Volunteers are needed for the Nadim Khan Memorial Homeless Resource Day to be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Activity Center at the City of Gaithersburg’s Bohrer Park. The one-day fair will provide Montgomery County residents who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with a one-stop opportunity to access a variety of resources and services focusing on health, employment, housing, legal, tax and veteran benefits.
Bohrer Park is located at 506 South Frederick Ave. in Gaithersburg. The event is co-sponsored by the County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the City of Gaithersburg.
Volunteers serve as guides or navigators for the attendees to take advantage of more than 50 participating organizations. Services offered will include free medical screenings, legal support, tax assistance, substance abuse and mental health counseling and free haircuts and manicures. Volunteers also are needed to help distribute donated winter clothing items.
“Homelessness is more than a housing issue—it is a human issue,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “We need to help our neighbors who find themselves without housing. Homeless Resource Day is an event where individuals can find many resources in one place and volunteers are critical to the success of the event, assisting attendees navigate through many services being offered.”
Training for volunteers will be provided in advance of Homeless Resource Day. Free breakfast and lunch will be offered to volunteers at the event. Click here to sign up to volunteer.
For more information about the event, visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/homelessness. Questions about volunteering should be directed to Gloria Huggins via email at HHSHRD@montgomerycountymd.gov.
“We haven’t had the resource fair for several years because of the pandemic and we know that having many different services and resources available in one place can really make a difference in helping people apply for benefits and get assistance with other needs,” said Christine Hong, DHHS chief of Services to End and Prevent Homelessness.
During the 2023 Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Point-in-Time (PIT) survey held in late January, 894 adults and children experiencing homelessness and residing in shelters, transitional housing or who were unsheltered were counted in Montgomery County. The PIT survey is part of an annual regional analysis that started in 2001.
Additional sponsors of Homeless Resource Day include the Montgomery County Executive’s Office, the Montgomery County Council, the Housing Opportunities Commission, Covenant United Methodist Church, St. Rose of Lima Catholic Parish, WellPoint, United Healthcare and Gifts for the Homeless.
Homeless Resource Day in Montgomery County was formally named the Nadim A. Khan Homeless Resource Day following Mr. Khan’s death in 2016. He was the chief of Special Needs Housing (now known as Services to End and Prevent Homelessness) for DHHS from 2007-16 and was instrumental in spearheading planning efforts for this event, which was first held in 2011.
