HUD DESIGNATES SNOWY MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FIRST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY IN THE NATION AS ENVISION CENTER

DENVER - United States Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the latest HUD EnVision Center designation, located at the Snowy Mountain Development Corporation (SMDC) in Lewistown, Montana. For twenty years, SMDC has been building community and economic capital. SMDC is a Federally designated Economic Development District and a Montana designated Certified Regional Development Corporation serving 22,000 people over a 12,328 square-mile area.

"One of our main priorities at HUD is to help individuals and families become economically independent and self-sufficient," said Rocky Mountain Regional Administrator Evelyn Lim. "EnVision Centers take local needs into account and serve as a valuable tool to bring resources together that help empower people to reach their highest potential."

"SMDC staff and board are excited to be designated as the first and only Economic Development Agency in the Nation as an EnVision Center," added Kathie Bailey, Executive Director of Snowy Mountain Development Corporation. "We see this as an opportunity to bring resources and tools to the region to help achieve our vision of vibrant communities that are economically competitive, innovative and sustainable. Self-sufficiency will be attained by building community and economic capital within the region. This is holistic economic development. It is the next generation of economic development."

EnVision Centers are centralized hubs that serve as an incubator to support four key pillars of self-sufficiency - (1) Economic Empowerment, (2) Educational Advancement, (3) Health and Wellness, and (4) Character and Leadership. The designation serves as a critical component of HUD Secretary Ben Carson's EnVision Center initiative to offer a holistic approach to housing and health by connecting HUD-assisted families with the tools that facilitate self-sufficiency and economic mobility. The Snowy Mountain Development Corporation EnVision Center is the second EnVision Center to be designated in the State of Montana.

SMDC's Three Service Centers (Business Development, Center for Strategic Development and Leadership Education and Training Center) are strategically aligned with Secretary Carson's pillars of Self Sufficiency. Snowy Mountain Development Corporation has identified childcare, housing, and financial resources for businesses as needs in the community they serve. The first initiatives they will undertake as an EnVision Center will be to complete an update on the region-wide Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, to measure and assess the current housing crisis and identify needs, and to assess existing and future childcare needs.

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