The Friendship Center Meets Growing Need for Victim Services

The Friendship Center’s recent annual report highlights the reach of their services and the impact of community support in 2024.

(HELENA, Mont., Apr. 8, 2025) – The Friendship Center served 729 known individuals in 2024. In their recent annual report, they highlighted their impact as the only agency serving victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking (DVSAS) in Lewis and Clark, Broadwater, and Jefferson counties.

Other than dialing 911, The Friendship Center is the only place area residents can call when they are in immediate crisis due to interpersonal violence. In 2024, The Friendship Center fielded over 3,200 conversations through their 24/7 crisis line and provided 8,792 services, including legal advocacy, in-hospital response for survivors of sexual assault, safety planning, emotional support, community referrals, and more. They also provided 16,948 nights of shelter to 190 people fleeing violence.

Community support in 2024 helped The Friendship Center expand access to their services and meet client needs in new ways, with the following highlights:

• A new chat/text function added to their website gives those seeking services an alternative way to connect with advocates if in-person and phone appointments are unsafe or inaccessible.

• A rental assistance program launched with funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development helps residential program clients get settled in their own housing while receiving advocacy support. Many survivors will face homelessness when they flee abuse, making it one of the biggest barriers to leaving a violent relationship. This program helps give clients time to build financial independence while establishing stable housing that they can stay in after their time in the program.

• In collaboration with several local agencies, The Friendship Center helped implement a new risk assessment tool for use in both Helena and Lewis and Clark County last spring. Known as APRAIS, the tool helps advocates, criminal justice components, survivors, and the public assess risks to the safety of survivors and the public by measuring a perpetrator’s likelihood to commit a severe re-assault within seven months resulting in serious injury or death to their victim.

• To address challenges since the COVID-19 pandemic in staffing 24/7 crisis line shifts, The Friendship Center hired Crisis Line Advocates this fall to answer calls on weekends and holidays. The additional capacity ensures continuity of this vital service without overburdening direct services staff.

Along with direct services, The Friendship Center works to interrupt cycles of violence by providing the community with education and resources to help prevent violence and promote healthy relationships. Nearly 1,400 individuals engaged in the 67 presentations the agency facilitated in 2024.

Along with continued programming for area high school and college students, healthcare professionals, and law enforcement, The Friendship Center expanded its community education programming over the past year to include trainings for EMTs and other first responders as well as members of the faith community.

"We know that interpersonal violence is not an individual problem," said Gina Boesdorfer, Executive Director of The Friendship Center. "It’s bred by a culture that keeps it in the shadows, with impacts that are far-reaching, multigenerational, and affecting every gender. We disrupt this cycle when we believe survivors and prioritize their safety, hold offenders accountable, and also help young people understand their rights in relationships from an early age."

The Friendship Center’s funding comes from federal grant programs, private foundations, and the contributions of individual and corporate donors. Along with core operational support, the agency raised about $330,000 in 2024 for their campaign to reacquire and renovate the original Friendship Center house at 1503 Gallatin Avenue in Helena. The project will enable The Friendship Center to meet a growing need for their services by creating a contiguous campus between their current facility and their former home across the street.

Recent threats to federal funding have cast significant uncertainty over long-standing grant programs that both The Friendship Center and many of their partners rely on to support those in need. About 70% of their funding currently comes from federal programs, and annual grant opportunities that have yet to be reinstated could impact the agency’s revenue in their next fiscal year.

"As much as we have worked to diversify our revenue streams in recent years, we have found that there are few private foundations interested in supporting community-based DVSAS programs like ours," said Boesdorfer. "With the fickle federal funding landscape now even more unstable, our community's support is one of our biggest strengths in helping us meet the demand for our services."

Visit thefriendshipcenter.org/annualreport24 to see highlights from 2024 and download infographics showing the impact of The Friendship Center’s services, plus a snapshot of their operational costs and funding sources.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking, contact The Friendship Center anytime at (406) 442-6800.

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About The Friendship Center

Founded in 1971, The Friendship Center is the community resource for addressing and preventing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking through advocacy, education, and outreach in Lewis and Clark, Broadwater, and Jefferson counties. Learn more at thefriendshipcenter.org.

Contact:

Kim Patterson, Development Director

(406) 442-6800

kim.p@thefriendshipcenter.org