Johnson Street emergency shelter has been a pillar of support in the affordable housing initiative in Missoula. It was originally opened to be an emergency winter shelter for those who were not eligible to stay at the Poverello Center due to violence or past incidents. The Poverello is Missoula’s year-round homeless shelter and food bank. However, as the Pov began to see more crowding, the Johnson Street center began to be a more second option as opposed to emergencies only.

All of this is not to say it has not had its fair share of controversies though. Many citizens in the surrounding neighborhoods near its place of 1919 North Ave. don’t appreciate its permanence and residents. City Council meetings have been filled with complaints and worries about everything from safety to neighborhood property values. Regardless of public opinion, it has remained open with support from government funding and a partnership with the Pov. 

However, with the end of pandemic federal funding, so comes the end of the shelter. The City of Missoula aims to start decreasing residents by April, and shutting down by August of 2025. 

This will have detrimental impacts that will ripple out through the community. In one night, the shelter houses up to 210 people, all of which will now be displaced. Its original purpose, to help overcrowding in the Poverello, will be negated leaving the Pov right back where it started but with even less funding. 

Not all hope is lost though. The United Way of Missoula County is helping to raise a goal of $400,000 to aid in housing many of the residents at the Johnson street center. This, along with other aid programs from the city and community, will hopefully help residents settle in a less abrupt way. Leaving hundreds of people without shelter is less than ideal, in fact it is devastating, but with enough support Missoula will find a way to make it work.

If you want to help support The United Way of Missoula County in meeting their goal, you can visit https://missoulaunitedway.org/donate and donate. Another way to support is to simply advocate for housing rights and be accepting of people walking all paths of life, and treat them with kindness and respect.