Soft Landing: Helping Refugee and Immigrant Families Thrive

Belonging doesn’t happen all at once. For refugee and immigrant youth and caregivers building new lives in Missoula, it grows through trust, relationships, and spaces where they are seen for who they are and supported through what they’re navigating. That understanding sits at the core of Soft Landing Missoula’s work as they walk alongside families putting down roots in Western Montana.

Soft Landing is a community-based nonprofit committed to supporting refugee and immigrant families through what they call the “long welcome.” Their approach focuses on showing up consistently over time, celebrating culture and milestones, and creating opportunities for people to connect and thrive together. Through their Community Center, mentoring and youth programs, United We Eat initiative, and community storytelling, they focus on building a community where newcomers feel supported and valued from the start.

For youth, this begins with consistent, welcoming spaces where they can get academic help, build relationships with mentors, and spend time with peers who understand what it means to start over in a new place. Tutoring and mentoring help students navigate school, build confidence, and reach important milestones like graduation, college enrollment, and vocational training. Along the way, youth are supported to advocate for themselves by speaking with teachers, employers, and institutions about what they need to succeed, which often marks an early step into leadership.

Soft Landing intentionally creates pathways for youth to grow into leadership, such as through its Middle School GIRLS group and High School Girls Leadership Council. In these spaces, young women plan activities, help shape programs, and practice decision-making together. Leadership is built through experience and trust, not titles, as youth see their ideas taken seriously and reflected in the work itself. As confidence grows, many begin trying things for the first time, like joining clubs or sports teams, speaking publicly, or imagining futures that once felt out of reach. Their accomplishments often ripple outward, offering younger siblings and peers visible examples of what’s possible.

Storytelling is woven throughout this work. Soft Landing supports youth and families in sharing their lived experiences through events like Stories of Home, along with videos, written stories, photos, and public speaking opportunities. These stories highlight resilience, creativity, and determination, while also deepening community understanding of what it means to arrive, belong, and build a life in Missoula. Youth have shared their stories at school events, cultural celebrations, and community panels, strengthening communication skills and helping bridge understanding across the broader community.

Through partnerships with local schools, the University of Montana, and statewide service and advocacy networks, Soft Landing connects emerging youth leaders to broader conversations about belonging, access, and opportunity. These connections help ensure refugee and immigrant voices are not only supported within programs but included in shaping the wider community.

Last fall, Soft Landing became one of the newest grantees of our Family Power Fund, which supports organizations helping youth, parents, caregivers, and community partners build strong relationships and shared power to shape the systems that influence health. The fund focuses on work that strengthens connection, lifts up community voice, and creates pathways for people most impacted to lead.

Soft Landing’s approach reflects this vision. By centering belonging, they create the conditions for leadership to emerge, and by investing in storytelling, they ensure youth and families are not just supported but heard. Together, this work is helping shape a more connected, more welcoming Montana.

Learn more about Soft Landing via their website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram to learn about events and ways to engage.