Spotlight On

Mission:
To pursue social justice with an emphasis on identifying and meeting the needs of the poor by leading and engaging Montgomery County's faith communities in service, education and advocacy.

Background:
Community Ministry of Montgomery County (CMMC) was established in 1972 to address the growing needs of the poor and disenfranchised in Montgomery County. Today, with the efforts of over 7,000 volunteers, CMMC annually serves more than 33,000 individuals from Montgomery County's most vulnerable population. An interfaith coalition, CMMC's membership includes 132 Protestant, Jewish, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, Unitarian Universalist, Ethical and Non-Denominational congregations, representing over 65,000 families.

Current Programs:
CMMC is the largest private provider of social services in Montgomery County. Over the last few years, it has grown rapidly through program expansion and acquisition to be a provider of a full spectrum of services aimed at supporting Montogmery County's most needy citizens as they work to achieve stable independent lives.

• Community Based Shelter, Horizons and Sophia Houses, and Welcome Homes provide homeless adults with shelter needs, transitional housing, access to mental health treatment, addictions counseling and job skills training;

• The Congregation and Community Emergency Support and Hand to Hand Safety Net programs provide low income families emergency support and eviction prevention;

• Interfaith Housing Coalition provides affordable housing, with case management and mentoring support;

• Micro-Enterprise provide loans and technical assistance for low-income entrepreneurs;

• Friends In Action links low income families with mentoring teams to achieve maximum independence.

• Two Interfaith Clothing Centers, provide free clothing, housewares, infant and school supplies;

• The Education and Advocacy Program promotes social justice through community education, and

• Community Vision of Silver Springprovides day programs for 400 homeless men and women including substance abuse and mental health counseling, and job training and placement. Seasonal emergency shelter services are also provided at this site.

Funding Needs:
Community Vision, serving homeless adults, needs to expand classes in the following areas: GED, ESOL, food certification, life skills training, computer training and office skills training. In addition, the supported employment assessment staff and employee coach need expanded hours to meet the growing interest and needs of our homeless clients.

The "Spotlight On" highlights the activities of a different 501(c)3 nonprofit organization serving the Metropolitan Washington, DC community. The selection of organizations for the "Spotlight On" is based on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic focus, and size, to ensure the broadest possible representation of the region's nonprofit sector.

If you'd like to see your NPO in the "Spotlight," e-mail a description of your organization, following the above format, to dclibrary@foundationcenter.org, with "Spotlight Submission" in the subject line.