BILLINGS — Family Promise of Yellowstone Valley launched a new transitional housing campaign 'A Home is Hope' Thursday that plans to offer affordable housing to more families in the Billings area.
Kathryn Otteson knows firsthand how much a home can be hope and help. Otteson is a transitional housing graduate through the program. In 2019, her family hit hard times, lost their apartment and were living in a motel. So, Otteson reached out to Family Promise and they were eventually placed into transitional housing.
“I know it’s because of them, where I’m at [today],” Otteson said Thursday.
She believes she was living in the transitional housing with her family for about four to six months.
“We stayed there and continued to pay off debt. It was super affordable, only like $300-400 a month. So, we were able to save up a lot of money as well," Otteson said.
Family Promise of Yellowstone Valley currently has the space to help four families with affordable housing. Executive Director of Family Promise Lisa Donnot says the campaign will expand that number to 12 families.
“With the current affordable housing crisis, it is close to impossible for our families that we serve to find affordable housing,” Donnot said.
Donnot also said there are currently 600 homeless children in Billings School District 2, and Family Promise plans on helping drastically lower that number.
“Over the next five years we are looking to get over 400 children housed,” said Donnot.
However, with the rising costs of housing the organization is still currently raising money for the campaign.
“Our budget for this project is $1.2 million. We have raised over $700,000 privately and quietly,” Donnot said.
'A Home is Hope' with Family Promise will help more families overcome homelessness and achieve stability, like Otteson, who has now sustained her own housing for three years.
To visit the website: Family Promise of Yellowstone Valley
