Category: In the News
The Invisible Asylum – THIS IS WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
All of you that help support Good Samaritan are helping us fight this. Every day we are working to get the homeless into shelter, the addicted proper treatment to prevent jails, institutions, and death. YOU help give the hopeless hope and the tools for a better tomorrow. THANK YOU.
https://www.city-journal.org/olympia-washington-mental-hospitals
Montana Emergency Rental Assistance
Emergency rent and utility assistance will soon be available to Montanans financially impacted by COVID-19. Renters will be able to apply directly, and landlords can apply on behalf of renters. Learn more at: HOUSING.MT.GOV
Good Samaritan will be available as a walk-in location and Our Place will be available through online scheduling
Safe housing connection provides stability for breast cancer patient
St. Pete’s works with Good Samaritan to provide safe stable housing to those in need
Together, Courtney and Sue filled out dozens of applications for housing. And, Courtney helped connect Sue to Good Samaritan Ministries, a local nonprofit committed to providing services to meet the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of individuals and families of all faith, especially those most in need. Good Samaritan was able to provide housing vouchers and support thanks to a grant from the CARES Act.
“When I first met Sue, she was going through a lot. She was experiencing lots and lots of emotions related to her medical concerns, on top of the housing stress,” said Courtney. “I was able to connect her to our behavioral health professionals and then get her connected to temporary housing through a grant from Good Samaritan. Those have been the most beneficial things in the time that we’ve worked together.”
Coming Soon: Montana Emergency Rental Assistance Program
The Montana Emergency Rental Assistance program will provide rent and utility assistance to Montanans who have been financially impacted, directly or indirectly, by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Renters will be able to apply directly for rent and utility assistance, and landlords will be able to apply on behalf of renters with the renter’s co-signature and required documentation.
Renters will need to provide income documentation to verify program eligibility.
To streamline the application review process, we recommend renters file their 2020 tax return now and have that document available to submit when the program opens for applications.
Good Samaritan is offering FREE TAX HELP Mondays and Thursdays at the Thrift Store from 10-4
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MTDOC/bulletins/2c55d5e?reqfrom=share
Montana Housing Conference May 18-May 19
Good Samaritan’s Housing Navigator Chandler Rowling will be presenting two sessions at the conference:
In Yellowstone County, the Billings Mediation Center (Conflict Resilience Project) and Montana Mediation Association have partnered with Judge Carter and Judge Walker to use the judicial system to help landlords and tenants work out issues.
In 2020, Good Samaritan Ministries in Helena piloted a Housing Navigation program to serve the workforce housing community members in the Lewis and Clark county. This program connects and engages community members, landlords, property managers, and housing partners to housing services and resources. During COVID 19, Good Samaritan has also successfully offered financial assistance with eviction prevention, rental assistance, and mortgage assistance. Good Samaritan continues to serve the most vulnerable and homeless population.
In this session, participants will receive information based on those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Two of the navigators serve the population that is categorized as very to extremely low-income and the other navigator focuses on those who are considered the workforce housing.
Housing navigators in general work in many areas of housing services like financial assistance, landlord and tenant mediation, and keeping in check with fair housing rights/policies to just name a few.
During COVID-19, these housing navigation programs have shown to be essential as our homeless population continues to grow and be vulnerable due to lack of shelter options. Also, many people who were living paycheck to paycheck before COVID-19 have found themselves facing housing insecurity and many of them have never been in this situation before. These events have caused a huge strain on services, financial assistance, and the housing market when these were already a high-demand before COVID-19. However, despite the many barriers that have been presented these housing navigators have been creative to create innovative ways that they could still serve those in need of housing and strengthen community engagement. At the end of the panel, there will be time for Q&A.
Salvation Army Blood Drive March 20th
The Salvation Army is having an upcoming blood drive on March 20th. Please come out and support you community!!!!
Best Thrift Store in Helena for 2020
We just want to thank everyone in our community that voted for Good Samaritan thrift store as Best in Helena. We appreciate each and every one of our customers, supporters, and the Helena Community!!!
Poverty Awareness Month: subsidiarity & solidarity can end poverty
God empowers all, especially those who are vulnerable, to stand up for themselves and protect their dignity. Subsidiarity—the participation of the people directly affected by a problem in the solution-making process—is a way for us to affirm the dignity of all persons, especially at home in our communities. A key element of breaking the cycle of poverty is empowering low-income and vulnerable communities to learn how to raise their own voices and practice self-determination. In Catholic social teaching, subsidiarity is always paired with solidarity. Higher powers or institutions, such as government, must provide help and resources so that communities have the resources to address the problems that affect them.