HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-15-25 Public Comment - L. Durtka - Bozeman Right to CounselFrom:Lillyvette Durtka
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Bozeman Right to Counsel
Date:Sunday, April 13, 2025 4:40:23 PM
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Dear Bozeman City Commission,
For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived in Montana. When I moved to Bozeman
from a small Montana town as a kid, I quickly saw my family experience higher and
higher rents, with worse and worse conditions. I had an unstable home life, and lived
with my siblings off and on for years. When I was 12, I helped my sister move into an
apartment that we would both call home. I helped her set up her bedroom, and went
with her to thrift stores to get the mugs that would hold our coffee as she drove us to
our respective schools, praying that her little car would take us safely on the Montana
roads. I did the dishes, cleaned the apartment, and found a lot of peace in doing
these simple activities. She got a dog, and I enjoyed a walking path near Ellis Ln and
had fun exploring the Life of Montana building and other little forgotten corners in the
neighborhood. One day, my sister opened her door with an eviction notice on it.
Get rid of your dog, or move out in 3 days. My sister was a broke college kid without
generational wealth, and WITH generational fear of the cops. Her dog was her best
friend. She did not have money for a lawyer.
The home I had helped her build with many comforts was rapidly dismantled, boxed,
and drove away. She moved into a basement, 45 minutes away from town, because
not only did she need a place ASAP, but she also believed that she now had an
eviction on her record.
As a kid, I felt powerless as I watched a small stepping stone of stability slip away like
it was covered in algae, and felt once again dunked headfirst into the ice-cold creek of
uncertainty that felt like it pulled me under often throughout my childhood.
I’m an organizer with Bozeman Tenants United because as an adult, I’m still the poor
kid I always have been. I work, I rent, and I now have a dog of my own that I love as
dearly as my sister loved hers. Not only do I fear that any rent hikes could make it
impossible for me to afford my home, but even though my dog doesn’t have many
behavioral issues, stays on her leash, responds to me, comes to me because she’s
anxious, and I pay her pet rent and all, I am struck with fear every time she so much
as barks at a stranger, or when a stranger comes to our door.
Dollar for dollar, Right to Counsel is the best use of city money to keep kids and
families safe in their homes in stable situations.
Lilly Durtka
751 Professional Dr