Missoula County, Poverello Center to Partner on Temporary Safe Outdoor Space

The Temporary Safe Outdoor Space will continue to serve residents experiencing homelessness thanks to a new partnership between Missoula County and the Poverello Center. 

The Missoula County commissioners voted Tuesday to approve an agreement with the Poverello Center to staff and operate the TSOS, which for the last six years has served as a secure, staffed environment for people experiencing homelessness who are not accessing existing services or resources. Hope Rescue Mission originally staffed and operated the site until announcing a plan earlier this year to wind down operations as the organization focuses on different priorities.   

Initially set up in collaboration with United Way of Missoula County and Hope Rescue Mission in response to the Covid pandemic, the TSOS has become a model for how to successfully offer people experiencing homelessness a safe space to live while connecting them to appropriate, sustainable housing resources and providing a reliable location for case managers and service providers to reach them. It’s located on County-owned land at Mullan Road and Broadway near the detention facility and includes 30 hard-sided shelters with beds, lockable doors, windows, electricity, heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.  

“No single organization can solve homelessness on its own,” said Jill Bonny, Poverello Center executive director. “TSOS is a good example of what’s possible when local government, nonprofits and service providers work together around practical solutions. The Poverello Center is excited to take on this role and continue working with our community partners to help people move from homelessness into stable housing.” 

The TSOS, which also continues to receive organizational support from United Way, has served hundreds of people and helped them move onto a secure housing solution since it opened in 2020. It houses approximately 35 to 40 people at a time. The goal is to start moving residents on site again starting Nov. 1. 

The two-year, $800,000 agreement with the Poverello Center will be funded through the repayment of mental health funding the County loaned to Western Montana Mental Health Center in 2023. 

A recording of the Sept. 22 public administrative meeting is online at https://www.youtube.com/c/missoulacounty.  More information on the TSOS is available online at missoula.co/tsos.