MSU to Host Forum on Homelessness as Bozeman Numbers Climb

BOZEMAN — As homelessness in Bozeman climbs to 523 individuals—up 28% in one year—Montana State University will host a forum Dec. 12 featuring the city officials and nonprofit CEO behind current response strategies.

The free online event, titled “Urban Camping and Homelessness in the Gallatin Valley: A Brief History, Stories from the Field and Strategies for the Future,” will run from noon to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom.

Heather Grenier, president and CEO of the Human Resource Development Council, will discuss policies, programs and partnerships addressing homelessness. Grenier has led HRDC since 2016 and oversees an organization with a $21 million annual operating budget.

HRDC received $9.4 million in federal and state grants and contracts in fiscal year 2024, representing 44.5% of its operating funds, according to the nonprofit’s annual report. When combined with $1.3 million in local government support, government funding totals $10.7 million, or 50.7% of HRDC’s operating budget.

The organization operates Homeward Point, Bozeman’s year-round emergency shelter, as well as the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and various poverty prevention programs across Southwest Montana.

Anna Saverud, Bozeman’s chief civil attorney, and Ben Bailey, the city’s neighborhood services and code compliance program manager, will join Grenier at the forum.

Bailey, a former Park County sheriff’s deputy, was hired nearly two years ago to enforce urban camping restrictions in Bozeman. His staff has issued more than 300 warnings and 42 citations since November 2023, when Bozeman passed an ordinance prohibiting urban camping while simultaneously creating a permit system to allow the practice^1.

Saverud has been the city’s lead on urban camping policy, reporting on cleanup costs, enforcement statistics and permit systems to city commissioners^2.

Homelessness in Bozeman increased 35% from 2019 to 2021, according to Montana Free Press. More recent data shows 523 individuals experiencing homelessness in the Bozeman area in 2025, up from 409 in 2024^3. While visible urban camping has decreased due to enforcement, the total number of individuals experiencing homelessness in the area has continued to rise.

The forum comes after Bozeman implemented an urban camping ban in October 2024, though Bailey said enforcement has resulted in a 90% reduction in the city’s urban camping population. The city has spent more than $220,000 on its response to urban camping since 2022, not including staff wages.

Participants must register by 11 a.m. Dec. 12. Registration is available at online or by calling 406-994-6646. Zoom login instructions will be sent to registered participants before the event.

Friday Forums are held monthly from September to May by OLLI at MSU, a program of Academic Technology and Outreach.