A federal grant is helping Montana tackle homelessness among the state's young people.

The Treasure State was chosen as a rural recipient of a $3.4 million grant from the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project, created by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Nichole Heyer is navigator of the project for Montana Legal Services Association. She said it's unique for a legal organization to be associated with the project - and important because legal services can be barriers to getting housed.

Heyer said working with a landlord, for instance, can be tough for young people.

"The power dynamics within the relationship of a landlord and a tenant are pretty skewed," said Heyer, "just given that this person decides whether you get to remain in their rental or not."

Heyer said young people don't always understand their legal rights or responsibilities when they enter a contract with a landlord.

The lack of responsiveness from landlords to habitability issues - such as water not working properly or leaks - is common, she said. Emancipation for people under the age of 18 so they can seek mental-health care is another common issue.

The effort also is getting input from young people with lived experiences. Brandon Anderson is part of the Youth Action Board and said it would have been nice to know resources existed for him and others on the board.

"We all struggled with homelessness when we were younger," said Anderson. "And none of us knew about any of the services that we could really find, because it just felt like we were forgotten. So we're just trying to make sure that we can help other people that are caught in a similar situation and make it a little bit easier."

Dani Mayeaux also is on the board. She said treating people who are struggling with homelessness with kindness is key.

"The most important thing is just realizing that they're still people," said Mayeaux. "They're not just homeless. They could be an artist, they could be a musician, they could be a chemist for all we know, and it's just when life gets tough we just have to be empathetic and supportive of people."

Heyer said housing advocates in the program provide a range of services to young adults as part of the program, including case management and work readiness.

"When you've got a team of people working from different angles to address these barriers," said Heyer, "that's when things really get done and we can get kids housed and keep them safe."

According to project data, a quarter of participants have exited to permanent housing.

Community service agencies say many low- and moderate-income homes in the Commonwealth are unprepared for the winter cold and could benefit from a number of free weatherization and heating services, including window sealing, attic insulation, new appliances and repairing or replacing home heating systems.

Eva Haynes, who lives in Brockton, said she is grateful for the help she received two years ago, when her furnace stopped working, and she spent nine days at home alone in the cold.

"I had googled, 'How to keep your house warm when you have no heat,' " Haynes recounted. "I mean, people didn't know what I was going through. I just was ashamed."

Homeowners like Haynes, as well as renters who are eligible for heating assistance, are also automatically eligible for the energy audits and can find out more heatinghelpma.org.

The website is run by the Massachusetts Association for Community Action, a coalition of more than 20 agencies throughout the Commonwealth, which are reporting unprecedented requests for home heating assistance, and have found many people are unaware of the free home energy audits.

Jonathan Carlson, CEO of Self Help, which serves communities in southeastern Massachusetts, said both the audits and the savings are extensive.

"You know when we leave, that house is about as efficient as it can get, as far as holding in heat," Carlson asserted.

Carlson pointed out it also keeps homes cool in the summer, adding up to even more savings over time. The average single-family, weatherized home saves at least $283 a year on energy costs.

The benefits of weatherizing a home go beyond the pocketbook. Improving the energy efficiency of older homes in low-income neighborhoods means more jobs and a cleaner environment.

Research indicates for every dollar invested in weatherization programs, nearly three go back into the community.

Liz Berube, executive director of Citizens for Citizens, serving the greater Fall River and Taunton area, said agencies statewide have jobs to offer.

"Electricians, plumbers, there's a lot of money in energy efficiency," Berube noted.

Berube added weatherizing older homes means people, especially seniors, can stay in their homes longer and communities stay intact. In addition to federal funding, the group has requested an additional $50 million from the state to ensure people have access to energy-saving programs.

Community service agencies say requests for home heating assistance were increasing even before National Grid - the power company that serves many in the area - announced energy prices could jump nearly 60% by November 1.

Requests for help with the cost of delivered fuels like home heating oil are also unusually high, with prices expected to jump 30% in the next few months.

Mary Knittle is director of energy resources at Worcester Community Action Council, which serves western and central Massachusetts.

She said on top of the thousands of applications already processed, the number of first-time applicants asking for help with delivered fuel costs compared to last year is up more than 200%.

"It's palpable, really, how anxious people in the community are about it," said Knittle. "And probably a lot of folks who maybe never really thought they would need the help are going to apply for the first time."

But Knittle said she wants people to know the income eligibility to participate in the fuel assistance program is quite high. A family of four can earn up to $81,000 and still receive a benefit.

She encouraged people to call their local service agency, or to apply at 'HeatingHelpMA.org.'

The federal government has allocated an additional $37 million to Massachusetts for energy assistance, but those who field calls from working parents and retired seniors looking for help predict they'll need more.

Joe Diamond is the executive director of Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP), a coalition of more than 20 Community Action Agencies.

He said MASSCAP has requested the state tag on an additional $50 million to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to help people stay warm through the winter.

"We don't ask them every year, but in years when there is a crisis, we do," said Diamond. "And the legislature and the governor have been so responsive."

Diamond said his agency is streamlining the application process for heating help through 'HeatingHelpMA.org,' working to ensure that anyone who qualifies for public benefits automatically becomes eligible for heating assistance.

On the heels of a regional conference, multiple groups are working on new solutions for reducing the poverty gap in Minnesota.

Nonprofits, government leaders and people who've seen poverty firsthand gathered last week in Duluth to get a deeper sense of the connection between poverty and race in Minnesota, and discuss how to overcome long-standing disparities.

Bill Grant, executive director of the Minnesota Community Action Partnership, which hosted the event, said one observation is assistance programs are often run by people who have never experienced poverty. He added public perception is still a problem.

"We also need to challenge the belief that poverty is inescapable," Grant asserted. "We need to get over the belief that there will always be a percentage of the population that chooses to live in poverty."

While overall poverty has declined in the U.S., a recent Partnership report noted the Minnesota rates for Black residents and Native American populations are 20% or higher, well above the state level of 8.7%.

Grant noted one solution discussed was pardon reform, in hopes of making it easier for someone with a past conviction to escape the poverty cycle with a new job and housing.

John Doan, vice president of operations and equity for Trellis, a group providing support services for people as they age, said income disparities are especially felt among older Minnesotans of color.

He stressed it is a myth programs like Social Security and Medicare give seniors everything they need, and depending on your ZIP code, your advanced years are likely to be even more difficult.

"Access to education, access to healthy food sources, access to jobs; all of those things play into account," Doan outlined. "Because if you think about [being] older and poor, it's an accumulation of lots of years of life experience and of life circumstances."

Doan's group is part of a coalition which will soon ask state lawmakers to boost funding for basic services for older Minnesotans, to make sure economic prosperity is evenly shared.

"For example, we know that there's a huge shortage in funding for senior meals, as well as for assisted transportation," Doan noted.