New Homeless Shelter to Open in Central Missoula

The City of Missoula and The Poverello Center are working on a partnership to help address homelessness this coming winter with a new, temporary shelter in the former Sovereign Hope Church building.

What is now being called the “Johnson Street Community Center” is located at 1919 North Ave W, near Southgate Mall and the Montana RailLink Park. The temporary, 24/7 shelter will be operated by the Poverello Center’s trained professional staff from Nov. 1 through March 31, by contract with the City of Missoula and will provide one hot meal a day and sack lunches.

According to information release sent out this morning, “Missoula is faced with a short supply of shelter and essentially no rental vacancies. Community members’ lives are at risk. The Missoula County commissioners, Missoula’s mayor and the Missoula City Council have heard from community members who feel it’s everyone’s responsibility to help those in need during our cold winters”

The City will be presenting this plan at the Committee of the Whole on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 1:30pm. Residents and neighbors with concerns or questions can tune into the hearing online at here or can contact Amy Allison Thompson at aallisonthompson@thepoverellocenter.org and Jesse Jaeger at jjaeger@thepoverellocenter.org of the Poverello Center or by calling (406) 207-3372.

The public is also invited to a drop-in open house for the Johnson Street shelter on Thursday, Oct. 29, .4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event will offer a chance to visit with key staff from the Poverello Center and the City and elected officials. The event will follow Missoula City-County Health Department guidelines, including masking and social distancing.

To read the entire notice sent out by the Office of Neighborhoods, click here.