shelter

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."

Concerns over drug use, security and lack of communication related to the Johnson Street shelter played out alongside a City Council debate Wednesday on whether to fund the shelter's use as a year-round facility for the next 12 months.

Neighbors write, "As neighbors who live a block from the Johnson Street shelter, we were dismayed and unsurprised to read about the city’s rhetoric and the continued lack of neighborhood engagement around the shelter’s opening."

A push to convert what once served as a winter shelter into a year-round facility drew backlash from several members of City Council on Wednesday, and a pledge from the city to seek solutions for a long-term shelter, where to place it and how to fund it.

While urban camping and the issues it brings has become a heated debate this summer, the city's housing program and its non-profit partners are exploring short-term solutions to address the problem while also working toward long-term plans to provide more shelter and housing options in Missoula.

Montana shelters write, "The explosion of urban camping across the state tells us that the number of people needing emergency shelter is beyond our capacity."

Each year the government-funded shelter, the Animal Foundation (TAF), transfers about 1,500 dogs to dozens of rescue organizations like Animal Network in Southern Nevada in hopes of finding homes.