HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-04-19 Public Comment - P. Koch - HRDC Warming Center SiteFrom:phoebe koch
To:Sarah Rosenberg
Cc:Agenda
Subject:Westridge Women"s and Family Shelter
Date:Monday, November 04, 2019 11:21:27 PM
Dear Bozeman City Commissioners,
I am writing in support of the Westridge Women's and Family Shelter. As I read through theHRDC's executive summary, the shelter will house women and families (including a father
accompanying his children) Nov 1st until March 31st, from 7PM until 7AM. In reading thecomments of those that oppose the shelter, many people voice concerns about parking (only
staff members will park at the shelter), safety (we are talking about homeless women andfamilies here, not criminals), and property values (year-round maintenance of the home is the
responsibility of the HRDC-- probably more likely to mow than the average college renter). Ithink a lot of the opposition comes from misinformation and unfounded fears.
My family moved to Bozeman from St. Paul, MN. We lived with our four kids on the same
block as the St. Matthews Episcopal Church, which every August becomes a shelter fortemporarily homeless children and their caregivers. The church is next door to a pre-school,
across the street from our neighborhood park, in a neighborhood filled with families. On manyoccasions, we would walk by the temporary shelter to find the kids and staff members playing
on the sidewalk. My kids often joined in the fun. Never did I feel these people were a dangerto my family.
It is hard to acknowledge that amidst the wealth and plenty of Bozeman, there are women,
children and their caregivers who don't have a warm place to spend the night. It is the firstweek of November, and already it has been snowing for a month. How can we as a community
turn our back on these people? How can we leave them out in the cold? Perhaps there arebetter places for this shelter. Then let us house these folks through March while all those who
are against the location work on finding a better solution.
I don't want to raise my kids in a bubble. I want them to know how lucky they are to have ahome. I want to raise them in a community that takes care of the marginalized and less-
fortunate. Let's come together as human beings and as neighbors to support the HRDC andtheir mission-- to make sure none of our neighbors are left out in the cold.
Sincerely,
Phoebe Koch, MD