Tumbleweed: Giving Hope to Homeless Youth

December 2025

article by Jessica Renstrom | photos by Littles + Bigs Photography

How would it feel to be without a home for the holidays? Sadly, many youth in our community experience the cold and loneliness of being homeless, not just during the holidays, but year-round.

For these youth, the holiday season is just one more reminder of what they are missing: safety, warmth, and family. Fortunately, Tumbleweed is here to provide a supportive environment, offering essential resources, a safe space, and a caring community to help young people navigate these challenges. Tumbleweed, a local nonprofit organization, helps youth up to age 25 who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of becoming homeless.

Over the past year, Tumbleweed has served more than 700 young people through its five programs, many of whom are hidden in plain sight. While some live on the streets full-time, many more “couch surf,” staying temporarily with friends and often moving from place to place without stable housing.

Though each individual’s situation is different, nearly all have experienced trauma, instability, or family conflict that left them without a safe place to call home. “They're not homeless because they choose to be homeless,” explains Georgia Cady, Executive Director of Tumbleweed. No child in kindergarten raises their hand and says, ‘When I grow up, I want to be homeless. “This is not a choice they're making; this is a situation that they have to make it through, and that's how these kids look at it.”

Georgia emphasizes that these young people face barriers that most adults rarely consider. “It is not as simple as ‘just get a job,’” she explains. “Many don’t even have an ID or a birth certificate. Without these, they can’t apply for jobs, and without a job, they can’t afford housing.” Amidst these challenges, Tumbleweed ensures these young people have access to food, showers, laundry facilities, and a safe place to rest and recharge. In addition, Tumbleweed works to lower the barriers to employment by helping youth obtain identification, providing computers for job searches, and giving life skills support.

And the best part? Every service is free, and there’s no start or finish line to get help. As Georgia explains, “We’re the space where people can come when it’s needed. Some come for months or even years, others stop by for a few weeks, leave, and then return when they need help again. We don’t turn anyone away if they miss an appointment or fall off track.”

Through a range of flexible services, Tumbleweed meets young people wherever they are in their journey. Whether it’s providing a hot meal and a safe place to rest at the Drop-In Resource Center, helping a young person transition out of foster care, or supporting someone escaping trafficking or homelessness, the organization focuses on stability and growth. Each program is designed to remove barriers, teach essential life skills, and empower youth to build safe and independent futures.

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED DONATE

Tumbleweed relies on community support throughout the year, but the cold winter months bring extra challenges for the youth they serve. As temperatures drop, even the simplest items can make a world of difference. This season, consider donating:

Winter essentials, such as warm clothing, coats, boots, socks, hats, gloves, mittens, and underwear.
Larger clothing sizes, especially for young men, are always in high demand.
Gift cards for meals or stores like Target, allowing youth to choose gifts and meals for themselves during the holidays.

Drop-offs can be made Monday through Thursday from 7:30a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteer

Beyond material support, Tumbleweed welcomes volunteers year-round. Individuals can volunteer to teach life skills, such as painting, music, and resume writing, or help with practical tasks like sorting clothing, organizing the food pantry, or preparing winter items for distribution. “We think it's really important that the youth and young adults know that our community supports them because a lot of times they don't feel a part of our community,” says Georgia. “So, the more community folks we can bring in, the better.”

Originally printed in the December 2025 issue of Simply Local Magazine

Check this article out in the digital issue of Simply Local here!

Jessica Renstrom

Jessica is a Billings local with a background in marketing and a degree in Communications. She loves being a mom and soaking up time with her young children, especially during the holidays! You can catch her feeling festive and listening to Christmas music basically every day in December.

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