Montana City Featured On PBS Broadcast

An episode of PBS News Weekend aired on Sunday, April 21. This edition featured topics such as NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg commenting on if the United States's aid to Ukraine was too late, a Supreme Court case on a potential restructuring of homelessness policy across the country and "a look at the tensions in one Montana city over people experiencing homelessness camping in vehicles."

The feature, narrated by PBS Montana's Joe Lasar, highlights a couple living in their camper parked on the side of a road in Bozeman, Montana. It's a humanizing story for those faced with difficult challenges regarding issues Montana has seen in recent years - costs of living and limited affordable housing. It explains what Bozeman has done to combat homelessness without, in their eyes, completely disregarding homeless individuals.

Comments from Bozeman Mayor Terry Cunningham, city officials and community members are also seen in the video.

Though Bozeman was featured, it easily could have been Missoula. Our own Peter Christian has been reporting on Missoula's homeless topics.

A full description of the feature on Bozeman can be found below.

"In some cities with growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness, the issue goes beyond encampments in public places - they're also coping with more people living in cars and RVs parked on city streets. City leaders in Bozeman, Montana, are dealing with tensions brought on by this more visible display of homelessness. Joe Lesar of Montana PBS reports."

For us in Montana, we know about the homeless debates, but for those in different parts of the country, they may have no idea. They may see Montana as simply a vacation spot for outdoors connoisseurs. Hopefully, this can shed some light on those around the country with no prior knowledge.

10 Montana Cities Ranked by How Diverse They Are

Montana may not be known for its diversity but it is interesting to see the diversity within the state. WalletHub did a 2024 study of diversity in U.S. cities and we've pulled out the Montana cities below. Not all variables from the study are included, but you can get an idea of how diverse each city is.

Gallery Credit: Ashley

Source: Montana City Featured On National PBS Show