PBS NewsHour | Montana city grapples with rise of people living in vehicles | Season 2024 | ThinkTV

IN SOME CITIES WITH GROWING NUMBERS OF HOMELESS PEOPLE, THE ISSUE GOES BEYOND ENCAMPMENTS IN PUBLIC PLACES.

THEY’RE ALSO COPING WITH MORE PEOPLE LIVING IN CARS AND RV’S PARKED ON CITY STREETS.

MONTANA PBS’ JOE LESAR REPORTS ON HOW CITY LEADERS IN BOZEMAN, MONTANA, ARE DEALING WITH THE TENSIONS BROUGHT ON BY THIS MORE VISIBLE DISPLAY OF HOMELSSNESS.

>> I WILL TELL YOU, MAN, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THICK SKIN OUT HERE.

>> THE WINDOW BROKE OUT.

IT IS COMPLETELY GONE.

JOE STEVE AND BELINDA ANKNEY : HAVE BEEN LIVING IN THEIR TRAILER ON THE STREETS OF BOZEMAN FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS.

>> WE TAKE PLATES AROUND, OR IF PEOPLE ARE HAVING A HARD TIME AND THEY’RE NOT EATING THEY’LL STOP BY AND ASK IF WE CAN HELP IN ANY WAY.

JOE THE RISING COST OF LIVING : HAS ONLY COMPOUNDED ISSUES THEY’VE BEEN FACING FOR YEARS.

>> I WAS RAISED WITH THE DRUGS, I WAS RAISED WITH THE ALCOHOL.

IT’S ALL I KNEW.

JOE BOTH HAVE STRUGGLED WITH : ADDICTION.

BELINDA WORKS FULL TIME AT A RESTAURANT, BUT HEALTH ISSUES MADE WORSE BY INCONSISTENT ACCESS TO CARE HAVE AFFECTED STEVEN’S ABILITY TO WORK.

BELINDA: ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS IS THAT WE WANT TO BE HERE AND WE ARE NOT TRYING TO GET OUT.

JOE: BELINDA’S LEGAL TROUBLES ADD ANOTHER BARRIER TO SECURING HOUSING.

BELINDA: THE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, THE DRUG ISSUES, IN AND OUT OF INCARCERATION, NOT GETTING THE RIGHT HELP, NOT BEING ON THE RIGHT MEDS.

JOE: URBAN CAMPING, AS IT’S BEEN NAMED, HAS INCREASED BY 200% IN THE LAST 2 YEARS, ACCORDING TO CITY OFFICIALS.

IT’S A GROWING ISSUE THAT’S INCREASINGLY DIVIDING BOZEMAN.

>> IF BOZEMAN IS TOO EXPENSIVE TO LIVE IN, CHOOSE ANOTHER PLACE TO LIVE.

>> IT FEELS MORE LIKE A WARZONE WITH ALL THIS HOUSING CRISIS AND NO SOLUTION TO ANYTHING.

>> BOZEMAN DOESN’T OWE ANYBODY ANYTHING.

>> I’VE NEVER BEEN IN A CITY WHERE THERE’S SO MUCH CONFLICT OVER THIS HOMELESSNESS THING.

JOE: TO TACKLE THIS GROWING ISSUE, BOZEMAN RECENTLY IMPLEMENTED A NEW ORDINANCE LIMITING CAMPING IN THE SAME SPOT TO 30 DAYS, WITH THE OPTION OF FILING FOR AN EXTENSION.

THERE ARE RULES ABOUT KEEPING CAMPS CLEAN, AND AFTER THREE WARNINGS, $25 CIVIL PENALTIES WILL BE ISSUED.

IF UNSANITARY CONDITIONS CONTINUE, THE CITY CAN CLEAR A CAMP 72 HOURS AFTER GIVING NOTICE.

BUT SOME ARE CRITICIZING CITY LEADERS FOR PUTTING TOO MUCH OF A BURDEN ON THE UNHOUSED.

OTHERS FEEL THEY ARE BEING TOO LENIENT.

MAYOR TERRY CUNNINGHAM SAYS THE RULES ABOUT WHERE CAMPING WILL BE ALLOWED WILL HELP MAKE THE SITUATION MORE MANAGEABLE.

>> YOU CANNOT BE PARKED IN FRONT OF A BUSINESS.

YOU CANNOT BE PARKED IN FRONT OF A SCHOOL, CHILD CARE FACILITY, RESIDENCE, ETC.

SO NARROWING THE AREAS THAT IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO CAMP IN FRONT OF IS IMPORTANT SO WE CAN GET SOME LEVEL OF PREDICTABILITY AND CONTROL.

JOE: BUT MANY CAMPS ARE ALREADY IN COMPLIANCE WITH THOSE RULES.

A GROUP OF BUSINESSES ARE SUING THE CITY, ALLEGING THAT IT IS REFUSING TO ENFORCE EXISTING LAWS WITHIN THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS.

ANDREW HINNENKAMP RUNS ONE OF THE BUSINESSES INVOLVED IN THE LAWSUIT.

ANDREW: EARLY ON, WE HAD SOME THEFT OF SERVICES ON THE PROPERTY.

WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A HARASSMENT INTERACTION WITH AN EMPLOYEE AND ONE OF THE INDIVIDUALS.

>> HOMELESSNESS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ON THE RADAR.

THIS WITH URBAN CAMPING COME UP MORE CARS, THIS IS A RECENT PHENOMENON.

JOE: BECAUSE OF THE GENERATORS, NEW MODEL CARS AND TV ANTENNAS, THERE’S A SENTIMENT IN BOZEMAN THAT PEOPLE ARE CHOOSING TO CAMP IN ORDER TO SAVE MONEY ON HOUSING.

CITY OFFICIALS ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE DOING THAT, AND WILL BE ASKED TO MOVE ON.

BUT – – MOVE ON.

BUT FIGURING OUT WHO THOSE PEOPLE ARE COMES WITH CHALLENGES.

>> ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES IS HAVING THAT DISCUSSION AND ASKING, WHY ARE YOU CURRENTLY HOMELESS?

THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PROVIDE US WITH THAT INFORMATION AND ARE OFTEN UNCOMFORTABLE ANSWERING THAT TYPE OF QUESTION.

JOE: THE POPULATION OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN BOZEMAN HAS INCREASED BY 50% SINCE 2020.

AND THE GROUPS PROVIDING SERVICES TO THIS GROWING POPULATION HAVE STRUGGLED TO MEET THE DEMAND.

>> AS A RESULT OF COVID, THERE WAS THIS BIG UPTICK IN DEMAND AND THERE WAS THIS OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT, AND NOW THE OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT HAS DROPPED OFF.

BUT THE DEMAND HAS STAYED UP AT THIS LEVEL AND THE RESOURCES ARE VERY INSUFFICIENT TO MEET THE NEED.

JOE: HEATHER GREINER, WHO RUNS THE NONPROFIT HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, SAYS HER ORGANIZATION’S CASELOAD IS AT CAPACITY, AND THERE ARE NOT MANY ALTERNATIVES AVAILABLE.

HEATHER: IT’S REMARKABLY DIFFICULT BECAUSE THERE’S NO PATHWAY FOR US TO HELP THEM, THERE’S NO HOUSING, THERE’S NO RENTAL ASSISTANCE TO HELP THEM GET INTO A HOUSING UNIT, EVEN IF THERE WERE A HOUSING UNIT, THERE’S NO TRANSITIONAL HOUSING.

JOE: USAGE OF HRDC’S OVERNIGHT SHELTER HAS NEARLY DOUBLED SINCE 2019.

SOME OF THAT NEED SHOULD BE EASED WHEN THEIR NEW 24/7 OVERNIGHT SHELTER OPENS, BUT THAT’S NOT EXPECTED UNTIL NEXT YEAR.

GRENIER BELIEVES THIS NEWER, MORE VISIBLE FORM OF HOMELESSNESS HAS CAUSED A SHIFT IN ATTITUDES AROUND BOZEMAN.

HEATHER: JUST THE GENERAL SENTIMENT THAT EVERYONE DESERVES A SAFE, WARM PLACE TO SLEEP IS NOT — DOESN’T REALLY RESONATE WITH EVERYONE ANYMORE.

BELINDA: ARE WE OUT?

ARE WE OUT FOR REAL?

STEPHEN: NO, IT IS HEATING UP.

I DON’T KNOW.

JOE: CAUGHT BETWEEN A LACK OF SERVICES AND A FRUSTRATED COMMUNITY ARE PEOPLE LIKE STEVEN AND BELINDA.

STEPHEN: THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE IN BOZEMAN.

IT IS JUST OVERSHADOWED, THE UGLY OVERSHADOWS THE GOOD.

WE ARE HAVING THE STRUGGLES AND WE ARE HAVING THESE PROBLEMS.

BUT WE ARE GOING TO MAKE IT TO THE OTHER SIDE.

JOE: FOR PBS NEWS WEEKEND, I’M JOE LESAR.