“Housing is healthcare,” wrote JUFJer Jo Shifrin in her testimony to the Montgomery County Council about the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget. “Too many are left without the long-term support they need…every single resident [should have] the resources they need to live with dignified housing,” she wrote. With her written testimony, she summarized what JUFJ and our partners were demanding: funding for housing, and that the County Council “fully fund the Board of Education’s [Montgomery County Public Schools] budget recommendations to honor union contracts and meet students’ educational, social, and emotional needs while creating a safe environment.”
Jewish tradition teaches us that everyone has the right to a world where their needs are met – including access to safe, dignified, and affordable housing and the educational resources needed to thrive. Throughout the Montgomery County Budget season, we worked towards transforming these values into concrete goals. And, together with our partners, we were able to make huge strides in the budget this year. Our wins were many:
- With powerful advocacy from the entire school community, including students, educators, parents, and community members, the County Council found a solution to fund 99.8% of the Board of Education’s recommended FY26 budget for Montgomery County Public Schools. This critical funding will fulfill union contracts, provide for restorative justice coaches, and fund other critical positions including special education staff and social workers.
- The Housing Justice Montgomery coalition successfully advocated to protect the County Executive’s recommended $62M budget for Services to End and Prevent Homelessness (SEPH), a 26% increase from last year’s housing budget.
- JUFJ and other housing advocates won funding for two full-time positions for the Office of Consumer Protection to implement legislation we supported earlier this year that will give renters the ability to hold landlords accountable for serious health and safety violations.
- $6.9 million dollars was added for the SHaRP (Short-term Housing Resolution Program), which provides a year of housing support to keep families out of shelter and motels. This program had been discontinued until our coalition fought to restore it last December. In just the first two months, the program helped 80 families and brought the number of new families entering shelters or motels to a 15 month low.
The work that got us here was both collective and individual. We did a lot together! Throughout Montgomery County’s budget season we were proud to work alongside partners from the Decrim Campaign led by Young People for Progress; union leaders from Montgomery County Education Association and SEIU Local 500; and the Housing Justice Montgomery coalition, which includes CASA, Everyday Canvassing, Shepherd’s Table, and community members who are experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness.
Supporting our partners and our community was essential to securing a people-first budget this year. JUFJers submitted written testimony and gave oral testimony throughout the budget season. We made dozens of calls and sent personal emails to Councilmembers, urging them to protect critical housing programs and address Montgomery County’s long-term revenue needs. We showed up in our blue JUFJ T-shirts and hoodies. We sat together and listened to testimony from our partners and other Montgomery residents from all walks of life – from disability advocates to high school students.
We know that even though we scored multiple wins in the budget this year, it won’t be enough to address the long-term needs of unhoused and at-risk residents in Montgomery County. We believe this was the best possible outcome for this year, but it will be back to the drawing board next year, because of the one-time revenue source the County Council used to fund the budget. We know that additional revenue will be needed to address the long-term needs of our schools. And we know that we have not solved homelessness in Montgomery County – there is so much more to do.
Thank you to all the JUFJers who were part of making concrete, powerful change as part of the budget process this year! If this post has inspired you to do more to improve the lives of our Montgomery County community, we encourage you to join our next Montgomery County Housing Justice Working Group Meeting or our Racial Equity and Policing Team (RE&P) Meeting, where we’re working on immigration and community safety issues. Sign up for either of our meetings here:
