Andrea Davis
Deciding to close the Johnson Street shelter was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make as mayor.
The shelter has been a critical part of our emergency response, especially during winters, beginning during the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing through five years of federal funding. It offered a safe place to sleep, warmth, and stability during moments of real vulnerability.
I understand what it means to scale back any service when we still see neighbors in need, but the loss of federal money to fund the shelter at $1.8 million a year made it necessary. This decision came only after careful consideration and with a simultaneous commitment to do something different — something more strategic, coordinated, and focused on permanent housing.
That commitment took shape as the Johnson Street Housing Sprint.
Launched this spring, the Sprint was a time-limited, housing-focused initiative aimed at helping people move out of shelter and into housing more quickly. And it’s already making a difference.
Since April, we’ve spent $165,148 to test new strategies, secure housing, provide flexible financial assistance, and help neighbors overcome housing barriers. It’s not just the dollars — it’s how they’re used.
Here’s what we’ve achieved:
- 50 individuals using the Johnson Street Shelter secured permanent housing.
- 36 of those 50 received Housing Sprint funds — flexible funds to clear barriers including rental deposits, rent or utility arrears, moving costs, relocation assistance, and more.
- 5 non-shelter guests also secured housing with creative problem-solving and resource navigation through the Housing Sprint.
These outcomes are real. They represent people who are no longer unhoused — not because the system got lucky but because the system is improving with these intentional efforts.
In total, between April 1 and Sept. 2:
- 114 people connected to our Missoula Coordinated Entry System (MCES), our local coordinated houselessness response system, secured housing.
- 55 of those housing placements, or 48 percent, were secured through or assisted by the Johnson Street Housing Sprint.
- 21 were veterans, thanks in part to the continued impact of our Built for Zero work.
We are also seeing improvements across the system:
- A decrease in time to housing for Johnson Street guests, thanks to efforts to understand the specific goals of each individual and target specific and intentional resources towards their identified needs.
- Faster housing placements for veterans, a direct result of our multi-year focus through Built for Zero to decrease veteran houselessness through increased inter-agency collaboration, flexible funding to secure housing, and housing loss prevention.
- A reduction in veterans “aging into” chronic homelessness, meaning we’re housing people before their experience of being unhoused becomes long-term and life-threatening.
The need is real. And so is the progress.
Closing the Johnson Street shelter doesn’t mean we’re turning away — it means we’re turning toward solutions that work. Shelter matters, and the Poverello Center will continue to do what they’ve done so well for 50 years. And we are all working toward solutions that result in housing. That build partnerships, not silos. That act on data, not just crisis.
Missoula’s response to homelessness is changing. The Housing Sprint is one part of that shift—showing what’s possible when we fund innovation, strengthen relationships, and align around results.
I know this isn’t easy. And I know some will feel the absence of the Johnson Street shelter. But I want our community to know: We are not walking away. We are walking forward—with clearer tools, better coordination, and a stronger focus on getting people home.
Andrea Davis is the mayor of Missoula.
