Study resolution on coordinated homeless services
House Joint Resolution 43 requests that the Legislative Council assign an interim committee or statutory committee to study coordinated homeless services in Montana. The study is to examine the benefits of coordinated service delivery, including wraparound services and permanent supportive housing, and to review how these models may improve housing stability for people experiencing homelessness, especially those with disabilities or other complex needs. The resolution also directs the committee to consider available homelessness data statewide, including rural access to services, last housed location, and county-level information where possible.
The resolution frames the study around the potential for coordinated services to improve outcomes and reduce public costs. It specifically asks the committee to evaluate cost savings and offsets related to health care and public safety, and to consider state programs that could support these service models. The study must include input from shelter operators, service providers, people with lived experience of homelessness, advocates, local governments, and state agency staff, with final findings due before September 15, 2026, and reported to the 70th Legislature.
HJ 43 would not directly change substantive law or create a new program; instead, it would set in motion an interim legislative study under Montana law. If adopted, it would authorize the Legislative Council to assign committee staff or a committee to gather data, consult stakeholders, and produce recommendations on coordinated homeless services, wraparound supports, and permanent supportive housing. Its practical effect would be to elevate homelessness policy for legislative review and potentially lay the groundwork for future statutory or budget changes affecting housing, health, and public safety systems.
The bill appears to have had generally favorable support in committee and on the floor, with strong passage margins in the House and approval in the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee. The resolution’s findings emphasize rising homelessness, disability-related needs, and potential cost savings from supportive housing, suggesting a policy consensus around studying the issue further. However, the bill ultimately died in process, indicating that despite broad support at several stages, it did not complete the full legislative path.
The main points of discussion likely centered on the scope and framing of the study rather than on whether homelessness is a problem. The resolution asks the committee to examine statewide data, rural service access, and the effectiveness and costs of wraparound services and permanent supportive housing, which can raise questions about program definitions, data availability, and which state programs should be considered. Because the bill is a study resolution rather than a funding or implementation measure, any contention would likely have involved the breadth of the study, the policy implications of supportive housing, and whether the Legislature should prioritize this issue over other interim studies.