By Along the streets of downtown Helena, tents and makeshift shelters have become a more
common sight, reflecting a growing struggle with homelessness in the city.
This growing problem has been noticed on the city and state level, and they are trying to figure out a solution to keep the public health at its best.
According to KXLH news, a group called United Way of the Lewis and Clark Area (UWLCA) conducted a survey to get an understanding of the homeless situation.
The United Way was created in 1887 in Denver, Colorado, by a priest, two ministers, and a rabbi. There are currently approximately 1100 United Ways in the US and another 700 around the world. The United Way of the Lewis and Clark Area was founded in 1941.
After conducting their surveys, United Way discovered that there are about 181 people who are unsheltered. The survey had a variety of questions, like, “Where did you sleep tonight?”
The surveys came in a week after the Supreme Court ruled that the city can enforce bans
on homeless camps. Helena doesn’t enforce a total ban, but the city still has camp restrictions.
Staying overnight is prohibited in any public or natural park within the city limits without permission from the city’s parks and recreation department, according to the Helena city code.
A professor at Carroll College and a local business owner in downtown Helena, Annette Ryerson, says that the homeless must not be feared, but treated with respect.
“We have to clean up their camps outside our store to make sure it looks nice,” said Ryerson when asked how she handles it. “But we never throw away their belongings.”
Ryerson is an Associate Professor of Marketing in the Business Department at Carroll College.
The homeless live along the side of the buildings and sometimes those areas can get overcrowded.
Ryerson suggests that the goal should not be “getting rid” of the homeless, but rather to help those in need.
