Missoula County Government: Missoula County, Poverello Center Invite Public To Comment On New Transitional Housing Facility For Veterans

Press release from the Missoula County Government:

03/16/2022 9:51 AM

• Media Releases

• Contact Us
• Boards, Committees, Councils and Special Districts
• Current Vacancies
• Online Application
• Governing Boards
  • Aging Services Governing Board
  • Airport Authority Board
  • Florence-Carlton Cemetery Board
  • Health Boards
  • Historical Museum Board
  • Library Board
  • Lolo Mosquito Abatement District Board
  • Missoula Urban Transportation District Board
  • Seeley Lake Cemetery District Board
  • Tax Appeal Board
  • Zoning Board of Adjustment

• Contact Us
• Help
  • Customer Service Request
  • Page Layout & Usage
  • Site Navigation
  • Site Map
• Departments, Divisions and Programs

• Animals & Pets
• Arts & Culture
• Birth, Death & Other Records
• Business
• Resolutions & Ordinances
• Community Communications
• Community Development

• About Missoula County
  • Mission, Vision & Values
  • Calendar
  • Customer Service Request
  • Elected Officials
  • What is County Government?
  • Frequently Asked Questions

• Apply for
  • a building permit
  • a burn permit (purchase or activate)
  • County employment
  • a food or lodging license
  • a marriage license
  • a septic permit or well permit
  • a volunteer position on a County board, commission, or committee
• Contact
  • a crime victim advocate
  • a community council
  • a Missoula County department
  • the Commissioners' Office
• Donate to
  • the Friends of the Shelter
  • the Friends of the Library
  • the Friends of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula

• Email

With the support of a Veterans Administration grant, the Poverello Center purchased the Clark Fork Inn, 1010 W. Broadway, as the site for their Housing Montana Heroes program. The new site will allow their clients to be in a non-congregate transitional housing setting. 

To further support the project, the Poverello Center is seeking additional funding from the State of Montana Community Development Block Grant program to help rehabilitate some existing units and construct new units to house 20 program participants. 

A virtual public meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 21. The meeting will be a chance for the community to learn more about the project and will provide an opportunity for public comment. 

People can join the virtual Zoom meeting using the following information: 

Join on your computer or mobile app

Click here to join the meeting

Or call in (audio only)

+1 720 707 2699 US

Meeting ID: 850 5991 7594

Passcode: 726507 

Written comments must be emailed to caps@missoulacounty.us by Friday, March 25, 2022. 

“This new non-congregate facility will allow our veterans who are experiencing homelessness to receive private housing and needed supportive services to help them transition to permanent housing,” Poverello Center Executive Director Jill Bonny said. “Veterans who may need mental health support or who suffer with traumatic stress tell us they cannot thrive and heal in a congregate setting. The VA recognizes this and has prioritized providing non-congregate housing for veterans.”  

Bonny stresses this project will not change the number of people the Poverello Center serves, but it will expand their shelter capacity to ensure fewer people are unsheltered. 

Missoula County commissioners are committed to addressing homelessness in Missoula County, and they voted at a March 4 public meeting to authorize county staff to submit the grant. 

“Housing Montana Heroes is such a valuable program for our community,” Commissioner Juanita Vero said. “We are so grateful our veterans will be able to get the services they need, in a setting where they feel empowered, as they transition to finding a home.” 

Previous CDBG funding granted to Missoula County partially supported the costs of constructing the Poverello Center and the Meadowlark, the YWCA’s new Family Housing Center, as well as wastewater system construction in East Missoula and at the resident-owned Buena Vista Community manufactured home community near the airport. 

Members of the media can contact Sindie Kennedy at skennedy@missoulacounty.us for more information about the Montana CDBG application and program. 

For questions related to the Poverello Center’s Housing Montana Heroes program, please contact Sarah Penix, communications coordinator, at spenix@thepoverellocenter.org.

###

This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.