One of Montana’s only residential homes for young families broke ground on a big expansion in Missoula Wednesday
20-year-old mom Hannah Dashnaw-Wisherd knocked an impressive chunk of brick from an old fireplace mantle with the swing of a sledgehammer.
Just more than a year ago, Dashnaw-Wisherd said she was homeless and about to have her first child. That’s when a friend suggested she reach out to Mountain Home Montana. The nonprofit has provided services like childcare, housing and career support to young parents for 25 years.
Dashnaw-Wisherd moved into Mountain Home last year and said, at first, she was wary of the program.
“For me, living there, it was, literally– I just wanted a place to live. But, definitely, what I found was so much more,” Dashnaw-Wisherd said.
She said she found community, and the support she needed to get back on her feet.
Mountain Home founder Laura Snyder said stories like Dashnaw-Wisherd’s are common. She said the nonprofit’s existing campus has a waiting list of 30 people. Last year, Mountain Home announced a plan to purchase a former Missoula nursing home to add housing space for 20 more families.
Snyder said a fundraising drive for the facility raised nearly $8 million.
“It’s such a beautiful project and it’s a beautiful home,” Snyder said. “It serves so many people who need a home, and the fact that our community sees that and supports it is inspiring.”
Demolition work is underway ahead of a remodel, and Snyder said Mountain Home hopes to welcome new residents early next summer.
