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06/12/2026
“Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected].
Council approves grants to help people maintain housing
The city’s new program to help formerly homeless people maintain housing is on track to start this summer.
The Missoula City Council Wednesday approved $945,000 in two-year grants to three local organizations to provide services as part of its new Pathways to Housing Stability program. Emily Armstrong, the city’s houseless programs manager, said the program aims to fill a gap in the community by supporting people after they’ve found housing.
“It’s really critical because we know that transitioning into housing after being unhoused is a really complex experience,” she said. “Moving into housing, acquiring housing is absolutely a huge milestone on the way to stability, but it can also be really challenging and at times really destabilizing.”
In September, Missoula’s regional opioid abatement board awarded the city $1.1 million, with $250,000 for the housing sprint effort to house residents of the Johnson Street shelter before it closed. Armstrong said the city didn’t receive contracts for the funding until after the sprint had ended, so it plans to use some of that money for the Pathways to Housing Stability project.
While some existing programs provide ongoing support for a limited time, many people lose connections to services when they become housed, especially if they are renting somewhere that’s not part of a supportive or transitional housing program, Armstrong said. The city’s program focuses on helping those people leasing homes throughout the community without a connection to find those services, she said.
Missoula Interfaith Collaborative will receive $215,000 to provide services to families moving from the Family Housing Center shelter to transitional or permanent housing. The organization, which helps run the shelter in the YWCA’s Meadowlark building, will provide access to integrated mental health, substance use and employment services, and help families build long-term support relationships.
The Housing Stability Collective will receive $330,000 to create a team of peer specialists to support people transitioning into housing. The organization was formed for this program and will employ specialists with experience being unhoused and navigating mental health and substance use systems, Armstrong said. The collective will begin with one peer specialist who will get familiarized with existing systems and services and eventually manage two to three others, she said.
Partnership Health Center will receive $400,000 to expand staffing at the Watershed Navigation Center to provide support, primarily for people housed throughout the community and in non-congregate settings. Those services will include landlord-tenant mediation, coaching, housing plan monitoring, service connections and early identification of risks to stability, Armstrong said.
“We’re really hoping to work closely with the grantees through this project to emerge in two years with a better understanding of what it takes, what services can be best designed and what supports are most needed by neighbors in our community to be stable long term in the various housing settings that they might move into,” she said.
Armstrong said the city asked applicants to provide information about how these programs could be sustainable in the long term, since the grant money will run out in two years.
Becca Goe, Partnership’s chief innovations officer, told the council that changes to Medicaid requirements will affect how much reimbursement funding is available for tenancy support and related behavioral and medical services.
Council Member Gwen Jones said that making the programs self-sustaining is a “big mountain to climb,” but that she appreciates the city and organizations considering it.
“We’d love for everything to be self-sustaining in the long run,” she said. “We’re also in a rapidly changing landscape, so we do the best we can using the tools we have.”
Verbatim
“I get that this project is not without controversy. We’ve heard from downtown business owners about parking concerns, about disruption from construction and about whether the city has authentically listened to those concerns. I’ve also studied the traffic safety data on Higgins and deliberated on the difficult tradeoffs this job is constantly struggling with. No part of this project is perfect. There are a lot of details to be resolved. To me doing nothing to address these traffic concerns and improve the flow of traffic downtown is just not an option. I do think a safer, more connected downtown is worth the work.”
— Missoula City Council Member Eric Melson said Wednesday about the Downtown Safety, Access and Mobility (SAM) project.
The Missoula City Council Wednesday voted 10-1 to approve a resolution advancing the project to final design and implementation, despite ongoing concerns about the loss of parking and potential impacts on downtown businesses. Council Member Bob Campbell opposed the resolution, citing his lack of support for the project since the beginning.
The project includes converting Front and Main streets to two-way streets, updating Higgins Avenue to a three-lane street, creating protected bike lanes along Higgins, riverfront trail improvements and upgrading traffic signals downtown. The project is primarily funded by a $24.5 million federal grant awarded in June 2023.
Megan McMeekin, the project manager, said Wednesday that the city has received a lot of questions about doing just one portion of the project, but it can’t do that without losing some or all of the federal grant.
McMeekin said estimates indicate the project will be $4 million to $9 million over budget. The project costs will be finalized after bids are received and negotiated later this summer, she said. Some elements of the “aspirational” project have already been cut or could be cut to save money, McMeekin said. That includes upgrading lighting on Front and Main streets and completing a trail through Kiwanis Park.
The city will likely use tax increment financing revenue from the Missoula Redevelopment Agency to help pay for the project. The MRA board would approve that request when it comes forward. Ellen Buchanan, the MRA director, said the Front Street urban renewal district will have about $4.5 million in cash in 2027, significant bonding capacity and annual revenue of about $3.5 million.
“This is our chance to do this right, and to disrupt downtown once, for a period of years granted, but not going back piecemeal and chipping away for the next 10 to 15 years,” Buchanan said. “I think it’s a good investment of TIF money to try to do the things that are essential.”
Council members asked multiple questions about the project Wednesday, including about effects on traffic, especially at busy intersections, the safety of the planned bike lanes, loss of parking spaces and outreach to business owners. Most expressed support for the project, though multiple council members said it was not perfect.
Construction of the accessible ramp from the Beartracks Bridge to the Riverfront Trail and trail expansion is set to begin in the fall and continue through the spring, McMeekin said. Work on Higgins Avenue will start in the spring, along with the reconstruction of the intersection of Front, Main and Orange streets. After that intersection and the Front and Madison intersection is complete, Front and Main will be changed to two-way streets in the middle or end of 2028, McMeekin said. The signal timing project will likely take place in 2029 after the new traffic patterns are complete.
The Missoula Downtown Foundation is currently fundraising for a Business Support and Resiliency Grant Program to help downtown businesses affected by the project’s construction, which will likely reduce customer traffic, Carrie Harper, the foundation’s director of giving, told the Missoula Parking Commission Tuesday. The grants would help pay for things like access adjustments, like expanding delivery or attracting customers. The parking commission approved a $15,000 contribution to the program, which aims to raise $300,000.
Public Notice
The Missoula City Council kicked off its budget season Wednesday and set a timeline for the process. The city council will hear budget presentations from city departments on June 17 and 24 and a fee presentation on July 15. Mayor Andrea Davis will present her executive budget on Monday, July 22. The council will deliberate on proposed amendments on July 29, August 5 and August 12. The city expects to receive a clearer picture of property tax revenue from the state Department of Revenue in the first week of August. The public hearing officially opens on August 10, and the budget adoption is set for Monday, August 17.
5 Things to Know in Missoula
The Missoula City Council Wednesday set a public hearing for July 6 to consider extending a ban on issuing business licenses for new cannabis dispensaries. The ban would also be updated to allow existing dispensaries to relocate. In July 2024, the council set a two-year moratorium on business licenses for recreational dispensaries, which also prevented them from moving within the city. Last year, the Legislature extended the statewide moratorium on new marijuana licenses until June 30, 2027. Extending the city’s ban gives the city time to implement and evaluate new restrictions on where dispensaries can be located in Missoula, said Megan McCarthy, the city’s permits and business license manager. McCarthy said some businesses have reported “predatory lease or commercial rental pressure,” which would be alleviated if dispensaries were allowed to relocate. As to why the city needs a ban on top of the state’s moratorium, it prevents dispensaries from other parts of the state from relocating to Missoula, said Eran Pehan, Missoula Community Planning, Development and Innovation Department director. The city has about 54 dispensaries, compared to 74 in Bozeman, suggesting Missoula’s ban is working to slow growth, Pehan said.
The Missoula County Public Schools board Tuesday approved a plan for its 14 vacant, underused or leased properties that recommends which to keep and which to consider selling. The plan also recommends setting up an investment fund that would use proceeds from sales and leases to help pay for more than $13 million in deferred maintenance. The money could also be used for current school buildings if needed. More than a year ago, the district hired consultant WGM Group to conduct property assessments and gather community input on the properties. Kate Dinsmore, with WGM, told trustees Tuesday the plan established direction for each property, but any decisions regarding the sale or leasing of properties would come before the board in the future. The plan recommends keeping the Cold Springs, Dickinson, Jefferson and Mount Jumbo buildings and the Fort Missoula, Rattlesnake, Toole Park and Seeley-Swan properties. It recommends selling or trading the Duncan Drive and Linda Vista properties and selling or long-term leasing the administration, Prescott and Whittier buildings and the Rimel Road property. Superintendent Micah Hill said the plan provides a framework the district did not previously have, but there’s no rush to take action.
The Missoula Parking Commission Tuesday approved a $20 increase to the cost of an annual permit for the University District residential parking permit area. The jump in the permit cost increases it from $65 to $85. Jodi Pilgrim, director of the city’s parking commission, said the permit program is heavily subsidized by other revenues. From July through May, permit revenue totaled $46,800, about 48% of the program’s $96,345 in costs, Pilgrim said. The rate increase, along with reduced costs, will help the program pay for itself, she said. The new rate is effective July 1.
The Missoula City Council Monday approved issuing $9.67 million in bonds to pay for the renovation of the Missoula Water building. That includes $5.4 million in water system revenue bonds and about $4.3 million in road district bonds. The project will increase office and meeting space and improve ADA accessibility at the building on West Broadway that the city acquired when it purchased the water utility in 2018. Council Member Bob Campbell raised concerns about using road district bonds for the project, which would be repaid with property tax revenue. Leigh Griffing, the city’s finance director, said the bond amounts take into account the use of the building for other public works functions apart from the water utility.
The University of Montana is launching its new physician associate program this fall after receiving provisional accreditation. The program aims to address a shortage of healthcare workers in Montana and rural communities, according to the university. PAs can see patients, diagnose ailments and prescribe treatments. In rural areas, PAs often function in primary care roles and can be the only provider in a community, according to UM. The new 26-month program includes 12 months of classroom instruction, a year of clinical experience and two months of remote education. More than 600 people applied for the program’s 24 spots. The state requires about 20 new PA job openings to be filled each year to keep up with healthcare needs and industry growth, according to data from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.
Might be Fun
Missoula’s outdoor waterpark, Splash Montana, opens for its 20th season Friday, June 12. Missoula Parks and Recreation is celebrating the milestone with games, tournaments, scavenger hunts and special events for all ages through June 17. More information about hours, fees and lap swim schedules is available online.
Indigenous Made Montana’s summer market returns to Caras Park from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The market will feature beadwork, prints, fashion and more from more than 60 Native artists and makers, as well as food vendors and community organizations. The number of participating artists and visitors has increased in the last several years, and more artists are traveling from across the state and region to attend, according to the organizers.
A long list of events is scheduled for Missoula Pride throughout June, with most taking place during the weekend of June 19-21. On Friday, June 19, the second annual Two Spirit Powwow runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Caras Park, followed by a rally at 5 p.m. The annual parade across the Beartracks Bridge begins at noon Saturday. The downtown block party on Main Street runs from 12:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and includes vendors, live music and drag shows. Sunday, June 21, includes a drag story hour and a closing party. The full list of events is available on the Missoula Pride website.