Supporters of the Flathead Warming Center take to the streets to show solidarity with the homeless

Nov. 13 – The Flathead Warming Center hosted a welcome party for shelter guests on Monday after reopening for overnight stays last week.

About 50 people, made up of shelter volunteers and supporters, gathered to walk along Kalispell’s North Meridian Road during the evening hours of Nov. 11. Organizers said the event aimed to create a warm environment for homeless people who often walk the busy roads. street to get to the Warming Center.

Many held signs that read “We take care of each other in the Flathead” or “All welcome,” paired with an orange balloon at their side.

The shelter reopened to overnight guests on Nov. 7 after federal Judge Dana Christensen ruled that the low-barrier homeless shelter could remain open amid the ongoing lawsuit against the city of Kalispell.

The Kalispell City Council voted in September to revoke the Warming Center’s conditional use permit, allowing it to operate as a homeless shelter. Council members cited complaints from neighbors that homeless people using the shelter were having a negative effect on the neighborhood.

In response, a national nonprofit law firm, the Institute for Justice, filed a federal lawsuit in support of the shelter, arguing that the city had unlawfully revoked its permit.

Leanette Galaz organized the walk and is a community organizer who specializes in rallying support around housing issues in the province. She said the walk along North Meridian Road is a means to “challenge public perception of (the road) and safety when the Warming Center is in operation,” she said.

Warming Center chairman and co-founder Luke Heffernan said the event, held on Veterans Day, was also to show support for former service members. The shelter counts homeless veterans among its clients, he said.

Dana Leys was among those holding an orange balloon as she walked in support of the shelter. Leys said she was homeless about a decade ago while living in Redding, California. She has lived in Kalispell for the past eight years and wanted to take to the streets to show support for the shelter.

“I feel a calling to show the homeless that there is hope, that they can get out,” she said. “I want the community to know that it’s not just a lost cause, but it’s actually helping people.”

Collette Durante and her daughter Andreya Grozik have lived in several cities across the country and in Montana. They moved to Kalispell because of the small, close-knit community and were happy when they heard the shelter was reopening.

“I was very happy when they were allowed to sleep there again. It was horrible to imagine what they did when they had nowhere to go,” Durante said.

“We believe that this really shouldn’t be a political issue, it should be a community issue,” said Grozik, noting that the lack of affordable housing is a widespread problem.

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at [email protected] and 758-4407.