Emergency Winter Shelter Closed April 18

Missoula’s Emergency Winter Shelter at Johnson Street and North Avenue closed for the season on April 18.

The number of residents without houses has steadily increased nationwide since 2018, with the rate of unsheltered houseless individuals increasing sharply. Missoula’s rates of houselessness have mirrored those national trends. The Emergency Winter Shelter, a project of the City of Missoula with help from Missoula County and the Human Resource Council along with contracted staffing and operation from the Poverello Center, has offered indoor shelter for up to 150 people per night since it opened Nov. 1. It aims to provide safe shelter from cold weather through Missoula’s harsh winter months. Missoula saw no cold-weather-related deaths among people living without shelter this winter. As of Feb. 28, the shelter had served 567 individuals.

Shelter for people needing it continues to be a challenge in our valley. Missoula’s multi-agency response provides several options for shelter and camping, but City and County leadership and staff continue to work to address the root causes of homelessness, including the need for more behavioral health and addiction treatment, and to explore options to fund solutions.