ACCESS Services receives $60,000 HealthSpark grant to support their increased response to homelessness crisis during Code Blue Winter Weather

In December 2023, the Montgomery County Commissioners and the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services announced a Code Blue Cold Winter Weather temperature threshold change. Previously, if the temperature was 20 degrees Fahrenheit, expanded services by county and nonprofit organizations would be implemented for community members without adequate shelter, including assisting those experiencing homelessness in our county. 

The threshold was raised to 32 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure safe shelter, acknowledging the dangers and risks posed by winter weather at this temperature. This also meant more days during the Winter Season would necessitate these extended services to assist community members in finding safe and secure shelter.

For ACCESS Services, the main provider of homeless street outreach in the County, this increase in Code Blue days meant an increase in services, staffing and overtime, administrative and billing costs, and client costs like transportation to/ from shelter, hotels for persons unable to enter shelter safely, and others. For the organization to address community needs effectively and reduce barriers to service provision, additional funding support was needed. 

“The current state of homelessness is larger than the current systemic capacity for Code Blue response.  This does not reflect systemic failure, but the rapidly expanding need outpacing existing solutions.  For the Homeless Street Outreach and Mobile Crisis Programs, increasing needs require additional staff hours, more equipment resource, and more hotel funds in order to empower minimal safety for individuals outside,” said Debra Curtin, Senior Director, Housing and Homeless Services at ACCESS Services. 

In recognition of the significance of our public-private partnership, HealthSpark Foundation was able to administer grant funds quickly to ACCESS Services. The decision to allocate $60,000 to Access Services was influenced by not only the Code Blue Cold Winter threshold modification, but also the intersection with the escalating homelessness crisis in Montgomery County.

“Access Services, a valued community partner, consistently takes action to tackle the homelessness crisis in Montgomery County through their mobile crisis and street outreach services. We appreciate their remarkable efforts and their agility in ramping up response to the Code Blue Winter Weather threshold change. The adjustment in the threshold by Montgomery County demonstrates a more thoughtful strategy, ensuring more vulnerable community members are assisted during potentially hazardous temperatures that could cause harm, and we also want to ensure that providers responsible for meeting those increased demands have the financial means to do so,” said Emma Hertz, President and CEO of HealthSpark Foundation.

“Access Services is grateful for the increase in the Code Blue Emergency Declaration threshold this winter, a recognition of the inherent safety risks of homelessness. HealthSpark Foundation’s financial contribution demonstrates one of the ways that the Foundation is occupying a seat at the community table to solve the problem of homelessness.  Their contribution further supports Access Services to fill our role.  Partnered behavior and diversity of contribution across public and private sectors of the community is surely our collective path forward,” said Curtin. 

To learn more about ACCESS Services, please visit their website.

To learn more about Montgomery County’s Code Blue plan, click here.