The city of Missoula’s plan to house as many residents of the Johnson Street homeless shelter as possible before closing it in August will require collaboration and support from much of the community, housing officials said.
The Poverello Center, which runs the Johnson Street shelter and its West Broadway location, has limited resources and can’t offer one-on-one case management to all shelter residents, said Jill Bonny, the center’s executive director.
But even dedicated support, like that provided to families at the YWCA’s Meadowlark shelter, does not always make finding housing easy, said Becky Margolis, the organization’s communications manager.
“Even with the YWCA basically guaranteeing rent will be paid, it can be really challenging for people to find places that qualify and places that will rent to them,” she said.
Service providers stressed the importance of providing not only professional and financial support but also encouragement for people working through a complicated system, the Montana Free Press reports.
“Money and targeted services and those things are important,” said Zeke Campfield, director of the Missoula Interfaith Collaborative’s Housing Advocate Network. “But maybe equally if not more important is human-to-human connection, having someone to support and guide them and build that trusted relationship with them.”
Watch related coverage: City of Missoula announces Johnson Street Temporary Emergency Shelter to close
The city announced the closure of the Johnson Street shelter on March 7 — a decision driven by the end of pandemic-era federal funding that paid for shelter operations — and its plan to raise $400,000 to connect shelter residents to permanent housing.
Planning for the five-month housing “sprint” is still in its early phases, and the city is coordinating with service providers and the Housing Advocates Network to bring in volunteers, said Eran Pehan, the city’s Community Planning, Development and Innovation director, during a press conference Friday.
The city’s houseless programs staff will help shelter residents find housing, assist with rental applications and check in with them after they move to help them retain housing, Pehan said. The city could help pay transportation costs to a treatment facility for those with higher barriers to housing, such as mental health or substance use problems, Pehan said. Simply housing someone with more serious needs without other support might not be the best solution, she said.
“I think that’s where we are realistic about the fact that we’re not going to find housing for all 150 to 160 folks that are staying at Johnson Street today,” she said. “But hopefully we can find a plan or a path to support them.”
As of Friday, March 7, the Poverello Center’s homeless shelter on West Broadway had room for about 20 to 30 more people, Bonny said. The Johnson Street shelter was averaging 150 to 160 people per night last week, she said.
In September, the Poverello began tracking the number of people leaving the Johnson Street shelter for housing as part of new “housing-focused outcomes” included in its annual contract with the city.
The shelter recorded 20 housing exits in September, 10 in October, 13 in November and six in December. Bonny said she doesn’t know why there were so many exits in September but the holidays likely affected the number in December.
People left for a variety of temporary or permanent housing, including rentals, moving in with family, friends or roommates, inpatient treatment or sober living homes, said Lisa Sirois, the Poverello’s director of programs.
“We always say that there is a need for so many different kinds of housing, kind of like there’s a need for a variety of types of shelter because nobody is really the same on what they need,” Bonny said.
Many of these housing outcomes are recorded through conversations with staff, Bonny said. The organization is working on a more consistent tracking system, she said.
While staff get to know some people really well, others who stay in the shelter keep to themselves or work primarily with other service organizations, Sirois said. It’s possible that more people are moving into housing than the Poverello tracks, she said.
“I would love to hope that that’s the reality, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just because tracking this population is so difficult,” Sirois said. “It’s really hard to say.”
Bonny said the Poverello Center’s effort to become more housing-focused is slow because staff lack the capacity to take on more work.
“We’re providing shelter and food at our core,” Sirois said. “We want to make sure people have those basic needs. From that, we do want people to move on to that next step, but it’s so complex and does require significant support depending on the person.”
The organization is also working to better track conversations with those facing housing difficulties, as required by the city contract, Bonny said. Staff have been incorporating the housing discussions in regular conversations with shelter guests and building off existing rapport, she said.
“When you have a conversation with someone, you’re always talking about housing,” Bonny said. “They come up with a complaint about something in the shelter. ‘Well, you know, have you thought about getting your own housing? Then you wouldn’t have to worry about the person in the bunk next to you. We can talk about that, and I have some resources.’”
The next step of support can be limited as the shelter does not have case managers to work on individual plans for the general population, she said. The Poverello has two case managers for its veterans program and one care coordinator for its medical respite program, Bonny said. It’s difficult for the organization to pay for additional positions without Medicaid reimbursement or other state funding, she said.
Shelter staff provide resources to help people connect to other agencies but typically don’t have time to sit down with everyone, Sirois said. The Poverello’s outreach team often has more time to help people get an ID or fill out a rental application, she said.
“Obviously we want everyone to get housed, but the fact that we can show up and be a warm, supporting presence to people who are struggling alone, it’s just immense,” Sirois said.
At the YWCA Missoula’s Meadowlark shelter, case managers and advocates help families and individuals fleeing domestic violence find housing, which can be difficult given rental costs and other barriers, said Margolis, the organization’s communications manager.
“When people have criminal records, it can be hard to find housing that will accept them,” she said. “Complex mental health struggles that families have or substance use struggles can make it really challenging to find housing and stability.”
The YWCA partners with Family Promise of Missoula, run by the Missoula Interfaith Collaborative, to operate the Family Housing Center in the Meadowlark. The center can accommodate up to 31 families and is typically full or close to it, Margolis said. The Meadowlark also has 13 rooms for people fleeing domestic violence.
Margolis said two case managers help families staying in the shelter find housing and advocate for them to landlords and property management companies. The YWCA also employs two case managers for its rapid rehousing program, which is a 100% federally funded rental assistance program for families who meet the HUD definition of homelessness, Margolis said. The program provides help finding housing and up to two years of rental assistance with ongoing case management.
The YWCA created the housing case manager positions to serve those not in the rapid rehousing program about two years ago because families in the shelter were struggling to find housing, Margolis said.
“They need that intensive support and advocacy,” she said. “Case managers also can build those relationships with community partners and landlords, which has been helpful. Just making phone calls and writing letters on behalf of families they’re working with, we’ve seen that really make a difference.”
Those with support like a voucher or rental assistance can still struggle to find housing, Margolis said. The rapid rehousing program can only subsidize fair market rent as set by HUD, and it’s hard to find units in Missoula at that rate, she said.
The Housing Advocate Network hosts walk-in hours for those seeking housing assistance at the Meadowlark shelter and at the Atonement Lutheran Church.
The network’s growing group of volunteers who help people get housing or stay housed is helping alleviate the burden on service providers, said Campfield, the network’s director. Along with its goal to help people navigate a complex system, the network aims to equip volunteers with training and support to step in and make a difference in their community, he said.
“I can’t underemphasize that this is important and needed and anyone can do it,” Campfield said. “We’re specifically set up for people who aren’t experts.”
Many people who drop by the offices just need a question answered or help finding resources, but volunteers can also cultivate long-term supportive relationships, Campfield said, and help individuals find a sense of belonging and build community.
While most Missoulians understand the challenges mental health problems, addiction, job loss or bad credit can present, the “difference maker” in those situations is the social support someone has, Campfield said.
“What’s going on is people with those challenges don’t have the social capital or people there to hold them or connect with them,” he said. “We need policies, reform, affordable housing, grants, money, staff and agencies. But without people and guidance, mentorship, relationships and support, that stuff is necessary but not sufficient.”
The work can be a “transformative experience” for volunteers as they recognize their shared humanity with those experiencing homelessness and the complexity of the system and barriers to housing people face, Campfield said.
“We can sit back and be victims and be helpless and wait for city leaders to tackle these really complex issues,” he said. “Or in the meantime, we can show up for our neighbors and do the best we can to make a difference in someone’s life.”
Campfield said the advocate network has been in discussions with the city about the need for community members to step up to help, and officials last week encouraged people to volunteer. Those interested in learning more can attend a volunteer orientation at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Atonement Lutheran Church.
Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis said on Friday the closure of the Johnson Street shelter, while a significant decision, aligns with the community’s new strategy to address homelessness. One of the three primary strategies is to right-size shelter beds and services that support housing retention to meet the needs of the unhoused population. That could include providing money to help people avoid homelessness, increasing housing stock and “reimagining” the Johnson Street shelter to respond to resource gaps, according to the plan.
“Right-sizing shelter does not necessarily mean we’re going to continue to build larger and larger congregate shelters,” Davis said. “We’re focused on housing solutions for folks because, at the end of the day, the solution to homelessness is housing. And that’s where I want to see the city put its resources and our community put its resources, too.”
During the City Council meeting Monday, Council Member Daniel Carlino said he is disappointed in the decision to close the shelter without an alternative in place.
The community plan, released earlier this month, has an overarching goal to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring. It outlines three primary strategies: right-size the number of beds and services that support housing retention, secure funding for priorities and support increased capacity for providers. The plan notes the lack of affordable housing as the primary underlying reason for homelessness and emphasizes that the entire community has a role to play.
Service providers said they are optimistic about the plan and the strategies it highlights.
“What [the Housing Advocate Network] and the strategy is asking people to do is look at what’s in front of you and the small things you can do to make a difference,” Campfield said.
