Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
United Way daytime shelter closure leaves residents and providers urging emergency funding
Summary
Clients and United Way staff told the Appropriations committee that closing daytime services at the Bismarck United Way shelter has worsened health and safety outcomes; the shelter director said the program needs roughly $65,000 per month and a $200,000–$250,000 annual gap to restore 24/7 daytime operations.
Residents of the Bismarck United Way shelter and the shelter's executive director testified to the House Appropriations committee that closing daytime operations earlier in the year has left people sleeping outside during the cold, increased emergency medical calls and limited access to on-site case management.
"Everybody at that shelter...a lot of people that are left there are elderly. So I'm watching 5 people in walkers going downhill fast," said Stacy Peterson, a resident who said she traveled from Minot. Peterson described frequent ambulance calls for shelter residents and said the closed daytime hours make it difficult for people to recover from illness.
Matthew Doctor, another shelter resident, said the March 3 daytime closure increased barriers to accessing services and that walking between daytime locations and nighttime sheltering has been difficult…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
