MISSOULA — The race to place its remaining occupants into permanent housing continues as the Johnston Street shelter enters its final weeks of operation.
The shelter is set to close on Sept. 2 after several years of operation. With the countdown underway, the city and its nonprofit partners are working to remove the barriers that prevent some from finding housing, entering treatment or solving other life issues by using funding from the housing sprint.
City officials on Wednesday said the fund has spent $98,000 to support 114 unique individuals. The city is watching the effort closely and whether it can serve as a long-term tool on the homeless front, even after the shelter closes.
“It really focuses on a different issue, which is getting folks housed,” said City Council member Gwen Jones. “I don't know what the long-term funding will really be for all of this. That's another challenge to figure out, but it's worth highlighting that these are crucial, flexible funding tools.”
Emily Armstrong, the city's houseless programs manager, said the Johnson Street shelter averaged around 60 people each night in July. So far this August, it has housed between 21 and 28 people on average.
The phase down has taken place over several months and, during that time, the housing sprint has successfully placed 33 people into permanent housing. Of those, 31 were shelter occupants and 23 received funding from the housing sprint to secure their residence.
Armstrong said another seven families are set to move into housing and three others have secured temporary housing.
“There's a significant number of people engaging at the housing sprint, regardless of their ineligibility for funds,” said Armstrong. “They're seeking the kind of light-touch case management and resource connections through this process.”
Armstrong said the housing sprint has engaged with 173 unique individuals in some form or another. Of those, 119 were eligible for housing sprint funds and 157 found social support. The data also found that 39 report having a case manager, while 95 wanted case management.
Added up, Armstrong said the program has held 33 on-site housing sprint office hours and engaged individuals in more than 650 housing conversations.
“A lot of times, we're supporting people who are on their way to a housing solution or some sort of positive solution,” Armstrong said. “The things they might be receiving funding for aren't necessarily a deposit or first month's rent. It might be a cell phone or money for nicer clothes to sustain their job and get them closer to housing. There are a number of other financial barriers in the way that we're working to clear with folks.”
That could also include deposits, arrears, restitution and other issues that stand in the way of housing. With any significant payment amount, Armstrong said the case is reviewed with other service providers to see if other funding tools may be available.
Watch previous coverage: 17 people have been housed so far during the City of Missoula's housing sprint
The city and its partners worked to raise around $400,000 in the spring to fund the housing sprint, and the use of the funds has increased as the program has evolved. In April, when the program was relatively new, it dispersed just $7,000. In May and June, it climbed to roughly $17,000 per month before reaching $52,000 in July.
Armstrong attributed the increase to program awareness and greater participation by shelter residents.
“As the sprint has continued, the spending is reflective of more people having chipped away at the process,” she said. “It's also a reflection of increased engagement with the housing sprint. Service providers across the community have started to integrate the awareness of that fund into their daily work.”
Program advocates said the effort is changing lives one individual at a time.
“The process of housing takes time, and relentless and consistent effort,” Armstrong said.
