A Missoula nonprofit said it bought a new residential facility that will more than double its capacity to provide support to young families. Demand for services is on the rise.
When Mountain Home Montana first opened its doors in 2000, it had enough space for three young mothers and children. Now, with the purchase of the former Hillside Health and Rehabilitation facility in Missoula, the nonprofit says that number will grow to 50 families annually.
Executive Director Steph Goble says the nonprofit has seen a 160% spike in demand among young mothers for support services since the start of the pandemic. She says the new building will help address those needs.
“We just thought, ‘Wow. This is the kind of facility that we can not have to drop as much money in and use a wonderful building and a campus and be able to serve double the amount of families we’ve been serving,” Goble said.
Mountain Home Montana is one of three nonprofits in the state providing long-term, comprehensive services for mothers in their teens and early 20s including residential, childcare, career development and mental health programs.
Goble says the expanded residential capacity will help address a spike in housing need in Missoula and western Montana. Data from the Missoula Organization of Realtors show the median price of a single family home in the city is $540,000. That’s up more than 60% from pre-pandemic levels. Rental vacancy rates are at a record-low of 1.2%
Goble says the nonprofit is inspecting the facility and making plans for the space, which she says will open within the next three-to-five years.
