HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-06-19 Public Comment - L. Reichert - HRDC Warming Center SiteFrom:Loretta R
To:Agenda; Sarah Rosenberg
Subject:Proposed Warming Center at 3015 Westridge
Date:Wednesday, November 06, 2019 4:12:36 PM
I am a neighbor of the proposed emergency overnight warming center, having lived down the
street at 2814 Westridge Drive for 15 years. When they attended Morningstar ElementarySchool and Sacajawea Middle School, my children walked and biked past the corner location
several times daily on their way to friends’ homes, school, etc. They took recess on theMorningstar playground and many school activities at SMS.
I have read through the proposal, the rules and policies of operation for the shelter, and my
neighbors’ comments through the date of this letter. I find the HRDC policies and proceduresfor running the shelter to be carefully considered and thorough. I agree with my Figgins’
neighbors that this proposal has taken us all by surprise and would have preferred more noticeand dialogue. However I also understand the climatological considerations that have made
this an emergent issue.
My own feelings on the proposed shelter are complex and I cannot minimize my neighbors’concerns. We cannot possibly know the individual circumstances and character of every
person who applies to the shelter for services. This is a real uncertainty and can feelfrightening.
Overwhelmingly though, I believe every human being needs and deserves a warm place place
to sleep every night of the year, most especially during our frigid Bozeman winters, whichoften begin in October. I have had immediate family touched and their lives devastated by
homelessness and so I support this proposal.
The proposed location near both Morningstar Elementary School and one of our city’s 2middle schools could be ideal for the shelter’s target population of women and their families if
there are children staying overnight who are attending either of these schools. Many childrenwalk, scooter, and ride their bicycles daily to Morningstar and Sacajawea. Transportation of
children to school can be a major issue for a family without a fixed address. Often studentswithout a home develop attendance crises because of transportation, hygiene, and other factors
that arise while their family is homeless. My own relatives were homeless for months duringseveral school years and the children each lost at least a year of school because of
transportation and other problems arising from their lack of residential stability. The proposedhours of 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM for the shelter are so important for families — if kids need to
accomplish homework assignments for example, they really need those evening hours and thestability of a certain room for the night, especially when so much else in their lives is
uncertain. The former church location was much less ideal because of their own programswhich restricted the hours residents could be checked in. A dedicated facility is the only
solution.
For individuals and families not attending or working in or at our neighborhood schools, theproposed location is not central at all. As others have pointed out, we have no access to public
transportation for the shelter’s target population nor other residents of the neighborhood.
There are uncertainties in every individual and family’s circumstance that cannot be knownprior to approving an emergency overflow shelter in a quiet residential neighborhood.
Property depreciation and crime have been expressed as concerns. My experience has beenthat when people are desperate for a night’s lodging for themselves and/or their families, they
are unlikely to leave on a cold night to roam the neighborhood and steal belongings fromnearby cars and homes. But I have also witnessed just exactly that happen, both from the
population intended to be served by the proposed emergency overflow shelter and otherpopulations.
It is heart-breaking to watch an individual or family struggle to find beds for the night; for
children to find a clean place to take a shower, brush their teeth, and work their mathproblems. An emergency bed for the night on a night-by-night basis is not a substitute for
stable consistent housing. The best solution is permanent low-cost housing for people in need.
If the shelter is approved and begins taking overnight guests, I hope to volunteer at the
location and do what I can to make sure the residents’ needs are looked after and ourneighborhood continues to be the extremely safe, friendly, and beautiful place it has been for
the last 40 years. This is one direct way to keep up on what is happening at the end of ourstreet. Personally I find this a very convenient location to volunteer and will not require
parking as it is a short walk. The population served by this shelter could only be served by thecompassion and kindness that our Figgins neighbors have always evidenced.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Loretta Reichert