MISSOULA — Missoula-based Hope Rescue Mission walks alongside those moving from the street into shelter.
"As you drive around town, you see a need. You can go (to) any corner, you see a need," Hope Rescue Mission Executive Director Jake Mudrezow said.
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While the organization runs a temporary housing program, it also offers help to people trying to get an ID or food.
Yet, budget constraints will soon shut down their women's addiction recovery center by Aug. 1. It's an 18-month program that helps four to eight women at a time overcome addiction.
"The priority is honoring the promise to girls in the program right now is seeing, hey, what are graduation dates, what are next steps?" Mudrezow said.
Mudrezow says it was a tough decision, but necessary to keep other parts of their organization, like housing, active.
"Since 2020, the American Rescue Plan Act is a grant that started this on the south side of town with tents. Now, since 2023, we've been here with these pallet shelters. We call them tiny homes, but July 1, that funding runs out, and that is $400,000 of funding that we lose. We long term want to see a men's and women's recovery center come back, but for right now it really is a shift for us to focus and specialize in the street-to-shelter aspect," Mudrezow explained.
With the focus now mainly on shelter, Hope Rescue Mission is investing in classes, case managers, and faith-based support for those who want it.
"We kind of see this as practice housing. We want to equip folks for the next step. So, after the first month, we do incorporate a $50 utility bill. It's all part of the weekly case management to help people," Mudrezow said.
While Hope Rescue Mission won't be offering women's recovery services for the time being, they will still be giving out sandwiches underneath the Beartracks Bridge every Friday as they have since their inception in the 1990s.
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