The World Is Talking About Great Falls Now

Remember the article I did on the City of Great Fall Commission Candidate who said we should monetize the homeless in Great Falls? Get caught up on the article here.

I'll help you remember. Pete Anderson said at a Meet the Candidates forum that his idea for the homeless problem in Great Falls was a "Homeless Island" type of scenario.

• A place where all the homeless people live in their own shelter with a business logo on it
• The homeless population on Homeless Island would be subject to tours given by the Great Falls City Commission to the thousands of people who visit Montana
• They could sell their homemade items there

Doesn't it sound like a homeless utopia where homeless people can stay homeless and we can sell sponsorships and tickets to their plight?

Again, when did Great Falls get so mean? We'll talk about that in a minute.

Anderson's Homeless Island Idea Has Made Headlines In The United Kingdom

I couldn't believe it when I was reading the internet today, and I see this article in the Daily Mail. It's titled:

Montana candidate sparks outrage with proposal to turn city's homeless into a 'tourist attraction' to raise money

Cool. Now, people all over the world are hearing about this ridiculous statement and just plain mean mindset.

Anderson Doubled Down In A Follow-Up On Facebook

On October 22, 2025, the Anderson For City Commission Facebook page, Anderson wrote:

"... My premise is that homeless people in Great Falls should have an area where they can have housing pods, gardens, and a local market that serves all members of the community. Why not make something really cool? What is wrong with making profit instead of borrowing from the government?"

Well, I have noticed that a lot of media outlets are making a profit off of what he said. This one idea will follow him long after his death.

I guess that's ok though as long as someone was profiting off of it?

Why is Great Falls getting so mean?

It's ok to have compassion. It's ok to come up with solutions that don't demean people.

I get that there is a big problem with the homeless here. I actually agree with that statement. I also think there needs to be mental health professionals that help police and counselors handle situations with the homeless. And they deserve dignity.

The answer isn't driving them away from where our homeless services are located so that they die under a bridge in the winter so we don't have to watch.

The answer isn't handing them everything either.

It's somewhere in between. Like the Baatz Apartments. They're giving people a little boost out of living on the street AND helping them in all other ways.

I don't know what the actual answer is. I do, however, know it's not Homeless Island.

The time is now to vote. Vote like your town depends on it.