Teens in crisis in Missoula have limited places to go beyond the emergency room and juvenile detention, said Amy Schaer, CEO of Youth Homes.
“An alternative is needed to best serve those kids in a way that can help get the crisis resolved but also support set up for those next steps,” Schaer told Montana Free Press Monday.
Youth Homes aims to provide that alternative by opening a new therapeutic crisis shelter this fall. The nonprofit runs group homes and programs for youth in crisis or facing abuse, trauma or substance use issues. On Monday, Youth Homes launched a campaign to raise the remaining $600,000 to complete the $4 million shelter project.
The shelter, located in Missoula’s Orchard Homes neighborhood, will be called the Birnbaum Youth Home in honor of Geoff Birnbaum, the organization’s former long-time executive director who died last year. His son, Mike Birnbaum, told the small crowd that his father gave 42 years to the organization and wanted to see the shelter open for children in need.
“I’m excited that his legacy lives on and the strength of this organization continues to live on,” he said.
The organization previously ran a similar shelter, the Attention Home, from 1976 until 2023. It closed due to challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, workforce shortages, the housing crisis and inflation, said Eric Petersen, Youth Home’s board president, during the Monday event. But the need for those services didn’t go away, and the organization began the process to open a new shelter about a year ago, he said.
The “new and improved” therapeutic shelter will provide a safe environment for children ages 10 to 17 in crisis who would otherwise end up in the emergency room, an acute inpatient unit, juvenile detention or a social worker’s office, Schaer said. The shelter would allow them to continue their education, access physical and mental health services and regain a sense of normalcy and belonging, she said.
Schaer told MTFP she was intent on making sure the shelter was a needed service before moving forward with the project.
“We do need to do something that will help kids from falling through the cracks,” she said. “That’s what we’re really trying to identify, where some of those gaps are and getting quick access to services, that can be a barrier.”
While the organization’s youth group homes typically house children and teens for six to nine months, a shelter stay could last 24 hours to 90 days, according to Youth Homes. Schaer said the nonprofit expects the eight-bed co-ed shelter to serve 80 to 100 youth in the first year.
Families typically connect to Youth Homes through Youth Court or the state’s Child and Family Services department, but the shelter is available to anyone who needs help and support or time to figure out their next steps, Schaer said. The organization is working to make it easier for families to find and navigate services, in part through a federal grant Missoula County received in 2024 to expand and coordinate mental health services for youth and families, she said.
The organization broke ground on the $4 million project in July. Youth Homes received a $750,000 grant from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services for the project, about $2.6 million from foundations and individuals and is now fundraising for the remaining $600,000. The shelter is set to open in September.
Mike Birnbaum said he’s excited to see the project already underway and to see Youth Homes continue to grow.
“He gave his all to this organization,” Birnbaum said of his father. “He was tireless in his pursuit of creating better services and resources for kids in the system. … It just means a lot to my family, to know that what he did wasn’t in vain and know that this organization continues to thrive and create new avenues to keep people safe.”
More information about Youth Homes and the shelter fundraising campaign is available online.
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