Montana News
Kalispell city council vote could shut down Flathead Warming Center
With Montana News, I'm Eleanor Smith. The Kalispell City Council is considering whether to shutter a homeless shelter. The Council asks neighbors and the shelter to hash out their differences ahead of its vote next week. Montana Public Radio's Erin Bolton reports, those talks broke down. Neighbors and businesses near the Flathead Warming Center in Kalispell say the shelter is increasing the presence of unhoused people. The shelter disputes those claims. In July, the Council delayed a vote on whether to revoke the Warming Center's permit to stay open. Council members asked residents and the shelter to resolve their disagreements. Warming Center Director Tanya Horn told MTPR that neighbors and businesses' requests were unreasonable. They include hired security in the neighborhood and that the shelter only served people who've lived in the area for two years. Kalispell Chamber of Commerce President Lorraine Clerno is serving as a mediator. She said a second scheduled meeting in August was called off. The Council was set to vote on the shelter's permit September 16th. Horn says the shelter will take the city to court if its permit is revoked. In Columbia Falls, I'm Erin Bolton.