GREAT FALLS — Great Falls resident Rose Utley and her family have recently found themselves in a tough situation. Knowing the kind of work Family Promise of Great Falls does, she sought help from the non-profit organization.
“I’m not the type of person to ask for help, been like that my whole life. But I desperately needed it this time, and [Family Promise] came and helped. It was very nice,” Utley said.
With her house being deemed uninhabitable and her husband in the hospital battling health problems, Utley needed immediate help.
“[Family Promise] helps her with diapers and wipes and toilet paper and, they’re helping me with transport to all these places I’ve been needing to go, they have a shuttle bus. They help with food sometimes,” Utley explained.
From helping to keep a roof over their head or simply make ends meet, Family Promise helps roughly 200 homeless or nearly homeless families each year.
“We do a lot of eviction prevention, and we do a lot of stabilization. Those are kind of our two big programs right now. The eviction prevention really is about 80% of what we do, so that is just trying to help people stay in the housing that they are in right now, and just helping them get past, you know, the little hurdles that life throws at us all the time. Broken vehicles, medical expenses, childcare, all that kind of stuff,” explained Greg Grosenick, executive director of Family Promise.
They recently received a $15,000 donation from City Motor Company during their ‘THANKSgiving’ sale event. These funds will go towards families in need, like Utley and many others in similar situations.
“When we have families that come in that need help with rent, that that's where that money [will go],” Grosenick explained.
Utley added, “They understand. They know what people are going through and that they need help, and they do try to help as many as they possibly can.”
There is a fundraiser coming up on February 4th, 2025, at P. Gibson’s which will support Family Promise and their mission to serve families in need. Click here for more information.
