Letters to the editor Jan. 27

Applauds open dialogue

This letter is support of the Flathead County Commissioner’s open letter in regard to the homeless problem.

I commend the commissions for opening the dialogue and discussion in regard to the problem.

The problem is real and getting worse. I have two friends most recently have been impacted, for example, one just sold his home near the warming center because of the problem in his neighborhood. The other who took his young children to the new Parkline Trail and encountered many homeless, trash and did not feel safe. He said he would not go back.

I am all for helping people in need. However, we cannot continue to do the same thing and expect a different result. One only has to look at any big city and see their problem. LA County for example, has seen a doubling of their homeless population since 2019 and has spent $1 billion per year, that’s billion with “B” on the problem. Their homeless population currently stands over 66,000 individuals.

The only way this gets solved is with open dialogue and a comprehensive plan, that includes getting drug and mental health evaluations, services and support and helping people who want help. There needs to be measurable ways to determine a person’s progress. This cannot be an open checkbook.

— Phil Snow, Bigfork

This is not who we are, Flathead

In a recent effort to address homelessness, the Flathead County commissioners shared a letter with the public condemning homelessness and giving advice to locals about how it should be handled. They shared their feelings that if we provide infrastructure to help the homeless, we will increase the homeless problem in the area so the best action would be to ignore and even to take action to reduce the existing infrastructure.

Not only is this a false assumption, but it is also heartless and cruel. We have seen a severe lack of affordable housing locally as well as nationally and internationally that has contributed to homelessness in our area and elsewhere. There is also myriad other reasons why homelessness has increased (lack of a living wage, divorce, abusive relationships, mental health issues) and I dare say some are also due to drug and alcohol use.

As commissioners, they can have a direct effect on this housing issue by regulating short-term rentals, improving health care, and providing assistance to local agencies, yet they prefer to focus on removing the assistance to aid that many of the unhoused rely upon.

One of the things that I have always loved about our local communities has been the way we come together and help those that need us when they are down. Countless times I have attended fundraisers, contributed to a GoFundMe campaign, or simply helped out those that I see are in need and what always strikes me is that we have a community of people that care for their neighbors and band together to help those in a bad situation.

Yet, here we have people in positions of leadership that are asking the community to do the exact opposite. This is not who we are, Flathead! I urge you to speak out and let your Commissioners know that this is not who we are. We help each other. We don’t kick people when they are down. We pick them up. Be better.

— Miriam Lewis, Whitefish

Warming Center saves lives

Our county commissioners have asked valley citizens to speak out about our experiences with the homeless.

As a volunteer at the Warming Center I have had the opportunity to see first hand just who the majority of the homeless are that reside in our community and sometimes stay at the Warming Center.

Simply put they are men, women and families who literally have no other place to lay their heads at night. To be sure, they would rather have their own home and bed, along with some privacy, than to be sleeping alongside 40-50 strangers. It’s not a lifestyle that most would choose.

If you drive by the Warming Center in the evening you will see vehicles parked outside. These belong to the working poor who sleep at the Warming Center because they are unable to afford the rent, if they can find a rental, in our valley.

From 6 p.m. to 10 a.m., the Warming Center provides beds and a warm place to be from late fall to early spring. Without the center we would surely have people freezing to death as has occurred in other Montana cities.

I’ve come to know who my neighbors are that sleep at the Warming Center. Almost without exception, they are us. They are us dealing with difficult life situations. Instead of stigmatizing these individuals, let’s do the hard work. I know there are bright minds in our community with insightful ideas and kind hearts.

If we lead with compassion, and not judgment, I believe our community can come together and solve the problem of homelessness in our valley.

— Jean Paschke, Kalispell