Celebrating the Right to Suitable Housing for People with Traumatic Brain Injuries

Join local advocates to mark 30 years of groundbreaking support and progress for young people with traumatic brain injuries at the August 8, 2026, open house at Pacific’s Terry Home. The event commemorates the enduring impact these homes have had on individuals and families navigating TBI challenges.

PACIFIC, Washington—Terry was on the cusp of manhood in 1984 when he sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) that left him in a coma for three months. Following prolonged rehabilitation, the young man had few options for his life.

More care was needed than Terry’s family could give, so Terry’s mother, Mary Norman, sought other care facilities for her son. She soon discovered that the only option for people like Terry, who suffered severe brain injuries, was a geriatric nursing home.

Mary knew she couldn’t send her 18-year-old son to live in a nursing home among the elderly. So she, her family, and friends decided to create a home that would promote the potential and independence of Terry and other 18 to 45-year-olds with TBIs. After 10 years of dedicated research, networking, fundraising, and grant writing, the nonprofit Terry Home in Pacific opened in 1996.

Terry continues to reside in Terry Home, nurtured by professional staff and surrounded by others who have sustained TBIs. Here, residents learn at their own pace to cook, pursue hobbies, develop social and interaction skills, manage their finances, and enhance cognitive abilities.

They also enjoy recreation, movies, picnics, sporting events, and more.

The demand for appropriate housing for people with TBIs is so great that in 2013, Terry Home added a second home in Auburn, where Terry now resides.

Mary passed away in 2014, but her sister, Myla Montgomery, her son, Tim, and his wife, Joanne, continue to oversee the work of both Terry Homes. “We are rewarded every day,” Myla says, “by seeing the smiles on our residents' faces and helping them to make the most of their changed lives. Terry Home is a wonderful legacy that my sister left our community.”

The public is invited to join in the 30th anniversary open house of Terry Home on August 8 at the Pacific home, 138 Third Ave. S.W., from 11 am to 1 pm. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the residents and staff, enjoy refreshments, and learn more about Terry Home and Traumatic Brain Injuries.