GSM NEEDS Match Grant Funds Needed

GSM NEEDS Match Grant Funds Needed

GOOD SAMARITAN NEWS

We received grant approval from Montana State Fund for specialized equipment designated for our organization to continue to offer a clean and safe environment for staff, patrons and the community

Q: What’s the need?
A: There is a 50% match requirement! We require an additional $3,000 to purchase this industrial equipment as a match to the grant.
Q: What do we need the funds for?
A: We need an industrial floor cleaning machine for use in our store, office and common areas

STORE UPDATES:
• Summer Hours July-Oct. 1 9:00 AM—7:00 PM
• Dock Hours Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 AM-6:00 PM

SCHOOL’S IN SESSION EVENT: Sat. September 14 11:00 -3:00
SALES: Children’s clothing, school supplies ,
ACTIVITIES/ONSITE PHOTOGRAPHER: Join the party in our store!
DONOR UPDATES

First Quarter Projections Looking Solid!
According to our donor database, our community has helped us raise over $4500 between July 1 and August 14!
If we continue at this pace, we have the potential to raise $30,000 or more in donations! That’s a base salary for an outreach worker, financial assistance to secure housing, food or supplies for needful clients!
The possibilities are incredible!

August 2024
In this issue:
FEATURE: Ruth’s Space
NEEDS: Match Grant $
DONOR UPDATES: 1st Quarter
OPERATIONS NEWS:
Dock Hours extended;
School party! 9/13/24

GSM SUPERSTARS:
Our ED—Theresa Ortega!-
Ruth’s Place Has a Space!
Good news! After a year long wait, we found a solution and created a collaborative effort between Good Samaritan Ministries (the catalyst behind the shelter) and Family Promise of Greater Helena (the resources to get it moving) . We plan to break ground next month on Ruth’s Place—a women’s shelter in Helena! That new planned location is Family Promise at 2814 Cook Street, just off N Montana Avenue. The two agencies will share the space.

GSM SUPERSTARS
Executive Director Theresa Ortega nominated for Lumen Cristi Award
Since its inception in 1978, the award—presented by Catholic Extension Society, has been given to people who radiate and reveal the light of Christ present in the communities where they serve.

Our Executive Director was nominated for her leadership, and stewardship of funds and resources for the ongoing development of the social service programs funded through the successful GSM store operations!
TOGETHER THEY MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

SEEKING SPONSORS : What’s it like for a female to live unsheltered in our town?

SEEKING SPONSORS
What’s it like for a female to live unsheltered in our town?
On November 2, some will find out…and through their education and experiences, we will raise more funds for Ruth’s Place – a woman’s shelter and space!
We seek sponsors for this event: Won’t you help?
Shelter Friend— $1000                Build a Wall: $500
Furnish a Home—$250                Home “Pin”$: $100
EVENT: FALL FUNdraiser – full day of events, sales, music, fashion show, children’s crafts—night demonstration—”encampment”
WHEN: November 2, 2024 9 am to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Good Samaritan Ministries Parking lot!
3067 N. Montana Avenue Helena, MT 59601
RSVP : [email protected] BY 10/15
406 442-0780 ext. 111

BACK IN SCHOOL EVENT SEEKING YOUR PARTICIPATION

Please join us in providing resources, information, swag and supplies to students and their families at our in-store sale, community fair and fun event.
We have tables. We just need you!!!
WHEN: September 14TH, 2024 11 to 3 p.m.
WHERE: Good Samaritan Store
3067 N. Montana Avenue Helena, MT 59601
RSVP : [email protected] BY 9/08
406 442-0780 ext. 111

Special thanks for our local Walmart for contributing healthful snacks for our grab-bags for participating children!
WE HOPE YOU WILL CONSIDER JOINING US. OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS YOUR INFORMATION!

Our Place Peers Collaborate for a Downtown Cleanup

Late morning marked the beginning of our community cleanups, and despite the  heat, the atmosphere remained positive. The effort kicked off at Cruise Park, moved behind God’s Love, and concluded at the tunnel near Anchor Park.

This event was a remarkable display of camaraderie and interdepartmental cooperation. Leading the charge were Jacqueline, Our Place Program Manager, and Mikayla, Peer Support Specialist from Our Place, who kept everything running smoothly. Alongside our dedicated staff were numerous volunteers, many of whom are Our Place Peers and have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness. In fact, the idea for Our Place’s participation in the cleanups came from these Peers!

The cleanup crew also included members of the Helena Police Department (HPD) and the Parks Department, with the latter providing trucks for trash removal. Both HPD and Parks Department staff worked alongside the volunteers. hese cleanups are not about displacing people but about making parks and public areas clean and safe for everyone, including our unhoused neighbors. We do not discard personal belongings—only trash. In fact, the tunnel cleanup had started well before our arrival, with the temporary residents leading by example!

For years, the Parks Department has been organizing these cleanups. Pat from the Parks Department mentioned that in the last 4-5 years, the number of people trying to set up more permanent residences in the parks has skyrocketed. With the addition of the Our Place team, we can help address this issue by connecting people with resources to get off the streets and into supportive environments.

Throughout the morning, Mikayla and Jacqueline frequently reminded people to collect their mail from Our Place—an essential service for those without a permanent address and encouraged folks to head down to Our Place for food and more. They knew everyone by name, as did the HPD and Parks Department staff, and provided compassionate support during the cleanup. They balanced firm instructions, like “Yes, you have to clean this up,” with genuine concern, asking, “How are you doing?” and “What do you need?”

This event was a kind and collaborative effort from all parties involved. While there were a few dissenting voices, the gratitude from those helped far outweighed the negativity. We recognize that there is no perfect solution to this complex issue. People deserve a safe place to sleep, and everyone deserves clean parks to enjoy—whether they are housed or not. We are committed to expanding our reach and programs to connect those in need with the help they require.

We extend a special thank you to the Our Place Peers who volunteered—Brandon, Stuart, William, and Jay (some preferred to remain unnamed)—as well as the staff at Our Place, the Helena Police Department, the Parks Department, and the Sanitation Department. This is the third cleanup Our Place Peers have participated in, and these events have become a huge part of their recovery group, giving them a sense of purpose and vital community connection.

We would also like to extend a huge thank you to Judge Peterson for providing a reduction in fines to those who participated in the cleanup.

If you have questions about these cleanups, how to get involved with our Ministries, or have a suggestion of a place to clean up please feel free to reach out at: [email protected]

 

Greater Helena Gives: Ensure Our Place Stays a Beacon of Hope

This Greater Helena Gives Day, we urge you to consider supporting Our Place —a vital resource in our community for individuals who are experiencing houselessness or are in need of immediate support.

At Our Place, we operate on the principle that kindness, dignity, and respect are fundamental to helping individuals create a stable, violence-free environment for themselves and their families. It’s not just a place; it’s a community where people can come together to find solace, support, and the resources necessary to improve their lives.

Services Provided at Our Place:

  • Personal outreach and engagement
  • Peer recovery and mental health services
  • Socialization opportunities and community group activities
  • Crisis mitigation and quality of life improvements
  • Essential aid including housing, transportation, job application support, and more

Since taking management in December 2019, Good Samaritan Ministries has significantly expanded the capabilities of Our Place. We now serve an average of 1,100 people per month—a doubling of our outreach—while increasing the services we offer by 85%.

Your Support Is Crucial:

As we continue to grow and serve more individuals in need, the importance of community support becomes ever clearer. Your donations help sustain and expand our services, ensuring that everyone who comes through our doors finds the help they need to stabilize and succeed.

This #GreaterHelenaGives, please consider making a donation to Good Samaritan Ministries. Your contribution will directly support our efforts to empower individuals, foster community, and provide critical services that can change lives.

Together, we can make a significant impact and ensure that no one in our community has to face their challenges alone.

To donate follow this link:

https://www.greaterhelenagives.org/organizations/good-samaritan-thrift-store-and-ministries-helena

Helena shelter residents aim to ‘change public perception’ with city block clean-up

Clients of Our Place, the Good Samaritan Ministries-run addiction recovery drop-in center, spent much of Tuesday morning cleaning up the block in an effort to change public perception.

Good Samaritan Ministries and United Way of the Lewis and Clark Area were granted a conditional use permit by the Helena City Commission Monday night, allowing them to open a 25-bed emergency shelter for women at 649 Jackson St.

The commission heard hours of public comment ahead of the vote, some of which was in opposition to the proposed shelter. Those opposed cited littering and vandalism among their concerns.

“We are working very hard to humanize our unsheltered neighbors and get the message across that these people are not all criminals,” local United Way Director of Community Impact Jeff Buscher said Tuesday morning.

He said some of the Our Place clients came up with the idea of cleaning up the block during a group meeting.

“We’re giving them the tools to do what they want to do and that is clean up the neighborhood,” he said.

“We have to show them that we want to be good neighbors, but they have to understand that the status quo isn’t working,” CJ said while sweeping dirt off a Last Chance Gulch sidewalk ramp.

Rachell, another Our Place client, said her participation in the clean up helps her out. Rachell said she has been diagnosed with growing calcifications in her brain. She called them “brain stones” and said they have manifested obsessive compulsive tendencies in her.

“It’s nice to have my feet on the ground,” she said.

She said she has noticed many of the unsheltered in Helena do have mental health problems like her.

“They’re not trying to be disrespectful,” she said. “They are unable to make the right choices.”

Buscher said he hopes the clean-up will become a regular occurrence, but that it will take some encouragement.

Thank You to Supporters of the St. Francis Dinner

Thank you to everyone who donated to the St. Francis Dinner fundraiser! We appreciate your support and contribution to Street Outreach programming. With the funds raised, we will be able to purchase tents, blankets, food, and clothes for our homeless neighbors this winter. Thank you for your continued kindness and generosity towards our mission!

 

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