Mission and History
Mission
Stepping Stones Shelter’s mission is to provide emergency shelter, food, and case management services to families experiencing homelessness to help them move from crisis to stability quickly and in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.
95% of families served at Stepping Stones Shelter move on to stable housing within 90 days.
The Shelter is a member of Montgomery County’s Continuum of Care (COC), and participates in the county’s Coordinated Entry System (CED). We’re a proud partner of the @hometogether initiative that seeks to make family homelessness rare, brief, and non-reoccurring.
History
In 1982, Stepping Stones Shelter began as a faith-based initiative in Gaithersburg. Stepping Stones Shelter Inc. became a 501(c)(3) organization and the first homeless shelter for families in Montgomery County. Our unique shelter is a 5,500 square foot home built in 1912 that sits on a parcel of land formerly known as Rocky Glen/Dawson Farm House and backs up to Dawson Farm Park in the historic section of Rockville. The history of the home and parcel of land dates back to the Civil War and today maintains a listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Since 1982, Stepping Stones Shelter has served over 1,035 families experiencing homelessness.