HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-08-25 Public Comment - T. Gnauck - Support right to counselFrom:Taryn Gnauck
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Support right to counsel
Date:Monday, April 7, 2025 11:00:06 AM
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Dear Bozeman City commission
Hi my name is Taryn and I’ve grown up in Bozeman. I’ve lived here for
almost 29 years. Myself and my family have been part of this community for a
long time – I’m a 5th generation Montanan, and I work in the food industry in
town. I spent my time as a kid outside in Bozeman. My dad taught me about
birds, tracking, and exploring around Montana. Montana is a special place,
and I have a real appreciation for the land here. It’s hard to imagine myself
living anywhere else. My family is here, and I want to spend as much time
with them as possible, and with the hobbies I have, it’s hard to imagine living
anywhere else.
I feel like I have worked a maximum amount of hours since I was 16 years
old, and I’m still not able to get ahead with the wages that are offered in town.
I’m just able to obtain a 500-square foot apartment, which is the maximum of
what I can afford. If my rent went up, I would need to move back in with
roommates at almost 29, or consider moving out of town. Working in the
restaurant industry you meet a lot of different people, but I can think of at least
four or five people who have worked with me who were living out of their
cars in the parking lot. There wasn’t any secure place for them outside of
work, and they had no real sense of security. Having a sense of security is
something I worry about for myself, too.
Right to Counsel gives tenants more security if we end up in a bind, with more
resources and access to help. As a tenant in Bozeman, we can’t predict when
we will end up in a financial bind because of all of the bills we have to pay. A
couple years ago I was working 70 hours a week to make enough money to
pay off medical bills, and I was barely maintaining my lifestyle. I was even
working while I had walking pneumonia, running myself into the ground to
make it work. More protections for tenants would have made my situation
much less dire. I want to have a sense of security and a comfortable and safe
place that I can call home. Knowing that there are protections like Right to
Counsel for tenants in Bozeman gives me more of a sense of this security, that
there is somewhere to turn to if I couldn’t pay my rent and needed legal help
negotiating with my landlord. Just having other options is a big deal. With
more options and protections for tenants, we will see fewer people in my
community out on the streets.
ThanksTaryn
Trout meadows