Compassion and collaboration will prevail

With spring around the corner, all of us are looking for renewal and fresh growth. That includes the Flathead Warming Center, a seasonal shelter for the homeless that operates between October and April, with limited services throughout the warm weather months. This past winter was harsher than usual in more ways than one.

As just about everyone knows, the city of Kalispell revoked our permit to operate last September. Since then, temperatures dipped below zero multiple times. In such conditions, anyone attempting to sleep outside faces the likelihood of the loss of life or limb.  It’s an indisputable fact of life in the Flathead Valley. That’s why the Flathead Warming Center exists: to provide a warm and safe refuge for those with nowhere else to go.

Winter tested our community. We challenged the city’s revocation in federal court and were able to re-open in November after the judge ruled the Warming Center’s case was likely to prevail based on the permit revocation being unconstitutional. The people of Kalispell had difficult conversations about homelessness, property rights  and the role of government. Through it all, one thing has remained clear: the need for our services is great.

As we look ahead to spring, the Kalispell City Council is set to vote March 17 on ratifying a settlement agreement that will ensure the Warming Center’s permanent operation. This marks the end of a year-long saga — one that will put animosity behind us and open a new chapter rooted in collaboration. The agreement demonstrates that our community can come together to address homelessness with compassion and practical solutions.

Our victory in court and the settlement was not just a win for the Warming Center, but for the fundamental right to use private property for lawful and beneficial purposes.

In Montana, where respect for private property rights has been foundational since the days of the first settlers, this decision reaffirmed that private charities like ours have the right to use private property and private money to serve the community without undue government interference. Our case showed that no government has the power to shut down a private charity without due process, especially when lives are at stake.

Following our legal victory, the Warming Center could have continued its lawsuit against the city. Instead, we choose a different path — one of collaboration and reconciliation. With the help of our counsel at the nonprofit Institute for Justice, we worked with city officials to find a path forward. That effort has resulted in a settlement agreement that, when ratified, will allow the Warming Center to continue operating permanently. The agreement also establishes a framework for better communication between the city, the center and the community, ensuring that concerns can be addressed constructively rather than through legal battles.

This past year has been traumatic for the city, our organization, and those we serve. The public debate over our existence has often been dehumanizing, questioning the integrity of the Flathead Warming Center and reducing our guests to faceless stereotypes rather than recognizing them as individuals — mothers, fathers, veterans and community members. We are hopeful that, with this agreement, we can move past the rhetoric and work together to make Kalispell a place where no one is left out in the cold. We can do better. We can all do better.

To those who have supported us throughout this difficult time, thank you. Your voices, donations, and volunteer hours have kept us going. To those who have opposed us, we invite you to see the work we do firsthand. You may be surprised by all that we do.

We have many lines open for constructive communication. Homelessness is a complex issue, and no single organization can solve it alone. But by working together — rather than against one another — we can ensure that Kalispell remains a compassionate community that takes care of its own.

Winter will come again, and there will always be people in our community who have nowhere else to go. There remains much more work to be done, and we press forward with collaboration and compassion rather than animosity. Please join us.  

Flathead Warming Center Board of Directors: Luke Heffernan (chair), Darrin Andrews (vice-chair), Haley Barrile (treasurer), Anita Lavin (secretary), Nick Aemisegger, Kyle Heinecke, Bethany Johnson, Jack Lavin, Roger Nasset and Jeffrey Scogin.