Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly killed a bill Tuesday that would have created a county commission on homelessness, drawing sharp criticism from the councilwoman who wrote it, even as data shows the number of homeless students in county schools is rising.
What happened: Cassilly signed a veto memorandum November 10 rejecting Bill No. 26-015, which District A Councilwoman Nolanda Robert sponsored. The bill would have created a 21-member advisory body to meet monthly, produce annual reports, and identify gaps in the county’s response to homelessness. The commission would have had no power over county money or shelter operations.
“After thorough consideration, I must respectfully veto Bill No. 26-015, which seeks to establish a Harford County Commission on Homelessness. I strongly support preventing and reducing homelessness. My objection is not to that goal, but to creating another advisory body when our priority should be strengthening the agencies, partnerships and services already working to achieve that goal,” Cassilly said.
Why Cassilly said no: The county executive argued the proposed commission would overlap with structures that already exist, including the Continuum of Care, a county-level planning framework focused on homelessness, and the Local Management Board, which already includes representatives from the Health Department, Housing and Community Services, Social Services, Harford County Public Schools, and the Sheriff’s Office.
Cassilly also raised concerns about volunteer recruitment, saying the county cannot assume an unlimited supply of volunteers and should not ask the same residents and service providers to spread their time across additional bodies.
“The proposed Commission risks duplicating existing coordination efforts, creating confusion among providers and placing additional demands on the people whose time and expertise are essential to serving residents in need,” he said.
“While Bill No. 26-015 is well-intentioned, I believe our community’s energy, volunteer service and resources would be better spent supporting and enhancing the existing programs that have been addressing these needs for many years,” Cassilly said.
What the numbers show: During the council hearing on the bill, Robert presented data that showed 649 Harford County Public Schools students were identified as lacking stable housing during the 2025-2026 school year — up from about 589 the year before. Of those 649 students:
- 373 were temporarily staying with relatives or friends.
- 164 were living in hotels or motels.
- 63 were in shelters.
- 49 were in other arrangements.
Nearly half — 310 of the 649 — were elementary school children. As of the hearing, 216 more students had already been identified in the current school year, with the count still ongoing.
The Harford Community Action Agency’s coordinated entry system served 1,105 people between July 2024 and June 2026, including 327 children. Of the 109 people the agency served who were actively unhoused and looking for permanent housing, 48 were children — nearly 44%.
The Harford County Sheriff’s Office estimates the county’s homeless population at between 200 and 300 people. That figure and the school system’s count cannot be added together because they use different definitions of homelessness. The school system uses a broader federal standard that includes children in motels and doubled-up housing. The Sheriff’s Office uses a narrower standard that counts only people sleeping outside or in emergency shelters.
“Last school year, 649 Harford County Public Schools students were identified as lacking permanent housing. That alone should tell us there is more work to do,” Robert said.
Robert’s response: Robert said she consulted with agencies, service providers, schools, community organizations, and people who have personally experienced homelessness before introducing the bill, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
She pointed to a stark resource gap: Harford County has one homeless shelter for families.
“There is one homeless shelter for families which is Anna’s House it can only take four families!” Robert said.
She rejected Cassilly’s framing that existing systems are sufficient.
“This Commission was NOT about duplicating services or creating more bureaucracy. It was about communication, coordination, accountability, and identifying gaps in our system,” Robert said.
“So to suggest our current system is working so well that we don’t need greater collaboration is turning a blind eye to reality,” she said.
“We cannot keep doing the same things and expect different results. This was about solutions, not silos. People, not politics,” Robert said.
She cited Montgomery County’s interagency commission on homelessness and Anne Arundel County’s coalition to end homelessness as models Harford County lacks.
“I stand by this legislation and the voices of those who supported it. Our homeless residents, children and families deserve better,” Robert said.
What’s next: The Harford County Council can override a veto with a two-thirds majority vote. The council has not yet announced whether it will take up an override.