Fifty years ago, when Shannone Hart was 7 years old, she met Geoff Birnbaum, who recruited her parents to be foster parents to 12 at-risk youth.
They went to the Attention Home, the first foster facility established by nonprofit organization Youth Homes.
They became one big family with the kids there, she said.
“My mom cooked every meal,” Hart said Wednesday. “We ate together, got ready for school together.”
Due to challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Attention Home closed in 2023. Over the next three years, over 150 kids have needed the services the Attention Home provided, Hart said.
“We knew we couldn’t let that stand,” Hart said. “For the last two years we’ve worked together to build something new, something better, something stronger.”
Hart was speaking to a crowd gathered in the sunshine on Wednesday to witness the opening of that “something” — the Birnbaum Youth Home, a large blue-painted house that will be ready next week to welcome up to eight children aged 10-17 who might otherwise be in a hospital psychiatric ward, in jail or sleeping on the floor of a social worker’s office. They’ll be referred from youth court, Providence St. Patrick Hospital, Child and Family Services and more.
Now that construction of the home is complete, Youth Homes, which built and will operate Birnbaum Youth Home, held an official ribbon-cutting on Wednesday, followed by tours of the building.
Youth Homes is a nonprofit caring for children facing abuse, neglect, trauma and substance use, providing shelters, group homes and counseling services. The organization has helped over 20,000 children and their families in western Montana since its founding in 1971. Hart is also involved in the Youth Homes organization as an adult and is a previous president of the board.
“Today we celebrate not just a new building, but a renewed commitment to the children and families we serve,” Hart said.
The new home offers private bedrooms, therapeutic services, a spacious kitchen, a recreation room and outdoor space.
Geoff Birnbaum, whom the shelter is named after, was Youth Home’s first executive director, a position he held for 42 years.
After retiring, he was still very involved with the organization and served on the capital campaign committee for this new shelter. But he died suddenly in 2025, and Youth Homes decided to name the home after him.
Birnbaum’s daughter Mona Rogers said that her father always thought of everyone else before himself and would have urged the organization to name the home after someone else.
“But his drive, his commitment and his legacy are so deserving of this honor,” she said.
Among Birnbaum’s former foster children is Elisha Harteis, who lived at the Susan Talbot Home for Girls from ages 11 to 15.
“He was so proud of me all the time for the artwork and always pushed me to do it,” Harteis said of Birnbaum.
Now, Harteis is a ceramic artist whose pieces line the staircase leading to the upper floors, with gamboling Australian Shepherd dogs, mischievous rabbits and balls for them to chase.
The ceramics stand against a backdrop by muralist Lillian Nelson, showing children leaping joyfully out from an abstract rainbow river and a young boy, styled after Nelson’s son, playing with another Australian shepherd – a breed beloved by Birnbaum.
“Everybody has this exuberant future in front of them, is what I see when I see those children leaping from the mural,” said Lisa Simon, owner of the Radius Gallery.
Nelson explained her vision was to make the art inclusive and diverse, so every child feels included and welcome at the home.
“It’s always fun to see your artwork out in the world,” Nelson said. “You know that people are experiencing it every day.”
There’s even more art on the walls, both prints and originals, sourced with the help of Radius Gallery.
“All the art was discounted,” Simon said. “We found ways to work with the budget and still pay the artists.”
The home was built on a lot owned by Youth Homes, which saved some money. The original goal was $4 million. The organization received a $750,000 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as other funds from grants and private donors, leaving the last $600,000 to be raised from the community.
Though the home is open and hopes to start welcoming kids starting Sept. 15, according to Youth Homes CEO Amy Schaer, the capital campaign isn’t quite finished. Youth Homes has another $100,000 or so to go, which Schaer said they hope to raise over the next few months.
“Having a place for children who need it the most is the most powerful thing you can do as a community,” Harteis said.
Andy Tallman is the criminal justice reporter for the Missoulian.
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