PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Montgomery County is the second-wealthiest county in Pennsylvania, but officials are shining a spotlight on homelessness and food insecurity as we head into the colder winter months.
Montco Anti-Hunger Network Executive Director Amanda Musselman says about 60,000 people in Montgomery County don’t have enough food.
She said inflation and a rise in housing and food costs have forced a significant increase in reliance on the 60 food pantries her organization assists across the county.
“This is being coupled with a decrease in community donations, both monetary and in physical food,” Musselman said. “Most of our network is in need of additional food resources to serve the increased need they are continuing to see.”
Related
Mark Boorse with Access Services said on a recent night, his street outreach teams in Montgomery County were assisting 74 families, up from 15 at the same time two years ago.
“This is the crisis in front of us,” said Boorse. “Make no mistake. It is a crisis. Across the county, there are now close to four times the number of people sleeping outside than there were before COVID.”
County Commissioner Ken Lawrence said while it’s a county-wide problem, county government can’t provide all the solutions.