Helena City Commission approves $150,000 for YWCA building repair

The Helena City Commission has awarded the local YWCA $150,000 in funding to renovate the exterior of its building. 

This Tax Increment Financing, commonly known as TIF, will partially cover the costs for the replacement of 60 windows on the facade of the 107-year-old property at 501 N. Park Ave. Helena Community Development Coordinator Christopher Brink explained at Monday’s City Commission meeting that this funding will go toward “eliminating blight and encouraging redevelopment in the district as specified by state law.”

He also said that this refurbishment is eligible for funding as it serves a purpose in historic preservation, public safety and modernization as laid out in the goals for Helena’s Downtown Urban Renewal District.

The YWCA is an international nonprofit that provides resources, support and housing for women and children in need. Its Helena branch was first formed in 1911, and its headquarters in Montana’s capital was built and opened eight years later.

Representatives for the Helena YWCA noted in council documents that the restoration of their building will “maintain a key resource for housing and supportive services for women and families in the community,” and if the renovations were not to occur, there may be future consequences that will prevent their programs from continuing.

Helena’s YWCA building has been maintained through private donations and community volunteering. As the years passed, the building required more upkeep, and the YWCA received $625,000 through Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security funding during the pandemic, as well as grants totaling $180,000 from both TIF and the Montana Department of Commerce to repair and replace third-floor windows and install air conditioning on all three floors.

Denise King, the executive director of YWCA Helena, told commissioners this is still ongoing.

"We have completed the windows and air conditioning on the third floor. We’re currently working on the air conditioning on the first floor, and in two weeks, we are moving to the second floor,” she said. She also detailed plans to use the TIF grant to purchase more windows, which she estimates will arrive in the first quarter of next year.

The motion was approved 4-0 by the Helena City Commission. Commissioner Melinda Reed was absent.

In 2015, the Helena YWCA building became a National Historic Registry site. In collaboration with an energy audit conducted by the National Center for Appropriate Technology, YWCA officials found that refurbishing its facility’s windows will ensure consistent comfort for both residents and staff, as well as offer access to fresh air.

In support of its proposal, YWCA files sent to the city of Helena stating, “Upon completion, we will be able to continue to house up to 20 women and 18 children who would otherwise be homeless.”

Katy McCumber is a news intern at the Helena Independent Record.