Viewpoint: Everyone pays when the shelter closes

David Quattrocchi

The City’s decision to close the Johnson Street warming shelter by August 2025 is shortsighted and dangerous. City officials say their hands are tied with the end of ARPA funds, yet the Missoula Redevelopment Agency has already cited a narrow window to negotiate with developers for the shelter’s site. This isn’t just about funding—it’s about priorities.

Yes, shelters aren’t permanent housing. But in a city with subzero winters and a worsening affordability crisis, they are essential. Service providers are being asked to “sprint” people into housing, but the root cause—housing scarcity for low-to-no income residents—hasn’t been addressed. No effort can overcome a system rigged by years of gentrification, rising rents, and policy that favors private investment over public benefit.

Instead of support, Missoula is ramping up criminalization. Ordinance 12.60 now turns first-time offenses into misdemeanors with fines and records that follow people as they seek work or housing. The city pledged over $1 million to code enforcement last year—without housing support attached to that funding. That’s not public safety; it’s punishment for poverty.

People are already self-evicting from the shelter, scattered and harder to reach, fearing further criminalization. We’re not solving homelessness—we’re hiding it, while expecting service providers, defunded by federal cuts, to carry the burden.

I’m running for City Council in Ward 4 because we need a plan rooted in compassion, equity, and realism. Whether you're an advocate or a neighbor tired of tents in parks—we all want people off the streets. I will fight to make that happen.