Hometown Helena Thursday, October 12th: FUSE Summit, Montana Balloon Sculpture Festival

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Hometown Helena this Thursday, October 12th: FUSE Summit, Montana Balloon Sculpture Festival

October 10th


Hello Hometowners,

 

When Alicia found herself unable to afford the high cost of housing, she resorted to living in her car for several months.  It became increasingly more difficult to get through the day at her job after not getting a good night sleep in the back of her cramped vehicle. Alicia knew she could not go on forever this way. She worried she might lose her job. Alicia reached out to the United Way. She was referred to Good Samaritan Ministries who referred her to the FUSE program due to her ongoing medical needs.  Between the three agencies Alicia was able to get the help she needed for housing, medical care and case management to assist her with other difficult life circumstances.  With a roof over her head, a bed and a shower, Alicia says she got her dignity back.

 

It is stories like this that we hear every day in the Helena as part of the Housing First Helena team.  We work together as a team of community agencies to ensure our unsheltered neighbors are getting connected to services, support, and housing. Unfortunately, housing is always the last thing we can provide due to the shortage of affordable housing in our community. 

 

In 2023 the Point in Time Survey (PIT) resulted in a count of 164 unsheltered neighbors, 40 living in vehicles, and 110 living in motels with Montana Emergency Rental Assistance funds that have been completely exhausted. This data relies on the HUD definition of homelessness: places not meant for human habitation, living in an emergency shelter or motel paid for by the government or charitable organization.   The PIT count generally doesn’t catch the number of homeless students in the area.  In January 2023 the school district reported 283 homeless students, by May the number increased to 365.  The numbers reported in the fall of 2023 already outpace last year, by far.

 

This week we welcome back the Helena Area FUSE (Frequent Users of Systems Engagement) team. They work with individuals who are unhoused, lack stable services and often don’t know where to start to get their lives back on track. The FUSE team is there to help guide these clients toward stability and housing. Come listen to the success stories the FUSE team has experienced in the past year. You will be impressed with the numbers.

 

See you Thursday,

Emily McVey


Please limit announcements and comments to 2 minutes.

The winner of the 2023 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest was Montana’s own Chuck Black, with this oil painting of a northern pintail.

Click to Watch Last Week’s Meeting

Hometown Helena - Thursday, October 12th, 7 a.m. @ The Montana Club & Live via ZOOM hosted by Pinion:

  • Helena Area FUSE Team

  • Neil Sauter, Sauter Balloons

  • Online Meeting Instructions: Please keep your phone or microphone muted during the meeting and note that your camera may be on depending on your ZOOM settings. Please "raise your hand" at the start of the meeting if you will have an opening update or introduction.


  • In-Person Announcements: Please plan on approaching the front of the room to make announcements directly to our host so online attendees can hear. There is time at the beginning of the meeting for announcements. Please limit announcements and comments to 2 minutes.


  • View Program Recording: Hometown Helena is recorded and posted at HometownHelena.news, typically within a day.


  • Hometown Email List: This private email list is not shared. You can join or update your email information at HometownHelena.news or by clicking the button below.

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The Hometown Helena Team is Jim Smith, Rick Hays, Kelly Cresswell, Emily McVey, Emily Frazier, Ali Mandell, Tom McGree, Peter Strauss, Haley McKnight and Matt Elsaesser

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