News
Navigating Solutions with Jill Bonny | Looking to the Future
Some years ask more of a community than others.
2025 was one of those years.
It brought significant and unexpected challenges for the Poverello Center. In March, we learned that the Johnson Street Emergency Shelter would be closing earlier than we had planned, a shift that required us to quickly reassess our operations and our path forward.
A Holiday Letter from Jill
At the Poverello Center, the holiday season is when we come together to serve delicious holiday meals to hundreds of people, greet kind-hearted donors who bring socks and warm clothes, and feel immense gratitude for a community that truly cares.
But we know this season is also bittersweet. For many of our guests, the holidays can be a reminder of what they don’t have. While the world sings about being home for the holidays, they spend the day in a crowded shelter.
Volunteer Spotlight: David’s Angels
Organizer Judy Sass and her team brought trays of cookies, goodie bags of warm socks and hats, and lots of gear. “I don’t know exactly how much we brought,” Judy said, “but we had 54 pairs of new women’s snow boots, and almost as many men’s boots. Last year, we ran out of hoodies, so I bought lots more for this year. I want this to be the year that no one is cold.”
Partner Spotlight: Heritage Timber
If you’ve driven on Johnson Street recently, you may have wondered: what is happening to the building? Our partners at Heritage Timber have been working onsite for just over a month, and have great news to share about the materials of the building. Says owner Becky Douglas, “We’ll be able to save at least 90% of the material, to keep it from going to the landfill.”
Staff Spotlight: Shelly
“I’ve learned how much we can help people,” she says. By just providing a bed for the night and a hot meal, Shelly believes the Pov makes a huge difference for people in our community. And the overnight shift is especially integral to the mission: “during the day, you’re always doing something, helping someone get what they need. During the night shift, we have time to clean, do chores, and make sure the building is good to go for another day.”
Navigating Solutions with David Heffner | Making Thanksgiving Dinner for Missoula
We often compare the Poverello Center kitchen to a game of “Chopped.” Just like the popular TV challenge show, our kitchen team starts each day with a haul of seemingly random ingredients, the vast majority of it donated from local grocery stores and community partners. Our job is to parse through the food we have and create a filling, nutritious meal that also tastes delicious.
Navigating Solutions with Arynn Payne | Healing and Hope in Medical Respite
Imagine being discharged from the hospital with stitches still fresh, pain medication in hand, and nowhere to go: no bed, no quiet place to heal or call your doctor to ask a question about your recovery. Your immediate concern would be finding a comfortable place to lay your head.
Volunteer Spotlight: Megan Pfau
Megan Pfau is a local organic farmer who generously donated pumpkins to our Pumpkins for the Pov campaign!
She says she was inspired to donate pumpkins to this campaign because she believes in leaving everything better than she found it, whether that’s her family farm, the nutrition of her neighbors, or the Poverello Center’s kitchen.
Program Spotlight: Direct Care
Working with people in crisis is a strenuous job. Over time, staff members form close relationships with guests. They hear their stories, connect with their struggles, bond over movies or video games, and hope for the best for people. Watching victories, like someone getting a job or moving into housing, is always exciting. However, when someone passes away, gets arrested, or stops connecting with their case worker or housing opportunities, it devastates staff members. It can be extremely emotional for people to see all the highs and lows that happen in shelter, and our direct care staff are managing these emotions every day.
Staff Spotlight: Dave Paddock
The Poverello Center often refers to our direct care staff as the “front line” of service providers, because they are the first people to see a guest when they enter the building. If you’ve stopped in for a meal, to drop off a donation, or to volunteer, you might have met Dave P, who has been on staff for a little over 3 years.
Navigating Solutions | A Port in a Storm: Steady Shelter through Change
Earlier this month, the Johnson Street Shelter closed. This is a huge loss for the community, and a major change for the Poverello Center, which oversaw the shelter for the five years it ran. As our organization undergoes a huge change, I am reminded of all the storms we have weathered here during my 16-year tenure.
Navigating Solutions | A Loss That Reminds Us Why We Do This Work
Last month, a guest of the Poverello Center tragically lost their life in a senseless and unpredictable car accident. Missoula locals may have noticed the stretch of Broadway in front of our building was closed off for a long time as officials investigated the incident. This was a horrible tragedy that deeply affected everyone in our shelter, from guests to staff.
Navigating Solutions | Housing Navigation for Missoula’s Most Vulnerable
As a long-time member of the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT), I’ve had the unique opportunity to see Missoula through a different lens: one shaped by daily, on-the-ground outreach and genuine relationships with our most vulnerable neighbors. These individuals are more than the faces we pass on the street – they become friends. By listening to their stories, I better understand what they need most and how we can help.
Staff Spotlight: Matt Brown
For Matt, a member of the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT), the success of our clients — especially those who are unsheltered or staying at the Johnson Street Shelter—hits close to home. In 2020 and 2021, Matt was staying at Johnson Street himself, navigating a difficult cycle of incarceration and addiction treatment.
Volunteer Spotlight: Alexis Cabezas
When Alexis Cabezas moved to Missoula for a job at Providence St. Patrick’s Hospital, her commute took her past the Poverello Center on Broadway each day. Where some might see a place that feels daunting, Alexis saw something different—an opportunity to learn more about her new community and to give back.
Program Spotlight: Homeless Outreach Team
The Poverello’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) is out in the Missoula community every day, building trust and offering support to our unhoused neighbors. This compassionate team of five does so much more than provide life-saving essentials like food, water, sleeping bags, and warm clothing—they build real relationships with the people they serve. By meeting people where they are, listening to their stories, and understanding their needs, they help connect them to shelter, housing opportunities, employment resources, case management, treatment centers, and more. Through kindness and consistency, HOT reminds every person they meet that they are seen, valued, and never alone.
Navigating Solutions with Stephanie Dolan | Over a Half-Century of Hope: The Annual Poverello Gala of Hope
Creating last year’s “Poverello Past & Future” Exhibit was a deep dive into 50 years of dedicated service, a mission that loves its people, and the history of Missoula as a place with a loving soul. I learned that the challenges we face now: community confusion and backlash, zoning issues, and funding shortages, are not new, but rather ongoing challenges.
Navigating Solutions with Kristian Stipe | How an Updated Approach Inspires Housing Progress
At the Poverello Center, we know that success isn’t a straight line, and that it looks different for everyone. Housing can take time, effort, and a few tries. For many guests at the Poverello Center, the Resident Volunteer (RV) program is an avenue to find employment and housing solutions.
Navigating Solutions with Frank Townsend | What the Johnson Street Shelter Taught me about Success, Strategy, and Community
Missoula is known for its open-minded, progressive spirit — a place where people value independence, community, and compassion. But this spirit only shines when we make room for everyone to live with dignity. Right now, we aren’t there. But we can be – if we choose to act.
Navigating Solutions with Clair Bopp | The Future Beyond Johnson Street: Our Commitment to Missoula
Over the past several years, the Johnson Street Shelter has been a true labor of love for our entire community. It has taken dedication, sacrifice, and incredible teamwork from our staff, guests, and supporters to keep it going—and in that time, it has saved lives.
Navigating Solutions with Clair Bopp | Data & Relationships
Over the course of nearly ten years at the Poverello Center, I have seen countless faces come through our shelter. Each one of them has a story, often complex and sometimes overwhelming.
