The executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness will visit the state this week to explore various business models designed to improve the lives of Montanans on the margins of society.

Philip Mangano, recently nominated as one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People," will arrive in Helena today before traveling to Billings to attend a conference on social enterprise.

The conference is sponsored by the City of Billings and the Mayor's Council on Homelessness.

Hank Hudson, administrator of the Human and Community Services Division for the Department of Health and Human Services in Helena, said the concept of social enterprise was instituted in 2006 by Pioneer Human Services.

The business model has since emerged as a national best practice for addressing homelessness and has received the praise of national watchdogs for offering a unique solution to an ongoing issue.

Pioneer Human Services, a Seattle-based organization, runs a variety of for-profit businesses that employ homeless individuals. The effort helps them gain new skills while reducing the need for public money when addressing homeless issues in several major cities.

"It's a model we're interested in," said Hudson. "We need to have a broader approach than just public funds to address homelessness."

The Montana Council on Homelessness partnered with Billings two years ago, making the city the state's first social enterprise demonstration site. The council hopes to use the model elsewhere in Montana to end homelessness in the state.

"We've been looking at all the different ways we can prevent homelessness," Hudson said. "Part of the issue with chronically homeless people is they're hard to engage. They've generally lost confidence with public programs."

Sherrie Downing, coordinator for the Montana Council on Homelessness, said resources in dealing with homelessness in some cities are limited.

Helena's only homeless shelter for men, God's Love, has a limited capacity, and there's a waiting list for housing. The Women's Transitional Shelter, which helps women and families regain their feet, also has limited space.

Surveys conducted by the Montana Continuum of Care Coalition breaks homelessness down into a variety of categories.

In the male category, Downing said, statistics suggest high levels of disability, mental health or chemical dependency, and physical disability. Among homeless veterans, post traumatic stress is also an issue.

"We're also seeing more families with kids," Downing said. "With women and families, you're dealing with deep crisis poverty. With families, you'll see domestic violence, car breakdowns, evictions, lost jobs or no job skills."

Downing said women in persistent poverty have often been the victims of trauma. An estimated 90 percent of women in persistent poverty have experienced some form of trauma, while 60 percent have suffered physical or sexual abuse at a young age.

"It all speaks toward the need of prevention strategies," Downing said. "In families with deep crisis poverty, educations are disrupted as families are simply tuned to survival mode."

The social enterprise concept is a new model other cities are using to address the homeless issue. Pioneer Human Services, considered the largest social enterprise in the country, has contracts with Boeing, Nintendo, Scientific Explorer and Nordstrom, among others.

The organization employs homeless individuals on a variety of fronts, including manufacturing, construction, food catering and packaging. With revenues topping $63 million, the organization uses the money to support a variety of services including training, counseling, housing, drug and alcohol treatment, and job placement.

Click here to see information on Pioneer Human Services.

Reporter Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com