$325,000 Bathroom and Shower Additions at Missoula Shelter
Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - One of the advantages that the majority of Missoula residents take for granted is to be able to wake up in the morning, use the bathroom, take a shower, and get ready for work or school.
For the homeless population who has been receiving food and shelter from the Johnson Street facility, up until this week they have had to wash, shave, and prepare for work inside the confines of a port-a-potty.
New Bathrooms and Showers Unveiled at Johnson Street Shelter
Missoula’s media were invited to see the newest feature at the Johnson Street Shelter; new showers, bathrooms, and handicap-accessible bathrooms that are now available to its clientele.
I spoke with Grant Kier, CEO of the Missoula Economic Partnership about what motivated him to get busy with this project.
MEP's Grant Kier Shared a 'Compelling Story' About the Importance of a Shower
“The story we were told, which was really compelling to me, is the story of an individual woman who lost her house but not her job, and she was here as a guest at the shelter, struggling every day to get dressed for work in a port-a-potty, with no access to a shower every day. I know a lot of employers for whom it would just be really hard for them to keep an employee who didn't shower for work every day. So for us, it was obvious.”
Kier said the project not only provides shelter residents with clean bathrooms and showers but also helps them feel a sense of normalcy that has been missing from their lives; and that it will save money, as well.
“This also has the added benefit of being in a public-private partnership, a way of saving the public taxpayer money,” he said. “We know that every dollar counts right now for so many people. We had philanthropists and businesses stepping up to contribute over $325,000 to this project, which made a huge difference in the ability to deliver this at a much more cost-effective rate.”
The Two Buildings House Six Toilets, Sinks, and Showers
I spoke with Ellen Buchanan, CEO of the Missoula Redevelopment Agency about the new additions to the shelter.
“These two buildings, which each house six toilets, six sinks, and two showers and have handicapped accessible units, can be picked up, put on a flatbed, and moved when they're no longer needed here,” said Buchanan. “They can go to a park that needs restroom facilities. They can go to the pallet homes out on Mullen Road that the county is operating (TSOS). They can be transported to special events.”
Buchanan referenced the cooperation of the Missoula Economic Partnership.
“Missoula Economic Partnership and Grant Kier understood the social impacts of this and the need and the desire of the community to step up and be a part of the funding,” she said. “So they, in conjunction with United Way, were able to raise over $300,000 and the MRA board approved $500,000 to backfill. Part of that is cash and part of that is in-kind donations.”
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Jill Bonny, Executive Director of the Poverello Center said the one comment most heard from those who stay at the shelter was ‘how nice they are, and that the community is valuing them enough to build something so nice’.
Builder and developer David Edgell was the project boss for the restrooms and shower additions.
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Gallery Credit: KC