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The Flathead Warming Center Public Comment from Adam PitmanAimee Brunckhorst From: Ghostcat Productions <ghostpurr@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2024 12:21 PM To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment Subject: EXTERNAL The Flathead Warming Center [NOTICE: This message includes an attachment -- DO NOT CLICK on links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe.] Dear Kalispell City Council and Mayor, I was born and raised in the Flathead Valley and still live here after 44 years. My business partner, Jamie Goguen, and I decided last winter to investigate and create a documentary examining the nationwide homeless crisis and possible solutions that have worked for other cities. I saw my friend from my Whitefish school days (we were in school together all 12 years!) on the cover of a New York Times article detailing the homeless population in Kalispell. I was anguished to see that he is among the homeless in Kalispell and struggling with abuse from the Kalispell Community. He was born with a cognitive disability and cerebral palsy and his family was always absent. He never had any support. He was bullied relentlessly throughout school but he was kind and sensitive and never fought back. He's always been a good person. This story is anecdotal, as it's my own personal experience. It sounds like you're being inundated with anecdotes and it's not always easy to tell fact from fiction. After spending many days at the Warming Center filming this video, my friend and I realized we had to compile some of our documentary footage and make a short video to show the reality of this program. I rarely meet such compassionate and selfless human beings -- including the guests who are eager to become contributing members of society. (Many already are!) I was nervous going into this project based on the same negative anecdotes/allegations and misconceptions that are swirling around the community. I am profoundly changed after making this video. I hope you watch this video with an open heart and an open mind. Closing the Flathead Warming Center will only compound the problem. It is depriving fifty Flathead community members a night of warmth and shelter (not to mention, compassion!) during our coldest months. It deprives them of social services that meet them at the shelter and perform medical and mental health care, organizations that actively help guests get housing, obtain IDs and birth certificates, jobs, and on and on. Closing the FWC condemns a population that already has the world stacked against them, to find shelter and survive by any means necessary. And some may die from exposure. My friend is still on the street. I ran into him on my last day of filming at the shelter. I barely recognized him but saw those kind eyes and I knew him right away. Many thoughts went through my mind -- I wish I had the means to take care of him, to help him, to do something meaningful to improve his life. And then I realized I already was: https://youtu.be/Szl cba565WQ?si=A6XRrG9xgrtcaOUp Please keep communication open with the FWC staff and the guests and work out any issues. If you haven't already, please take time to visit the shelter, get to know these community members, and come up with solutions that benefit all. Jamie and Mike Goguen are champions for the Flathead Valley (Two BearAir Rescue, Two Bear Therapeutic Riding Center, The Whitefish Food Bank, etc.) and I implore you to team up with Jamie and utilize her extensive knowledge on this subject and her financial means to help be part of the solution. The whole community will be better for it! Thankyou, Adam Pitman � l.i Ghost Cat Productions Whitefish, MT