Missoula Vietnam veteran finds housing through Section 8
The Missoula Current and the City of Missoula’s Built for Zero program and its partners are collaborating on a monthly series of stories, “Housing Veterans: Serving Those Who Served.” Watch for the Current’s stories on the 11th of each month through Nov. 11, Veterans Day.
Martin Kidston
(Missoula Current) When David Tabish enlisted in the Army in 1969, he wasn't yet 18 years old. He had to wait before joining and when he did, he was sent to Vietnam.
He'd spend the next several years working as a track mechanic on tanks and other tracked vehicles.
“I spent two years, two months and two days,” he said of his time in the service. “I took an early out. Some of the Vietnam vets were hard to get along with.”
Tabish was one of 2.7 million U.S. military personnel who served in Vietnam – a war that took 58,000 American lives, including 267 from Montana. Returning home to daily life wasn't easy for many including Tabish, who was eager to find a new path.
“I was sent to Fort Mead. It was a harry place to be after coming back from Vietnam,” he said. “They wanted us to spit-shine our boots. By the time I got back from Vietnam, our boots were roughed out.”
Tabish, born in Missoula, had an uncle who worked in carpentry. Tabish joined his uncle's trade and learned the skills on his way to becoming a professional framer.
In his early days on the job, the work took him around the West – the Tri-Cities in Washington and eventually California, where he'd spend his share of time “living under a bridge here and there.”
Despite the challenges, the occupation proved rewarding and he soon found his way back to Montana. His parents and siblings lived in Stevensville.
But in the years to come, time and age stretched his finances thin.
“I was living in a motel in Stevensville for many years,” he said. “It was the only thing available for low income. It was month to month.”
A point-in-time survey conducted in January 2025 found nearly 33,000 veterans living homeless, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Of those, nearly 19,000 were considered sheltered but homeless while 13,000 others lived on the streets.
While Tabish had the motel room, his daughter and several siblings had moved to Missoula. He wanted to be closer. He applied for Section 8 housing, but even that required time.
“I waited almost three years,” he said. “It wasn't tough, it just takes time. It's a waiting list.”
Missoula's poverty rate has shown a steady decline since 2016 and was estimated at 11.8% in 2020. Still, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment now exceeds the maximum supplemental Social Security benefit and has since 2019.
The Missoula Housing Authority's voucher waiting list has also been tested. For the last decade, the demand for housing vouchers has outpaced supply. The number of people using them also has increased from roughly 990 in 2008 to 1,460 last year, according to the Missoula Organization of Realtors.
But Tabish's wait paid off. He now lives in a one-bedroom apartment in Missoula.
“This house that I'm in now, this apartment, is fantastic. It's really nice,” he said. “I'm as happy as I can be.”
The City of Missoula and its partners, including the Poverello, the VA, the Volunteers of America and the United Way of Missoula County, among others, have made a focused effort over the past few years to house as many homeless veterans as possible.
Along with the Veteran Housing Fund, the local “housing sprint” has cut veteran homelessness by nearly 50%. When the program started, the city counted 96 actively homeless veterans. By January 2026, that figure had been reduced to 49 and continues to fall.
Tabish, who turns 75 this October, supports the effort.
“I think it's a fantastic deal they're helping veterans,” he said. “There's a lot of veterans with PTSD. Anyone who's been in the military or a combat zone, there are affects you don't realize. I kind of went through it myself without any help.”
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