Butte Rescue Mission

Everyone Has Value (2021)

 

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The Butte Rescue Mission has experienced many highs and lows the last five years, but because of the continued support of the caring members, businesses, and service organizations in the Butte Community, it has survived just in time for the current management to take over.

Brayton and Sydne Erickson have been directing the Mission since March 2020. The Erickson’s have brought exciting new life to the Mission in getting the mission up and running efficiently and effectively.

Bratyon and Sydne Erickson moved to Butte almost 10 years ago from Belgrade to be closer to family. After 20 years in the automotive repair industry, they moved into full time missions, working together as co-directors for the Mission.  In the past, they had been involved in many different areas of church ministry, including music, youth, marriage counseling, and prison ministry but working with the homeless is an interesting, new adventure. The Mission provides an exciting new opportunity for them to minister to and add value to people. They made the decision as a family to move into this position just one week before the COVID lockdown. The position has since been extremely rewarding for them, along with its unexpected and sometimes obvious challenges. 

Sydne had worked in the past as a Red Cross instructor as well as in food services while homeschooling their three daughters. The Erickson Family enjoys the outdoor life that Southwest Montana has to offer, and their family activities always end up outdoors around a campfire with friends. They enjoy their horses, camping, and fishing whenever there is a free day. Their girls have been a huge part of the work at the mission and feel very privileged to live in such a caring and generous community like Butte.

The compassionate couple decided to direct the mission in the hopes of increased personal growth for themselves, for the people they will be working with, and for the Butte Community. They believe that all people have value no matter their circumstance or associations and hope to help the people at the mission to understand their worth individually and in their community. They have seen people come to Mission feeling the lowest of low, and they desire to help them gain positive momentum to move forward in an upward direction that will develop their lives into something more that brings about personal independence and joy.

The Mission’s first priority is to provide food, shelter, and clothing for the people who stay there, hoping that in this process to also bring into their lives’ constructive and practical transformation towards positive change. In order to see productive change, the Erickson’s believe the core root of the problems must be recognized then addressed with action points and real-life solutions. Many root types are childhood trauma, abuse, and addiction.

The Mission provides counseling services, chapel services, one-on-one chaplain consultation, and life advising services. At the Mission people are held accountable. Without accountability, continued change and lasting progress is impossible. The programs at the mission create momentum in obtaining and keeping jobs and navigating lives in a positive, uplifting manner that helps the participants progress and increase their opportunities at living a more productive life as citizens involved in their community.

The Erickson’s believe that community support is vital for lasting change in the participants of the Mission because Butte is a diverse community with many people living below the poverty level, while having a housing shortage. Butte also has a very harsh climate and the Erikson's don't want to see people get hurt in the harsh weather.

The Mission needs community support because homelessness is a community-wide problem, and they believe they and we must tackle it together to be truly effective. Being united in the grand effort to eliminate homelessness can bring to pass real, lasting change.  

First, we must recognize as a community that homelessness is an issue, then we must come together in love, without judgement, to help in the resolve. Homelessness is a Southwest Montana problem, and the homeless shelters can’t make lasting change alone. It takes a community being involved to break the cycle of homelessness. Since homelessness is a community issue than the community must unite to address it and bring about the needed change.

The Erickson's believe that education and community awareness is needed in order to accomplish individual goals of being self-sufficient. After basic needs are addressed and programs are put into place, the participants at the mission are guided to religious organizations and job opportunities.

The Butte Ministerial Association, consisting of about 20 churches, partners with the mission as they meet once a month to help with such donation efforts as food and clothing drives. Churches like the First Presbyterian Church give lessons and uplifting messages regularly to the mission, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donate funds and food to help the homeless. All these efforts help encourage an increase of courage and strength inside each individual to promote permanent change in their lives. 

A company here in Butte that helps the mission hire the homeless after finishing the programs successfully is Udap Industries. Mark Matheny is the Director of Udap Industries, located on 1703 Waterline Road. Udap is also financial partners with the mission and hire people who have completed the required programs. If every business was willing to participate in this process, the Butte Community might have less homeless on the streets and in shelters and more living in their own apartments and homes being successful in their lives and future careers. It takes a community united to bring about real lasting change. It takes compassion love, kindness, and a helping hand.

The Mission partnering with the job service, Action Inc., The South West Community Health Clinic, and a volunteer dental hygienists provider helps prepare the homeless for those important job opportunities.

There are many organizations helping the mission. Albertsons in Anaconda, Safeway in Butte, and Saint James Hospital donate food every day. Every Day‼ The food that is donated is perishable and needs to be served right away and is served daily to 200 to 300 people.

Butte produce, for a small fee, stores food that is generously given to the Mission.

The Food Bank trades products with the Mission. If there is something that the Butte Food Bank needs and there's something that the Mission needs, they barter their needs to fit the needs of the people they are trying to provide for in the community.

Counseling services are provided for the occupants of the mission which help them understand and put into action what life changes need to be improved and developed in order to progress forward positively.

After individual and group support is given to the participants in the Mission, one of the most important learned lessons that the mission stresses to the participants is the importance of building healthy relationships with healthy friends.

“The key to success is having healthy friends that encourage you to be better and encourage you forward with a great momentum instead of backward in an increased loss of progress.”

There are three buildings associated with the Butte Rescue Mission. The first building is the emergency shelter which the people can stay in for one night. The second building is for women and children. The third building is where the kitchen is located.

The Mission holds 56 beds. 16 emergency shelter beds and 40 other beds for the restoration program, which occupants can stay in for three months, as long as they agree to eliminate drugs, alcohol, and other substances and addictive devices from their life. 

Lunch is served every day at the mission, and after lunch is finished, the residents at the mission are required to be productive from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. In this time period, the residents must leave the mission and be active in searching for a job, be volunteering somewhere in the community, be putting in hours at the thrift store, or being productive in other ways that is necessary for their progression.

The Erikson’s believe that giving service to the community is important because it encourages other people to get involved. Giving service must also be performed from the residents of the mission; they are members of the community and must take their part in community unity.

The Erikson’s believe that giving service creates a culture of thankfulness while bringing education and awareness to people who are in need. Service is also important, because people who might be at the time more fortunate, can better appreciate that fortune all the while bringing a sense of humility to their lives.

After occupants pass the mission’s programs and are ready to be productive members of the community, Action Inc. works with the mission providing the possible opportunity to have occupants obtain permanent housing.

​We are not alone in the world, and no one should feel like they are alone. All members of our Butte Community are important. All must be valued. When the Butte Community unites that is when we will all really feel like a community and family. When we all delve in and participate at being kind and sincerely helping one another want to be successful while giving opportunities for that success whenever we can, and however we can, that is when we will see a brighter day. When our example of love changes our community, all other differences can melt away. Love always works.

The Erickson’s have seen many wonderful changes at the Butte Rescue Mission since their presence here in regard to people changing their life and progressing forward, and this is what brings them joy in their work. Their hope is that all Butte residents want that same change for the homeless desiring all members of our community to feel valued.