Florence Crittenton is delighted to announce they have received a $1,278,032 grant from the Montana Department of Commerce – Montana Housing Division.

This award will be used by Florence Crittenton to refurbish the North and West Wings of the top floor of their Cooney Campus, purchased one year ago, to serve as an eight-unit Women & Children’s Recovery Home. This program provides housing and supportive services to women aged 18-35 and their children aged 0-5. This project has been in development for several months and Florence Crittenton has been working with Slate Architecture and Dick Anderson Construction to ensure the design meets the needs of the organization, their clients, and the community.

These funds represent an award received by Florence Crittenton from the Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), which is a federal block grant program directed the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development and is designed to create affordable housing for low-income households.  Applications were ranked on the following priorities:

• Geographic Diversity and Housing Needs
• Capacity of the Applicant
• Affordability and Financial Feasibility
• Appropriate Design and Long-Term Solution
• Long-term Planning and Management
• Readiness to proceed

Florence Crittenton’s Executive Director, Carrie Krepps said, “We are thrilled to receive this transformational grant from the Department of Commerce.  Not only does it push us forward to our goal of renovating our campus, but it is the State’s recognition of the importance of supporting these families facing substance use challenges and the investment in a brighter future for all Montanans.”

Montana’s Governor, Greg Gianforte said, “The health and wellbeing of our families, communities, businesses, and economy rely on access to affordable, attainable housing.  Projects such as yours help meet the housing needs of women and children, while providing them with supportive services to grow and thrive.”

The Recovery Home is currently being operated at the 901 N. Harris facility in Helena. This building is owned by the Florence Crittenton Home & Services Foundation and is leased in an in-kind agreement annually to Florence Crittenton. The Foundation is planning to place the Harris facility on the market for sale in the coming months; however, the Florence Crittenton programs will continue to operate in the Harris facility until the Cooney campus renovations are completed, as to maintain consistent housing and programing for all clients.  The Foundation Board President, Sarah Corbally, said, “The Florence Crittenton Foundation has been honored to house the Florence Crittenton Homes & Services programs in the Harris facility for the last 27 years. The mission of the Foundation is to support the activities of Florence Crittenton Homes & Services, and this facility has been a perfect way for us to do that for many years. We look forward to working with potential buyers, and continuing to invest in the programming at Florence Crittenton in innovative ways that can provide lasting support to the organization and the families it serves.”

To learn more about Florence Crittenton visit www.florencecrittenton.org and the agencies current capital campaign Project Sunshine at www.projectsunshine.info.