Holiday Cheer amidst Challenges | Navigating Solutions with Clair Bopp
This month’s blog is written by Clair Bopp, Director of Shelter Services
All year, staff at the Poverello prepare for the winter season. When receiving donations, we ask each other: “should we store this for winter?” We operate like an old-west homestead, thinking not only about the immediate concerns, but also the challenges that are on the horizon. Once snowstorms finally descend on us, we know it’s go-time.
During the cold winter nights, we get much busier, often reaching our capacity of 150 people. Our sleeping spaces are packed full, and staff and guests alike can sometimes feel overwhelmed.
However, there’s often also a cozy feeling during the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Despite the cold, people are in good cheer. In years past, I’ve even received small Christmas presents from guests with whom I worked closely: little chocolates or trinkets show that for our guests, this season is still about taking care of the people you care about.
This holiday season, Missoula has less available emergency shelter than it has in the last few years. Without the Johnson Street shelter, we are not able to provide services for as many people, and we’re feeling the difference. As I’ve discussed in other blogs, our staff build meaningful relationships with our guests, and knowing that guests are out in the cold can be demoralizing. Not being able to provide for as many people leaves our staff feeling like some family members couldn’t make it for Christmas dinner: we miss them, and we worry about them. For all of our staff, who are committed to serving Missoula’s most vulnerable neighbors, this is an incredibly hard challenge.
There is an available option for overflow shelters for our coldest nights. The Missoula Interfaith Collaborative, as well as a few churches in our city, are stepping up to provide limited sleeping space on nights when the temperature feels like ten degrees or below. This solution is a scrappy response to a real challenge, and we are immensely grateful for the lives it will save.
However, this solution is not permanent or sustainable. As winter progresses, our guests will continue to struggle with the elements, and it is likely we will lose members of our community to the cold. The gaps in our systems that have led us here are heartbreaking, and we are deeply committed to doing everything we can to prevent any tragedies.
That’s why your support matters to us: every meal, every night of shelter, and every piece of warm winter gear that our community provides makes a difference and has the potential to save a life. Donate today at thepoverellocenter.org/donate, or sign up to volunteer at thepoverellocenter.org/volunteer to support our day-to-day work.