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Public commenters clash over Johnson Street shelter closure and enforcement of ordinance 12.6
Summary
At the May 12 meeting, public commenters urged the council to stop enforcing ordinance 12.6 after the Johnson Street shelter closure, while others supported the closure and raised public-safety and outreach concerns.
Several members of the public used the May 12 Missoula City Council public-comment period to criticize the city's handling of the Johnson Street shelter closure and the continued enforcement of ordinance 12.6.
Sage Bennett, a member of the public, said the closure of the Johnson Street shelter and enforcement of ordinance 12.6 “criminalizes poverty” and warned it will “back up our hospitals, our criminal systems, and cost our city far more than keeping a shelter open.” Bennett urged the council to stop applying ordinance 12.6 if the shelter remains closed: “If you provide people with no support, no alternatives…you don't provide a map of where folks are supposed to be able to camp…you're gonna keep them in this cycle of poverty,” Bennett said.
A second commenter, Travis Mateer, identified himself as a 25-year Missoula resident and said he supported the closure of the Johnson Street shelter. He described the shelter as connected to neighborhood problems including drug use and said the city should examine the houseless population makeup and legal obligations that keep some people in Missoula. “One of the things I think people should think about…how many people are here and homeless because they are required to legally be in Missoula?” Mateer said.
The two speakers offered opposing views: Bennett opposed both the shelter closure and the enforcement of ordinance 12.6, arguing fines and criminal penalties worsen outcomes, while Mateer supported the closure and urged attention to substance use and legal constraints that affect where people can reside.
Why it matters: Public comments highlighted the ongoing local dispute over shelter capacity, enforcement priorities and the human and fiscal costs of criminalizing camping or survival behaviors. Councilors did not take action on Johnson Street shelter operations at the May 12 meeting; the remarks were part of the public-comment record.
No formal council response or policy change occurred during the meeting on May 12. The mayor acknowledged public comments and the meeting proceeded to other business.
