Sign up for the free Missoula This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Missoula city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 04/24/2026 “Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected]. Nonprofit says shelter will help keep kids from falling through the cracks 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.  Youth Homes CEO Amy Schaer, left, and Mike Birnbaum unveil the design for a new youth crisis shelter during a campaign launch event Monday. Credit: Katie Fairbanks/MTFP 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. By the Numbers  The amount of local and federal funding the Missoula City Council is set to approve for 13 projects supporting low-income residents through child care and affordable housing. That includes $309,000 from the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, about $506,270 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, $16,700 in Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) funding and $676,960 in one-time HOME-ARP (American Rescue Plan ACT) funding. The council Wednesday set a public hearing for May 11 to vote on the allocations.  Each year, the city receives about $800,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that must benefit low- and moderate-income residents, improve the affordable housing supply and fund eligible public services.  The city plans to award $275,000 in CDBG funds to Homeword to rehabilitate the Orchard Gardens affordable housing complex, $48,750 to Accessible Spaces for new energy-efficient boilers at the Bruce Blattner apartments, $60,000 for the Regional Access Mobility Program of Montana to construct ramps for nine low-income households, $50,000 for the Human Resource Council’s housing rehabilitation program and $72,520 to go toward two Missoula Parks and Recreation child care programs.  Front Step Community Land Trust is set to receive $16,700 in HOME funds for operating expenses, which the nonprofit is eligible for as a community housing development organization. The city will hold onto its remaining HOME funds in anticipation of affordable housing projects needing the money later in the year, said Lisa Bower, a city grants administrator.  Kendra Lisum, a city grants administrator, said $250,00 in 2025 HOME funds previously awarded to Front Step to purchase a building on Spruce Street will be used for the organization to purchase a different site in the Franklin to the Fort neighborhood after the first sale fell through. Front Step plans to partner with Habitat for Humanity to build two homes on the property to be placed into the community land trust. From the city’s one-time allocation of HOME-ARP (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, Partnership Health Center will receive $350,620 to provide mental health treatment and housing support services at the Watershed Navigation Center and $41,880 for operating expenses. The Human Resource Council will receive about $254,105 to provide rent and deposit assistance and $30,350 for operating expenses. The awards will use up the rest of the city’s HOME-ARP allocation, Lisum said.  The United Way of Missoula County’s Housing Solutions Fund, which helps prevent people from losing their housing or to obtain housing, will receive $200,000 from the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Homeword will receive $109,000 to go toward rehabilitating the Creekside Apartments.  The city received 19 applications requesting about $2.5 million.  “The need exceeds the resources, and it’s challenging to be in a position where you want to fund all these really well-deserving projects,” said Council Member Mirtha Becerra.  Public Notice  The city of Missoula is holding an open house next week on the updated design for the Downtown Safety, Access and Mobility (SAM) project. The project includes converting Front and Main streets to two-way streets, updating Higgins Avenue to a three-lane street, creating protected bike lanes along Higgins, trail improvements and upgrading traffic signals downtown. The project is primarily funded by a $24.5 million federal grant awarded in June 2023.  Credit: Courtesy of the city of Missoula After receiving initial designs last fall, the design team considered feedback from the citizen working group, technical review teams, the Montana Department of Transportation and the project leadership team as it moved forward, according to the city.  The open house runs from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 28, in the Governor’s Room of the Florence Building downtown. Attendees can ask project team members questions and provide feedback on the design. Megan McMeekin, the project manager, will give a brief presentation on the design process at 5:15 p.m.   5 Things to Know in Missoula  Missoula Public Health is holding several pediatric vaccine clinics around Missoula County throughout the next month. Participants should bring a photo ID and an insurance card if they have one. No one will be turned away due to inability to pay. Available vaccines include tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough, meningitis, HPV, measles/mumps/rubella, chicken pox and polio. Those with questions can call the health department at 406-258-3363. A list of clinic dates and locations is available online.  The Missoula Tenants Union and Bozeman Tenants United are holding a debate Monday for candidates for Montana’s Western U.S. House District seat. The debate will focus on the rental market, tenant protections, corporate landlord accountability and other housing issues, according to the unions. All Democratic and Republican primary candidates were invited. As of Thursday, Sam Forstag, Matt Rains, Russell Cleveland and Ryan Busse — all Democrats — had confirmed their attendance, according to organizers. The debate will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bozeman Event Space. Those planning to attend in Bozeman can RSVP online. The Missoula Tenants Union is holding a debate watch party at the Confluence Center in downtown Missoula, and attendees are asked to RSVP here. Anyone who RSVPs to either event will receive a link to the livestream. The primary election is June 2.  More than 200 nonprofits will participate in Missoula Gives and Bitterroot Gives, an annual 26-hour online fundraiser from April 30 through May 1. The initiative, organized by the Missoula Community Foundation, aims to raise $1.5 million for participating organizations. Last year, the fundraiser brought in about $1.4 million from more than 4,000 donors, according to organizers. Several events are scheduled for Thursday and Friday to celebrate the community and track the fundraiser’s progress. A list of participating nonprofits and donation instructions are available at missoulagives.org.    The Missoula City Council Monday approved an expansion of the North Reserve-Scott Street Urban Renewal District to include a portion of the Roseburg and Story House Montana property annexed in January. Inclusion in the district will allow developers to apply for tax increment financing to help fund eligible infrastructure projects. The expansion includes 93 acres of the 235-acre site accessible from 3300 Raser Drive. Much of the property is undeveloped and has significant infrastructure needs, including water, sewer and roads, said Michael Hicks, redevelopment project manager for the Missoula Redevelopment Agency. The tax increment financing could be used as local matching funds for federal infrastructure grants, said Dale Bickell, the city’s chief administrative officer. An update to the master plan to include the 235 acres is underway and will include transportation, infrastructure, desired site uses and recommendations for zoning. Roseburg plans to move forward with annexing the remaining 142 acres after the city completes the plan update in October.  The University of Montana is seeking feedback on a proposal to rename the Adams Center’s auxiliary gyms in honor of Steve and Shirley Nelson. The Nelsons are long-time Missoula residents and supporters of Grizzly Athletics. Their donation will pay for a “much-needed” renovation to one of the most heavily-used facilities on campus, said Kent Haslam, the UM Director of Athletics, in a press release. When work is complete, the training center will provide two full-size wood floor basketball courts. They will be used by the Grizzly men’s basketball, Lady Griz basketball and volleyball teams, intramural sports and local clubs. The university is holding a listening session to gather public comment on the proposed name, the Steve and Shirley Nelson Training Center, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at the University of Montana’s Hall of Champions in the Adams Center. Comments can also be submitted via email to [email protected].  Might be Fun The Missoula Family YMCA’s 54th annual Riverbank Run takes place downtown Saturday. The run is an annual fundraiser for the YMCA’s financial assistance program. The race includes 10K, Dennis T. Bender 5K and 1-mile fun run routes, as well as a “trifecta” option to participate in all three. All races start at Higgins Avenue and Broadway and finish along the Riverfront Trail near the Boone and Crockett Club. Registration is open online, and day-of registration will be available at the starting line.  The public is invited to the free, family-friendly Phlox Fest at Missoula’s Rocky Mountain Gardens Saturday. The event, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is held by the county Department of Ecology and Extension. This year’s theme is “Gardens of the Garden City.” The festival will feature representatives from local gardens and garden organizations, live music by Pronto Alivio, food trucks, and plant and garden vendors. The event is named after the Missoula Phlox, a species of concern found only in Missoula County.  Missoula Sings is hosting Sing About It, a free community gathering, from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at Caras Park. Vocal activist and community organizer Melanie DeMore will lead the crowd through songs rooted in gospel, folk and freedom traditions. All ages are welcome, and no experience is required.  “We want to provide a heart-centered space in the center of our city where people can find common ground through the simple, powerful act of singing together,” said Barron Peper, Missoula Sings founder, in a press release.  The post Youth organization fundraising for new crisis shelter appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less