SAFE Harbor creates haven

LAKE COUNTY — There may not be a homeless housing shelter outside of Kalispell or Missoula, but employees at SAFE Harbor in Ronan are making sure those in need will have a roof over their heads, regardless of their financial situation.

Traditionally known as “a shelter for domestic violence and sexual assault victims,” SAFE Harbor has begun a new initiative to make sure all residents of Lake County, whether full-time or just passing through, have a roof over their heads.

“There’s a serious problem of homelessness in the area so we thought, ‘What can we do?’” SAFE Harbor Executive Director DeeAnn Richardson said. “It’s going to be a community effort if we want this to happen.”

Richardson and Dana Grant, the organization’s director of development, have spearheaded the movement, renting housing units in Polson and Ronan. Polson’s apartment is intended for a single person or family situation while Ronan’s residence is more of a community living space, with four bedrooms and bathrooms and a large living room and kitchen.

“It gives us more options to start with,” Richardson said. “This is a pilot and if it works we’ll look into expanding.”

The project has been a long time coming, she said, and after some discussion with Linda Greenwood of the Helping Hands Fund, Richardson determined that opening a low-cost or free short-term shelter would be initially possible.

“Ideally, there’s two situations: one is someone down on their luck until the weather clears to get a bus ticket and leave town versus someone needing a transitional living space where they can pay a subsidized portion of the rent,” Richardson said. “The need for subsidized housing in Lake County is huge, and many people need a roof over their head right now without paying the going rate of rent.”

Richardson will depend on donations and assistance from other foundations like churches to continue the experiment. The alternative, she said, is putting transients on a bus to Missoula or Kalispell, both of which have homeless shelters, but that can be costly itself.

“A homeless person might contact the police, who will refer them to Helping Hands who will pay for a hotel,” she said. “That’s the reality of having no homeless shelter.”

Linda Greenwood, of Helping Hands, is excited to see the wheels set in motion.

She said her organization will refer people in need to SAFE Harbor, which will help ease the numbers of people Helping Hands buys hotel rooms for, a number that can reach 25 each year.

“The main thing is having a place, especially during the winter months, to send people, especially if they have children,” Greenwood said. “But there’s also women in domestic violence situations, people who have been evicted or people living in crowded situations. We’re very happy to have it started and the way SAFE Harbor took over as lead organization for maintaining facilities and performing screening of [applicants].”

Richardson said her organization signed a lease Dec. 1 after deciding it was a worthwhile pursuit. A fortuitous phone call made the transition even easier.

“On the same day [of signing the lease] a family called and asked if [SAFE Harbor] wanted some furniture from a cabin they had just sold because the buyer didn’t want it,” she said. “It was unbelievable. We are so appreciative of all the help and support we have gotten.”

Richardson said her organization would conduct a survey in late January to “take a snapshot” of the community and assess the need in the area; the results will help her apply and hopefully receive grants to continue the program.

While the program is set up for someone to stay no more than a month, Richardson said there are different situations and that she has discussed different ways to supply the service. As time goes on, Richardson said she realizes the organization will adapt to what is necessary.

“Every situation is so unique in itself,” she said. “We do see a lot of clients who do need some type of long-term situation, but we’ll see what happens. If you’re homeless and freezing to death during a Montana winter, it’s a roof over your head and a warm bed.”