Home opens to help young moms succeed
Karen Peterson
A visiting baby tries out the toys at The Nest with Lisa Skalsky, board president.
Karen Peterson
The Nest is now open to young pregnant women or mothers and their children.
Karen Peterson
Mary Rutherford, president and chief executive officer of the Montana Community Foundation in Helena, left, celebrates with Jenifer Blumberg, founder of The Nest, at Thursday’s open house in St. Ignatius.
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson
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ST. IGNATIUS – It was a birth of a different kind with a two-year gestation period.
“We are celebrating the birth of The Nest,” said Jenifer Blumberg, executive director, at the open house for The Nest on Thursday, Feb 25.
The Nest is a two-level pink colored home with several rooms and three bathrooms that was bought and furnished to give young pregnant women or mothers and their children a cozy place to live to help them succeed in life. Those moms will soon take up residence in the house.
The idea for The Nest started when Blumberg was the director of DOVES, a non-profit dedicated to providing advocacy and legal assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Blumberg saw the need for a long-term home, but reading the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study about the effects of toxic and prolonged stress on the development of a child’s brain forced her into action.
“We are now better able to see what is going on in a kid’s brain under toxic stress,” she said.
The study found that when the number of experiences inducing high levels of toxic stress in a child’s life went up in any race, geographic region or economic class, the risk for numerous health and social problems increased when that child became an adult.
Those adults were more likely to suffer from life-threatening health problems like obesity, heart disease, alcoholism, and drug use. And for some, the results can lead to an increased risk of suicide or incarceration. The outcomes were worse for those in poverty.
“I had to do something,” she said.
And luckily, the brain has the ability to change through intervention, resources, and education, which can help both the moms and the kids. Blumberg quoted the experts at the Harvard Center on the Developing Child: “You absolutely have to focus on the adults in the children’s lives if you want to make transformation for children.”
The home is a place where women with children can live for six months to two years to learn to develop skills to help them succeed in life and reduce those toxic stress levels.
“Instead of rules and regulations, we have conditions for success,” she said, adding that she took the idea from a similar program in Missoula. The conditions are different for each person depending on their circumstances, but the basic idea is to help moms develop goals so they can provide a healthy home for their children.
After Blumberg came up with the idea for The Nest, she held a luncheon where several people got together to talk about how to make the project happen. A board with four members formed including President Lisa Skalsky, Vice President Brooke Roberts, Secretary Emily Colomeda and Director Blumberg.
The group didn’t have funding for the project, but they were determined to make it happen, so they went ahead and found a location, the pink house, and donations from around the county started to accumulate. But the project was able to really take off with a grant for about $300,000 from the Montana Community Foundation based in Helena, with no strings attached. The nonprofit foundation helps fund projects all across Montana with monies from many donors.
“This is a big day,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Mary Rutherford of the Montana Community Foundation during the open house. “This matters a lot to many people.”
Board President Skalsky was also at the open house. She said she was a teen mother and knows how important it is to provide resources to moms to help kids succeed.
“We envision a place full of toys and kids like a regular home,” she said. “We will have classes on parenting, gardening and things the moms need to get going. We will push for education and skills to open more opportunities.”
The application process for bringing in three to four women and their children will soon start.
“Not everyone that comes here will suffer from abuse,” she said. “In some situations, she might not have a place to live.”
Skalsky wants people to imagine being a young mom and not having any job skills. Trying to raise a child and figure out a future at the same time can be a daunting task with an enormous amount of stress.
“We want to give them some extra help so they can get going in life,” she said.
Amy (Stiffarm) TallBull was the first employee hired at The Nest as a resident advocate to help the women develop goals and find resources. She is finishing her master’s degree in public health.
“The first goal for a woman might be to make it through the week,” she said. “We eventually want to help them succeed, but every woman has her own experience and issues, so we will find out what they need.”
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council Member Shelly Fyant said a prayer during the opening ceremony. She plans to help the moms learn gardening skills at the house.
“I hope to help nurture the young mothers,” she said. “There are a lot of opportunities here for people to get involved. This is such an awesome project that is really needed.”
Donations of any kind are welcome including funding for future operating costs and items to run a house from dish soap to children’s socks. Volunteers are needed for many projects. For more information call 406-546-0199 or nestmontana@gmail.com. Write to P.O. Box 726, St. Ignatius, MT 59865.
