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The five women who live in the white rambler in the Aspen Hill neighborhood had three things in common when they became housemates.

They were all elderly. They all had physical or mental disabilities ranging from congestive heart failure to dementia to Alzheimer's. And all of them had been homeless for at least three to five years.

Now they have another common feature: They all have a permanent place to call home.

With the collaboration of Interfaith Works, a nonsectarian interfaith nonprofit group formerly known as the Community Ministry of Montgomery County, and Montgomery County, the women have formed a family through a new program called Welcome Homes.

With the economy continuing to bottom out for individuals and families and the increasing number of retired baby boomers needing medical care, Interfaith Works and county officials say they are working against time to assist the homeless population and prevent more people from becoming homeless.

"Our population, even in homeless services, is aging just like everywhere else," said Priscilla Fox-Morrill, director of Homeless Services at Interfaith Works. "There is a growing need for low-income people to have assisted living.

"At the same time, we also realized that there was a population of aging women who were chronically homeless," Fox-Morrill added.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines a chronically homeless person as "an unaccompanied disabled individual who has been continuously homeless for over one year." Chronically homeless individuals include those who live on the streets or have been living from shelter to shelter during an extended period of time.

In 2009, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services recorded 2,322 homeless individuals that the county had assisted. Of those, 500 were identified as disabled. Nearly 28 percent of the adult homeless population in the county is 51 years of age and older. Statistics are unavailable for those who are both disabled and elderly.

Fox-Morrill said the idea for Welcome Homes began in 2005, when Interfaith Works members discovered that seven to eight women had been living in their women's homeless shelter for five or more years.

"They stayed there because they were vulnerable," said Rebecca Wagner, executive director of Interfaith Works. "They were not able to perform some of the daily tasks to be able to move forward. We thought, ‘This was not appropriate housing for these women.'"

Fox-Morrill said funding for Interfaith Works' women's homeless shelter ultimately dried up. Afraid that it was going to lose the shelter and that the women would have no place to go, the organization sought help from the county and the community in 2008.

The Department of Housing and Community Affairs provided the house, and case workers from the Department of Health and Human Services searched for women to live there. Funding came from both public and private sources.

Wagner said the county provided a loan for Interfaith Works to acquire the house in the amount of $575,000.

Wagner said the previous owners had foreclosed on the property and abandoned it. The loan included the purchase of the house, renovations and rehabilitation for accessibility, such as widening the stairs, expanding the bathrooms and adding more bedrooms, Wagner said.

The new residents moved in to their new home in June.

The Gazette is not naming the women in this story or the exact location of the house because of their vulnerable nature.

Fox-Morrill said Interfaith Works is in the process of obtaining a license to operate the house as an assisted-living facility, which means current and future residents could stay in the house for the remainder of their lives. Case workers from Interfaith Works will be required to undergo training courses to become licensed assisted-living managers.

‘A very welcoming place'

Meanwhile, around-the-clock residential coordinators assist residents with minimal tasks, such as meal preparations, arranging medical appointments and setting up taxi transportation for doctor's visits.

The house consists of a kitchen, dining room, living room, two shared bedrooms, one single bedroom and a bathroom with two newly renovated large stalls and a shower. A small office is for the residential coordinator. There are three more bedrooms, a bathroom and laundry machines in the basement. The outside deck has a wheelchair-accessible ramp.

Acting case manager Esli Diaz said there is a positive atmosphere within the house.

"It's very quiet, and it's a very welcoming place," Diaz said.

Diaz said the women have different backgrounds and interests, but they enjoy each other's company, Diaz said.

"All of them get along together. They like being together," she said.

The Rev. Alice Ford, pastor of Millian Memorial United Methodist Church, said the church has been very supportive of the new addition to the Aspen Hill community.

"We're so pleased to have the women here," she said.

Ford said the church is looking forward to planning activities and events with the residents, such as inviting them to Sunday services and potluck dinners.

Wagner said Interfaith Works has enough funding set aside this year to maintain the house, but she is uncertain about funding availability for fiscal 2011.

Wagner said many factors contribute toward homelessness in the county, most particularly the high cost of living.

"It's a big issue, and it all goes back to the matter of affordable housing," Wagner said. "The reality is that it costs too much to live in this county. The jobs attract people, but that doesn't help if there are people who can't afford to live here."

Charles Short, special assistant to County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), said the Welcome Homes project will continue to serve as "the typical model" for assisting the aging homeless population in the county.

He said the county looks forward to partnering with Interfaith Works "on more of these future projects."

Wagner is optimistic that conditions for the homeless will improve in Montgomery in the next several years.

"If we've done this and we've done it right, one piece at a time, and one house at a time, we can chip away at this problem," Wagner said.

-According to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, 10.4 percent of the homeless population in Montgomery County is living unsheltered or in temporary shelters.

-The District has the highest rate, with 51.7 percent of its homeless population living unsheltered or living in temporary shelters, followed by Fairfax County/Fairfax City and Falls Church at 14.4 percent.

-In 2009, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services recorded 2,322 homeless individuals assisted by the county. Of those, 500 were identified as disabled.

-Nearly 24 percent of the total adult homeless population in Montgomery County is between the ages of 51 and 61, and 4 percent is over 62. Statistics are not available for those who are both disabled and elderly.