Bozeman, Montana – A $2.25 million grant from pandemic-era relief funds was granted by the Gallatin County Commission to aid in the funding of the development of a new homeless shelter in Bozeman.
If the Human Resources Development Council could equal the suggested contribution to the new shelter on Griffin Drive, the county promised the grant.
Midway through May, the nonprofit organization completed collecting the funds from private companies, opening the door for the county to follow through on its commitment. On Tuesday, the commission gave it a unanimous approval.
“It’s really exciting to see all the partners of the business community, local government, and nonprofit community coming together to build out this facility,” said Heather Grenier, HRDC’s CEO.
Grenier estimates that construction on the Homeward Point housing project will begin sometime in the next month and last up to 18 months.
It will be situated next to Market Place, a 30,000-square-foot building housing a regional food warehouse and food bank, a space for food and nutrition education, a commercial kitchen, and an expanded version of the pay-what-you-can restaurant Fork and Spoon.
According to Grenier, work on the Market Place has already begun and is scheduled to be finished in October.
The final location of HRDC’s headquarters will also be on the campus.
“Having all services in one location will reduce the burden on families and individuals experiencing homelessness,” said Brian Guyer, HRDC’s housing director, during the commission meeting.
“I won’t belabor the point, this is a facility that is absolutely critical and designed to meet the needs of our growing community.”
Despite the county’s additional $4.5 million in funding and matching funds, additional monies will probably need to be obtained in order to complete the facility, which has a total budget of around $13.6 million. Grenier predicts a funding shortfall of about $1 million.
“This gives us the big lift forward that we can break ground and close that gap between now and project completion,” Grenier said.
Grenier stated that there is still a financing shortfall of about $1.5 million to complete the Market Place project as well.
Commissioner Scott MacFarlane expressed his satisfaction at the county’s decision to finally fund the project during the meeting on Tuesday.
“This gets them off the ground,” he said.
