UPDATE (7/29/20, 6:15 PM): MCCDH Incident Commander Cindy Farr clarified to MTN News that the Sleepy Inn Motel is available for anyone who is experiencing homelessness who needs to be quarantined or isolated due to COVID-19 illness or exposure.
There is also space set aside for those experiencing homelessness who are 65 or older with underlying health conditions.
The original story has been updated to reflect that clarification.
ORIGINAL (7/28/20, 11 PM): Since early April, Missoula’s Sleepy Inn Motel has been designated as an isolation and quarantine site for some in the community who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Operated by the Missoula Office of Emergency Management and funded by The Federal Emergency Management Agency, qualifications to be approved to use the facility include the necessity for isolation and quarantine.
Missoula Emergency Management Director Adriane Beck says for some, it is the only place they can go to ensure isolation. She says there has been steady use of the facility over the last few months, but they have yet to reach capacity.
“There is a correlation between the number of cases we see in the community and the number of individuals we see accessing that non-congregational site," Beck said. "We’ve not reached capacity, but we do continue to see a continuous use of the site.”
Beck adds that every 30 days FEMA has to reauthorize the site, and says she believes they will continue to receive that authorization until funding runs out.
