Bozeman could become the first city in Montana to create a legal defense system for renters facing eviction.

Amanda Schenderline moved to Bozeman from the Crow Reservation three years ago, hoping to build a better life for her and her autistic son.

“I came from Family Promise. I was homeless when I got here. They are the ones that gave me my stepping stone into getting our own place, and we just have to work to keep it,” Schenderline says.

Schenderline now works at a local pawn shop. She says that after repeated threats of eviction, her family was forced to make an impossible choice.

“My story is more threat of eviction, and I would check my door to see if there was a notification. I would wake up the next day and something was on my door and I would look back on my cameras, and she’s there at one or two in the morning,” Schenderline says.

Her father had to move out so that she and her son could stay in the complex. Schenderline says the support from Bozeman Tenants United has been a lifeline.

Last Tuesday, city commissioners voiced support for a 'Tenants Right to Counsel' program, which would help tenants like Amanda who may face eviction.

“I am overwhelmed with positive emotions to hear that they are leaning toward [this]. I hope they do vote on it and make it happen, so we can have those lawyers that we need... because I'm not going to know all of the codes and laws in five days,” Schenderline said.

Bozeman City Manager Chuck Winn says the goal is simple: keep people in their homes, and create a fairer legal process for everyone involved.

“We are really plowing some ground and want to make sure that we do it right. We want to be respectful of state law and be respectful of tenants' rights and landlords' rights,” Winn says.

He says a right-to-counsel program isn’t just for renters — it could also help landlords by opening the door to early communication and fair negotiation.

“Opportunities for a landlord and a tenant to negotiate certain terms allow a graceful exit sometimes. [it can] get the landlord some money that’s owed to them, but also give the tenants opportunities that they might not have when that power differential between the landlord and the tenant is great,” Winn says.

With more than 60% of Bozeman residents living in rentals, Winn says city staff are already exploring ways to fund the program.

“We have several different funding sources that could be available that aren’t general fund city tax dollars, so we are going to try to look at all of the possible options [and] come back this fall with a program that we can have the commission review and approve,” Winn says.

And while the idea has sparked some debate, Winn says Bozeman is aiming for a solution that fits the city and its people.

“This is a controversial issue with some, and I think we are going to take a Bozeman approach with this. We are going to collaborate, and we are going to make a program that works here well,” Winn says.