KALISPELL — The Flathead Warming Center will open to overnight guests for the first time this season following a federal court ruling.
Federal Judge Dana Christiansen granted a preliminary injunction on Thursday, Nov. 7 that allows the Flathead Warming Center to provide overnight services as the center's lawsuit against the City of Kalispell plays out in court.
"There are a lot of emotions going on, relief being the main one, because we've seen our guests have to brave the cold nights, so being able to offer them a warm, safe bed tonight can just be another step forward in their process of going from homelessness to hopefully home, and we're happy to support them on that," said Flathead Warming Center Executive Director Tonya Horn.
The Kalispell City Council revoked the Warming Center's conditional use permit in September after hearing many complaints from community members about the center causing issues in the surrounding neighborhoods.
The Flathead Warming Center intends to try and mitigate any issues while they are open.
"We have always promised to be responsive, and we still intend on being responsive, but that takes communication for us to respond to, so we're going to be opening up as much as we can every single line of communication so that people can let us know if there's an issue so that we can then be a part of that solution," said Horn.
The Flathead Warming Center is suing the City of Kalispell over the permit revocation and Thursday's preliminary injunction allows the Center to operate as the case moves through the courts.
"And so we're very excited to just be able to do what we do and what the courts, figure out, you know, what's to happen next. Just being able to get this opportunity, continue to serve the most vulnerable in our community, really means a lot to us," said Horn.
The City of Kalispell declined an interview saying they cannot comment on ongoing litigation.
