Community Collaboration Launches Winter Shelters In Missoula

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On January 14, 2026, the City of Missoula announced that the Missoula Interfaith Collaborative and the Poverello Center, along with their partners, have launched an Emergency Weather Overflow Space program for protecting unsheltered Missoulians in severe weather.

According to Communications Director Ginny Merriam, it will provide overflow warm and safe space for unsheltered neighbors when forecasted overnight low temperatures will effectively “feel like” 10 degrees Fahrenheit or lower and the Poverello Center is near or at capacity.

“The program will shelter up to 40 people on nights that meet the criteria,” said Merriam. “Local faith congregations are providing the overflow space. The Interfaith Collaborative is providing volunteers. Volunteers will transport guests from the Poverello Center to the on-call host congregations, provide nightly oversight of overflow space operations, and clean the space the following mornings.”

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“The bigger picture here is that in Missoula, we’re heading on a good trajectory on housing,” said Casey Dunning, executive director of the Interfaith Collaborative. “One of the community-wide shifts is that Missoulians see these challenges as community challenges. It is our responsibility as people and as congregations. We know that people lack shelter, and it’s our responsibility to help.”

The program is the result of an “audacious vision” in the community, he said. Congregations have asked how they can help, and the program offers the opportunity. The collaboration has set up a system that helps individuals and congregations put their values into action.

“I am grateful for our community partners, coming together to provide thoughtful coordination to help people access warm spaces when the temperatures drop significantly,” Mayor Andrea Davis said. “These kinds of collaborations show the heart of Missoula.”

Merriam said the partners include multiple faith congregations, the City of Missoula and Missoula County, which have provided financial support, the YWCA, and Family Promise. The Poverello Center will activate the program on nights when the criteria are met, with the goal of a 24-hour notice using weather forecasts and activation by 10 a.m. The City will provide results tracking and coordination.

“When winter weather becomes dangerous, it’s not a time for silos, it’s a time for neighbors to come together,” said Poverello Center Executive Director Jill Bonny. “This partnership means fewer people are left out in the cold on the hardest nights."

The First United Methodist Church is a participating congregation.

“We’re a stronger community when we come together to help those in the greatest need,” says Rev. John Daniels, pastor of the First United Methodist Church, one of the overflow facilities providing emergency space. “What we do with our efforts defines not only who we are, but what we believe in regarding our fellow human beings. Helping those in need should always be a societal priority.”