Heather Grenier, the CEO of the Human Resources Development Council in Bozeman, which runs the Warming Center shelter and other housing programs, said Wednesday that ticketing people is not a productive way to address the homelessness crisis.
“Our hope is that communities react now and in the future with services,” Grenier said. “I think there’s a need have a way to hold people accountable that is really incredibly important, but it has to be paired with pathways to folks for access to services.”
In Bozeman, Ordinance 2147 passed last year sets time, place and manner restrictions on where people can sleep outside, including in cars or RVs parked on city streets. The ordinance requires people to move every 30 days, and prohibits camping near schools, homes or businesses.
The city is planning to hold a work session in front of the city commission on August 6, to review how the ordinance’s implementation has been going and how the Supreme Court decision could affect the city.
Read full story on Bozeman Daily Chronicle.