Guest column: Compassion, working together can address homelessness
This guest column, co-authored by Haven Executive Director Erica Aytes Coyle, HRDC CEO and President Heather Grenier, and Family Promise of Gallatin Valley Executive Director Christel Chvilicek, appeared in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle Jan. 10.
People experiencing homelessness face significant stigma when it comes to accessing physical or mental health services, job opportunities, education, permanent housing, and tolerance within their communities. As the leaders of HRDC, Haven, and Family Promise, we are united in our commitment to do all that we can to combat this stigma and help our neighbors move out of crisis into stability.
No one chooses to be homeless. Low vacancy rates, high rent, health conditions, and a lack of mental health or substance use services are why people live in cars, tents, or anywhere they can rest. While we’re aware of some of the aggressive rhetoric against the unhoused in our community, we also know and trust that the large majority of our neighbors believe that everyone deserves a safe and warm home.
In our work, we see every day that no one type of person is homeless. We know that most of the unhoused in Montana are Montanans. Many were born here, and most have lived here for at least five years. Foster children age out of the system, families flee domestic violence, people lose their apartments to increasing rents, and many, including a disproportionate number of military veterans, have a mental illness or substance use disorder.
Montana recently released its 2023 winter point-in-time count, which reveals more than 2,000 people live without safe, permanent housing, and 261 of those people live right here in Gallatin County. Included in that number are 45 unaccompanied youth and children, 51 people who have experienced chronic homelessness, 22 veterans, and 108 people with disabling conditions. Two of the fastest-growing categories of those who are unhoused are adults aged 55 and older and young adults aged 16-24.
We cannot solve homelessness alone. Complicated problems like this require sustained effort and resources to address. Making sure everyone has a safe and affordable place to live takes collaboration between residents, businesses, nonprofits, faith groups, grassroots organizations, elected officials, and city and county employees.
How can you help? Begin by taking a moment to reflect upon the lived experiences of two of our neighbors. How easy would it be for someone you care about to find themselves in a similar situation?
“As a single mother who has lived through domestic violence and a house fire, I was on my last thread of strength. Knowing that we weren’t going to freeze to death in the back of my Jeep, with a roof over our heads, and a bathtub for a little self-care, helped me so immeasurably. All of your support has helped me to gain back confidence I thought was lost forever. I am once again a strong, independent, single mother.”
At nearly 70 years of age, Jeff’s been living out of his vehicle since his wife passed away. Sleeping at the shelter makes him anxious and uncomfortable. He and his wife had planned to travel together and enjoy their golden years. That dream evaporated when his wife got sick. When he lost her, his own health deteriorated, and he ended up in the hospital for a long stint. His credit suffered and he no longer had a home. The day he left the hospital he had $1,200 to his name. He bought a car and has been living in it ever since.
As community partners, HRDC, Haven, and Family Promise are committed to working together to treat unhoused people with compassion and to connect them with services. Bozeman is a caring, innovative community. We know we can make progress together. To learn more and be part of the solution, please reach out.