HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-12-23 Public Comment - A. Drake - Unhoused Adelaide Drake IAV
4455 Annie st
Bozeman Montana 59718
Apr 20, 2023
Bozeman city council
Bozeman Municipal Building
121 N. Rouse Avenue
BOZEMAN MT 59771 United States
Dear Bozeman city council,
My name is Addy Drake. In this letter I will be discussing the housing issue in Bozeman
Montana, and some solutions for this issue.
One major problem that comes with high housing prices is homelessness. In bozeman it's no
secret that there are many homeless people. If you drive around you're guaranteed to see a
street filled with people living in their trailers. There are some on Frontage, near apple bees and
near winco. I personally know that not all of the people that are living on the streets of bozeman
are there because of an addiction or lack of motivation to work. One person specifically living off
frontage and that same person helped deliver my nephew. These people are needed for our
community and are a part of our community. We all make Bozeman, Bozeman and we should all
have a fair shot at a good living space.
Let me introduce a solution to help fix this issue. We have many plots that aren't being used, for
example the dollar store near Kirk park. There is also the old Kmart near Applebee's and
Walmart. These spaces can be bought up and used as temporary living spaces. If they aren't
zoned for housing they can be turned into usable parking lots where these people are parked on
the side of the road. These two places are both convenient places in central parks of town with
jobs close as well as public transportation. Even though we have a housing center in bozeman it
is too small and in a very inconvenient location. There are still 200+ people having to sleep
outside after the warming center fills up. And in our winter weather this is leaving people out to
freeze to death.
Thank you for taking time to read and hear what I have to say about this topic. Please consider
helping our community and giving people a chance.
Sincerely,
Adelaide Drake