New restroom facilities open at Missoula's Johnson Street Shelter

The Johnson Street Shelter unveiled its new restroom facilities on Thursday, July 11, bringing a much-needed upgrade to the facility.

The shelter previously only had porta potties which were widely regarded by both people staying at the shelter and the staff as inadequate.

The new facilities consist of two men's and women's bathrooms — each containing four stalls — as well as two all-gender shower rooms and two ADA-accessible shower rooms.

The facilities are modular which means they can be picked up and moved within a day to another location.

The Missoula Economic Partnership provided $239,000 in funding for the project through private donations. The Missoula Redevelopment Agency also provided $500,000 from tax increment funding.

“The story that I heard that really captures how important this is is the story of a woman who was at this shelter and experiencing homelessness but still had her job and was trying to make things work," said Missoula Economic Partnership President and CEO Grant Kier.

"She was getting up every day and trying to get changed for work in a porta potty essentially, with no access to a shower except once a week," Kier continued. "And that is clearly not a way someone can lift themselves out of a situation.”

The new facilities are bringing a much-needed upgrade and will allow those using the Johnson Street Shelter to have access to showers as well as now having a dedicated space to get ready.

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