Attendees speak with social service providers at a resource fair at the Dream Center in Bismarck for homeless and those at risk of experiencing homelessness. (Photo by Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)
By: Mary Steurer
BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – Nonprofits serving North Dakota’s homeless were recently awarded an unprecedented $5 million from the state — a move advocates welcomed, though some cautioned that the need for assistance in their communities is still acute.
The money supports services including emergency shelters and transitional housing, as well as homelessness prevention programs like rent and utility assistance.
“It’s a positive step in the right direction,” said Michelle Erickson, executive director of the Abused Adult Resource Center in Bismarck, which received two grants totaling $125,000. “But it’s not gonna solve the issue.”
Erickson said that most of the Abused Adult Resource Center’s grant funding will go toward covering operational costs.
“We operate on very much a shoestring budget,” she said.
The awards, announced in late July by the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency, come from two different programs: the North Dakota Homeless Grant and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Emergency Solutions Grant.
A total of 18 organizations got $4.2 million from the North Dakota Homeless Grant while seven groups got another $731,980 from the federal Emergency Solutions Grant, according to a memo from the Housing Finance Agency to the North Dakota Industrial Commission.
By comparison, social service organizations last year received a combined $1.8 million from the grants.
Community Action Partnership of North Dakota this year got $2 million from the North Dakota Homeless Grant, the largest award of any recipient.
The money will be distributed across Community Action Partnership’s partner organizations, which serve all 53 counties in North Dakota.
About $1.2 million of the award will go to help homeless people find housing services and another $821,000 will be used for homelessness prevention, the Housing Finance Agency’s memo states.
Andrea Olson, executive director of Community Action Partnership of North Dakota, said the organization offers financial support for expenses including rent and utilities, deposits and moving costs, as well as a range of other services like help with housing and job searches, financial planning and more.
The hope is that Community Action Partnership will use the grant to do more in underserved areas including Williston, Dickinson and Devils Lake, said Jennifer Henderson, the Housing Finance Agency’s community housing and grants management director.
The Housing Finance Agency’s awards increased significantly this funding cycle because the North Dakota Homeless Grant recently quadrupled in size.
The Legislature approved $9.85 million for the grant for the 2025-2027 biennium, compared to the $2.5 million set aside for the 2023-2025 budget.
“I really applaud the legislature for doing that,” Olson said. “They heard a lot of testimony, they did a lot of homework and research and realized that there was a need for increased financial support.”
Henderson said another combined $5 million will be awarded from the North Dakota Homeless Grant and the Emergency Solutions Grant next year.
The amount applicants sought from the grants this year still far exceeded the amount of money available. Applicants requested a total of $7.5 million from the North Dakota Homeless Grant and $2.4 million from the Emergency Solutions Grant, according to the Housing Finance Agency.
While the 2025 Legislature set aside about $10 million for the North Dakota Homeless Grant this biennium, it rejected other homelessness-related proposals brought by state agencies and advocates.
This included $1 million for a liaison for students who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in public schools and another $50,000 to fund a homelessness study. The same policy package, forwarded by the interim Government Services Committee, also proposed putting $200 million into the Housing Incentive Fund to create affordable housing across the state over the next four years. The bill failed in the Senate.
Additionally, the Legislature approved $150,000 for a homelessness liaison to Native communities, though Gov. Kelly Armstrong later line-item vetoed the sum. Armstrong said he objected to the one-time funds and instead prefers comprehensive and sustainable solutions to homelessness.
A total of $25 million will be transferred to the Housing Incentive Fund for affordable housing projects over the 2025-2027 biennium, according to a September memo by Legislative Council.
Last week, organizations that serve the homeless held their annual resource fair in Bismarck. The event, Project Service Connect, offered free haircuts, food, toiletries, vaccinations and shared information about services in the community.
One attendee, Hunter Short Bear, said he appreciated the opportunity to have a meal and stock up on supplies. He said he wished more state leaders cared about what homeless people go through instead of judging their situation.
State data indicates homelessness has increased in North Dakota over the last few years.
Data from North Dakota’s Homeless Management Information System shows that 3,824 received services for homelessness in 2024, a slight increase from 2023. In 2021, this figure was 3,325, according to the database. Organizations that serve the homeless and those facing housing instability use the system to track the people they help.
The Housing Finance Agency’s 2024 Housing Needs Assessment, published in February 2025, likewise found that demand for housing across North Dakota outpaces the supply. This is especially true among low- and middle-income households, according to the report.
Erickson said she doesn’t expect increases in federal funding for homelessness services anytime soon.
“It’s not gonna go up,” she said. “If anything, we’re gonna lose funding.”
Federal programs created to keep people housed during the COVID-19 pandemic are coming to a close, the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services noted in a March press release.
President Donald Trump’s administration has signaled a desire to roll back support for homeless services, including by proposing major cuts to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s housing programs, though Congress has yet to finalize a budget.
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