Commerce Allocates Over $1.2 Million of Community Development Grant Funding to Jefferson and Gallatin Counties

A Journey Home Campus in Bozeman HELENA, Mont. – The Montana Department of Commerce announced today more than $1.2 million of grant funding has been awarded to Jefferson County to support a campus expansion for Youth Dynamics in Boulder as well as to Gallatin County for the rehabilitation of Family Promise of Gallatin Valley’s “A Journey Home” campus in Bozeman. The funding is through Commerce’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Economic Development and Housing programs.

“This grant award will help Youth Dynamics advance its mission of providing healing for kids and families across Montana through comprehensive, trauma-informed mental and behavioral health services,” said Paul Green, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce. “Commerce is pleased to play a role in helping both organizations expand their capacity to serve their clients and offer them greater stability and hope. Additionally, this grant award supports Family Promise of Gallatin Valley’s ability to continue serving children and families facing housing instability and homelessness”

CDBG Economic Development grants stimulate economic development activity by helping Montana’s private sector create or retain jobs for Montanans earning a lower wage and individuals earning less than 80 percent of area median income.

“This award is literally a transformational grant enabling us better to serve our children in a real home setting. The grant will provide the needed support to increase staffing, address building and facility needs, improve the healing environment and better position us to serve both children and families on our Alternative Youth Adventures campus in Boulder,” said Dennis Sulser, CEO of Youth Dynamics, Inc. “We are grateful for the support and the recognition for the needs of children in our services.”

CDBG Housing grants help local governments fund new construction or rehabilitation of single-family or multi-family housing projects that benefit Montana households earning less than 80 percent of area median income.

“CDBG funding will have a transformative impact on Family Promise’s ability to serve children and families experiencing housing insecurity in the Gallatin Valley,” said Christel Chvilicek, Executive Director of Family Promise of Gallatin Valley. “Because of this funding, Family Promise can provide holistic service that address the multifaceted challenges faced by families experiencing housing insecurity, empowering them to rebuild their lives and break the cycle of homelessness.”

CDBG Economic Development grants are available to counties, incorporated cities and towns and consolidated city-county governments except Billings, Great Falls and Missoula. CDBG Housing grants are available for new construction of multi-family housing or multiple single family housing development projects, rehabilitation of multi-family rental housing, temporary housing facilities such as homeless shelters or domestic violence shelters and neighborhood revitalization.

For more information about Commerce’s CDBG Economic Development grant program, visit comdev.mt.gov; for the CDBG Housing grant program, visit housing.mt.gov.

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