Bethesda, MD — Every community faces homelessness; the choice is whether to address it with proven solutions or shift it from place to place, worsening system pressures over time. In 2025, Bethesda Cares continued to implement solutions that work—achieving a record-breaking year helping people move out of homelessness and into permanent housing.
With the dedication of its professional staff and strong community support, Bethesda Cares helped 60 individuals secure permanent housing and sign leases for apartments, transitioning people from the streets or emergency shelters into stable homes in the community.
“These outcomes reflect our commitment to ensuring individuals and families have the opportunity to live successfully in the community as our neighbors,” said John Mendez, Executive Director of Bethesda Cares. “Permanent housing resources, and the professionals who operate our housing-focused programs, represent the most effective solution for people experiencing homelessness. When housing resources work for people, they show up and succeed.”
Key to this success was the organization’s expertise with housing subsidy assistance programs and the Critical Time Intervention (CTI) program, which began operating at Bethesda Cares in 2015 and was expanded in recent years. The Bethesda Cares CTI staff provide intensive, personalized support during the critical transition from homelessness into housing. By ensuring individuals are not navigating this vulnerable period alone, CTI staff helped accelerate leasing activities and strengthened long-term stability for vulnerable populations.
For more than a decade, the greater Bethesda area has maintained one of the lowest street homelessness counts in the nation through housing-focused outreach, cross-sector partnerships, and a consumer-centered approach. Building on this foundation, Bethesda Cares advances a cost-effective housing model that resolves homelessness rather than managing it—replacing high-cost, revolving service systems with fiscally sustainable permanent housing solutions.
Bethesda Cares’ Permanent Supportive Housing programs continue to demonstrate strong results, maintaining a 98 percent housing retention rate, meaning nearly everyone who enters housing remains stably housed.
“We believe every person deserves dignity, respect, and access to housing that allows them to live successfully in the community—such as an apartment or studio,” said Deborah Taylor, Programs Director at Bethesda Cares. “Many individuals and veterans we serve have experienced profound trauma, often compounded by barriers to housing and healthcare. These realities shape a response that prioritizes permanent housing stability and coordinated care.”
Approximately 75 percent of successful lease-ups in 2025 were supported through federally funded housing subsidies, with the remaining housing subsidies funded by Montgomery County government programs. The staff at Bethesda Cares also worked with external groups and government departments, including local non-profits, Montgomery County Health and Human Services, the Housing Opportunities Commission, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, faith congregations, and the Bethesda Urban Partnership.
More than 40 property owners and property management companies throughout Montgomery County partnered with Bethesda Cares to support these successful lease-ups, many of whom participated through RentSelect, the organization’s landlord engagement program.
“Every key unlocks a future, and landlord partnerships have been a critical element of our success,” added Mendez. “Together, we’re not just expanding housing options through technology—we’re strengthening our community by reducing street homelessness and improving lives.”
In 2025, Bethesda Cares launched RentSelect, an innovative landlord engagement program powered by Padmission software. RentSelect streamlines leasing for property owners while expanding real-time housing options for caseworkers, accelerating lease-ups and reducing housing barriers across Montgomery County. In its first nine months of operating in 2025, RentSelect enrolled 94 properties, listing more than 29,000 apartment units in the program to help generate housing options for individuals and families exiting homelessness.
About Bethesda Cares
Bethesda Cares is a nonprofit organization in Montgomery County, Maryland dedicated to reducing and ending homelessness through street outreach, permanent housing support, and supportive services that help people achieve stability and thrive in the community. To learn more please visit www.bethesdacares.org.
