A Ray of Hope recently cleared the lot for its women and children’s shelter with plans to begin building once county permits are approved.
A Ray of Hope’s current shelter is for men, women, and children; but the plan for the new three-story structure is exclusively for women and children. Consequently, the current shelter, at 46 Fifth Ave. West, will only accommodate men. The new facility is designed to give women and children a chance to reestablish their family structure.
“Many of these women come from violent backgrounds,” Melanie Haidys, the assistant director for A Ray of Hope, said. “It’s not easy to heal when you have men and women in the same house.”
The organization intends to give a hand up, not a hand out, according to Haidys.
“It would provide these women and children the help that they need,” Haidys said. “Women offer a very supportive atmosphere.”
The shelter is designed to be conducive to that compassionate environment, she said. The goal for the shelter is to deliver a space where women can regain control over their lives. The progress of this new shelter will depend on community funding, she said.
“It’s the wonderful people of the Flathead that keep the construction going,” Haidys said.
With nine rooms, the women’s shelter will be larger and more modern than the current four-dorm accommodations. There is a need to begin construction for the women’s shelter as homelessness in Flathead County is on the rise, according to a Point-in-Time Survey on Homelessness in the United States.
The number of homeless heightens in the summer and depletes in the winter, and the colder months come with a chilling anxiety from the need to supply shelter as the alternative could be deadly.
“The need to open, and open soon, is essential,” Haidys said.
There’s a current demand for shelters to house families. The women’s shelter aims to be open for winter.
“It is very tough for a young family to put together a successful budget in the valley,” said Chris Krager, executive director of the Samaritan House, another shelter in Kalispell.
Incomes are low and rents are high, Krager said — homelessness is a logical outcome. A Ray of Hope’s expansion is especially needed to cater to this demand, as the new shelter would aid to the existing population, he said.