Ministries United Silver Spring/Takoma Park (MUSST)

MUSST was created in 1996 through a joint effort of Community Ministries Montgomery County and several local congregations to provide a central location to provide emergency financial assistance. MUSST provides grants to low-income and homeless persons in lower Silver Spring and Takoma Park, once per year, to assist with the purchase of medical prescriptions, eviction/foreclosure prevention, and/or utility discontinuance prevention. MUSST became incorporated in late 1998 and secured recognition from the Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit corporation in early 1999 (IRS 501c3). Located in a Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services office, MUSST is ideally located for low-income families in our service area who come to request services from the county.

MUSST’s main mission is to furnish emergency financial assistance to eligible persons living in the lower Silver Spring/Takoma Park area (defined as zip codes 20901, 20910, 20912, and the small part of 20783 in Montgomery County) who face the threat of eviction, utility discontinuance, or who cannot pay for medical prescriptions. MUSST volunteers also help clients to receive other kinds of assistance by screening to ensure they meet eligibility requirements then referring them for food, clothing, furniture, dental, or eye care through other area agencies.

It is MUSST’s goal to provide emergency financial assistance to prevent catastrophic events, which could de-stabilize an individual or family. MUSST strives to empower people to be an active part of the solution to their financial crisis. MUSST also works with clients to help put them back on solid financial footing. We do this by referring clients to money management courses, providing them with referrals to available community resources, which will allow them to stretch their income. We also inform and provide the necessary applications to programs such as the Maryland Energy Assistance (MEAP), Electric Universal Service (EUSP), Rental Assistance (RAP) programs, and MEDBANK.