final days in warmth and safety, surrounded by people who truly cared. Sometimes, even the smallest bridge - a bed, a meal, a kind word - can mean everything.
Stories like these reaffirm our mission and highlight the healing power of community. It’s through shared commitment and compassion that this work becomes possible, even in times of great challenge.
The results of the 2025 Point in Time survey, a one-day snapshot census of people experiencing homelessness, are sobering and demonstrate that the need for our services is growing. Montgomery County’s results showed that 1,510 people experienced homelessness in 2025 as compared to 1,144 in 2024. This was a 32% increase from 2024, and this increase was the largest in the DC metro area.
As we face these challenges, we thank you, our supporters. Your generosity allows us to continue to be there in moments that matter most, at a time when our services are needed by more of our neighbors. You help us bridge the gaps - between need and access, between hopelessness and possibility. Together, we are building a stronger, more compassionate community where everyone has a chance to be seen, supported, and remembered.
Sincerely,
Courtney Hall, CEO
