Support for the Flathead Warming Center Public Comment from Kyrah KirchnerAimee Brunckhorst
From: Kyrah Kirchner <kyrah1594@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, July 15, 2024 10:26 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: EXTERNAL Support for the Flathead Warming Center
Dear Kalispell Mayor and City Council,
My name is Kyrah Kirchner and I live in Kalispell. I am writing to urge the City Council to maintain the
Flathead Warming Center's Conditional Use Permit. Rather than restricting access to support for people
experiencing trying times, I urge the Council to instead expand affordable housing, improve Medicaid,
and enhance addiction and mental health services. The root cause of the problem of homelessness in
the Valley is not people having somewhere to go for help (the Warming Center) but is instead
skyrocketing housing costs, the criminalization of addiction and mental health problems, and lack of
adequate support systems to help people handle crises.
I am a Kalispell local, born and raised, and in my lifetime I have had the privilege of a family unit that can
support me when I have been at risk of losing housing or undergoing unexpected financial burdens. This
is not a privilege that many are born into. I have also experienced the privilege of stable mental and
physical health. Again, something I don't want to take for granted as 1 in 5 US adults and adolescents
have a mental disorder.
Places like the Warming Center create a buffer for people who do not have these privileges to fall back
on. Removing that buffer will only increase the societal burden by forcing them into extreme crises more
easily.
The Council should consider the creation of a county -wide coalition to address homelessness, working
collaboratively with the county and other municipalities to develop actionable strategies. These efforts
will help make the Flathead a safer, more affordable, and more liveable place for all residents.
Thankyou foryour time and consideration, Kyrah Kirchner