Jane Emmert Warming Center Letter of Support'ASSIST
NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS
Ali'i ':�. i. ,:'ili Kalispell Regis.
Jane Latus Emmert
Director of ASSIST
iemmert@krmc.org
October 16, 2020
Dear Kalispell City Council,
Thank you for your service to our community. I am the Director of ASSIST, a non-profit affiliated with KRMC. With a
small staff and approximately 20 volunteers we connect people to resources they need to help them regain their health
and independence. In 2019 we visited 730 people in their homes and helped connect them to multiple services including
VA benefits, Medicaid, energy assistance, disability and housing. We also provided 4,890 one-way rides to doctor
appointments to people with limited transportation.
We work with many of the low income people in our community and understand the fragile nature of retaining housing,
especially during this COVID-19 season and exacerbated by the historical lack of affordable housing in our community.
We have great shelters in our community, but we need more. We need a full continuum of care that includes low
barrier housing, traditional shelter housing and supportive housing.
I am involved with a Housing is Healthcare grant through the Montana Healthcare Foundation and we are tasked with
researching housing resources and calculating the average cost of a homeless person to our community. A similar study
in Bozeman tracked eight homeless individuals for a year and the average cost was $28,305/person to taxpayer funded
systems (police, jail, ER and social service providers) for a total of $450,000. (https://mthcf.org/resources/report-
assessing-the-costs-of-chronic-homelessness-in-the-gallatin-valley/) The goal is to bring multiple agencies and programs
together in our community in order to create supportive housing that includes access to medical and mental health
support. I joined the Flathead Warming Center (FWC) Board because I know and work with unhoused individuals who
have lost limbs due to frostbite. I see the need for a low barrier shelter in our community.
The Flathead Warming Center provides warm and safe shelter during the winter months. As a low -barrier shelter it is
able to meet the needs of those who have nowhere else to go. The wide open floorplan, culture of respect and
community, and clear guidelines all work together to create a safe environment. Those who are homeless often spend
all day trying to access the basic services they need. The proposed FWC location on Meridian Road is an excellent
location because it is within walkable distance to a grocery store, the Post Office, United Way, Salvation Army and the
hospital. It is also on the route for Eagle Transit. Please help us as we work to help the unhoused in our community.
Winter is coming and the need is urgent.
Sincerely,
Jane Emmert
Director of ASSIST