Larger communities with more resources (and bigger homeless populations) often find the patchwork approach to services is not effective enough.
Housing Director Brian Guyer oversees shelters in Bozeman and Livingston.
“These shelters, run by HRDC, are open to anyone in need,” Guyer said. “They are community funded and we are dependent on support from donations and some foundation support. In Bozeman the services started in the early 2000s, after a person sleeping outside in winter climbed into an empty U-Haul and froze to death. That prompted a community outcry.”
Guyer said the Bozeman shelter began with about a dozen beds in a building at the fairgrounds; then moved to a former roller skating rink. It has operated year-round since 2021, seeing about 130 people a night, and is run by paid staff and some volunteers. All staff and volunteers are trained in de-escalation techniques.
“We may need to remove a person due to them not following the behavior agreement, but this is a low barrier shelter. People are allowed to stay if they can follow the rules. We work hand in hand with the police department,” Guyer said.
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