homeless

When the city closes the Johnson Street shelter later this year, it will donate the module bathrooms installed last year to the county and its Temporary Safe Outdoor Space.

The city's mayor and the Missoula Redevelopment Agency have proposed allocating access funding from the Johnson Street Shelter to help fund the city's housing sprint as shelter operations wind down over the next few months.

Daniel Carlino writes, "When the Missoula City Council votes to defund the Johnson Street shelter without providing alternative places for people to sleep, it negatively impacts all of us."

Skyrocketing homelessness in Montana prompts proposals to ban urban camping, supportive housing approaches met with resistance.

Saying the general fund can't absorb the annual $2 million cost of operating the Johnson Street shelter, the City of Missoula has begun a phased closure of the facility.

Mayor Davis writes, "My administration is committed to making City government more responsive, addressing the increasing cost of living and ensuring Missoulians have options for homes they can afford."

Mayor Andrea Davis writes, "Due to the exhaustion of federal funding, the City of Missoula has made the difficult decision to close the Johnson Street Emergency Shelter by August 2025."

Since September, the Johnson Street shelter has served 559 unique individuals. The nightly population has ranged from a low of 97 to a high of 208.

Calling it a sprint, the City of Missoula successfully housed 12 homeless veterans over a 60-day window during the holidays, completing a task that provided insight into the benefits of using a data-driven response to end homelessness.

Mayor Andrea Davis said the survey will establish a baseline by which the city can measure its progress across a range of issues including safety, utilities, taxes, mobility, the economy and community design, among others.