In March of 1998, the Shepherd’s Home opened its doors to its first resident and before long, the Home was at capacity. With the generous financial support of donors and the commitment of talented staff and volunteers, the Shepherd’s Home has provided Hope for countless Idaho children and families.

History of the Shepherd’s Home

The idea for the Shepherd’s Home was born in the home and hearts of Bill and Dottie Basye. The Basyes, working closely with the Department of Health and Welfare, sought a way to overcome the lack of adequate foster care available to children in central Idaho. To provide for the many children in crisis who needed a safe and loving home, they created a community initiative that quickly gathered support and momentum. The Shepherd’s Home was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1996 and opened its doors, fully operational, in the spring of 1998. During the brief interim between dream and reality, several donations of local money, time, and professional labor made the building of the Home possible. The local Lutheran church donated an acre of land and several large foundation grants were used to build the Home and hire the Home’s first staff. Community members provided enormous support and established fundraising events to support the new Home. Since that time the Shepherd’s Home has grown into a cherished and highly-regarded regional resource, providing not only a loving home for children in crisis but also providing additional programs for its residents and for community members to support the prevention of child abuse.

“Though our mission is to serve children, we acknowledge that to adequately do that requires working to some extent with families and communities at large. Through the following objectives, we seek not only to provide children with shelter in the storm, but to stop abusive cycles by working within a wider context.”

Testimonials