Seeds of Change at Missoula Youth Homes

Two years ago, Slone found himself in trouble and was placed into a correctional facility. Slone’s childhood had been chaotic and filled with instability as his mother, a hard-working single mom, tried her best to raise him and his brother. However, stints of homelessness and temporary living arrangements resulted in Slone experimenting with drugs and eventually failing in school.

The North Avenue Youth Farm was created to give teenagers in care at Youth Homes the opportunity for meaningful work. Under the leadership of Garden City Harvest Farm Manager, Cori Ash, the land was transformed from a bare lot of weeds and rocks to a fully functioning 2/3 of an acre farm that provides jobs, volunteer opportunities, and food for the Youth Homes and three other nonprofits in the Missoula community. 

For Slone, the summer was spent doing everything it takes to make a farm run. Slone even learned to drive a tractor. “I love weeding, harvesting, moving pipes and driving the tractor,” Slone said. “I’ve learned how to make things grow, how to harvest, and why things die. “

Slone said working at the farm has taught him what it means to work hard. He said he saw the kids who tried hard and the ones who didn’t and that it helped him recognize why he wanted to be a good worker. 

With the winter season approaching, life at the farm is winding down. Slone will turn 18 this spring and will have earned his GED. He would like to attend a farming apprentice school in Santa Cruz, CA, and then return to Montana so he can help people who have had similar experiences. “I want to start a farming program for homeless people,” Slone said. 

Slone spent the summer working with his hands, his head, and by the end of the season, with his heart. He formed relationships with those he worked with and if he chooses, he has a support system in these people for the rest of his life. Slone also has a path he hopes to follow—one that starts by digging in the earth, planting a seed, and helping it grow.

Over the years, Youth Homes has developed a diverse and community representative board, which oversees seven group homes and programs in foster care, kinship, adoption, and family support as well as wilderness treatment and a Learning Lab located in the public schools. Youth Homes has homes and offices in Missoula, Kalispell, Polson, Ronan, Hamilton and Helena. 

Our kids are as young as three and as old as 18. They have experienced domestic violence. Their dads are not in their lives. They are abused. They are neglected. They have been exploited. They are homeless. They are unsafe at home. They have fled. They have been involved with child protection. They have broken laws. They are on probation. They have acted out. They have run. They have emotional challenges. They are sad. They have attempted suicides. They are angry. They lie. They are honest about their pain. They are running from it. They do not belong. But they all have hope.