MISSOULA — A proposed urban camping resolution was presented to the full Missoula City Council for the first time on Monday evening with an overflow crowd in attendance.
Following several hours of public comment and debate council members passed the proposed resolution on a 10-to-2 vote early Tuesday morning.
The Missoula City Council also approved a public hearing to discuss the proposal which will be held on Monday, June 24.
The city council will now bring forward amendments to the urban camping resolution that will be discussed on Wednesday, June 12.
The proposed resolution puts a plan in place to create a designated campsite for unhoused individuals within a few years.
Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis presented the resolution to a Missoula City Council committee on Wednesday, June 5, saying the ideas in the proposal arose from the five Urban Camping Work Groups.
The resolution also has a number of buffer zones around businesses and schools where people are not allowed to camp, which many people were in disagreement with.
Many residents called the restrictions “inhumane” and proposed establishing a proper space for Urban camping before implementing buffer zones.
Some residents shared their own experiences of either facing homelessness or meeting people who had, and many of them shared the solutions they believe would help this problem — including affordable housing and more resources to help people out of that situation.
The Missoula City Council was still listening to public comment as of 11:30 p.m. on Monday.
- information from Melissa Rafferty included in this report
