CRYJ Kalispell
Welcome to the Center for Restorative Youth Justice
Whether you have been referred to CRYJ by a probation officer, an SRO or school administrator, or a family or community member, you are in the right place. We offer the opportunity to take accountability and repair harm without further involvement in the justice system. This means that if you choose to engage with CRYJ, you will spend less time in ISS or OSS, you may never see charges filed, and you may not have to engage further with anything probation or court related. First and foremost, CRYJ is committed to providing a safe, supportive, shame-free space for you to engage in self reflection, take accountability, and build community.
If you haven’t scheduled a family conference yet, that’s the first step - give us a call at (406) 257-7400 or send us a text at (406) 200-8184 to make an appointment. You can also email us at program@restorativeyouthjustice.org. When you arrange your first meeting, you can find us at 110 East Idaho Street - in the Quonset hut right across from the Flathead Industries thrift store.
Local Resources for Teens and Families
mental and physical wellness
CRYJ maintains an active list of mental health professionals who work with teens, have availability for new clients, and are accessible to people of all income levels. Please call (406) 257-7400, text (406) 200-8184, or email CRYJ to get connected with someone.
The Nate Chute Foundation has the ability to pay for a teen’s first six counseling sessions; there is no required family income to access this resource. We have all the paperwork at the CRYJ office to get you, your family, and a therapist of your choice connected to this resource; just ask a CRYJ staff!
Greater Valley Health Center provides quality healthcare on a sliding fee discount based on your family’s size and income, as well as free family planning services. For assistance getting signed up for Medicaid and SNAP, call (406) 607-4886 to talk with a Patient Advocate.
Flathead Family Planning’s Teen Clinic offers safe, non-judgmental sexual health services that are confidential and FREE. The Teen Clinic is open from 3-5pm on Mondays; you don’t need an adult with you and no appointment necessary! If the Teen Clinic day/time doesn’t work for you, call 406-751-8150 or head to Flathead Family Planning’s booking site to schedule an appointment for another day (just like the clinic, that appointment will be FREE and CONFIDENTIAL - you don’t need a parent with you!).
food + clothes + school supplies
Feeding the Flathead serves dinners at 6pm nearly every night of the week in various locations around Kalispell. The calendar with addresses is on their website!
The HEART Locker is open to all K-12 students to shop for free for clothing, hygiene products, and school supplies. HEART Markets are located on school grounds at KMS, LEC, GHS, and FHS. HEART Markets are resource centers that offer no cost clothing, food, hygiene products and school supplies to all students regardless of circumstance. All Markets are accessible during school hours. Call or text Janelle at (406) 261-3972 or email janelle.willett@sd5.k12.mt.us for more details!
The Calvary Lutheran Church in Evergreen has a Clothes Closet that operates the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month from 4-6pm. They also offer a free meal every Thursday at 6pm.
Shelter
TEENS: Sparrow’s Nest is the only shelter in the Flathead Valley that exists to serve unaccompanied homeless high school students; if you are a CRYJ teen looking for safe, supportive housing, this is the place to call. Contact Rob at the Nest at (406) 261-1171.
FAMILIES: The Abbie Shelter provides housing to any adult (and their children) or emancipated minor experiencing violence from an intimate partner. Abbie Shelter accepts individuals and families experiencing ALL kinds of intimate partner violence, including emotional and financial abuse. The best place to start is to call the help line at (406) 752-7273.
LGBTQ+
Glacier Queer Alliance (GQA) focuses on providing positive and safe community resources, events, and spaces for people of all gender identities and sexual orientations in the Flathead Valley. The Flathead LGBT+ Youth (FLY) is a group for LGBTQ+ students and allies in the Flathead Valley hosted by GQA. They offer youth ages 13-18 a time to get together, hang out, and just be teens. The FLY group meets every Wednesday night from 6-8pm. Check the FLY Facebook page for the location of their meetings!
The Pride Foundation has more than 60 scholarship funds for LGBTQ+ students in the Northwest, and you only have to fill out one application to apply for all of them! Check out their Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more or ask a CRYJ staff if you need help filling out an application.
court advocacy + legal services
While Abbie Shelter can’t offer housing to unaccompanied teens, they can provide counseling, court advocacy, and help establish Orders of Protections for teens experiencing emotional, financial, or physical violence from a partner. Start by calling the 24/7 help line at (406) 752-7273 and asking for Amy, the Community Program Director. You and Amy can then decide if you want to communicate via call, text, or meet in person.
Montana Legal Services (MLSA) provides legal advice and representation for teens and families! MLSA accepts referrals for teens dealing with emancipation, school discipline, school transportation issues, domestic violence, sexual assault, bullying, eviction and housing discrimination, and much, much more.
For youth-specific services text/call at (406) 594-1971.
For services related to being the victim of a crime, call at (406) 248-7113 (Ext. 324)
didn’t find what you were looking for above? Try these local guides!
Montana 211 connects you with community resources, services, and assistance. Just type in your town or county to get started!
Check out ASSIST for a comprehensive list of resources in the Flathead Valley.
National Hotlines
CRISIS SUPPORT FOR TEENS, BY TEENS
The Youthline: Call 877-968-8491 or text “teen2teen” to 839863 any day from 5-11pm for teen-to-teen crisis support.
24/7 Mental Health SUPPORT
988 Mental Health Crisis & Suicide Lifeline: Call or text 988 for free, confidential support from a local crisis center.
Crisis intervention for queer youth
The Trevor Project: If you are a young person (13-24) and LGBTQ +, call 1-866-488-7386 for crisis intervention and suicide prevention services.
24/7 Domestic violence support
The National Domestic Abuse Hotline: Reach an advocate by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or texting “START” to 88788.