As the days of COVID-19 turn to weeks, I understand how
much more difficult this is becoming for our County residents,
businesses and nonprofits. I also want you to know your County
government is here to help.
For small businesses and nonprofit organizations, I wanted
to remind you of the $20 million Public Health Emergency Grant (PHEG)
program.
The application process will open soon, and in the
meantime, people can start collecting the paperwork and information
needed for the application. I encourage everyone interested in applying
for this loan, to get a jump start and be ready as soon as the
application process opens later this week.
For everyone’s health, our County’s new public health
order requiring face coverings in grocery stores, pharmacies, farmers
markets and big box retailers went into effect today.
This order is in place to protect shoppers and employees
from the spread of COVID-19.
A face covering can be a homemade cloth covering, a scarf
or bandana that snugly covers your mouth and nose.
I’m so happy to see people wearing face coverings out in
public. I truly believe the more we all do this together, the faster we
can stop the spread of this virus and get people out and back to work
again.
I made my own face covering from an old t-shirt and have
this video to share with you. We also have a shorter tutorial.
Either way, making a face covering is pretty easy and you don’t need to
sew! Be safe everyone. We’ll get through
this…together.
Helping the
Hungry in Montgomery County Through the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP)
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved Maryland’s request to
issue emergency SNAP payments to currently enrolled households for
April and May 2020. This means residents who receive SNAP benefits will
receive the maximum amount allowed per month from April 1 through May
31.
This carefully curated list of resources is for residents,
individuals and families interested in information about support for
food, employment, health insurance, housing and more.
The Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community
Affairs (DHCA) continues to provide services to residents and respond
to all inquiries, even as our offices are closed to visitors. The
link below has information on how to reach a DHCA staff person and how
to send documents to DHCA. The link also provides:
