Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ was created to offer clear, factual information about the Lighthouse Ranch – its purpose, progress, and place within our shared communities. We recognize there may be additional questions or a desire to learn more, and we welcome inquiries from those seeking deeper understanding or ways to engage with this work. Please contact Kirsten Smith at kirsten@lighthouseranch.org if you want to connect more.
What is the Lighthouse Ranch?
Lighthouse Ranch is a first-of-its-kind youth mental health campus in Gallatin County, designed to prevent suicide and support local teens and families in crisis. Located on a 30-acre ranch near Bozeman, it will offer in-home support, outpatient services, crisis stabilization, and both short- and long-term residential care.
Led by HRDC in partnership with Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, Gallatin County, and the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition, Lighthouse Ranch fills a critical gap in our local continuum of care – bringing life-saving services to kids, close to home, for the first time.
What motivated the Lighthouse Ranch?
This transformative initiative was inspired by both a critical need and a unique opportunity.
The need: Youth mental health is in crisis. Local and national data show rising rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide among young people. Families in our region often struggle to find timely, appropriate care.
The opportunity: A campus became available that’s well-suited for youth mental health services. We also have a strong, experienced partner in Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) – a trusted provider serving Montana since 1957 that’s stable even in today’s challenging funding environment.
Why This Work Matters
Because it’s about saving kids’ lives.
Right now, too many young people in our community are in crisis, and they don’t have anywhere to turn. Families are desperate for help that simply doesn’t exist here. This transformative initiative is about building a system of care that meets kids where they are, when they need it most – before it’s too late.
We have a rare opportunity to change the future. This work matters because the cost of doing nothing is too high – and because every child deserves a chance to thrive.
Why focus on crisis and residential care instead of prevention or upstream services?
We believe in a full continuum of care. Prevention and early intervention are essential – but right now, the greater Gallatin region has a significant gap in higher acuity/crisis services. This initiative addresses that gap.
The Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition is actively working with partners to strengthen upstream services like school-based support, early intervention, and community education. Lighthouse Ranch focuses on the more intensive care needed when a young person is in crisis.
Why do we need a continuum of care for youth mental health, and why can’t hospitals meet all these needs?
Mental health challenges in young people vary in severity, timing, and complexity – which means no single type of service can meet every need. A continuum of care ensures that youth and families can access the right level of support at the right time. This may include outpatient therapy, in-home support, day treatment, or longer-term residential care like a psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF).
Hospitals are critical for short-term crisis stabilization, but they are not designed for longer-term treatment or ongoing therapeutic support.
Hospitals are often high-cost, high-intensity environments focused on immediate safety.
Youth staying in hospitals longer than necessary can experience delays in healing, emotional distress, and developmental disruption.
PRTFs and other community-based services are more appropriate, family-centered, and effective settings for sustained healing and skill-building.
Outpatient and day services enable healing and connection for entire families and established caregivers, who benefit from learning and growth alongside the youth patient. This kind of healing often cannot be achieved in a high acuity and intense hospital setting.
Regional partner data demonstrates that strengthening community-based outpatient services for children and adolescents, especially mentalhealth and behavioralhealth supports, is associated with lower rates of hospital and emergency admissions.
Montana’s own state plan for children’s behavioral health calls for “a full continuum of care,” from early prevention to crisis response to recovery (DPHHS CMHB Continuum of Care). The Lighthouse Ranch fills a missing piece of that continuum in our region – providing intensive, residential-level care for youth who need more than outpatient or school-based support but less than hospitalization.
Why focus on crisis and residential care instead of prevention or upstream services?
We believe in a full continuum of care. Prevention and early intervention are essential – but right now, the greater Gallatin region has a significant gap in higher acuity/crisis services. This initiative addresses that gap.
The Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition is actively working with partners to strengthen upstream services like school-based support, early intervention, and community education. Lighthouse Ranch focuses on the more intensive care needed when a young person is in crisis.
Who will Lighthouse Ranch serve?
Lighthouse Ranch is designed to serve teenagers with serious emotional or behavioral health needs, often after other supports haven’t worked. The goal is to provide care that helps stabilize youth and prepare them to return to their families and communities.
Who will run the programs at Lighthouse Ranch?
Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) will operate residential mental health services on the campus. YBGR brings over 70 years of experience supporting youth with behavioral and mental health needs across Montana.
What is YBGR’s clinical model and continuum of care?
YBGR provides a comprehensive, integrated clinical model that includes:
Individual, group, and family therapy led by licensed or masterlevel therapists.
Services from a clinical team that includes psychiatrists, midlevel providers, clinical psychologists, licensed addiction counselors, and more.
A multipronged therapeutic environment featuring auxiliary services such as occupational therapy, recreational therapy, chemical dependency support, equine-assisted therapy (EAGALA), and extracurricular activities, like cooking, pottery, and farm & ranch activities, to spark youths’ interest, imagination, and develop coping skills.
A full continuum of care, meaning youth move smoothly between community-based supports, therapeutic group homes, and
How do PRTF programs support youth and families?
PRTFs provide intensive, structured mental health treatment in a residential setting for youth with serious emotional and behavioral challenges who cannot be safely or effectively served in less intensive settings. These facilities offer 24-hour clinical care, therapeutic programming, education, and family support to help stabilize youth, build coping skills, and prepare them to return to home, school, and community life.
Effectiveness is measured in several ways:
Clinical Outcomes: Youth often show significant improvements in emotional regulation, behavior, and functioning through standardized assessments and treatment progress reports.
Family Engagement: PRTFs that actively involve families in treatment planning and therapy show better outcomes for reintegration and long-term success.
Reduced Hospitalizations and Crises: Youth who receive timely, appropriate residential care are less likely to cycle through emergency rooms or be placed in inpatient psychiatric hospitals.
Successful Transitions: Programs are evaluated on how well youth transition to less restrictive settings with ongoing support and services in place.
When used as part of a broader continuum of care, PRTFs are most effective – offering youth a safe place to stabilize while remaining connected to family and community supports that promote lasting recovery.
What are PRTF Assessment services, and how can they help fill the crisis service gap for youth in our community?
Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Assessment services provide short-term residential care and evaluation for youth experiencing a behavioral health crisis or instability that cannot be safely managed at home or in the community. These services offer immediate stabilization and allow a professional team to determine the most appropriate next step—whether that’s returning home with added supports, stepping into outpatient services, or transitioning to longer-term residential care.
In Montana’s Continuum of Care, PRTF Assessment services are a critical middle-ground between acute hospitalization and community-based services. They help avoid unnecessary hospitalizations by offering a safe, therapeutic setting where youth can be evaluated thoroughly, typically within a 10 to 30-day stay.
By adding PRTF Assessment services locally, we can:
Reduce delays in access to care, ensuring youth in crisis are not waiting days or weeks for appropriate placement.
Keep youth closer to home, supporting family involvement in assessment and planning.
Improve system flow, so that youth are matched with the right level of care – no more, no less – based on their actual needs.
This service strengthens our region’s ability to respond effectively and compassionately to youth in behavioral health crisis, and is a key part of rebuilding a coordinated, responsive care system.
What are the phases of the Lighthouse Ranch, and how will it grow over time?
The Lighthouse Ranch initiative will be implemented in three clinical phases, each expanding access to mental health care for youth and families in Gallatin County. The phased approach allows for responsive growth in services, staffing, and infrastructure to meet urgent needs now while building long-term sustainability.
Phase 1: Establish core outpatient services
Timeline: Launch in early 2026, once property acquisition and initial renovations are complete.
Services include:
Mental health assessment and diagnosis
Individual, group, and family therapy
Chemical dependency services
Therapeutic youth mentorship
In-home family support
Case management
Youth served: Approximately 100 youth annually
Primary outcome: Help youth remain healthy and safe in their homes and communities and avoiding higher levels of inpatient or residential care.
Phase 2: Expand to residential and day services
Timeline: Approximately 12–18 months after Phase 1 operations begin
Services include:
Outpatient services from phase 1
Short-term residential care for youth in crisis (ages 11–18)
Day programs providing structured therapeutic services
Diagnostic and placement support to identify next-step care options
Post-placement follow-up and family navigation support
Youth served:
Approximately 100 in outpatient services
8-10 youth in residence on campus
10-30 youth in day services
Primary Outcome: Helping youth transition back to their home and community environment and remain safe and healthy and out of higher levels of care.
Phase 3: Implement comprehensive healing center
Timeline: Approximately 5 years after operations begin, pending capital investment
Services:
Full-spectrum campus-based care from high- to lower-acuity levels
Expanded residential, day treatment, and school-based therapeutic services
Increased staff housing to attract and retain clinical professionals
Youth Served:
100 youth in outpatient
45 – 60 residential youth
Another 60 youth in day treatment programs
Primary Outcome: Keeping youth healthy and safe in the least restrictive environment appropriate to meet their needs
How does YBGR hire and screen staff?
YBGR takes staff screening seriously.
All staff undergo a background check through the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).
In addition, YBGR conducts a second, private background check that goes beyond what is legally required.
Staff also receive extensive training before beginning their roles with a focus on abuse prevention, trauma-informed care, and mandatory reporting laws, as well as ongoing professional development, supervision, and performance evaluation.
The organization has a robust complaint and incident response process to ensure accountability.
YBGR also conducts an annual voluntary HR audit through Associated Employers (AE), which reviews the organization’s hiring and personnel practices. The most recent audit, completed earlier in 2025, found no deviations from regulatory or industry standards.
What does YBGR do to keep kids safe?
YBGR organization maintains a robust set of practices to create a safe, structured, and responsive environment for every child in its care. These include:
Clear supervision policies, which ensures staff are always present and attentive to youth needs.
Structured daily routines that support emotional regulation and healing.
A commitment to trauma-informed care, which means staff are trained to respond to youth with understanding and compassion.
Policies and procedures that align with state and national best practices for youth mental health care, including protocols that require immediate response to any concerns about youth safety, including notification of CPS, law enforcement, and guardians.
Operating under the oversight of multiple state and federal regulatory agencies and regularly undergo external audits and licensing reviews.
How does YBGR align with accreditation and national safety standards?
YBGR is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), a nationally recognized body that evaluates human service organizations on over 1,000 standards related to safety, risk management, quality improvement, and service delivery. This accreditation requires a pre-visit documentation review, and an on-site review by a team of all industry experts. The review includes interviews with staff and consumers, selected at random.
In YBGR’s last accreditation determination five years ago, YBGR was given “Expedited Status”, which means that we had no areas in the over 900 reviewed that were out of compliance. Less than 10% of all accredited agencies receive this status.
Is YBGR a faith-based organization?
YBGR offers optional spiritual programming for youth who are interested, but it is not required.
They respect and accommodate all faiths, spiritual traditions, and non-religious beliefs. Each youth’s values and needs are honored through individualized support.
What is YBGR’s investment in this initiative?
YBGR is making a bold commitment to bring residential youth mental health services to this region.
They are committing staff, resources, and infrastructure – knowing they will operate at a financial loss for several years while services grow and scale. Their willingness to invest underscores the urgent need and their dedication to serving youth.
How is Lighthouse Ranch being funded?
Lighthouse Ranch is funded through a mix of public and private investment, including grants, donations, and partnerships. The community’s support is vital to making it sustainable.
How can the Lighthouse Ranch be financially sustainable given funding challenges with federal and state funding?
Sustainability is a top priority for the Lighthouse Ranch Youth Campus – and there are several strong factors that support long-term operational viability:
Reimbursable Services: The clinical and residential services provided at the campus are reimbursable through a mix of public and private insurance, including Medicaid and Tri-Care. This foundational funding stream helps cover the costs of care and ensures services are accessible to youth regardless of their family's financial circumstances.
Improved Reimbursement Rates: In recent years, Montana has increased reimbursement rates for behavioral health services. These changes have made it more financially feasible to operate high-quality programs that retain skilled staff and provide consistent care.
Nonprofit Leadership and Strategic Funding: Lighthouse Ranch, the nonprofit leading this initiative, is actively working to connect the community-led solution with a broad network of funders. This includes securing startup capital, long-term support, and strategic partnerships to strengthen sustainability.
Support from the YBGR Foundation: The YBGR Foundation plays a vital role in sustaining services through ongoing philanthropic support, including income from its endowment, which helps offset operating costs and ensure program continuity.
Innovative Funding Models: Our community is also exploring new, collaborative approaches to funding a stronger behavioral health safety net. This includes partnerships among public agencies, healthcare systems, private donors, and philanthropic foundations. By building a layered funding model that doesn’t rely on any single source, we can support youth and families today – and ensure the system remains strong into the future.
In short, the campus is designed to be both mission-driven and financially sound, with a shared community commitment to lasting, responsive care.
How can I get involved?
There are many ways to support Lighthouse Ranch:
Make a donation or pledge.
Host a gathering to share information.
Connect us with community partners or professionals.
Volunteer your skills or time.
Simply stay informed and help spread the word.
Visit www.lighthouseranch.org or reach out directly to kirsten@lighthouseranch.org learn more.
What is the Lighthouse Ranch?
Lighthouse Ranch is a first-of-its-kind youth mental health campus in Gallatin County, designed to prevent suicide and support local teens and families in crisis. Located on a 30-acre ranch near Bozeman, it will offer in-home support, outpatient services, crisis stabilization, and both short- and long-term residential care.
Led by HRDC in partnership with Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, Gallatin County, and the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition, Lighthouse Ranch fills a critical gap in our local continuum of care – bringing life-saving services to kids, close to home, for the first time.
What motivated the Lighthouse Ranch?
This transformative initiative was inspired by both a critical need and a unique opportunity.
The need: Youth mental health is in crisis. Local and national data show rising rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide among young people. Families in our region often struggle to find timely, appropriate care.
The opportunity: A campus became available that’s well-suited for youth mental health services. We also have a strong, experienced partner in Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) – a trusted provider serving Montana since 1957 that’s stable even in today’s challenging funding environment.
Why This Work Matters
Because it’s about saving kids’ lives.
Right now, too many young people in our community are in crisis, and they don’t have anywhere to turn. Families are desperate for help that simply doesn’t exist here. This transformative initiative is about building a system of care that meets kids where they are, when they need it most – before it’s too late.
We have a rare opportunity to change the future. This work matters because the cost of doing nothing is too high – and because every child deserves a chance to thrive.
Why focus on crisis and residential care instead of prevention or upstream services?
We believe in a full continuum of care. Prevention and early intervention are essential – but right now, the greater Gallatin region has a significant gap in higher acuity/crisis services. This initiative addresses that gap.
The Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition is actively working with partners to strengthen upstream services like school-based support, early intervention, and community education. Lighthouse Ranch focuses on the more intensive care needed when a young person is in crisis.
Why do we need a continuum of care for youth mental health, and why can’t hospitals meet all these needs?
Mental health challenges in young people vary in severity, timing, and complexity – which means no single type of service can meet every need. A continuum of care ensures that youth and families can access the right level of support at the right time. This may include outpatient therapy, in-home support, day treatment, or longer-term residential care like a psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF).
Hospitals are critical for short-term crisis stabilization, but they are not designed for longer-term treatment or ongoing therapeutic support.
Hospitals are often high-cost, high-intensity environments focused on immediate safety.
Youth staying in hospitals longer than necessary can experience delays in healing, emotional distress, and developmental disruption.
PRTFs and other community-based services are more appropriate, family-centered, and effective settings for sustained healing and skill-building.
Outpatient and day services enable healing and connection for entire families and established caregivers, who benefit from learning and growth alongside the youth patient. This kind of healing often cannot be achieved in a high acuity and intense hospital setting.
Regional partner data demonstrates that strengthening community-based outpatient services for children and adolescents, especially mentalhealth and behavioralhealth supports, is associated with lower rates of hospital and emergency admissions.
Montana’s own state plan for children’s behavioral health calls for “a full continuum of care,” from early prevention to crisis response to recovery (DPHHS CMHB Continuum of Care). The Lighthouse Ranch fills a missing piece of that continuum in our region – providing intensive, residential-level care for youth who need more than outpatient or school-based support but less than hospitalization.
Why focus on crisis and residential care instead of prevention or upstream services?
We believe in a full continuum of care. Prevention and early intervention are essential – but right now, the greater Gallatin region has a significant gap in higher acuity/crisis services. This initiative addresses that gap.
The Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition is actively working with partners to strengthen upstream services like school-based support, early intervention, and community education. Lighthouse Ranch focuses on the more intensive care needed when a young person is in crisis.
Who will Lighthouse Ranch serve?
Lighthouse Ranch is designed to serve teenagers with serious emotional or behavioral health needs, often after other supports haven’t worked. The goal is to provide care that helps stabilize youth and prepare them to return to their families and communities.
Who will run the programs at Lighthouse Ranch?
Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) will operate residential mental health services on the campus. YBGR brings over 70 years of experience supporting youth with behavioral and mental health needs across Montana.
What is YBGR’s clinical model and continuum of care?
YBGR provides a comprehensive, integrated clinical model that includes:
Individual, group, and family therapy led by licensed or masterlevel therapists.
Services from a clinical team that includes psychiatrists, midlevel providers, clinical psychologists, licensed addiction counselors, and more.
A multipronged therapeutic environment featuring auxiliary services such as occupational therapy, recreational therapy, chemical dependency support, equine-assisted therapy (EAGALA), and extracurricular activities, like cooking, pottery, and farm & ranch activities, to spark youths’ interest, imagination, and develop coping skills.
A full continuum of care, meaning youth move smoothly between community-based supports, therapeutic group homes, and
How do PRTF programs support youth and families?
PRTFs provide intensive, structured mental health treatment in a residential setting for youth with serious emotional and behavioral challenges who cannot be safely or effectively served in less intensive settings. These facilities offer 24-hour clinical care, therapeutic programming, education, and family support to help stabilize youth, build coping skills, and prepare them to return to home, school, and community life.
Effectiveness is measured in several ways:
Clinical Outcomes: Youth often show significant improvements in emotional regulation, behavior, and functioning through standardized assessments and treatment progress reports.
Family Engagement: PRTFs that actively involve families in treatment planning and therapy show better outcomes for reintegration and long-term success.
Reduced Hospitalizations and Crises: Youth who receive timely, appropriate residential care are less likely to cycle through emergency rooms or be placed in inpatient psychiatric hospitals.
Successful Transitions: Programs are evaluated on how well youth transition to less restrictive settings with ongoing support and services in place.
When used as part of a broader continuum of care, PRTFs are most effective – offering youth a safe place to stabilize while remaining connected to family and community supports that promote lasting recovery.
What are PRTF Assessment services, and how can they help fill the crisis service gap for youth in our community?
Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Assessment services provide short-term residential care and evaluation for youth experiencing a behavioral health crisis or instability that cannot be safely managed at home or in the community. These services offer immediate stabilization and allow a professional team to determine the most appropriate next step—whether that’s returning home with added supports, stepping into outpatient services, or transitioning to longer-term residential care.
In Montana’s Continuum of Care, PRTF Assessment services are a critical middle-ground between acute hospitalization and community-based services. They help avoid unnecessary hospitalizations by offering a safe, therapeutic setting where youth can be evaluated thoroughly, typically within a 10 to 30-day stay.
By adding PRTF Assessment services locally, we can:
Reduce delays in access to care, ensuring youth in crisis are not waiting days or weeks for appropriate placement.
Keep youth closer to home, supporting family involvement in assessment and planning.
Improve system flow, so that youth are matched with the right level of care – no more, no less – based on their actual needs.
This service strengthens our region’s ability to respond effectively and compassionately to youth in behavioral health crisis, and is a key part of rebuilding a coordinated, responsive care system.
What are the phases of the Lighthouse Ranch, and how will it grow over time?
The Lighthouse Ranch initiative will be implemented in three clinical phases, each expanding access to mental health care for youth and families in Gallatin County. The phased approach allows for responsive growth in services, staffing, and infrastructure to meet urgent needs now while building long-term sustainability.
Phase 1: Establish core outpatient services
Timeline: Launch in early 2026, once property acquisition and initial renovations are complete.
Services include:
Mental health assessment and diagnosis
Individual, group, and family therapy
Chemical dependency services
Therapeutic youth mentorship
In-home family support
Case management
Youth served: Approximately 100 youth annually
Primary outcome: Help youth remain healthy and safe in their homes and communities and avoiding higher levels of inpatient or residential care.
Phase 2: Expand to residential and day services
Timeline: Approximately 12–18 months after Phase 1 operations begin
Services include:
Outpatient services from phase 1
Short-term residential care for youth in crisis (ages 11–18)
Day programs providing structured therapeutic services
Diagnostic and placement support to identify next-step care options
Post-placement follow-up and family navigation support
Youth served:
Approximately 100 in outpatient services
8-10 youth in residence on campus
10-30 youth in day services
Primary Outcome: Helping youth transition back to their home and community environment and remain safe and healthy and out of higher levels of care.
Phase 3: Implement comprehensive healing center
Timeline: Approximately 5 years after operations begin, pending capital investment
Services:
Full-spectrum campus-based care from high- to lower-acuity levels
Expanded residential, day treatment, and school-based therapeutic services
Increased staff housing to attract and retain clinical professionals
Youth Served:
100 youth in outpatient
45 – 60 residential youth
Another 60 youth in day treatment programs
Primary Outcome: Keeping youth healthy and safe in the least restrictive environment appropriate to meet their needs
How does YBGR hire and screen staff?
YBGR takes staff screening seriously.
All staff undergo a background check through the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).
In addition, YBGR conducts a second, private background check that goes beyond what is legally required.
Staff also receive extensive training before beginning their roles with a focus on abuse prevention, trauma-informed care, and mandatory reporting laws, as well as ongoing professional development, supervision, and performance evaluation.
The organization has a robust complaint and incident response process to ensure accountability.
YBGR also conducts an annual voluntary HR audit through Associated Employers (AE), which reviews the organization’s hiring and personnel practices. The most recent audit, completed earlier in 2025, found no deviations from regulatory or industry standards.
What does YBGR do to keep kids safe?
YBGR organization maintains a robust set of practices to create a safe, structured, and responsive environment for every child in its care. These include:
Clear supervision policies, which ensures staff are always present and attentive to youth needs.
Structured daily routines that support emotional regulation and healing.
A commitment to trauma-informed care, which means staff are trained to respond to youth with understanding and compassion.
Policies and procedures that align with state and national best practices for youth mental health care, including protocols that require immediate response to any concerns about youth safety, including notification of CPS, law enforcement, and guardians.
Operating under the oversight of multiple state and federal regulatory agencies and regularly undergo external audits and licensing reviews.
How does YBGR align with accreditation and national safety standards?
YBGR is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), a nationally recognized body that evaluates human service organizations on over 1,000 standards related to safety, risk management, quality improvement, and service delivery. This accreditation requires a pre-visit documentation review, and an on-site review by a team of all industry experts. The review includes interviews with staff and consumers, selected at random.
In YBGR’s last accreditation determination five years ago, YBGR was given “Expedited Status”, which means that we had no areas in the over 900 reviewed that were out of compliance. Less than 10% of all accredited agencies receive this status.
Is YBGR a faith-based organization?
YBGR offers optional spiritual programming for youth who are interested, but it is not required.
They respect and accommodate all faiths, spiritual traditions, and non-religious beliefs. Each youth’s values and needs are honored through individualized support.
What is YBGR’s investment in this initiative?
YBGR is making a bold commitment to bring residential youth mental health services to this region.
They are committing staff, resources, and infrastructure – knowing they will operate at a financial loss for several years while services grow and scale. Their willingness to invest underscores the urgent need and their dedication to serving youth.
How is Lighthouse Ranch being funded?
Lighthouse Ranch is funded through a mix of public and private investment, including grants, donations, and partnerships. The community’s support is vital to making it sustainable.
How can the Lighthouse Ranch be financially sustainable given funding challenges with federal and state funding?
Sustainability is a top priority for the Lighthouse Ranch Youth Campus – and there are several strong factors that support long-term operational viability:
Reimbursable Services: The clinical and residential services provided at the campus are reimbursable through a mix of public and private insurance, including Medicaid and Tri-Care. This foundational funding stream helps cover the costs of care and ensures services are accessible to youth regardless of their family's financial circumstances.
Improved Reimbursement Rates: In recent years, Montana has increased reimbursement rates for behavioral health services. These changes have made it more financially feasible to operate high-quality programs that retain skilled staff and provide consistent care.
Nonprofit Leadership and Strategic Funding: Lighthouse Ranch, the nonprofit leading this initiative, is actively working to connect the community-led solution with a broad network of funders. This includes securing startup capital, long-term support, and strategic partnerships to strengthen sustainability.
Support from the YBGR Foundation: The YBGR Foundation plays a vital role in sustaining services through ongoing philanthropic support, including income from its endowment, which helps offset operating costs and ensure program continuity.
Innovative Funding Models: Our community is also exploring new, collaborative approaches to funding a stronger behavioral health safety net. This includes partnerships among public agencies, healthcare systems, private donors, and philanthropic foundations. By building a layered funding model that doesn’t rely on any single source, we can support youth and families today – and ensure the system remains strong into the future.
In short, the campus is designed to be both mission-driven and financially sound, with a shared community commitment to lasting, responsive care.
How can I get involved?
There are many ways to support Lighthouse Ranch:
Make a donation or pledge.
Host a gathering to share information.
Connect us with community partners or professionals.
Volunteer your skills or time.
Simply stay informed and help spread the word.
Visit www.lighthouseranch.org or reach out directly to kirsten@lighthouseranch.org learn more.
What is the Lighthouse Ranch?
Lighthouse Ranch is a first-of-its-kind youth mental health campus in Gallatin County, designed to prevent suicide and support local teens and families in crisis. Located on a 30-acre ranch near Bozeman, it will offer in-home support, outpatient services, crisis stabilization, and both short- and long-term residential care.
Led by HRDC in partnership with Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, Gallatin County, and the Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition, Lighthouse Ranch fills a critical gap in our local continuum of care – bringing life-saving services to kids, close to home, for the first time.
What motivated the Lighthouse Ranch?
This transformative initiative was inspired by both a critical need and a unique opportunity.
The need: Youth mental health is in crisis. Local and national data show rising rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide among young people. Families in our region often struggle to find timely, appropriate care.
The opportunity: A campus became available that’s well-suited for youth mental health services. We also have a strong, experienced partner in Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) – a trusted provider serving Montana since 1957 that’s stable even in today’s challenging funding environment.
Why This Work Matters
Because it’s about saving kids’ lives.
Right now, too many young people in our community are in crisis, and they don’t have anywhere to turn. Families are desperate for help that simply doesn’t exist here. This transformative initiative is about building a system of care that meets kids where they are, when they need it most – before it’s too late.
We have a rare opportunity to change the future. This work matters because the cost of doing nothing is too high – and because every child deserves a chance to thrive.
Why focus on crisis and residential care instead of prevention or upstream services?
We believe in a full continuum of care. Prevention and early intervention are essential – but right now, the greater Gallatin region has a significant gap in higher acuity/crisis services. This initiative addresses that gap.
The Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition is actively working with partners to strengthen upstream services like school-based support, early intervention, and community education. Lighthouse Ranch focuses on the more intensive care needed when a young person is in crisis.
Why do we need a continuum of care for youth mental health, and why can’t hospitals meet all these needs?
Mental health challenges in young people vary in severity, timing, and complexity – which means no single type of service can meet every need. A continuum of care ensures that youth and families can access the right level of support at the right time. This may include outpatient therapy, in-home support, day treatment, or longer-term residential care like a psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF).
Hospitals are critical for short-term crisis stabilization, but they are not designed for longer-term treatment or ongoing therapeutic support.
Hospitals are often high-cost, high-intensity environments focused on immediate safety.
Youth staying in hospitals longer than necessary can experience delays in healing, emotional distress, and developmental disruption.
PRTFs and other community-based services are more appropriate, family-centered, and effective settings for sustained healing and skill-building.
Outpatient and day services enable healing and connection for entire families and established caregivers, who benefit from learning and growth alongside the youth patient. This kind of healing often cannot be achieved in a high acuity and intense hospital setting.
Regional partner data demonstrates that strengthening community-based outpatient services for children and adolescents, especially mentalhealth and behavioralhealth supports, is associated with lower rates of hospital and emergency admissions.
Montana’s own state plan for children’s behavioral health calls for “a full continuum of care,” from early prevention to crisis response to recovery (DPHHS CMHB Continuum of Care). The Lighthouse Ranch fills a missing piece of that continuum in our region – providing intensive, residential-level care for youth who need more than outpatient or school-based support but less than hospitalization.
Why focus on crisis and residential care instead of prevention or upstream services?
We believe in a full continuum of care. Prevention and early intervention are essential – but right now, the greater Gallatin region has a significant gap in higher acuity/crisis services. This initiative addresses that gap.
The Gallatin Behavioral Health Coalition is actively working with partners to strengthen upstream services like school-based support, early intervention, and community education. Lighthouse Ranch focuses on the more intensive care needed when a young person is in crisis.
Who will Lighthouse Ranch serve?
Lighthouse Ranch is designed to serve teenagers with serious emotional or behavioral health needs, often after other supports haven’t worked. The goal is to provide care that helps stabilize youth and prepare them to return to their families and communities.
Who will run the programs at Lighthouse Ranch?
Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) will operate residential mental health services on the campus. YBGR brings over 70 years of experience supporting youth with behavioral and mental health needs across Montana.
What is YBGR’s clinical model and continuum of care?
YBGR provides a comprehensive, integrated clinical model that includes:
Individual, group, and family therapy led by licensed or masterlevel therapists.
Services from a clinical team that includes psychiatrists, midlevel providers, clinical psychologists, licensed addiction counselors, and more.
A multipronged therapeutic environment featuring auxiliary services such as occupational therapy, recreational therapy, chemical dependency support, equine-assisted therapy (EAGALA), and extracurricular activities, like cooking, pottery, and farm & ranch activities, to spark youths’ interest, imagination, and develop coping skills.
A full continuum of care, meaning youth move smoothly between community-based supports, therapeutic group homes, and
How do PRTF programs support youth and families?
PRTFs provide intensive, structured mental health treatment in a residential setting for youth with serious emotional and behavioral challenges who cannot be safely or effectively served in less intensive settings. These facilities offer 24-hour clinical care, therapeutic programming, education, and family support to help stabilize youth, build coping skills, and prepare them to return to home, school, and community life.
Effectiveness is measured in several ways:
Clinical Outcomes: Youth often show significant improvements in emotional regulation, behavior, and functioning through standardized assessments and treatment progress reports.
Family Engagement: PRTFs that actively involve families in treatment planning and therapy show better outcomes for reintegration and long-term success.
Reduced Hospitalizations and Crises: Youth who receive timely, appropriate residential care are less likely to cycle through emergency rooms or be placed in inpatient psychiatric hospitals.
Successful Transitions: Programs are evaluated on how well youth transition to less restrictive settings with ongoing support and services in place.
When used as part of a broader continuum of care, PRTFs are most effective – offering youth a safe place to stabilize while remaining connected to family and community supports that promote lasting recovery.
What are PRTF Assessment services, and how can they help fill the crisis service gap for youth in our community?
Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Assessment services provide short-term residential care and evaluation for youth experiencing a behavioral health crisis or instability that cannot be safely managed at home or in the community. These services offer immediate stabilization and allow a professional team to determine the most appropriate next step—whether that’s returning home with added supports, stepping into outpatient services, or transitioning to longer-term residential care.
In Montana’s Continuum of Care, PRTF Assessment services are a critical middle-ground between acute hospitalization and community-based services. They help avoid unnecessary hospitalizations by offering a safe, therapeutic setting where youth can be evaluated thoroughly, typically within a 10 to 30-day stay.
By adding PRTF Assessment services locally, we can:
Reduce delays in access to care, ensuring youth in crisis are not waiting days or weeks for appropriate placement.
Keep youth closer to home, supporting family involvement in assessment and planning.
Improve system flow, so that youth are matched with the right level of care – no more, no less – based on their actual needs.
This service strengthens our region’s ability to respond effectively and compassionately to youth in behavioral health crisis, and is a key part of rebuilding a coordinated, responsive care system.
What are the phases of the Lighthouse Ranch, and how will it grow over time?
The Lighthouse Ranch initiative will be implemented in three clinical phases, each expanding access to mental health care for youth and families in Gallatin County. The phased approach allows for responsive growth in services, staffing, and infrastructure to meet urgent needs now while building long-term sustainability.
Phase 1: Establish core outpatient services
Timeline: Launch in early 2026, once property acquisition and initial renovations are complete.
Services include:
Mental health assessment and diagnosis
Individual, group, and family therapy
Chemical dependency services
Therapeutic youth mentorship
In-home family support
Case management
Youth served: Approximately 100 youth annually
Primary outcome: Help youth remain healthy and safe in their homes and communities and avoiding higher levels of inpatient or residential care.
Phase 2: Expand to residential and day services
Timeline: Approximately 12–18 months after Phase 1 operations begin
Services include:
Outpatient services from phase 1
Short-term residential care for youth in crisis (ages 11–18)
Day programs providing structured therapeutic services
Diagnostic and placement support to identify next-step care options
Post-placement follow-up and family navigation support
Youth served:
Approximately 100 in outpatient services
8-10 youth in residence on campus
10-30 youth in day services
Primary Outcome: Helping youth transition back to their home and community environment and remain safe and healthy and out of higher levels of care.
Phase 3: Implement comprehensive healing center
Timeline: Approximately 5 years after operations begin, pending capital investment
Services:
Full-spectrum campus-based care from high- to lower-acuity levels
Expanded residential, day treatment, and school-based therapeutic services
Increased staff housing to attract and retain clinical professionals
Youth Served:
100 youth in outpatient
45 – 60 residential youth
Another 60 youth in day treatment programs
Primary Outcome: Keeping youth healthy and safe in the least restrictive environment appropriate to meet their needs
How does YBGR hire and screen staff?
YBGR takes staff screening seriously.
All staff undergo a background check through the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).
In addition, YBGR conducts a second, private background check that goes beyond what is legally required.
Staff also receive extensive training before beginning their roles with a focus on abuse prevention, trauma-informed care, and mandatory reporting laws, as well as ongoing professional development, supervision, and performance evaluation.
The organization has a robust complaint and incident response process to ensure accountability.
YBGR also conducts an annual voluntary HR audit through Associated Employers (AE), which reviews the organization’s hiring and personnel practices. The most recent audit, completed earlier in 2025, found no deviations from regulatory or industry standards.
What does YBGR do to keep kids safe?
YBGR organization maintains a robust set of practices to create a safe, structured, and responsive environment for every child in its care. These include:
Clear supervision policies, which ensures staff are always present and attentive to youth needs.
Structured daily routines that support emotional regulation and healing.
A commitment to trauma-informed care, which means staff are trained to respond to youth with understanding and compassion.
Policies and procedures that align with state and national best practices for youth mental health care, including protocols that require immediate response to any concerns about youth safety, including notification of CPS, law enforcement, and guardians.
Operating under the oversight of multiple state and federal regulatory agencies and regularly undergo external audits and licensing reviews.
How does YBGR align with accreditation and national safety standards?
YBGR is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), a nationally recognized body that evaluates human service organizations on over 1,000 standards related to safety, risk management, quality improvement, and service delivery. This accreditation requires a pre-visit documentation review, and an on-site review by a team of all industry experts. The review includes interviews with staff and consumers, selected at random.
In YBGR’s last accreditation determination five years ago, YBGR was given “Expedited Status”, which means that we had no areas in the over 900 reviewed that were out of compliance. Less than 10% of all accredited agencies receive this status.
Is YBGR a faith-based organization?
YBGR offers optional spiritual programming for youth who are interested, but it is not required.
They respect and accommodate all faiths, spiritual traditions, and non-religious beliefs. Each youth’s values and needs are honored through individualized support.
What is YBGR’s investment in this initiative?
YBGR is making a bold commitment to bring residential youth mental health services to this region.
They are committing staff, resources, and infrastructure – knowing they will operate at a financial loss for several years while services grow and scale. Their willingness to invest underscores the urgent need and their dedication to serving youth.
How is Lighthouse Ranch being funded?
Lighthouse Ranch is funded through a mix of public and private investment, including grants, donations, and partnerships. The community’s support is vital to making it sustainable.
How can the Lighthouse Ranch be financially sustainable given funding challenges with federal and state funding?
Sustainability is a top priority for the Lighthouse Ranch Youth Campus – and there are several strong factors that support long-term operational viability:
Reimbursable Services: The clinical and residential services provided at the campus are reimbursable through a mix of public and private insurance, including Medicaid and Tri-Care. This foundational funding stream helps cover the costs of care and ensures services are accessible to youth regardless of their family's financial circumstances.
Improved Reimbursement Rates: In recent years, Montana has increased reimbursement rates for behavioral health services. These changes have made it more financially feasible to operate high-quality programs that retain skilled staff and provide consistent care.
Nonprofit Leadership and Strategic Funding: Lighthouse Ranch, the nonprofit leading this initiative, is actively working to connect the community-led solution with a broad network of funders. This includes securing startup capital, long-term support, and strategic partnerships to strengthen sustainability.
Support from the YBGR Foundation: The YBGR Foundation plays a vital role in sustaining services through ongoing philanthropic support, including income from its endowment, which helps offset operating costs and ensure program continuity.
Innovative Funding Models: Our community is also exploring new, collaborative approaches to funding a stronger behavioral health safety net. This includes partnerships among public agencies, healthcare systems, private donors, and philanthropic foundations. By building a layered funding model that doesn’t rely on any single source, we can support youth and families today – and ensure the system remains strong into the future.
In short, the campus is designed to be both mission-driven and financially sound, with a shared community commitment to lasting, responsive care.
How can I get involved?
There are many ways to support Lighthouse Ranch:
Make a donation or pledge.
Host a gathering to share information.
Connect us with community partners or professionals.
Volunteer your skills or time.
Simply stay informed and help spread the word.
Visit www.lighthouseranch.org or reach out directly to kirsten@lighthouseranch.org learn more.
Delivering critical mental health care to at-risk youth in the Gallatin Valley and beyond.