Havre's Day Treatment Program

Food, shelter, safety‚ these are some of the basic essentials that we all need in order to sustain our lives.

For most of our community members, resources are readily available, accessible and known. But for some, long-term services and support options are needed to meet these basic needs and residential care is among them.

For those affected by mental illness, the options become even more limited. With mental health needs on the rise and increased physical disorders, more and more adults are requiring residential care from providers that support performing everyday activities (i.e. dressing, eating, sleeping and hygiene), provide daily supervision, assist with self-administration of medications and overall care. National studies reflect “a vast majority of adults would rather choose to age in place of a home environment, if it were a viable option.”

At the Center for Mental Health, we meet those residential care needs for adults needing safe and secure housing with varying levels of support. We have available three options: recovery homes — formerly referred to as adult foster care — group home residential living and transitional living.

Recovery homes are private family homes that provide housing and daily support to disabled mentally ill adults. Some individuals need the emotional support that a recovery home setting can provide; others need additional help in learning the basics of living and engaging in community services. Recovery homes complement other services including case management, psychiatry and therapy to provide a stable living environment for the individual. On average, 2-4 adults live in a recovery home with the licensed provider and their family. The center offers this service in Great Falls, Helena and Havre.

Group home residential Living is community based housing for disabled mentally ill adults that is still a home environment where individuals are provided room and board, but live with typically 8 other housemates and are provided with continual 24/7 staff supervision. Client participation in residential and other community and center services prepares individuals for more independent living at a later time. The center currently has four group homes in Great Falls and two in Helena.

Transitional living is a one- to nine-month intermediary program that is structured to give temporary housing as an individual works towards obtaining permanent housing that is not immediately available to them at the time. They are strongly encouraged to engage in community and center services. The only current location for this service with the center is located on the same grounds as one of our group homes in Great Falls. This adds a benefit as our staff are able to provide support and supervision 24/7 in a safe and nurturing environment.

In each of these settings, the basic needs of food, shelter and safety are met to ensure that individuals with mental illness are getting what they need to function and be active and successful in our community. Mental illness can be an overwhelming struggle, but the Center for Mental Health is here to help support with the journey to recovery.

(Jennifer T. Whitfield is area director of service in Great Falls for the Center for Mental Health.)