In 2000 Bonnie Hamilton, local resident and business owner, donated
her family home to Mountain Home Montana. When she handed over the
deed to the non-profi t
organization, I recall her saying, “if I can just help one girl, it
will be worth it.” Now five year later, it is worth it. Mountain
Home Montana has helped 100 teenage mothers discover their strengths
and improve their lives. With publicity surrounding Hamilton’s
wonderful gift, the home had a waiting list immediately. With help
from volunteers and donors in the community, the three bedrooms on
the main floor were remodeled and on August 7, 2000 the home opened.
That fall the garage was remodeled for offices, and in the spring of
2001, the home grew too it’s full capacity with room for six moms
and their babies.
 Mountain
Home Montana is located on one-acre in Missoula near Community
Medical Center, a daycare, a grocery store, a convenience store, a
park, and the city bus line. This facility has six bedrooms, a
kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a playroom, four bathrooms, a
laundry room, a conference/class room, staff offices, storage, and a
play yard.
 Referrals
to the program come from hospitals, medical providers, social
service agencies, Department of Child and Family Services,
Department of Corrections, families, and self referrals. Mountain
Home Montana serves teen mothers aged 14-19 with an average age of
17.
Statistics
4 out of every 10 girls become pregnant before the age of 20;
that figure increases to 5 out of 10 among Native American girls.
There were 1,756 teen pregnancies reported in Montana in 2000, 20
were to teens under 15.
There are approximately 200 births to teen mothers each year in
Missoula County.
Teen pregnancy costs the federal government $40 billion per year.
The average cost to Montana taxpayers in 1996 for a mother and
child on TANF, food stamps, Medicaid, and WIC for one year is
$12,156.
Half of Medicaid’s costliest babies in Montana were to teen
mothers in 1994, $1,307,366.
Nearly 80% of teen mothers end up on welfare.
Only 1/3 of teen mothers receive a high school diploma.
Montana has a higher teen pregnancy rate than the national
average.
39% of teen mothers will have a second pregnancy within 1 year,
compared to 0% for teen mothers at Mountain Home Montana from
2000-2003.
Children of teen parents are more likely to:
- have lower birth weight
- perform poorly in school
- experience abuse or neglect
- sons of teen parents are 13% more likely to end up in prison
- daughters of teen parents are 22% more likely to become teen
mothers
Mountain Home Montana received 73 referrals in 2004.
*The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Guttmacher
Institute, Kids Count Data Book, Children’s Defense Fund
 
  
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