Kalispell, MT – Intermountain, a nationally recognized Montana non-profit specializing in nurturing therapeutic environments for emotionally disturbed children, has been selected to receive a $450,000 Community Development Block Grant for the construction of a permanent location for Providence Home, a children’s shelter in the Flathead Valley. Intermountain has been providing services for vulnerable children and their families in rented facilities. Intermountain’s Providence Home offers short term emergency shelter care. Other services include therapeutic family care, family wrap-around services, child and family outpatient therapy and training of families and professionals.
CDBG is funded by a Federal block grant dispersed to the states. Local communities sponsor applications to provide for needed services. The Flathead County Commission sponsored the Intermountain application to build the shelter on property in Somers that Intermountain already owns.
“Flathead County is thrilled to be a recipient of CDBG funds to support the Intermountain Providence Home in Somers” Commissioner Dale Lauman stated. “I had the privilege of touring the Helena facility a number of years ago. It was an eye opener as to what the needs are in our local communities.” Lauman touted the facility as one of the best in the United States and fully supported the collaborative grant application to secure funds to build a facility in the Flathead Valley.
“This is exciting news,” commented Intermountain’s CEO Jim FitzGerald. “We have been responding to the needs of children and families in the Flathead Valley and developing our staff and our services in the community for many years. We are very grateful for the support of the Flathead County Commissioners. This grant is the boost we needed to help us launch an all-out campaign to raise the funds needed.” Slightly under $2 million is needed to develop the Somers property and build a facility there. Intermountain has already raised over $100,000 for the project and has other grant applications pending.
“We have many friends and generous donors in the Flathead Valley who have been supporting us for a long time,” FitzGerald said. “We hope to begin site development and construction in mid 2013.”
Intermountain is based in Helena where it has offered children’s services for over 100 years. Several local community leaders serve on the Intermountain Board of Directors including Dee Incoronato of Bigfork, Don Patterson of Yellow Bay and Pam Schapper of Whitefish. Several others serve on Intermountain’s President’s Council and have been instrumental in the success of Intermountain in the Flathead.
For more information contact Dee Incoronato at 406-250-2704 or Glenna Wortman-Obie at 406-461-6256.