Support for Flathead Warming Center Public Comment from RoseAimee Brunckhorst
From: Rose Powell <rosepowe1110@googlemail.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 13, 2024 12:07 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: EXTERNAL Support for Flathead Warming Center
Hello,
I'm a second year employee of the West Gate Mall. I regularly walk nearby the mall and FWC, ride
my bike to and from work, and have had countless experiences with the homeless in Kalispell, almost
every day. None of my experiences have led me to want to restrict their only access to shelter.
As I'm sure has been made apparent in the crowded public meeting on the issue, the homelessness
crisis arose in 2020, when mental health resources were cut, many businesses fired employees, and
housing and food prices began to inflate. As a seasonal worker that has been all over the country, I
can assure you the homeless population has exploded everywhere during the pandemic, not just in
Kalispell.
I understand the concern for public safety and crime reduction in the Flathead Valley. I lived in
Tennessee for 5 years before and during the pandemic, where there are 15 homeless people per
10,000 people (2023, thecentersquare.com). Reportedly, 58.0% were unsheltered, the 16th highest
share among states (2023, thecentersquare.com). In 2021, 1 was actually a victim of sexual
harassment and indecent exposure by a homeless person suffering from addiction, whom I
didn't know. While the event was extremely traumatic, it did nothing but make me wish he had
been able to check into a homeless shelter and be referred to the medical services he needed
to think and act in a healthy way. Unlike in Tennessee, the FWC turned almost 15% of its guests to
inpatient treatments in the 2022-23 season (2023, flatheadwarmingcenter.org). If the FWC ceases to
operate in its current, highly accessible location, the homeless population will not go away. In fact,
they will have nowhere to go, and will end up not being referred to medical facilities, will be
trespassing more, and "bothering" the public at a much higher rate.
Remember, anyone can become homeless at any time. What facilities would you want to be
available if such unfortunate circumstances happened to you? Your family? Your neighbors?
Please keep the FWC in business, for the sake of the entire population of Kalispell. I can assure you that
closing this facility will do nothing but exacerbate the concerns already brought to your attention.
Rose
Flathead Resident