12/09/2024
“Helena This Week” is reported and written By JoVonne Wagner. Send your Helena news and tips to [email protected].
Ruth’s Place finds a home with Family Promise
After a year of challenges, construction on a low-barrier women’s shelter in Helena will soon begin, according to the nonprofit officials.
Last winter, Good Samaritan Ministries was on track to renovate and open Helena’s first women’s shelter, Ruth’s Place, in the same building that houses Our Place, which offers resources for the area’s homeless population and is also managed by GSM.
However, after significant public opposition to the proposal, plans for Ruth’s Place came to a halt after the building was sold, which left the nonprofit to search for another location.
Then, in a city commission meeting earlier this year, Good Samaritan Ministries executive director Theresa Ortega and Family Promise of Greater Helena executive director Renee Bauer updated the commission on a new idea.
“Theresa and I got together and talked about the idea of combining the space that we have and having part of it be utilized as Ruth’s Place,” Bauer told Montana Free Press last week. “We looked at our staffing capacity and our needs real hard and said, ‘You know, this would work.’”
Family Promise, a family-based shelter and resource organization, was also planning to expand its services at 2814 N. Cooke St., when it decided to join forces with GSM.
Bauer said both nonprofits initially planned for the building to have two levels, with the women’s shelter on one floor and the family shelter on another, with space for eight rooms each.
However, after some reworking with architects, they decided to split the use of both levels to allow for each shelter to include rooms that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Family Promise and GSM are now waiting for the city to approve the final building permits, which Bauer expects to happen within the next week. If so, construction will begin immediately and take an estimated six to nine months to complete.
GSM combined its funding for Ruth’s Place with Family Promise resources to pay for the $1.2 million project.
In addition, the location will serve as the new home for Our Place.
For Bauer, the property’s location also addresses the issues some of the public raised about the property first proposed for Ruth’s Place.
“The Cooke Street location is in a neighborhood that is not heavily residential. It’s got a lot of businesses, so there’s employment opportunities close by for our people,” Bauer said. “There’s employment for folks right there so they can start to get back on their feet. They can start to develop a mechanism to build their life back, and we think that’s a key to their success.”
Public Notice
Railroad Neighborhood Plan: City staff will present a Railroad District Neighborhood Plan to the city-county consolidated planning board virtually on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 6 p.m. The plan, which covers the 6th Ward, Railroad Urban Renewal District and the Midtowne area, will guide future zoning, policy and planning changes. To access the final draft of the plan, visit the Be Hear Helena website.
By The Numbers
The number of Thanksgiving meals the Helena Food Share gave out over the holiday break, according to staff. The food share was able to provide the meals from its Turkey Challenge that brought in enough money and donated food to prepare more than 2,800 meals for the winter holidays. For those in need of a Christmas meal, the food share will distribute food on Thursday, Dec. 19, in the Grocery Share Market. Individuals will need to sign up for a time slot on its website.
5 Things to Know in Helena
First county allocation of MOAT funds: A city-county committee recently announced its first allocation from the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust during a meeting last week. For one year, the MOAT will fund the Lewis and Clark Detention Center about $115,000 to hire a medical provider. The provider will help inmates with opioid-use disorders through a county program that combines medication and counseling services to address withdrawal symptoms.
St. Peter’s new hires: Last week, St. Peter’s Health announced it has hired two new providers to add to its Cancer Care team. Oncologist and hematologist Dr. Karine Darbinyan and nurse practitioner Jamie Wilcox will join the three other team members, according to a press release. Prior to the hires, St. Pete’s had contracted with temporary physicians while hospital officials worked to recruit permanent doctors.
City-County text alert rebrand: Lewis and Clark County and the city of Helena officials are working to rebrand their emergency notification system that sends text message alerts to residents. Last week, in a joint city-county meeting, city public information officer Jacob Garcin told commissions about a request to rename the alert system so users can easily see where the texts come from. The alert system, Smart 911, has been in place for several years and has confused some users, according to Garcin. The city and county are working to give the system a new name before the start of the next wildfire season. To sign up for text alerts, visit the Lewis and Clark County website.
A world record for a Helena College cause: During the summer, Bozeman teen Joshua Schwerin set off to set a world record as the youngest pilot to fly across the lower 48 states in hopes of bringing attention to Helena College’s aviation program. Guinness World Records officially announced Schwerin’s record last week. During his flight journey, Schwerin raised about $11,000 that went to a scholarship fund for the college’s aviation program.
Potential licensed establishment fee changes: Lewis and Clark County public health officer Drenda Niemann informed the city commission last week about a state-wide effort to adjust the fee amounts for inspections of licensed establishments such as restaurants and food retail stores. Niemann said the inspection fees are set in state law and haven’t been updated since 2009. About 18% of inspection costs are covered by fees while 75% of costs are paid from local property taxes. Montana counties, including Lewis and Clark, are working with organizations, lobbyists and state legislators to propose a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would create a new fee system. The health department will host its last public meeting on the proposed fee changes on Thursday, Dec. 12, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., via Zoom.
Might Be Fun
A Carroll Christmas: The Carroll College admission team will host Christmas stroll tours on campus that are open to the community on Tuesday, Dec. 10, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Participants can meet on the east steps of O’Connell Hall, and tours will begin every 30 minutes. Visit the college’s website for more information about the tour.