Our History
Mountain Home Montana began in 1998 when Laura Snyder, a local mother looking for ways she could help young mothers, met with Gypsy Ray, who at the time was a parenting home-visitor with WORD, Inc. Gypsy expressed the dire need in Missoula for a home for young mothers without a safe place to stay. Their meeting inspired Laura to make this dream happen. Laura brought together our founding Board of directors who worked tirelessly over the next few years to raise the money and support needed to open a home.
The dream of opening Mountain Home Montana was made a reality when Bonnie Hamilton donated her family home to the program in 2000 and we were able to welcome our first young mother and child in August that year. We began by serving young mothers age 14-19 in our three bedroom home and in 2001, the home grew to its current capacity with room for six young mothers and their children. Over the years, we began to notice a change in the age of young mothers needing our services and as a response to this change, we now serve young mothers age 16-24.
Founding Board Members Gypsy Ray (L) and Laura Snyder (R) at a Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony for Ray in 2012.
Striving to continue to meet the needs of our young mothers and the need for affordable housing in Missoula, we broke ground on the new Independent Living Apartments, a dream of ours since we began. The apartments allow us to serve five more young mothers and children at a time, and offer a stepping-stone to independent living. The apartments opened in June of 2011, and we can now house 11 of Montana’s most vulnerable families.
To hear Bonnie Hamilton's story about donating her home to the program, watch the video below: