BOZEMAN, Mont. — New numbers from the Human Resource Development Council showed a drop in homelessness in Bozeman as local leaders point to expanded services, shelter space and affordable housing efforts.
“It's the programing, it's the shelter capacity, it's collaboration with partners to make sure we're all rowing the boat in the same direction. And it's the addition of affordable housing units," said HRDC president and CEO Heather Grenier.
City leaders and the HRDC connected that change to programs added in recent years, including the HRDC Homeward Point shelter that opened last year. Family Promise, the HRDC and the Haven women's shelter are among the groups that contributed services.
The city's point-in-time count was conducted in January. HRDC reported that the number of people experiencing homelessness in Bozeman fell from 523 in 2025 to 394 in 2026.
“It's a culmination of years of work coming together, finally to effect change in our community,” she said.
Bozeman Mayor Joey Morrison said the city has invested in housing services and programs where it can. In 2025, the city's urban camping ordinance took effect as the city tried to curb camping on streets.
Morrison said the ordinance may have played a smaller role than support systems like case management and transitional housing.
“There's probably some amount of slowing down the drip, so to speak. But I think the more, you know, data driven, data-backed thing to point to is wraparound services and case management and transitional housing infrastructure,” he said.
Grenier said the ordinance brought around 30 to 40 more people to the HRDC shelter. She also said the biggest factor affecting homelessness in Bozeman and elsewhere was the cost of living.
“It's really important to speak to homelessness as really driven by available and affordable housing units, more so than any other thing,” she said.
Besides work from each of these organizations, they are also continuing to develop a regional strategy to curb homelessness, which includes working with affordable housing developers, rehabilitation and recovery services, and healthcare providers, Grenier said.
There also needs to be more investment in mental healthcare, Morrison said.
"We're trying to figure out, 'Hey, what are the things, what are the levers and low-hanging fruit that our tax bases can more surgically address?'" he said. "So, crisis stabilization, some of those services we have lost over the last decade.
Grenier and Morrison said continued investment in services and affordable housing would matter as Bozeman and other cities across Montana prepare for housing and homelessness trends in the next 5-10 years.