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5/5/2025
Helena This Week is reported and written By JoVonne Wagner. Send your Helena news and tips to jwagner@montanafreepress.org.
Good Samaritan Ministries has withdrawn from a partnership with Family Promise to build a homeless shelter in Helena to focus on the organizations priorities, but nonprofit officials say that funding for the project remains.
Last week, Family Promise and Good Samaritan Ministries announced GSMs exit from a project to create a dedicated shelter for families, women and children in the Helena area.
Last year, after losing its location for a women’s emergency shelter, Ruths Place, GSMs then executive director, Theresa Ortega, and Family Promise executive director Renee Bauer joined forces and funding to secure and renovate 2814 N. Cook St.
GSM recently changed leaders after an internal review concluded that the organization should focus on stabilizing existing operations due to personnel and financial constraints, according to a press release.
However, the nonprofit also left behind about $618,000 in grant funding with Family Promise, which goes to the projects $1.2 million total cost.
This pause allows us to strengthen our core programs, ensuring we continue current services and emerge as a robust partner ready to expand in the future, GSM acting director Dan Bartleson said in the release. We wholeheartedly support Family Promises leadership in advancing Ruths Place and are confident in their ability to bring this vital shelter to our community.
The Montana Department of Commerce awarded GSM a grant for the Ruths Place shelter project. After the partnership was established, the department transferred the funds to Family Promise in 2024 because Family Promise owned the shelter site, according to Bauer.
Bauer told 勛圖窪蹋 that because Family Promises goals for the shelter still align with the grant requirements, the department allowed it to use the money without GSM as a partner.
When you think about an organization focusing on its core missions, the same holds true for Family Promise, Bauer said. Now our core mission is to shelter homeless children and their families. That has always been a driving force for Family Promise, to have a dedicated shelter spot We’re pretty darn excited about it.
In addition, Family Promise will keep the shelters plan to have dedicated rooms specifically for women.
Bartleson told MTFP that the ministries’ internal review revealed that the nonprofit wouldnt have enough staffing and resources to operate once the shelter opens.
I think that most of the focus on the Good Samaritan side in that partnership was just really trying to establish a location, Bartleson said. The plans that were in place to provide that Good Samaritan would be responsible for providing operations once that location was established. Those plans never came to a point where there was clear funding for any extended period of time.
The city granted $134,000 to GSM in 2023, which Bartleson said would not be enough to sustain personnel and shelter needs.
Bartleson was named as the ministrys acting director at the beginning of April after Ortega was placed on administrative leave, he said. Ortega declined to provide further details or comment on the situation.
Family Promise plans to hold a formal groundbreaking ceremony at the shelter location on May 15.
Public Notice
Ballots due: The school and special district purpose election ballots are due at the Lewis and Clark elections office, 316 N. Park Ave., by Tuesday, May 6, and will be accepted until 8 p.m. The ballots include school board of trustee candidates as well as school technology and operational levies. For more information about the elections, visit the Lewis and Clark County .
5 Things to Know in Helena
Pay raises for mayor, commissioners under consideration: Helenas Human Resources director, Renee McMahon, proposed a 2.5% raise for the mayor and city commissioners during a meeting last week. The increase would bring the mayors salary to $15,375 and the commissions to $11,275. McMahon said that the raises address a cost-of-living adjustment and wouldn’t go into effect until after the municipal election this fall. The commission will consider the pay increase during the next city meeting on Monday, May 5.
Mini-malfunction junction update: During last week’s continued city budget meeting, city commissioner Sean Logan asked the rest of the commission for their opinion on keeping the downtown intersection, or mini-malfunction junction, as is, with stop sign-controlled traffic instead of constructing a roundabout.
Be a pedestrian, Mayor Wilmot Collins responded. Dont be in the car. Be a pedestrian trying to cross the street and then come back to us and tell us that, because I walked that street; it’s dangerous.
Commissioner Melinda Reed said she supports increased pedestrian safety in the area, but she is interested in other options instead of funding the $2.5 million roundabout that would need to come out of the city reserves. The commission will continue the discussion at a later date.
New Carroll College president: Carroll College last week named William N. Bill Ruud its next president. Ruud, a former U.S. Army officer, comes to Carroll with 17 years of leadership experience from Marietta College, the University of Northern Iowa and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, according to the college’s Ruud will be the colleges 19th president, following John Cech.
Local nonprofits’ funding loss: As the 2025 Montana Legislature wrapped up its session last week, a bill that would allocate funding to arts-focused nonprofits across the state made it to the governor’s desk. However, some nonprofits, including several Helena-based organizations, either had their funds cut or reduced. According to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, the change resulted from nonprofit officials not presenting their applications during one of the committee hearings.
Helena Farmers Market is back: The citys seasonal farmers market is back Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fuller Avenue and afternoons in East Helena from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Main Street Park. The markets will last until the end of October and will feature fresh produce, food and other goods from local vendors. For additional information, visit the farmers market .
By The Numbers
The money raised during the 24-hour-long Greater Helena Gives fundraising event, according to a Helena Area Community Foundation press release. A total of 117 local nonprofits participated during this year’s giving day, which set a record for GHG.
“Watching the community come together and support each other is the best part of Greater Helena Gives, Helena Area Community Foundation executive director Emily Frazier said in the release. This year, seeing the collaboration meant even more, with many nonprofits fearing federal funding cuts. It could have been a tough year for GHG. Donors could have held back due to feelings of economic uncertainty, but they did not.”
For transparency’s sake: 勛圖窪蹋 was a participating organization.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Infrastructure upgrades coming to growing East Helena
Child care scholarships available for area families.