Category Johnson Street   Show all

• Johnson Street Shelter Community Events

  Share Johnson Street Shelter Community Events on Facebook Share Johnson Street Shelter Community Events on Twitter Share Johnson Street Shelter Community Events on Linkedin Email Johnson Street Shelter Community Events link

  Please join us at two upcoming events to engage in conversation about the Johnson Street Shelter.

  August 22, 6:00pm-7:30pm - Join the Mayor, City staff, and community partners at the Franklin Elementary School Gymnasium from 6:00pm-7:30pm to hear information about the Johnson Street Shelter and engage in conversation about questions. This event has a speaking agenda and will begin at 6:00pm.

  September 6, 5:00pm-7:00pm - Join neighbors, Poverello Center staff, City staff, and community partners at the Johnson Street Shelter, 1919 North Ave W, between 5:00pm-7:00pm to mingle, explore the shelter, and ask questions. This event does not have an agenda. The public is welcome anytime during the 2-hour window.

• Update on Johnson Street Shelter

  Share Update on Johnson Street Shelter on Facebook Share Update on Johnson Street Shelter on Twitter Share Update on Johnson Street Shelter on Linkedin Email Update on Johnson Street Shelter link

  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.

• Johnson Street Shelter Update

  Share Johnson Street Shelter Update on Facebook Share Johnson Street Shelter Update on Twitter Share Johnson Street Shelter Update on Linkedin Email Johnson Street Shelter Update link

  Watch the Housing, Redevelopment, and Community Programs Committee from Wednesday, July 26. The Houseless Programs team and City staff provided an update on plans and progress toward the effort to re-open the Johnson Street Shelter to create additional shelter availability in Missoula. Staff outlined what has been done so far and what lies ahead, including community outreach and funding plans.

• Mayor Hess Declares State of Emergency

  Share Mayor Hess Declares State of Emergency on Facebook Share Mayor Hess Declares State of Emergency on Twitter Share Mayor Hess Declares State of Emergency on Linkedin Email Mayor Hess Declares State of Emergency link

  Mayor Jordan Hess on Friday declared a houselessness and sheltering State of Emergency to address the unprecedented increase in people living without shelter in our community. This declaration allows the City to levy up to two mills to address houselessness and sheltering. This funding, in combination with funding from Missoula County and cooperation from our nonprofit partners, will help operate an emergency shelter that will be open year-round. We hope to be able to open the shelter in about 90 days. Read the mayor's letter here.

• Emergency Winter Shelter Closed April 18

  Share Emergency Winter Shelter Closed April 18 on Facebook Share Emergency Winter Shelter Closed April 18 on Twitter Share Emergency Winter Shelter Closed April 18 on Linkedin Email Emergency Winter Shelter Closed April 18 link

  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.

  
  

• Learn More and Comment on Emergency Winter Shelter

  Share Learn More and Comment on Emergency Winter Shelter on Facebook Share Learn More and Comment on Emergency Winter Shelter on Twitter Share Learn More and Comment on Emergency Winter Shelter on Linkedin Email Learn More and Comment on Emergency Winter Shelter link

  City staff will take a contract with the Poverello Center for operation of the Emergency Winter Shelter at Johnson Street to the Missoula City Council on Oct. 6, where it will be discussed in the Administration and Finance Committee. The City Council will take the contract under final consideration at their Oct. 18 meeting. There will be a virtual neighborhood meeting on Oct. 12, and we'll add participation details as soon as they are available. Finally, there will be an open house at the Johnson Street Community Center, 1919 North Ave. W., Oct. 28 from 4-7 p.m., so residents can view the facility. The shelter will begin operations in November. You can also share your comments, questions, and ideas on this page.