United Way and Hope Rescue Mission Provide Update on TSOS Camp
The Missoula County United Way and the Hope Rescue Mission hosted a listening session on Thursday to update the public on the TSOS (Temporary Safe Outdoor Space) located just off Highway 93 South near the Buckhouse Bridge.
Hope Rescue Mission Director Jim Hicks said there are a number of services being provided to the about 24 residents at the tent camp.
“We have The Partnership Health Center that s coming there and helping a couple times a week,” began Hicks. “We have a volunteer that can run meds to our residents to fill their prescriptions. We have case management by We Care Behavior by Pathways, Winds of Change and other case managers, and we have several churches that are partnering to provide showers; to provide food; to provide clothing and to provide other assistance as those residents would need.”
MISSOULA, Mont. - Organizers of the Temporary Safe Outdoor Space are hosting an online listening session, open to the public. The session is taking place Thursday, Feb. 4 at noon. They will share how the project is going, answer questions and address any concerns from community members.Â
United Way of Missoula, Hope Rescue Mission and Missoula County opened the space in mid-December. It s located on private land, just south of Missoula. In the midst of COVID, local shelters aren t able to operate at full capacity. The outdoor space is working to make up for those lost beds.Â
Dave Strohmaier, Missoula County commissioner, recognized there was a lot of concern before the space opened.Â
Homelessness is a growing crisis in Montana that will only be made worse by the proposed $1 billion cut from health care services now being considered by the state legislature. For years now, homelessness in our communities has been akin to a house thatâs slowly catching on fire â and the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown gasoline on the flames.
Over the last year weâve seen a dramatic rise in the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness across Montana. For example, before the pandemic, Missoulaâs largest encampment would have up to 50 people living in it. During the pandemic, that number more than doubled to over 100 people.