A few years ago, Marc and Sarah Saint Jour, newly married, worked hard, saved up, and, with their parents’ help, bought their first home, a condo not far from MHP’s Gardens of Gaithersburg Apartments. But disaster struck in the fall of 2022 when their condo caught fire after a devastating explosion in their building at the Potomac Oaks Condos.

Away from home at the time of the incident, Marc recalled how his wife and infant daughter barely made it out. “I rushed home and saw the building engulfed. Everything we owned—gone in an instant,” he recalled. “What followed was a blur of hotel stays, paperwork, insurance battles, and doors that kept closing. It’s hard to describe what it’s like to lose your home and your sense of control.”

Following the disaster, MHP, at Montgomery County’s request, collected and distributed donated funds to families impacted by the disaster. During this process, MHP found a spot for Marc and Sarah at Gardens of Gaithersburg Apartments, where they lived for almost three years before finally returning to their condo.

The couple recalled how MHP’s interventions had given them the much-needed stability. “They didn’t just provide shelter. They offered hope. They listened. They helped us navigate a complicated system. They gave us the room we needed to breathe,” said Marc.

The couple had never expected to need affordable housing. But their sudden need for it shows that housing insecurity doesn’t just affect one kind of person, as it can happen to anyone.

“Thanks to MHP, we have temporary housing while our condo is being rebuilt. It’s not just a building. It’s a lifeline,” said Marc.