With HUD grants in limbo, Kalispell shelter breaks ground on affordable housing project
Chris Krager with the Samaritan House says he was in the process of finalizing a more than $4 million grant with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. But, right in the middle of that process, he says federal staff went silent.
Krager doesn’t know whether that grant will show up or if he needs to look elsewhere for funding. The Samaritan House just broke ground this week on the affordable housing projects.
“We’re going to make 18 two and three-bedroom apartments that are going to be family style. And then another building, we’re going to do 15 one-bedroom apartments contracted to serve homeless veterans.”
The project is estimated to cost nearly $17 million. Krager says without the HUD grant, he’s prioritizing the apartments and delaying other aspects of the project like a playground and a common area for residents.
Opioid overdoses in Montana are rising
The state health department says there were nearly 100 suspected opioid overdoses reported in March. The monthly average had been hovering around 70. April is also on track to exceed that monthly average. Officials suspect the spike is tied to fentanyl use, and say nearly everyone survived their overdose.
Officials say Montanans who use should let family members know, try to never use alone, use fentanyl testing strips and have an opioid overdose reversal drug on hand.
While the number of reported overdoses are on the rise, the number of deaths tied to opioid use have been declining. Montana saw a 7.5% decline in recent years, according to preliminary federal data. Experts say it’s difficult to know what is driving that decrease.
