Toby’s House groundbreaking ceremony for new facility
Toby’s House is holding a groundbreaking ceremony for their new facility at 205 7th Ave. S.
The ceremony at 1 p.m. Jan. 28 marks a yearslong effort to get the crisis nursery into a dedicated facility and move from its current converted duplex at the corner of 5th Street and 5th Avenue North.
Toby’s House has been bursting at the seams in that location for some time since opening in late 2020.
The new property was purchased by Toby’s House last year, but thanks to donations from Mike Tabacco and $500,000 from Jimmy and Debbie Filipowicz, it was at no cost to the non-profit, according to Amy Pulliam, board chair.
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The 0.5-acre property is zoned M-2 mixed use, according to the city planning office, so it didn’t need to be rezoned, but went through the normal city permitting process for construction.
Walsh Group, the contractor building the weapons generation facility at Malmstrom Air Force Base, has already started dirt work on the site and will be involved in the construction, along with other local construction companies, Pulliam said.
Other donors include Craig Barber, Paul Leach and Stockman Bank.
She said the plan is to complete the facility and be up and running this summer.
The new facility will have more space, plus more outdoor space and Pulliam said they’re planning to expand from their current hours of 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. to 24-hour care once they settle into the new facility that will be more secure and have fire sprinklers.
Toby’s House is a nonprofit crisis nursery with a focus on children ages 0-6.
The nursery was established in late 2020 to prevent child abuse and neglect through providing crisis and respite care, as well as some transitional care for families awaiting availability at daycare, according to the organization, which was named nonprofit of the year in 2022 by Montana Children’s Trust Fund.
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In 2025, the nursery reached and exceeded its capacity, providing 11,500 hours of respite care.
Pulliam said that they accept families of all walks of live for “whatever crisis you think you have,” ranging from doctor’s appointments to daycare being closed.
Toby’s House is there for parents who “Just need an hour, two hours away before you break,” Pulliam said.
Moms have come in to the nursery and said “oh my gosh you guys have been a lifesaver,” Pulliam said.
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Expanding into 24-hour care would help those who work night shifts, such as restaurant employees, gas station attendants and casino workers, she said.
Construction is underway, Pulliam said, but they’re still accepting monetary donations for the new facility as well as items such as diapers.
Toby’s House posts updates weekly on their Facebook page of what items are needed, she said.
Pulliam said she’s been on the Toby’s House board for about three years and around that time, Walsh Group got involved in the effort to find a new facility.
“It’s been a long time coming for us,” she said.
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Last year, Toby’s House asked the city to lease a portion of Carter Park, which highlighted a code provision and the general discussion of whether the city needs all the parkland it was, and the process of leasing, selling or trading city property.
During the Sept. 8, 2025 park advisory board meeting, Jessica Compton, interim Park and Recreation director, said that the group had presented at the Aug. 19 City Commission meeting and commissioners had suggested moving forward.
She said the the community felt strongly about giving away parkland the department had received many calls and messages about the proposal.
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The city was notified Sept. 8 that Toby’s House had purchased the property and withdrew it’s request to lease city parkland.
Leesha Ford, Toby’s House director, told The Electric last fall that “two donors purchased/donated a lot very close to Carter Park, which should make everyone happy.”
