Organization Overview
Butte Silver Bow Persons Invested in Recovery and Inner Transformation, or the Butte SPIRIT Center is a 501(c)3 organization (FEIN: 83-3127164) based out of Butte, Montana operating as a community-based peer support organization to create transitional living environments for people recovering from substance use disorder. The Butte SPIRIT Home operates as an Adult Male Recovery Home, licensed and state approved as a Clinically Managed Low-Intensity Residential Service Provider [American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Level 3.1] placing a preference on serving Silver Bow and the adjacent counties, but open to the statewide population.
- MISSION: Our mission is to provide supportive housing and services to those recovering from substance use disorders by creating an accessible, drug and alcohol-free environment, supporting fellowship and building partnerships among the recovery community. We seek to build connections with those that are invested in their own inner transformation, and to help them transition into a healthy peer supported network.
- VISION: The Butte SPIRIT Center envisions a future in which all those recovering from substance use disorders have the opportunity to become self sustaining and empowered to maintain their recovery journey, with both support and freedom.
Statement of Need
In 2020, the Butte Silver-Bow Health Department, in partnership with St. James Healthcare, conducted a Community Health Needs Assessment that surveyed the public, as well as health care providers and other key community members. Key informants (who rated access to healthcare as a “major problem”) identified mental health care and substance abuse treatment as the first and second most difficult to access services in the community, respectively. Substance Abuse ranked as a top concern in their online survey, with 43% of respondents claiming that their lives had been negatively affected by substance abuse (national average is 35.8%.) 70.9% of key informants taking part in an online survey characterized Substance Abuse as a “major problem” in the community. Among those that gave this ranking, many comments about barriers to treatment shed light on the issue that Butte SPIRIT hopes to address, including:
“Transitional living facilities and treatment options.”
-Social Services Provider
“Lack of local treatment options.”
-Community Leader
“Location. Most of these facilities are located 80+ miles away, and a lot of patients do not have transportation for this. Also, placement is so difficult because of the lack of facilities.”
-Healthcare Provider
“There isn’t enough room in the chemical dependency center to help all that are in need of this service. People have to wait, and while they’re waiting, they can’t stay clean. They’re back out using. This is a disease and about when people decide they want help.”
-Community Leader
“Criminalization of addiction, long waiting period or no access to appropriate residential treatment, no transitional housing.”
-Social Services Provider
Substance abuse has a major impact on individuals, families, and communities. The effects of substance abuse are cumulative, significantly contributing to costly social, physical, mental, and public health problems. The Butte SPIRIT Center will have ripple effects in our community, creating a lasting legacy in the health of our community.