Commissioners unwavering in message to stop enabling 'homeless lifestyle'

Flathead County commissioners are standing behind a letter they issued last week that asks the community to stop aiding the “homeless lifestyle” while pointing to a list of challenges they say the county is facing as a result of homeless individuals who have moved here.

Commissioner Randy Brodehl says the commissioners are asking citizens to stop handing out money and resources to people who have no intention of being citizens here.

“The narrative in this is not about people who are down on their luck in trying to be part of our community,” he told the Daily Inter Lake. “It's about transients who are moving here because we have services that have become available to them providing free meals and a place to sleep when they want it, but do not require anything in return such as drug treatment, alcohol treatment, and mental health behavior treatment.”

Commissioner Pam Holmquist says the board labored over the details of the letter for months and she’s heard from several individuals who no longer feel safe in their community including on the county trail system.

“We’ve had homeless people in our community for some time, but this is different than what has been seen before,” she said.

The letter also attributes growth in the number of homeless people in the Flathead Valley to an increase in services here aimed at assisting those individuals.

Commissioner Brad Abell said it’s time to hold people accountable for their lifestyle choices so those who are truly needy can receive assistance.

“The letter from the Commissioners is not an attempt to punish our local citizens,” he said in an email. “We are faced with an excess of lifestyle homeless people who are coming here to take advantage of the compassion and generosity of our community.”

AT THE SAME time, the commissioners are pointing to a list of challenges facing the county that they claim is a result of homeless individuals moving here. They outline debris left behind and attempts by individuals to sleep in buildings at the Flathead County Fairgrounds, trespassing at county buildings and the need for increased security measures at the ImagineIF library downtown as the impetus behind the letter.

“We are now tasked with adding increased security due to transients attempting to hide in county-owned buildings when they close, and to intervene when they threaten patrons accessing county buildings,” Abell said. “We have received multiple complaints of parents who tell us they can no longer use our county trail system because they feel threatened by transients camping on the system.”

Flathead County Fairgrounds Manager Sam Nunnally told county commissioners on Jan. 17 that 7 yards of “tents, sleeping bags, human waste, drug paraphernalia” had to be removed from the stalls in the barns at the fairgrounds.

The disposal of items occurred after fairgrounds staff was finally able to remove snow that had been blocking access for about eight weeks, Nunnally noted, while law enforcement has been called to remove people who have been sleeping at the fairgrounds.

The county has allocated $21,000 for security cameras at the library and committed $24,000 spread over the next eight years in its capital improvement plan for a restroom remodel at the request of the library.

“This bathroom remodel was in response to the escalating security issues observed in the ImagineIF library,” County Administrator Pete Melnick said.

In addition, the county says it's exploring the possibility of entering into a private security contract to maintain a uniformed presence at the county’s North Complex building on North Main Street. The contract for service could reach an estimated $100,000. A less costly alternative at an estimated $30,000, the county could designate a county employee to assist with security, according to Melnick.

“The vision is that his uniformed presence could be dispatched to locations to help with security and homelessness in county buildings and on county property,” he said. “Currently, custodial staff or senior employees are asked to deescalate incidents with the homeless.”

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office discovered someone sleeping in the lobby of the building, though Melnick says that is considered a unique occurrence.

The letter also blames an information network that is bringing homeless individuals from elsewhere. They claim to have learned about the network based on evidence provided by Whitefish Police Chief Bridger Kelch.

However, reached on Monday, Kelch said he never spoke to the commissioners directly and only advised the county that no such coordination is occurring but rather transients often use online networking when traveling. He said that Whitefish Police will take individuals to the shelter in Kalispell if asked, but it’s not a regular occurrence.

“Transients and homelessness in my opinion are two separate things,” Kelch said. “Transients move from location to location by choice and homelessness is not a choice”

THE LETTER has received both pushback and support from community members. During the commissioners meeting on Tuesday, the board heard from several people regarding the letter.

Cassidy Kipp, with Community Action Partnership, objected to a portion of the commissioners’ letter that connects the opening of a low barrier shelter and the fact that Kalispell has the second-highest homeless population in the state.

“We all know that this is not a new problem and to turn our backs on a whole segment of the population and forget that we are the No. 1 concentration of homeless veterans is doing a disservice to them,” she said. “We have an obligation to look at community based services to assist people. We don’t need to turn our backs on homeless veterans or those who have a chronically disabling condition. If we turn our back on those with chronic issues, we are going to have a much larger problem.

Larry Lautaret, pastor of Flathead Ekklesia, said the commissioners have raised a profound topic noting that a small percentage of people are causing problems.

“Merely giving free stuff to the irresponsible doesn’t work,” he said. “Nor does incarceration alone. People unable to care for themselves due to addiction, mental, physical and emotional issues should be cared for, not just left to die, or fend for themselves at the expense of others.”

John Lacey asked the county commissioners to educate themselves about homelessness, and specifically about the Sparrow’s Nest of Northwest Montana that assists unaccompanied homeless high school students.

“It is unfortunate that this organization needs to exist because high school students don’t have a safe place to live without,” he said “Whatever choices you think high school students make, they do not choose to not have a safe place to sleep at night.”

Cindy Basnett said the community needs to find ways to make sure that homeless individuals are following the rules while getting assistance, but that doesn’t mean they are being pushed aside.

“If people can’t follow the rules we have to have institutions to help them,” she said. “It’s true that not all the homeless people are breaking the rules, but we need to keep people safe.”

Kyle Waterman told commissioners that those who are being served in shelters are local.

“This has been a long-term issue in the Flathead,” he said. “We need to make sure that locals can remain in the community.”

Ron Gerson urged the commissioners to lead with constructive conversation.

“We need a guide and somebody that lobbies for this community,” he said. “We don’t need people who are going to tear down the services that have been built in the community. What you have said in your letter is the equivalent of saying that because we have doctors people get sick and that’s not accurate.”

COMMISSIONERS IN the letter say there is a correlation between the opening of a low barrier shelter and a “dramatic increase in homeless individuals.” Though not named specifically, the Flathead Warming Center in Kalispell is the only low barrier shelter in the community.

Holmquist says she remains a supporter of the Samaritan House and praised the work done by the organization and the Flathead Warming Center to assist homeless people with shelter during a cold snap in December.

“This has been unfairly portrayed as us being uncaring for all homeless people, but I think that’s untrue,” she said in regard to the letter. “The issues and experiences people are relaying to us as having related to homeless people – we represent them too.”

For her part, Holmquist says she plans to lobby the state Legislature to increase funding for mental health services, while also noting that the county should not be in the business of constructing housing for people.

“I don’t believe the state has done a really good job of funding mental health treatment including a mental health treatment facility,” she said. “The biggest way to create change is to work with the governor and the state to seek funding for mental health services. But we also have to stand up to the new homeless who are coming here.”

Brodehl too echoed the need for increasing mental health services in the valley, and said that alcohol and drug use are contributing factors in the increase in “transients” here. He said arresting individuals only stresses an already full county jail and “does nothing to help people who are not looking for help.”

“We have no intention of punishing anyone,” he said in an email. “We are asking our citizens to stop handing out money and resources to people who are only takers and have no intention of being citizens here. Should we welcome this abuse of taxpayer dollars? Should we turn a blind eye to the risk and damage we are facing because of the welcome mat that has been out? We are asking for our citizens to help us reverse the damage that is being done today.”

Features Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com. Reporter Adrian Knowler contributed to this story.