The city of Bozeman has agreed to give a nonprofit nearly $300,000 to turn an empty building into an emergency shelter.
City commissioners unanimously approved the grant for Human Resource Development Council on Monday, which will go toward safety upgrades for a site off Wheat Drive.
The building will serve as an interim winter shelter as HRDC works toward building Bozeman’s first year-round shelter for people without a home.
“People find themselves homeless without intention, without expecting it,” Mayor Chris Mehl said. “How do we as a community provide them the merest of safety nets, but a safety net nonetheless, for them to go forward.”
The facility will be able to house up to 120 people a night and will offer other services during the day. The nonprofit’s current center off Industrial Drive hits capacity at 43 people.
HRDC leased the property and said the improvements include required fire suppression and alarm systems, exit paths, emergency lighting, restrooms and showers. The lease lasts five years and gives HRDC the option to extend that or first right of refusal to buy the site at the end of that time.
HRDC would only repay the city grant if it no longer possesses the property or stops using it as a shelter.
The money for the project came out of the city of Bozeman’s workforce housing fund. That decision left $605,150 remaining in the fund.
Deputy Mayor Cyndy Andrus said she agreed to the grant because it’s tied to emergency relief for people. But she said she had some concerns.
The grant was pulled from public money that come from mills the city levies for affordable housing and cash developers pay when they opt out of building required affordable housing in a new development.
As local governments continue to respond to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Andrus said the city will likely have to make some difficult budget decisions.
“Recovering from this pandemic will no doubt require us to rethink some of our priorities and while affordable housing may remain a top priority, I believe that there is no certainty that we can continue to fund the affordable housing fund at its current level,” Andrus said.
Andrus said she hopes HRDC believes the project is the best use of the money.
HRDC President Heather Grenier said the nonprofit’s original shelter already doesn’t fit as many people.
“We anticipate with the economic impact of the current stay-at-home order and (COVID-19) response, a significant increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness,” Grenier said.
She said the goal was to have the shelter up and running by Nov. 1, but now the hope is to be open sooner.
Grenier said the interim shelter is expensive, but said sheltering people tends to be expensive. The nonprofit’s annual budget for its winter shelter is typically $250,000.
“While we looked at many other facilities that potentially were to require fewer dollars of improvements, the owners were not interested in leasing to HRDC for this purpose.”
HRDC also purchased a home on Westridge Drive last year to use as an overflow shelter for women and families but walked back those plans when the property’s neighbors pushed against the idea.
Grenier said once HRDC has its year-round shelter built, the goal is to turn the temporary shelter into a resource hub. She said HRDC is under contract for nearby land for the nonprofit’s tiny home village for people who have chronically lived without a home.
HRDC has planned to build a tiny home village for years, but so far hasn’t found the space.
Source: bozemandailychronicle
