Neighbors and businesses near the Flathead Warming Center in Kalispell say the shelter is increasing the presence of unhoused people. The shelter disputes those claims.
In July, the council delayed a vote on whether to revoke the Warming Center’s permit to stay open. Council members asked residents and the shelter to resolve their disagreements.
Warming Center director Tonya Horn told MTPR that neighbors' and businesses’ requests were unreasonable. They included hired security in the neighborhood, and that the shelter only serve people who've lived in the area for two years.
Kalispell Chamber of Commerce President Lorraine Clarno is serving as a mediator. She said a second scheduled meeting in August was called off.
The council is set to vote on the shelter’s permit Sept. 16. Horn says the shelter will take the city to court if its permit is revoked.
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A Flathead Valley homeless shelter has settled its lawsuit against Kalispell for revoking its permit. The Kalispell City Council effectively closed the Flathead Warming Center’s doors to overnight guests. -
It’s been a week since a Kalispell homeless shelter reopened its doors for overnight stays. A judge ruled the shelter can operate while the larger case over its permit plays out. Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton talked to people benefiting from a warm bed. -
A homeless shelter in Kalispell has reopened its doors after the city shut it down earlier this year. A judge ruled that the shelter can operate while the court case over the city’s actions plays out. -
Homeless people in Kalispell say they could freeze to death on the streets this winter after city officials closed a warming shelter. The shelter is suing the city to reopen before the snow flies.
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A homeless shelter in Kalispell is taking the city to court after the city council revoked its permit to operate. The shelter’s lawyers expect this to be an important case nationally.
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The Flathead Valley will not have a homeless shelter this winter. The Kalispell City Council voted Monday to revoke a local shelter’s permit to operate.
