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Residents urge more shelter capacity, street safety and neighborhood outreach during Missoula council public comment
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Summary
Public commenters and neighborhood leaders urged action on shelter safety and affordable housing, reported strong turnout for River Road outdoor meetings, and asked for short-term traffic safety fixes on Brook Street; council acknowledged concerns and noted staff follow-up.
Several public commenters during the March 3 Missoula City Council meeting urged the city to act on shelter safety, homelessness services and neighborhood traffic safety.
Ty Paulson, representing Free Cycles Missoula, said he had "been hearing horror stories about the Poverello Center" and asked whether the Johnson Street shelter closure is permanent and whether the city or nonprofits could identify properties or grants to create women-only safe houses.
A Poverello Center outreach worker identifying as Maddie said the team served 42 unique individuals that day and warned the council to include unhoused residents’ voices in planning, drawing lessons from a self-organized encampment in Oakland. James Crosby (Ward 1) later urged the city to plan for emergency mass-migration or evacuation scenarios as part of homelessness and emergency response planning.
Neighborhood leaders reported successful outreach tactics: Chris Foster of the River Road Neighborhood Leadership Team described outdoor "ice-cream social" meetings that drew 60–100 residents and helped the team survey local priorities, which included curbs/sidewalks and affordable housing. Carrie Schreiber (Southgate Triangle leadership) described a recent rollover crash on Brook Street and requested a traffic study or short-term calming measures near the children's therapy center and day care.
Councilors thanked speakers, noted existing tools (including TIF funds through the Missoula Redevelopment Agency) and said staff would follow up where appropriate. No formal actions on these public comments were taken during the meeting.
