The Friendship Center

Last year, The Friendship Center completed the first phase of a three-year project in reacquiring our original home across the street from our current facility. We serve 500-700 individuals through thousands of services in an average year now, and our team has grown to keep pace with the rising need for services since moving into our current home in 2007. We know we're still just skimming the surface when it comes to addressing the true prevalence of violence in our community. Learn how we're expanding to ensure we can serve even more people.

This month’s partner spotlight is all about Treasure State Runners, the group that brought Just for the Helena of It to life in 2022, and has helped raise about $40,000 for The Friendship Center to date. Enjoy learning a little about the passionate folks behind the race in this Q&A with Kathleen Koford, the group's vice president and one of the dedicated race directors who make Just for the Helena of It happen every October.

Our own Jackie Brennan dives into the connection between popular western tropes and community violence, arguing that we have to think seriously about the many beliefs that have shaped modern life in western states like Montana—not because the beliefs are true, but because they can lead to the fatal outcomes that agencies like The Friendship Center are determined to prevent.

The Friendship Center is seeking Crisis Line Advocates to staff our 24-hour crisis line outside of our office hours and on occasional holidays and administrative days. This position is stipend-based with an additional hourly rate for hours worked. If you're interested in helping provide trauma-informed crisis intervention, advocacy, and support to survivors, consider applying to join our team! Visit https://lnkd.in/g8GU3U8V to learn more and apply.

Our fall newsletter goes out next month! If you're not on our mailing list, you can sign up online to get our semi-annual print newsletter. That's also where you can find digital versions of all our past newsletters. Delivered every October and April, our newsletter is a great way to keep up with us! Visit https://lnkd.in/gQEtiGnx to sign up.

Helena Public Schools Homeless Liaison Michele Zentz plays a key role in efforts to level the playing field for K-12 students experiencing housing transitions and instability, and she answered some of our questions for this month's partner spotlight. Check out what she had to say about the challenges students returning to school may face when they don’t have stable housing, how schools define homelessness, how family and/or partner violence contributes to housing instability, and more.

The first few months of fall semester are sometimes called the “Red Zone” because they are when most sexual assaults occur on college campuses. With students back on campus across the country, TFC’s Jaime Gabrielli highlights factors that contribute to the prevalence of campus sexual assault and some of the resources designed to improve safety and support for survivors on college campuses.

For a special feature this month, we're delighted to share a Q&A with Mike Vannatta—long-time TFC crisis line volunteer and current president for Mount Helena Eagles 4040. Mike's responses cover the impact that working with survivors has had on him, the fulfillment he's found serving the Eagles chapter in East Helena, and his words of encouragement to those looking to get more involved in their community. If you need your spirits lifted today, give this a read.

Many agencies in our community have started the process of integrating a new lethality risk assessment tool across their standard processes, but our partners in East Helena are ready to start using it fully in the investigation and adjudication of domestic violence crimes this month. Learn more about East Helena's adoption of the APRAIS tool with a pair of Q&As featuring East Helena Police Chief Mike Sanders and City Court Judge Dennis Loveless.

Our email newsletter is the best source for the latest news, events, informative writing from our staff, and features on some of The Friendship Center's fantastic partners and collaborators. If you're not already, be sure to sign up to receive our monthly newsletter and occasional reminders for special events and campaigns. Visit https://lnkd.in/gcf3yvpk to join our email list.