Our View: Housing problems must be addressed

Trina Crawford from the Havre Salvation Army warned Havre City Council last week about a crisis looming in the city.

The number of homeless people is on the rise because of a housing shortage and a host of other problems, she said.

The Salvation Army budget is quickly becoming depleted, she said.

The housing crisis became especially acute during January and February, when the Montana weather was especially bad.

The shortage affected not only the transients and single males, though they certainly deserve help, too, but entire families.

Crawford suggested that the city and Hill County combine efforts to open a shelter where people can stay during cold weather. There can be barracks-style rooms, she said, with private places for families to stay.

City and county employees could oversee operations in the shelter, she suggested.

Hill County is already facing tough economic times, and the city is hardly awash in funds.

But it’s hard to argue with Crawford that something has to be done, and government is the best place to turn to as a last resort.

But such a solution is at best a patchwork solution. Putting people in shelters will keep them alive and fed, but is no way to solve the long-range problem.

The city is short of affordable housing.

We hope city, county and state officials, along with groups such as Bear Paw Development Corp. can work to attract more private developers to rehabilitate existing housing or build new apartments.

Havre may be on the cusp of an economic upturn because of its proximity to the Bakken oil region.

There are lots of advantages to the upswing, but as communities to the east of us are aware, there will be problems. Housing will be one.

We hope local officials realize the importance of affordable housing to hard-working people who are caught in a bind.