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Homeless Numbers Go Up in Western Maryland

noel fearns
/
creative commons

CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) - The executive director of a social service organization says the number of homeless people in Allegany County has more than doubled in a year.

Courtney Thomas is with the Human Resources Development Commission. She tells The Cumberland Times-News this week that the increase in homelessness is a symptom of the area's increasing substance abuse issues.

The official count of people living on the street in January indicated 35 people were without shelter in the county. Last year's count was 16.

The county has 205 beds for the homeless at several agencies, but Thomas says more resources are needed to provide services to people dealing with drug addiction.

She says the county needs more case management, social workers and substance abuse and mental health care providers.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.