Helena Family Promise Breaks Ground on 16-Room Shelter for Women, Children

Family Promise of Greater Helena broke ground on a two-story, 16-room women's and children's shelter at 2814 N Cooke St. in May 2025, capping nearly three years of delays, organizational handoffs, and name changes for a project the nonprofit now plans to have serving residents by spring 2026.

"We will have 16 rooms and be able to shelter 16 families," said Renee Bauer, executive director of Family Promise of Greater Helena, at the groundbreaking ceremony, which drew city and state leaders, nonprofit representatives, and Family Promise board members. Bauer said the milestone left her feeling like she was "starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel."

The shelter, formerly known as Ruth's Place, was originally proposed by Good Samaritan Ministries. That organization later stepped back from the project, signing over a Montana Department of Commerce grant to Family Promise. Bauer noted, however, that donations given to Good Samaritan specifically for the project had not been transferred to Family Promise at the time of the groundbreaking.

Construction on the two-story building is now underway, with Bauer estimating the work will take between six and eight months. A December 2025 progress update from Family Promise confirmed construction was "well underway" and stated the plan is "to be serving those in need by Spring of 2026." Earlier reporting around the May 2025 groundbreaking had indicated the shelter could open as soon as June, with completion by December at the latest.

Funding remains an open question. Family Promise reported the project is 80% funded, with $200,000 still needed to complete construction. The organization is actively seeking partners for construction funding, programming, and operational support. Donations and inquiries can be directed to Family Promise of Greater Helena at 406-465-9467 or through its Facebook page at Facebook@familypromisehelena.

The need the shelter is designed to address is well documented in Lewis and Clark County. Family Promise served 205 families across Lewis and Clark and Broadwater counties in 2025 through its prevention, shelter, and community response programs. In Lewis and Clark County alone, that included 84 families in prevention services representing 252 children, 38 families in the Community Response Program with 74 children, and 11 families in emergency shelter with 18 children. Separately, the Helena Public School District identified 300 students as experiencing homelessness or housing instability as of September 2025, according to data collected by district homeless liaison Michele Zentz and public information officer Taylor Lassiter.

The 16-room facility on North Cooke Street will offer something Helena has lacked: dedicated overnight shelter capacity for women and families in crisis, alongside case management, parenting classes, and prevention services that Family Promise already provides across the region.