This bill creates a grant program in Montana to help local governments and nonprofit organizations expand shelter capacity for homeless individuals. The program provides state matching funds to projects serving seniors, veterans, domestic violence survivors, youth aging out of foster care, and people with mental health or substance use disorders. To receive funding, applicants must submit a detailed collaboration plan and show they have their own matching funds, while the state prioritizes projects that reach diverse communities and fill service gaps. The $2 million appropriation is available for two years starting July 1, 2025, with the department required to report results to the legislature by August 2026.
This bill establishes a medical respite care program for homeless individuals in Montana who are eligible for Medicaid and are too ill to recover at home but not sick enough for hospital care. The program allows eligible providers to offer short-term housing with supportive medical services, including medication management, treatment planning, disease screening, and care coordination. The Department of Public Health and Human Services must apply for federal approval to implement the program by January 1, 2026, and will be required to submit annual reports on the number of people served, program costs, and healthcare savings.
This bill creates a Montana Emergency Solutions Grant to provide state funding for rapid rehousing programs aimed at individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The legislation appropriates $1 million for fiscal year 2025 and $1 million for fiscal year 2026 to the Department of Public Health and Human Services, which must distribute these funds according to existing federal emergency solutions grant guidelines. Eligible recipients can receive rental assistance at up to 150% of fair market rent, but only for program participants with annual incomes below 80% of the area median income. The funds must be fully distributed by the end of each fiscal year, and the bill takes effect on July 1, 2025.
This bill creates a grant program to help nonprofit organizations build or improve permanent supportive housing for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The Montana Department of Commerce would manage the program and distribute up to $75 million in grants for acquiring, constructing, or rehabilitating housing that includes long-term leases and on-site support services like mental health care, addiction recovery, and employment assistance. Funding comes from a new state account established by transferring $50 million from the general fund and $25 million from the behavioral health system for future generations fund, with grants awarded based on submitted proposals and adherence to specific project conditions.
This bill creates the Montana Behavioral Health Trust Fund to provide dedicated funding for mental health and substance use services. It establishes a seven-member board (appointed by the governor, legislative leaders, and tribal representatives) to manage the fund, which receives quarterly interest from a permanent endowment (preserving the principal). Funds will support specific services like school-based mental health programs, crisis care, counselors in homeless shelters, transitional housing, and facility expansions - directly benefiting community organizations and public health services. The bill mandates that funds cannot replace existing state funding and requires the board to develop a state plan and monitor program effectiveness.
This joint resolution (LC 2489) requests an interim study on coordinated homeless services in Montana, directed to the Legislative Council by the 70th Legislature. It asks a committee to examine wraparound services, permanent supportive housing, and data on homelessness - especially impacts on people with disabilities - while assessing healthcare cost savings and rural service access. The study must conclude by September 15, 2026, and report findings to the next legislative session. It does not enact new policy but aims to inform future decisions on homeless service coordination.
Bill LC 2661 aimed to establish a state-funded program providing housing stability services for residents of recovery residences (facilities supporting individuals recovering from substance use or mental health challenges). The bill sought to create specific mechanisms for housing support, including case management and financial assistance, directly affecting recovery residence residents and operators. However, the bill did not advance beyond the drafting stage and died in process on May 27, 2025, meaning no policy changes were enacted. As a result, the proposed program never became law or implemented any services.
HB 843 aimed to establish a Montana emergency solutions grant to help individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. It proposed appropriating $1 million annually for fiscal years 2025 and 2026 from the state's general fund to the Department of Public Health and Human Services. These funds would supplement federal emergency solutions grants for rapid re-housing assistance. The bill would have allowed for rental assistance up to 150% of the fair market rent for program participants with incomes below 80% of the area median income.
HB 310 proposed establishing a state matching grant program to increase community shelter capacity for the homeless population. Administered by the Department of Public Health and Human Services, these grants would help local governments and eligible nonprofit organizations. The funds would specifically target services for senior citizens, veterans, survivors of domestic violence, youth transitioning from foster care, and individuals with mental health or substance use disorders. Applicants would be required to provide matching funds and collaborate with existing homelessness service providers. The bill appropriated $2 million from the general fund for the program, which was set to operate from July 2025 to June 2027.
SB 504 proposes creating a $75 million grant program to fund permanent supportive housing projects in Montana. The bill would provide grants to nonprofit organizations for constructing, rehabilitating, or acquiring housing that offers long-term affordable leases (for residents earning 60% or less of the area median income) and onsite support services like mental health care, job assistance, and addiction recovery. It allocates $50 million from the general fund and $25 million from a behavioral health fund, with grants disbursed based on project proposals and adherence to specific conditions, including outcome tracking. The program, administered by the Montana Department of Commerce, aims to directly support homeless or at-risk individuals through housing and integrated services, effective July 1, 2025. (Note: The bill died in process in May 2025 and did not become law.)
