HELENA — Good Samaritan Ministries and Family Promise plan to break ground next month on Ruth's Place, a shelter for unsheltered women.
The groundbreaking could come roughly seven months after the Helena City Commission initially approved a conditional use permit for the facility in a different location.
"When Theresa's building got sold, and Ruth's Place was floating and homeless, we reached out to each other, and I said, 'We've got this building, and I think we can make it a little bit bigger and accommodate Ruth's Place along with our families in the same shelter. It just makes sense," said Family Promise executive director Renee Bauer.
That new planned location is Family Promise at 2814 Cook Street, just off North Montana Avenue.
As soon as the beginning of next month, part of the facility could be demolished and expanded, adding a second floor and 18 rooms that could house individuals or families.
The organizations say zoning should not be an issue for the facility's location.
"The zoning is fine – it was always zoned to be a shelter," Bauer said.
The building would be divided in half, with the Good Samaritan using one portion and the Family Promise using the other. As of now, people using the space would have access to private bathrooms, laundry, and a kitchen nook.
Good Samaritan and Family Promise say at least 15 businesses are within two blocks of the facility.
"If you look at where the shelter is, you've got restaurants, we've got the medical facilities close by," Good Samaritan executive director Theresa Ortega said. "I think in the long run, we are going to be okay, and I think it's important to be [in] the community where we're accepted."
Ruth's Place was originally set to open by February 2024 as a safe place for unsheltered women to stay during the cold winter months.
The plan was to put the shelter in the same building as Our Place on N. Jackson Street, however, those plans fell through after the building was purchased.
"When we had gotten the grant, we had written it up to be at Our Place, and that didn't work. We had to resubmit to commerce with a new location," said Ortega.
With the new location at Family Promise, the grant was carried over by the Department of Commerce. If everything goes according to plan, Ruth's Place could open as soon as February 2025.
