FOIA documents funded by community donations
As people moved in they discovered five shelter residents held housing vouchers but couldn’t meet with their case managers. Now that case managers are at the TSOS one day a week they are getting them into housing. Photo: NBC Montana Sky Team
MISSOULA, Mont. — A Miller Creek resident and mom, Mackenzie Smith, who lives near Missoula’s outdoor homeless shelter, is still hoping to get more information about its operations.
NBC Montana told you last week when she filed a freedom of information request and only got part of what she asked for.
She received roughly 955 different emails or documents, but none included information about the budget and communication with landowners like she asked.
Smith was told to get that information it would cost nearly $800 for time and labor.
Shortly after our story aired, she was able to pay that price thanks to community donations.
“Contacted by community members, business owners and people from all over who were wanting to contribute in a way to see that the full FOIA came out, so by Thursday I had mailed in a check for $811.62 to the county for 20 hours of time,” said Smith.
Smith hopes to get the documents within the next few weeks.
