Samaritan House expansion project given $80k, but more funding needed

The Samaritan House’s planned expansion project got an $80,000 boost recently, though the effort to overhaul the old Army Reserve Armory in Kalispell requires more financial help.

The recent donation comes from Steve and Elaine Olson in honor of their son, Mark Olson, a veteran of the Army National Guard, who passed away in 2011. The funding will go toward updating the building’s kitchen, which will eventually feed homeless individuals.

In publicizing the donation, Samaritan House Executive Director Chris Krager noted that Mark Olson had worked in that very kitchen during his time in uniform, when the building was still a military facility.

The Samaritan House is seeking further donations to fund the shelter’s expansion project, announced in September 2021. Increases in building costs and a lack of funding have emerged as challenges in the campaign. Officials had hoped to break ground next summer.

The former armory sits on a 2.5 acre plot of land in Kalispell that the charity acquired in 2008. The site currently houses the Samaritan House Administrative Center, playfully referred to by Krager as “the SHAC.”

The proposed facility would include 18 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom family apartments and up to 27 single occupancy units, with more than half of those set aside as veterans’ housing, which is lacking in Kalispell.

Although Krager remains hopeful the project will begin construction on time, he worries about budget constraints. When the project was announced, Krager estimated its cost at $9 to $10 million. He said they are still a “couple more million” dollars shy of reaching their goal.

The project has received some public money from a federal Community Development Block Grant awarded by the Department Housing and Urban Development.

They have also received funding from the City of Kalispell in the form of excess Brownfield funds. Those dollars are earmarked for the project’s environmental testing expenses.

Outside of receiving donations and grants, which are largely out of the organization's control, the charity is looking for creative solutions to keep the project on schedule, including approaching local businesses for help.

“We have a great cost estimator who is doing pro-bono work, but the numbers are coming back larger than anticipated,” Krager said.

Krager also has asked suppliers to discount building materials or to donate supplies directly, appealing to their charitable sense for a project of this kind in an effort to shrink the budget.

“Suppliers are sometimes able to make a deal,” Krager said. “Sometimes it's a hard ‘no.’”

Samaritan House is still seeking gifts from private donors as well. Donations can be given via check in the mail or in-person at 124 9th Ave. West Kalispell, MT 59901, or online at samaritanhousemt.com/donate. Donors can indicate that they are directing funds towards the expansion.

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com.