HAMILTON — The lack of affordable housing affects all Montanans, including our seniors.
Sapphire Lutheran Homes in Hamilton provides subsidized rent for older Montanans.
Now, thanks to grants from the Montana Department of Commerce (DOC), the senior living facility will receive a little over $4 million to renovate its oldest apartment building.
The Manor was built in 1978 and currently houses 55 seniors with a 30-person waitlist.
Sapphire Lutheran Homes purchased the building in 2003 and immediately noticed the need for renovations.
Among the many issues brought on by age, the building is not up to current fire safety, the units don’t have air conditioning and the windows are difficult to lock and don’t hold in heat.
“I think getting a fresh sense and preserving that housing for our current residents — it’s not building things for residents who aren’t with us already, it’s preserving what we already have. I think is what I’m excited about,” Sapphire Lutheran Homes executive director Cole Harden, says.
Sapphire Lutheran Homes was notified in November of 2023 that the DOC was allocating $750,000 from the Community Development Block Grant program, $1.5 million from the Housing Trust Fund program and Home Investment Partnerships Program and $1.9 million from the Home Investment Partnerships Program for renovations.
The grants were part of a $9.4 million announcement from the DOC last fall donating money to six Montana communities with the goal of fostering further affordable housing in the state.
For Sapphire Lutheran Homes, the money means The Manor will continue to be the home to over 50 seniors.
“I think everybody should be provided a safe, clean, dignified home and that's really what these grant funds and these funds will provide is updated housing needs for seniors,” Cole Harden says. “We're locking in affordable housing in the Bitterroot Valley for at least 50 years, if not more.”
Jim Harden, who has no relation to Cole, has lived in The Manor for seven years. He moved there after he and his wife lost their home to a mortgage scheme.
“You know, we fell on hard times. And you know your dollar just doesn’t travel like it used to.”
In his 68 years of life, Jim says he’s never felt more welcome than at The Manor.
“Thank god for this place," he says. "This is a true family here. Realistically if I hit the lottery, I don’t think I’d move.”
Despite the love for his community, Jim has noticed the need for improvement at The Manor.
Particularly, he wants to see the windows updated and in-unit air conditioning installed.
He says he’s excited to see what the new renovations will bring, but he’s worried about the move for his neighbors.
“A lot of people are going to need help,” he says. “You know we’re older folk. My knees don’t really bend the way they used to– mine kind of bend both ways. But a lot of people here, for them to stand for 10 minutes is a big deal.”
The residents at The Manor will need to move out of their apartments during construction.
Cole says they will try to renovate in phases, and move only about 10 residents in and out at a time.
The renovations are expected to start in June and wrap up sometime in 2026.
“You're asking them to change their living situation for a short amount of time to have a better, safer and more up to date home,” Cole says.
It is expected that the seniors will stay on campus during construction, and will be given their same units back, according to Cole.
However, the planning is still in the early stages, and specifics are subject to change. Sapphire is currently working on securing an architect.
In total, they’re expecting the renovations to cost $7.5 million.
“I think ensuring that there's a place for elders to gather and to live I think is essential to any community in any society,” Cole says.
Homeward Inc. in Missoula received funds from the Home Investment Partnerships Program to renovate their own set of affordable homes.
They were awarded $1.5 million for the rehabilitation of Creekside Apartments.
Creekside was built in 1996 and holds 161 different units across 14 different buildings.
A total renovation budget of about $9 million will aim to replace all major systems, renovate every unit and introduce sustainable building aspects.
With an extension of their tax credit program and the extra money for renovations, interim executive director of Homeward, Karissa Trujillo, expects to extend the affordability for Creekside families for an extra 50 years.
