Published on: September 02, 2025
The Community Peer Support team on the Flathead Indian Reservation operates Thursday through Sunday from 2 p.m. to midnight, offering a safe space and direct outreach services. (Adobe Stock)
By Trimmel GomesA first-of-its-kind pilot program on the Flathead Indian Reservation offers a new path for community members with nonviolent mental health or substance use crises, and aims to bridge critical gaps in Montana's rural care system.
The Community Peer Support Pilot Project is a partnership of Salish Kootenai College's Journey to Wellness and the nonprofit Never Alone Recovery Support Services. It deploys a team of peer specialists – people with lived experience in addiction and recovery – to respond to calls and staff a late-night drop-in hub.
Shay Farmer, Journey to Wellness project director at Salish Kootenai College, said the need for this kind of connection is dire, especially to avoid clashes with law enforcement.
"Having the folks on hand to deal with some of these issues – a lot of the jail folks aren't trained in this, so sometimes, things aren't handled as they would be and people get upset – but really it's just a lack of training, awareness and just accessible resources to everyone, no matter who you are," Farmer explained.
Funded by a community grant, the program extends the hours of a nonclinical drop-in center and provides a mobile response team to help bridge some of the critical gaps in resources.
Don Roberts, executive director of Never Alone Recovery Support Services, said the extended hours at their drop-in center have created a safe, sober space for the recovery community.
"The fact that we're open until midnight, we get a lot – that's actually sometimes busier in the evenings and nights than it is in the daytimes when I've got my full crew there," Roberts pointed out. "But we've got a lot of people coming in at night, just hanging out and talking about recovery and doing meetings."
The original vision was for law enforcement to call the team into the field. Roberts noted they have responded to three such calls and he hopes to see momentum build. He added funding challenges are the largest barrier, with a waitlist of about 200 people for 44 beds.
Roberts argued for programs like his to be sustainable, Montana must find a way to integrate peer support and recovery residences into its Medicaid billing structure.
"What's not working is, the funding pieces are still not coming together," Roberts stressed. "I have to chase money every year, and every year I don't know if next year I'm going to be able to pay my staff."
The future of the pilot program will be decided in January based on its outcomes. Roberts hopes for an expansion to 24-hour service, which he argued is important for a community grappling with limited resources.
Anyone in the community who needs immediate support from the team can visit or call the hub in Pablo.
