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Residents urge Fergus County to pursue VA suicide‑prevention grant and protect Eagles Manor senior housing
Summary
Public commenters asked the county to increase the veterans burial allowance, pursue a federal Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox suicide‑prevention grant (deadline June 12, 2026) potentially worth around $750,000, and work to keep Eagles Manor operating as housing for veterans and seniors.
Community members asked Fergus County commissioners to take several steps to support veterans and seniors: increase the county veterans burial allowance, pursue a federal suicide‑prevention grant with housing components, and help preserve Eagles Manor in Lewistown.
Public commenter Sandy Bar asked the commission to raise the veterans burial benefit from $400 to $500 and said she would keep pressing the issue. She also highlighted the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention grant program, which she said had awarded roughly 24 grants last year and that many awards were about $750,000. "If Fergus County administered it, it would probably eliminate a lot of groundwork for setting up the accountability and the reporting back," she said, proposing that a portion could fund housing for veterans and seniors while some could support administration and services.
Commissioners and other speakers discussed local capacity for mental‑health services and crisis transport: the VA transport service and the nearest crisis beds in Great Falls were noted, along with local counseling resources and use of the 211 referral system. Speakers emphasized coordination among the county health department, the new VA clinic, and community providers before committing to a grant application.
Residents also asked the county to help keep Eagles Manor — a local assisted‑living facility with 62 units and roughly 35 current residents, according to speakers — in operation and serving its original mission. A resident said many current tenants would have nowhere suitable to go if the facility were sold. Commissioners reported plans to meet with the manor board and the Council on Aging to explore options and said they are engaged in conversation but had no final decision.
No formal county commitments or expenditures were recorded at the meeting; commissioners encouraged continued coordination with VA representatives and community stakeholders and said staff would follow up on interest in grant pursuit and facility discussions.
