HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-01-25 Public Comment - E. Killenberg - Support Right to CounselFrom:Eva Killenberg
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Support Right to Counsel
Date:Wednesday, March 26, 2025 2:30:01 PM
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Dear Bozeman City Commission,
My name is Eva Kilenberg. I moved to Bozeman this January to accompany my partner as
he pursues a degree at MSU. I hope that Bozeman can become my home for the next four
years, and potentially beyond.
For me, home means being a part of a community. I want to live in a diverse community; I
believe that differences in class, identity, and background make us stronger and more
resilient. I want to live in an engaged community, where people feel empowered to
contribute their skills and ideas. I want to live in a healthy community, where our systems
support interconnected and sustainable living. I want to live in a just community, where we
are all afforded dignity and security. Just before moving to Bozeman, I left a remote tech
job to pursue work that is more aligned with the goal of creating and supporting the
community where I live. I am currently seeking opportunities to do that here in Bozeman.
I moved into a house on North Church with my partner and four other roommates. I love our
neighborhood. I don’t have a car here, and the ability to walk and bike to many places
around town allows me to access daily amenities. I’ve begun to form relationships with my
neighbors. I joined the tenants' union and have been active in the UDC feedback process.
My roommates, who have lived in Bozeman for several years, are also invested in
Bozeman. One of them is a sixth-grade math teacher and track coach. Another works on a
local farm and coaches Nordic skiing. Another volunteers with Eagle Mount twice a week.
My partner is a student studying mechanical engineering. We all want to stay here and
continue investing our talents into the community.
However, our housing situation feels precarious. We live in an old, rundown house on a
large lot in a desirable area of town. We know our landlord has a lot of money to gain by
evicting us. For this reason, we try to be as little a burden as possible. We perform much of
our own maintenance. Splitting the house with six people helps us afford rent, but my
partner and I have not been officially added to the lease to avoid updating our contract. If
we were evicted, we would have no line of protection. Finding housing at a comparable
location and price would be difficult for any of us, especially if an eviction were on our
records. This would jeopardize my partner’s ability to keep pursuing his degree. My
roommates may have to sacrifice their involvement in community activities to afford higher
rents or longer commutes. For me, an eviction would make me seriously reconsider my
investment in Bozeman, putting strain on my relationship, career, and goals.
The looming threat of eviction is one example of the power imbalance between landlords
and tenants that makes housing in Bozeman precarious and expensive for all but the elites.
This dynamic is detrimental to young renters who are active in the community and trying to
put down roots. It harms the working-class people who make the city function. And it is
critical for those without a social safety net, for whom access to housing is often a matter of
life and death.
Right to Counsel does not only mean I have a better chance of staying in this house that is
already beginning to feel like a home. The diverse, engaged, healthy, just community I wish
to be a part of cannot exist without access to secure housing. I urge the commission to
support Tenant Right to Counsel and protect those invested in the community of Bozeman
from unfair eviction.
Eva Killenberg
424 N Church Ave