March 27, 2020

A project to add apartments at the Glory House will receive a $100,000 matching gift this month from an anonymous donor.

All new gifts or signed pledges will be matched dollar-for-dollar and help support safe, sober and affordable housing for people who have struggled with addiction, mental health issues and limited life skills.

The project is the approved $1.35 million fundraising campaign for the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce for the first quarter of 2020. With the $100,000 challenge grant, the amount raised is just over $900,000.

“We are extremely grateful to all the businesses and individuals who have generously contributed thus far,” said Allan Saugstad, development coordinator.

“We are confident that the Sioux Falls-area community will rise to every challenge that comes our way and pull together for everyone’s long-term benefits.”

The project will add 72 units, and 25 of them have been built and largely are occupied. Residents pay on a sliding scale.

“For some tenants, it is the first time they have had a place of their own,” Saugstad said.

“Several applications are still in the pipeline and waiting for background checks. Whether from graduates of the Glory House program or others in the community, applications come in on a regular basis. At least two agencies also want to reserve a few apartments on a permanent basis for their clients who need safe and sober housing.”

The Glory House was founded in 1968 and has grown from a three-story house to a three-building campus at West Avenue and 51st Street.

The Glory House “recognizes that local businesses are under pressure with the burdens of the coronavirus and its wide-ranging effects,” Saugstad said. “The uncertainty in the economy creates an even greater need for safe, sober and affordable housing that empowers workers to maintain their positions in the workforce of the Sioux Empire.”

Pledges can be made for up to three years to relieve pressure on budgets.

Here are some options:

• Make a one-time gift now and have it matched dollar-for-dollar.
• Indicate a pledge for a gift later this year or starting in 2021 and beyond when things are more stabilized. Making this pledge now will help Glory House claim part of the $100,000 challenge fund. 

“We realize this may stretch your risk and faith muscle, but now more than ever, we need your help,” Glory House president Dave Johnson said.

Contributions can be made online here or mailed to:

Glory House, 4000 S. West Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57105