Update on Johnson Street Shelter

Missoula is experiencing a houselessness emergency. This emergency, during which many people in Missoula are living without shelter, affects every member of the Missoula community. Our housing crisis, combined with a short supply of shelter space and sharp increases in home prices and monthly rental rates, has led the City of Missoula and Missoula County to act. The reopening of the Johnson Street shelter is the emergency response that makes the most sense in the short term. The City of Missoula owns the building, it is outfitted to serve as a shelter and our contractor, the Poverello Center, is experienced at providing shelter and services there. The shelter is funded by the City and the County through August of 2024.

This is not a permanent solution, and City staff and area partners are exploring the needs and the options.

In 2020, 2021 and 2022, the City of Missoula established an expanded Emergency Winter Shelter Program at the Johnson Street Community Center with support from Missoula County. This temporary shelter served up to 165 people each night during the winter months, initially in response to the pandemic. It preserved hundreds of lives of individuals who otherwise may have frozen to death in bitter temperatures. The Poverello Center continues to turn people away most nights because it is full. The Mayor, Missoula City Council members and the Missoula County Commissioners believe a strong community comes together to help those in need. Though the 2020 emergency shelter was thought to be a temporary, one-year endeavor, the life-saving resources the Center has provided for multiple years have been imperative in keeping people safe.

Beginning in mid-September, the City of Missoula, Missoula County and the Poverello Center are again partnering to provide the emergency shelter program in the same location at 1919 North Ave. W. for one year. The Poverello Center’s trained, professional staff will operate the shelter. The shelter will serve one hot meal every day, with sack lunches available. The Johnson Street Center will be staffed and open around the clock, except for one hour in the morning when it will be closed for cleaning. A local security company will work to secure public safety on the shelter property and in neighboring City parks and on trails throughout the tenure of the program. The staff at the Center will do all they can to be a good neighbor. This is a top priority. We recognize that the Center’s presence brings successes and challenges to the community. We appreciate the neighborhood’s patience as we continue the program for another year and move towards future permanent solutions. We know this shelter impacts the neighborhood, and we encourage the neighbors to reach out with questions and problems.