Missoula's Emergency Winter Shelter to close for the season April 10

MISSOULA, Mont. - Missoula's Emergency Winter Shelter will shut down for the season April 10.

This is the shelter's fifth year in operation and its third year located in the building at 1919 North Avenue W., owned by the city of Missoula.

This season, the City of Missoula said in a release the city and Missoula County each delegated $385,900 to the Emergency Winter Shelter.

The human resource council supports the Emergency Winter Shelter and the Poverello Center runs it by contract. 

The shelter housed 116 people per night on average, in contrast, laster winter saw 70 people on average per night, according to the release from the City of Missoula.

The new Temporary Safe Outdoor Space located off Mullan Road is under construction, and its residents will be staying at the Johnson Street Center during the final few weeks of construction.

The City of Missoula said in the release there are several other new developments for lower-income housing to accommodate housing for moderate- to low-income residents:

• "Trinity began leasing rental apartments in February. Apartments at Westside Place and Maple Street Flats will be available to residents making 70 percent or below Area Median Income, managed by the Missoula Housing Authority. Missoula County donated the land for the project in 2019. The City contracted as the master lease holder for the Navigation Center in the project and has been a key partner in visioning and shaping the project since its early stages."
• "Blue Heron Place, the 30 supportive housing units at Trinity, will begin leasing this spring. These will house Missoula’s most vulnerable residents."
• "The Temporary Safe Outdoor Space increased capacity from 20 to 30 units this winter and moved into hard-sided Pallet structures. The TSOS is a partnership of Missoula County, Hope Rescue Mission and United Way of Missoula County, with financial support from the City of Missoula."
• "The Villagio, a project of the Missoula Housing Authority, will open another 200 rentals for residents whose incomes are 60 percent or below Area Median Income over the course of a calendar year."