Interfaith Works Opens Lon’s House
On June 15, Interfaith Works proudly opened our third Shared Supportive Housing program location. Lon’s House is a permanent supportive housing program serving senior men with disabilities.
At a celebration of the opening, Interfaith Works CEO Courtney Hall shared, “Lon’s House is designed to meet the needs of our neighbors through permanent supportive housing and in this facility, we are going to provide a warm and welcoming environment to eight senior men.” Like IW’s Becky’s House and Priscilla’s House, Lon’s House will provide a smaller home-like, neighborhood setting and deliver 24-hour care to residents who are vulnerable and aging. Many residents have experienced homelessness for extended periods.
IW Lon's House is named for Rev. Lincoln "Lon" Dring. He founded several Montgomery County nonprofits, including Manna Food and Community Ministry of Montgomery County, now known as Interfaith Works. We honor his dedication to those experiencing poverty and hope to continue to live up to his legacy. County Executive Marc Elrich said, “Lon was a driving force in the issues of affordable housing and pushing to do more and was especially concerned about the homelessness experienced by our neighbors.”
We were honored to be joined at the event by local and state leaders to bring awareness to the needs of this population and join us in celebrating the lives that will be impacted by living in a safe and stable environment. IW Shared Supportive Housing Program Director Gina Esipila explained, “It is my hope that this is just the beginning of such supportive housing programs in the county, as there is such a need for it. Running a program like this is not easy. It requires the support of our leaders and the community.”
City of Rockville Mayor Bridget Newton said, “This is a partnership, and we must bring our community along in this conversation. That is not always easy, but it’s vitally important to get the acceptance of these homes that are such an important part of our community.”
We are grateful to Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, our generous donors, to all the local and state officials representing and advocating for the needs of our clients, and our community, for recognizing the need to support all our neighbors. Thank you to everyone who came out to support this incredible opening. We know Lon’s House will be a safe haven for our most vulnerable neighbors.
For more information about the event, follow the link here:
