Ribbon Cutting For A Transformation

Did you know that on any given day in our community, over 1,100 people are experiencing homelessness? Seventy-two percent of the homeless adults in Montgomery County have at least one disability. Twenty-six percent work but cannot afford housing.Yesterday County Executive Isiah Leggett and many public and private partners officially cut the ribbon for the >new addition to the Gude Drive Complex, which provides emergency shelter, temporary housing and a range of on-site supportive services to homeless men in Montgomery County. Mr. Leggett spoke about his belief that communities are judged on how well they treat those with the least.

This facility goes a long way in helping those most in need. The Complex puts a roof over the:

• The administrative and program offices for the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless (MCCH), for which I work part-time.
• MCCH’s Home Builders Care Assessment Center, a 24/7 shelter for men experiencing homelessness
• MCCH’s Adrianne’s Safe Havens, a transitional housing program for 15 homeless men with chronic metal illness
• Community Ministries or Rockville’s (CMR’s) Chase Partnership House, transitional housing for 36 homeless men in recovery

Sharan London, the Executive Director of MCCH described the tremendous changes made possible with the programs at the Gude Drive Complex:

We’re standing at the old county landfill… and on this landfill, this complex was built. All of our partners–the County, the State, the Housing Opportunities Commission and Home Builders Care Foundation – had a role in making these buildings out of nothing… taking a literal wasteland and building temporary homes for hundreds of men. I am struck by how that work parallels what we are doing for the men who stay here. We bring them in when they often have nothing, and help them to rebuild their lives.

I am thankful for the men like John who came to the HBCAC having lived on and off the streets for over a year, struggled with addiction and is now enrolled in a certificate program at Montgomery College which will lead him out of homelessness and into housing.

And I am here today for men like Michael who is finally feeling comfortable enough while living at Adrianne’s Safe Havens to meet with a psychiatrist and talk about the illness that lead him to live in the woods for years.

I am especially grateful to Rick Nelson for DHCA’s support, to Stephanie Killian and Joe Giloley who came to look at the old bus repair station that was Chase and the old Conservation Corps building that was Safe Havens to see about renovating those buildings and who said “We’re housers and people shouldn’t live like this.”

It is a pleasure and honor to be part of both the physical transformation of the complex and the transformation of the lives of the men who stay here. And I am deeply honored to be a part of the team that does both. Thank you all.

A resident of the Home Builders Care Assessment Center, James Toler, also told his story:

I first came to the shelter in 2000 when the original building had just been built. Fortunately, I never had to stay in the trailer but heard from other residents that it was basically like being outside. You were still exposed to the elements and the wind came through the doors and windows. They didn’t feel safe or comfortable. I also got to see the other two buildings here – Adrianne’s Safe Haven and Chase Partnership House. Both were in terrible condition.

I left the shelter a month later after finding a new job. I eventually started my own landscaping company, which I ran for five years with my son. When our customers couldn’t afford our services anymore because of the downturn in the economy, I eventually lost my business, my apartment, and ended up back here this past April.

The construction at Gude Drive had just been completed and I was surprised at the changes. The new additions provide basic things like access to more showers and laundry. There’s also more space for other important things like studying, drawing, medical care, and private offices to meet with your case manager so they can help you put your life back in order. There’s also space for the Back-to-Work project. I participate in this project and work with the vocational counselor who helps residents find jobs. I am working to pursue a drafting course at Montgomery College so that I can become a Landscape Architect.

I’ve stayed in other shelters and call the Home Builders Care Assessment Center the Hilton of Shelters – it’s safe, clean, and state-of-the-art. It gives you the opportunity to get past the anger, the frustration. It makes the unmanageable manageable. I want to thank all the people here who helped make these new buildings possible – from the County Executive to the guys working the construction site. Thank you. I also want to thank Mr. Butler and the rest of the staff at the Home Builders Care Assessment Center, and also all the volunteers who bring warm and nutritious food. These new facilities will ensure that homeless men in Montgomery County have a safe, nurturing environment to rebuild hope, dignity and a positive future with a permanent home.

What also touched me was a resident of Chase Partnership House who gave me a tour and enthusiastically pointed out the rooms, common areas, and a photo mural depicting years of images from this CMR program. He was so proud and you could tell how this was his home.

Ted Smart of the Home Builder’s Care Foundation (HBCF) spoke about being grateful to be a part of the team to construct the addition and he was a volunteer project manager. HBCF donated $300,000 in goods and services to make this addition possible and he expressed how pleased all of the builders are to give back to the community.

The Gude Drive Complex shows how a community working together can change lives.

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