Loading...
(a) With the advice and assistance of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Board must:
(1) Periodically review available services and facilities for victims and their families;
(2) Determine the needs of the victim and family services program;
(3) Each year, submit at least one report to the County Executive and the County Council on the progress of programs to victims and their families and of actions needed to improve those programs;
(4) Make recommendations for appropriate allocation of funds in accordance with agreed upon priorities and consideration of financial resources;
(5) Assist the Director of the Department in the development of the annual victim services and families plan;
(6) Provide input to the Governor’s victim services program;
(7) Act as a local advocate for victim services programming; and
(8) Facilitate communication with the Alcohol and Other Drug Addiction Advisory Council and the Mental Health Advisory Committee by sharing minutes with those committees.
(b) The Board may:
(1) Review and comment on all local new and renewal State grant applications;
(2) Review and comment on all local federal grant applications for victims service and family programs;
(3) Participate in program evaluations; and
(4) Review the State program services plan. (1986 L.M.C., ch. 61, § 1; 1995 L.M.C., ch. 13, § 1; 2005 L.M.C., ch. 24, § 1; 2023 L.M.C., ch. 12, §1.)
Editor’s note—1995 L.M.C., ch. 13, § 5, reads as follows: “Sec. 5. A regulation that implements a function assigned to the Department of Health and Human Services by 1995 L.M.C., ch. 13, continues in effect but is amended to the extent necessary to provide that the regulation is administered by the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services.”
The Board must not engage in any advocacy activity at the State or federal levels unless that activity is approved by the Office of Intergovernmental Relations.
(2016 L.M.C., ch. 15, §1.)
The Director of the Department of Health and Human Services must:
(1) Provide staff services and administrative support to the Board; and
(2) Facilitate in every way possible the work of the Board. (1986 L.M.C., ch. 61, § 1; 1995 L.M.C., ch. 13, § 1; 2016 L.M.C., ch. 15, §1.)
Editor’s note—1995 L.M.C., ch. 13, § 5, reads as follows: “Sec. 5. A regulation that implements a function assigned to the Department of Health and Human Services by 1995 L.M.C., ch. 13, continues in effect but is amended to the extent necessary to provide that the regulation is administered by the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services.”
(a) Definition. In this Section “Commission” means the Commission on Veterans Affairs.
(b) Established. The County Executive must appoint, subject to confirmation by the Council, a Commission on Veterans Affairs.
(c) Composition; Term.
(1) The Commission has 16 voting members.
(2) The Executive should appoint 9 members who are veterans and may be a member of a veterans group, such as:
(A) Vietnam Veterans of America;
(B) American Veterans (AMVETS);
(C) Disabled American Veterans;
(D) Veterans of Foreign Wars;
(E) Women Veterans of America;
(F) American Legion; or
(G) Military Order of the Purple Heart.
(3) The Executive must appoint 4 members to represent the general public.
(4) The Executive must designate the following ex officio members:
(A) the Director of the Department of Health and Human Services, or the Director’s designee;
(B) the County Executive or the Executive’s designee; and
(C) the President of Montgomery College or the President’s designee.
(5) The Executive must invite a representative of the County’s Congressional delegation who is either a member of the delegation or an individual designated to represent the delegation to be a non-voting member of the Commission.
(6) The Executive must appoint a member of the Commission on People with Disabilities as a non-voting member.
(7) The term of each member is 3 years.
(8) The Executive must designate a chair and a vice-chair from among the Commission’s members.
(9) After an appointment to fill a vacancy before a term expires, the successor serves the rest of the unexpired term.
(d) Duties. The Commission should:
(1) research, assemble, analyze and disseminate information and educational materials relating to activities and programs that will assist in meeting the needs of veterans and their families;
(2) institute and conduct educational and other programs, meetings, and conferences to promote the rights and opportunities for veterans;
(3) advise the Executive and the Council on the status of programs and services in the State and County related to the needs of veterans and their families; and
(4) assist in planning appropriate public acknowledgment of the contributions made by veterans and assist in planning commemoration activities recognizing the contributions made by veterans.
(e) Staff support. The Department of Health and Human Services must provide staff support to the Commission.
(f) Meetings. The Commission meets at the call of the Chair. The Commission must meet as often as necessary to perform its duties, but not less than 9 times each year.
(g) Compensation. A member must serve without compensation. However, a member may request reimbursement for mileage and dependent care costs at rates established by the County.
(h) Annual Report. By October 1 each year, the Commission must submit to the Executive and Council, and any other appropriate agency, an annual report on its functions, activities, and accomplishments.
(i) Advocacy. The Commission must not engage in any advocacy activity at the state or federal levels unless that activity is approved by the Office of Intergovernmental Relations. (2008 L.M.C., ch. 28, § 1; 2008 L.M.C., ch. 38, § 1; 2010 L.M.C., ch. 53, § 1; 2016 L.M.C., ch. 12, § 1; 2018 L.M.C., ch. 25, § 1.)
Editor’s note—2008 L.M.C., ch. 38, § 2, states: Of the 5 members added by Section 1 of this Act to the Commission for Veterans Affairs, the Executive should appoint 2 members to a 1-year term; 2 members to a 2-year term; and 1 member to a 3-year term.
Former Sec. 24-61, establishing the advisory capacity of the Victim Services Advisory Board on victims and their families, derived from 1986 L.M.C., ch. 61, § 1, was repealed by FY 1991 L.M.C., ch. 9, § 1.
(a) The County has a goal to ensure that everyone has a home in the County, and that homelessness will be rare, brief, and non-recurring. In order to achieve this goal, the County will:
(1) end homelessness among veterans;
(2) end homelessness among chronically homeless individuals;
(3) end homelessness among families with children;
(4) end homelessness among unaccompanied youth;
(5) end homelessness among seniors; and
(6) end homelessness among all individuals in the County.
(b) The County Council finds that ending and preventing homelessness require substantial coordination and cooperation among federal, state, and local governments, as well as private sector service providers and community organizations.
(c) Montgomery County Continuum of Care is a group of governmental entities and community representatives that carries out the responsibilities of the Continuum of Care program established pursuant to the federal Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (the HEARTH Act).
(d) The County Council intends that the Interagency Commission on Homelessness established under this Article be constituted and function in such a manner that it may serve as the governing board of Montgomery County Continuum of Care, and in serving this function comply with applicable federal regulations governing the Continuum of Care program. (2014 L.M.C., ch. 4, § 1; 2020 L.M.C., ch. 20, §1.)
When used in this Article:
Commission means the Interagency Commission on Homelessness.
Continuum of Care means a community program, established under the HEARTH Act, to organize and deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs of people who are homeless as they move to stable housing and maximum self-sufficiency.
End homelessness or ending homelessness means:
(1) reaching functional zero for an identified type of homelessness; and
(2) having systems in place adequate to house all individuals entering homelessness during a specific time period.
Housing First Initiative means a public policy approach to homeless assistance that:
(1) prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness;
(2) reduces barriers to accessing housing and other key services; and
(3) is guided by the theories that:
(A) people need basic necessities like food and housing before attending to other needs, such as employment, budgeting, or substance abuse treatment;
(B) client choice is valuable in housing selection and supportive service participation; and
(C) exercising a choice in housing is likely to make a client more successful in remaining housed and improving the client’s life. (2014 L.M.C., ch. 4, § 1; 2020 L.M.C., ch. 20, §1.)
Loading...