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Good morning. In this edition, we learn more about a new transitional housing program aimed at helping families leaving shelter. We also have the latest on the fate of the former Whittier Elementary building on the Northside and when and where to learn about how Missoula County is preparing for wildfires.
But first, a weather preview ☀️
This weekend’s forecast includes cooler temperatures with mostly dry conditions ahead of a potentially wet week, according to the National Weather Service’s Missoula office. Friday will be mostly cloudy with a high near 50 degrees. Saturday will be similar, with a slight chance of rain. Sunday should be mostly sunny with a high of 50 degrees.
MIC program to support families leaving shelter
While some families who stay at Missoula’s family homeless shelter are able to find a new place to live and get back on their feet, others need more support.
The Missoula Interfaith Collaborative aims to provide that through a new transitional housing program for families in need of behavioral health or addiction services or other additional support. The program will also emphasize community building among tenants and mutual support, Casey Dunning, MIC’s executive director, told me this week.
“Things have just gotten harder and harder and harder, and so many folks are living paycheck to paycheck,” he said. “So when the little crisis happens and someone loses a job or a medical thing happens, there’s no margin, and there’s also no one there to step in and support and help us through a crisis.”
Last month the nonprofit purchased the Carole Graham Home and Cove Apartments from Western Montana Mental Health Center. The home previously housed mothers with addiction and mental health challenges, but the program closed before MIC purchased the property.
MIC runs Family Promise of Missoula, which partners with the YWCA to operate the Family Housing Center in the Meadowlark shelter. Trish Krier, a volunteer member of Family Promise’s Just Neighbors committee that helped lead the purchase of the transitional housing property, said there’s been an ongoing need for continued support among families leaving the shelter.
“We saw people returning to the shelter and thought, ‘How can we help give them some stability and come alongside them?’” Krier said in a press release. “Being a Just Neighbors volunteer and watching people accomplish even a simple thing like making a budget, or having somebody drive them to the bank, help them get a pay stub… It will make such a difference to have support for them in a safe place with stable housing.”
Dunning told me the hope is to help prevent people from losing their housing and to provide shelter and a pathway to stability to families who need it.
MIC is working with Stepping Stones Behavioral Health Services to provide mental health and addiction services at the new property, Dunning said. MIC case managers and volunteers will also work with families to help them move towards stability through securing a job or connecting with other services.
The property includes nine units, with six in the Carole Graham Home, three in the triplex on the property, and one reserved for the house manager. Dunning said the units are small, but the house includes a large community kitchen and gathering area.
Families making 30% to 50% of Missoula’s area median income will be eligible for the housing program. Residents will pay about $700 for the Carole Graham Home and about $1,100 for a unit in the triplex, Dunning said. As transitional housing, the program is designed for residents to stay for no more than two years. MIC hopes to open the program to families at the end of February or beginning of March.
Dunning said MIC purchased the property for $750,000 with loans from NeighborWorks Montana’s Missoula Housing Impact Fund and Farmers State Bank. The nonprofit is currently running a campaign to raise just over $1 million to help pay for improvements, initial operations and reserves, and has brought in about $650,000, he said. MIC plans to post a registry of items needed for the new housing program on its website, Dunning said.
Earlier this year, MIC received a $215,000 grant from the city’s Pathways to Housing Stability program, which has allowed the organization to start hiring case managers and peer support professionals, Dunning said. Services provided by those positions can be reimbursed by Medicaid, he said.
Meeting Minutes 📝
School Board
The Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees this week approved the district’s intent to sell the Whittier Elementary School property to Child Start, Inc., Head Start, which currently leases the building.
The sale to Child Start was recommended in the district’s properties plan, which the board adopted earlier this year. The plan makes recommendations of what to do with 14 aging or vacant properties the district is not using for schools.
Whittier Elementary School, on Worden Avenue in the Northside neighborhood, was built in 1921 and closed as a school in the 1980s, according to the properties plan. Child Start has leased the building for 30 years. The building houses 120 students and 49 staff members, Isaac Triance, Child Start’s executive director, told the board during the Tuesday meeting.
The property is too small for a modern school, said Burley McWilliams, the district’s director of facilities and operations. The building is not in the worst shape, especially for its age, but needs mechanical, plumbing, electrical and exterior upgrades, McWilliams said. The deferred maintenance totals more than $1.5 million, according to the plan.
Child Start pays $1,000 per month to lease the building and covers most expenses, McWilliams said. In recent years, the organization has upgraded the kitchen plumbing, the fire system, several bathrooms and the IT and security systems. Triance said Child Start has spent more than $600,000 on upgrades in the last few years.
Child Start plans to use federal funding to purchase the building and pay for subsequent upgrades, but that grant program has been delayed, Triance said. While the timeline remains unclear, Triance said he’s confident Child Start will obtain the grant. The organization will continue leasing the building until it has the funds to purchase it.
The district plans to hire real estate agents to help determine the sale price of Whittier and other properties, McWilliams said. The district will negotiate with Child Start to determine the sale price once the organization receives federal funding, Superintendent Micah Hill said.
Trustee Jenny Walsh said it’s important to recognize the benefits Head Start provides to the community by offering affordable early education, even if the district won’t receive the maximum amount of money possible from the sale.
“It’s important to talk about how can the district access the most money out of these deals,” she said. “In this case, the most money out of this deal is making sure that Head Start has a stable home in Missoula.”
The final sale will come back to the board for approval.
By the Numbers 🔢
$996,688
The amount awarded to the city of Missoula for its Reserve Street safety project as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program.
The $1.25 million Reserve Street Safety Implementation and Demonstration Project will address dangerous intersections and test new traffic safety measures to help reduce serious crashes along the 5.5-mile corridor, according to a press release. The city will need to provide the remaining $249,172.
Between 2019 and 2023, there were 1,664 crashes on Reserve Street between Interstate 90 and Brooks Street, resulting in 63 serious injuries and three deaths. This project targets high-risk locations and advances recommendations from the city’s Reserve Street Safety Action Plan adopted earlier this year.
The project includes $649,808 for permanent intersection improvements and $346,880 for planning and safety demonstrations.
“Some of the most effective safety improvements don’t require major reconstruction,” said Charlie Menefee, a city senior transportation planner. “By focusing on high-risk intersections, testing solutions and learning from real-world conditions, we can identify changes that make a measurable difference for people using Reserve Street.”
The city will share details about project timing and proposed improvements as planning advances, according to the press release.
Public Notice 🧐
County holds wildfire protection plan open houses
ℹ️ Missoula County is holding several open houses where residents can learn more about the Community Wildfire Protection Plan update and provide feedback. The plan is a guide to understanding wildfire risks and outlines actions that residents, agencies and community organizations can take to reduce the risk and impact of wildfires. At the events, county staff and agencies will share information about how residents can make their homes and properties more fire-adapted. Light refreshments will be provided.
🗓️ Monday, Nov. 16, at the Exploration Center in Missoula
🗓️ Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Frenchtown Fire Station
🗓️ Wednesday, Nov. 18, at the Bonner School
🗓️ Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Sullivan Community Hall in Seeley Lake
⏰ 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
🔗 More information about the plan is available online.
National Forest Christmas tree permits available for purchase
ℹ️ Residents can purchase the permits online or from Lolo, Bitterroot and Flathead National Forest offices. One tree can be harvested per $5 permit, and up to three permits can be purchased per person. Buying a permit online has a $2.50 transaction fee. Fourth graders with an Every Kid Outdoors pass are eligible for a free permit, but the online transaction fee still applies.
🔗 More information about where and how to cut a tree is available on the Forest Service’s website.
Local Lineup 🚶
🥫 The annual Turkey Curling Fundraiser, part of the Can the Cats food drive, takes place from 4 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Saturday at the Glacier Ice Rink. The fundraiser is a partnership among the Missoula PaddleHeads, the Missoula Food Bank and Community Center, Glacier Ice Rink and the Missoula Curling Club. Participants are asked to donate $25 or $25 worth of non-perishable turkey dinner items. No curling experience is required. Those interested can register online.
