MISSOULA — The Riverwalk Crisis Receiving Center in Missoula was called a much-needed safe space when it opened in 2023.
But now, its doors are closing until a new round of funding can come in.
"There's certainly enough demand for it. But the funding model has to match up with it," Western Montana Mental Health CEO Bob Lopp shared.
The Riverwalk Crisis Receiving Center on Wyoming Street has been helping people get through some of their hardest moments.
"I mean it could be the full range of acuity, so it could be someone who has had a domestic incident and they get brought here to just get out of the situation for a little bit. It could be somebody that's in mental health crisis," Lopp said.
However, the center — which served 400 people in their time of dire need — is closing its doors on Friday, Jan. 31 for the foreseeable future.
"After operating for this year and learning some really good lessons through it, you're at a point where you have to have a sustainable funding stream and just didn't work out that way," Lopp explained.
Lopp notes the facility had enough funding to sustain the Riverwalk Center for a year but needs a new influx of cash to operate again.
"It basically costs a little over north of $3 million a year to run," he added.
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The price tag comes from operating a facility 24/7, no matter how many people the center sees in a day.
"You don't know when people are gonna show up, so you have to be staffed fully to handle whatever the load is that comes in," Lopp stated.
Even though the center is closing for now, the staff still have a place to work.
"We were able to offer positions to everybody that was working on the at the CRC here at Riverwalk and I hope that they'll all stay and help us continue in the other programs that we offer," Lopp said.
In the interim, the Riverwalk building will host other mental health services within Western Montana Mental Health's other programs, like the Dakota House.
Still, Lopp believes improving people's mental health starts before individuals come in for care during a crisis.
"If you can address the mental health and the behavioral health end up starting with kids in school and working through the population," he said. "It saves society a ton of money and it creates better, more meaningful, stable lives for folks," Lopp continued.
Until the Riverwalk Center can reopen its doors, Western Montana Mental Health says if you're in crisis, the best place to start is by calling 988.
