What's New

www.MontanaFreeFile.org (click to enlarge)

Volunteers provide free tax help in Havre, Rocky Boy, Fort Belknap and Cut Bank

Free income tax preparation, assistance and e-filing services are available in: Havre, Rocky Boy, Fort Belknap and Cut Bank! Trained, IRS-certified volunteers can help prepare and e-file your basic income tax returns starting January 24th.

This year, you can also opt to prepare your own taxes at Free Assisted Self-Preparation Tax (FAST) sites using the i-CAN! e-file program. Certified preparers will be at FAST sites to answer your questions and guide you through the tax preparation and filing process. This is an opportunity for individuals to learn how to prepare their own taxes while gaining a better understanding of their specific tax situations.

You can receive your refund check in the mail in as little as 14 days or have your refund direct deposited into your bank account in 7-8 days. Free tax sites in North Central Montana are listed below. For a complete list of tax sites in Montana, visit www.MontanaFreeFile.org.

Free tax services through IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) are brought to you by Opportunity Link through the Montana VITA Partnership and in coordination with the Montana Credit Union for Community Development, Fort Belknap Indian Community, Chippewa Cree Tribe, Glacier County Commission, Browning Community Development Corporation, First Liberty Credit Union and Tax Help Montana.


1. HAVRE
Opportunity Link (also a FAST site)
2229 5th Avenue, Havre (Rooms 223 & 224)
Thursdays 4 to 6 pm by appointment only
Call Star at (406) 265-3699 to schedule an appointment.

Hill County Library (FAST site only)
402 3rd Street, Havre
Saturdays from 1 to 4 pm
No appointment necessary.

2. ROCKY BOY
Chippewa Cree Tribe Family Resource Center (also a FAST site)
31 Agency Square, Box Elder
Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 am to 2 pm
Walk-ins welcome. Call Star at (406) 265-3699 to schedule an appointment.

3. FORT BELKNAP
Aaniiih Nakoda College formerly Fort Belknap College (also a FAST site)
Nakoda Hall
Wednesdays from 4 to 6 pm and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm
Walk-ins welcome. Call Star at (406) 265-3699 or Ali at (406) 353-2607 extension 234 to schedule an appointment.

4. CUT BANK
Glacier County Annex (also a FAST site)
1210 E. Main St., Cut Bank
Every other Thursday starting February 9th. From 10 am to 3 pm by appointment only. Call Valarie at (406) 873-2213 or 1-800-842-0585 to schedule an appointment.

You can also schedule your appointment online by clicking

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Opportunity Link and its Northcentral Montana partners are looking for driven individuals to coordinate multi-jurisdictional planning in the region.

We are looking for a Regional Coordinator and an Information & Outreach Manager to help lead the HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Program for Northcentral Montana.

The full position descriptions can be downloaded from www.opportunitylinkmt.org/downloads.php. Positions are pending final approval of the grant program.

For more information or to apply, please contact Barbara Stiffarm at (406) 265-3699 or e-mail sustainability@opportunitylinkmt.org.

Opportunity Link and North Central Montana Transit is proud to share rough cuts of "We Ride the Line".

These are the first three of a five-part web series and 30-minute documentary that explores the success of coordinated public transportation in remote Northcentral Montana. Through stories of people who ride, drive and champion the North Central Montana Transit (NCMT) system, audiences will gain an appreciation of the critical need for affordable and reliable transportation in this vast frontier community, and how access to that transportation translates into economic and educational opportunity for community members. Audiences will also better understand the efforts of Opportunity Link and its partners to combat poverty and bring greater prosperity to Northcentral Montana through the development of public transportation.

This series is produced by Rick Williams as part of the degree requirements for the MFA program in Science and Natural History Filmmaking of the School of Film and Photography, Montana State University, Bozeman.

We thank Rick and our transit partners for their support and hard work in this project!

Episode 1 highlights the challenges and impact of NCMT and Episodes 2 & 4 illustrate how NCMT is helping the YouthBuild and Boys & Girls Club programs.

We Ride the Line: Episode 1 - Connections
We Ride the Line: Episode 2 - YouthBuild
We Ride the Line: Episode 4 - Boys & Girls Club



Please direct all comments and inquiries to Day Soriano, Opportunity Link, at (406) 265-3699 or via e-mail to dsoriano@opportunitylinkmt.org

www.SustainableCommunities.gov (click to enlarge)

Opportunity Link (OL), a non-profit organization based in Havre and serving the region of Northcentral Montana, is proud to announce that it has been awarded a 3-year Regional Plan for Sustainable Development Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The HUD grant will fund OL to continue advancing an inclusive vision of improved prosperity for the 10-county and 3-reservation region. More than thirty diverse stakeholders agreed to engage in targeted training and coordinated planning for key public investments in transportation, housing, storm water management, and job development. Partners will look at potential new jobs in “green” industries that make sense for the region, such as energy efficiency housing retrofits and alternative fuel development. The HUD grant requires planners to work specifically in six interrelated elements of community “livability,” including transportation, housing, economic competitiveness, support for existing communities, value of neighborhoods and communities, and coordination of public policy and investment.

“These are very similar to the principles stated in OL’s mission, and that is why we thought the Regional Plan for Sustainable Development Grant was a good fit for Northcentral Montana,” says OL Director Barbara Stiffarm. According to Stiffarm, the grant will allow OL to continue to work as a neutral convener of partners across the region, and a catalyst for new economic investments both public and private. OL’s grant application demonstrated the success of previous regional projects, such as start-up and coordination of six new bus systems across the region; production and testing of biodiesel refined from locally-farmed oilseed; YouthBuild and GreenBuild education programs that bring students from tribal colleges to MSU-Northern for GEDs and on-the-job training in certified “green” construction skills. The willingness of municipalities, counties and tribes to coordinate key investments and work together to leverage new resources was a strong asset in securing the award.

The Regional Plan for Sustainable Development project will seek input and involvement from community members throughout the region in order to ensure that planning reflects resident needs and desires. The award to Northcentral Montana acknowledges that rural communities are as deserving of support for sustainable economies as urban areas. Stiffarm says, “We had support for this application from the farthest, most rural areas in our region—as well as the more densely populated communities. We may be separated by vast distances, but we share historic and economic ties, and we share values. Across the region, people want their kids to be able to live and work here. We know this is a big project, but we feel ready for it!”

For more information on the Sustainable Communities Program, visit
www.sustainablecommunities.gov.

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