Florence Crittenton Home & Services

Florence Crittenton  offers 2 residential programs. Mother Baby serves pregnant and parenting teens ages 12-18, and Pathways to Success, which serves young mothers ages 18-21, and their young children who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, child removal, or reunification.  FCHS programs offer housing, case management, independent living skills training, healing from past trauma, prenatal and parenting classes, and individual, group, and family therapy.  FCHS also recognizes that there are many young parents each day that need some level of support navigating the uncertain waters of parenthood.  Our Community Outreach Center serves families with children ages 0-5 in Lewis & Clark County through classes and services that provide parenting and early childhood development education for parents in order to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Florence Crittenton’s programs target both young and at-risk parents and their children in our residential facility, as well as young families in the community who are at risk for removal, and/or socio-emotional or developmental problems as a result of parent-child relationship challenges.

FCHS has long been recognized across the state of Montana as a leader in trauma-informed care for young parents and their at-risk children.  We focus on providing intensive therapeutic services and support to young parents that come from traumatic pasts in order to stop the generational cycles of abuse and neglect.  This focus on early childhood interventions as a means of prevention is FCHS's greatest strength to the communities we serve, and provides for profound positive outcomes for many generations.

Florence Crittenton understands the direct correlation between healthy, stable parents and the health and well-being of their children.  We know that a parent that is able to address their own past and challenges is better able to meet the needs of their young children, which in turn helps their children avoid their own adverse childhood experiences.  Healthy parents, that are able to raise their children in a stable and loving environment, not only affect that family, but their entire community.  In fact, research tells us that early childhood intervention work can have a return on investment as high as 16%.  It all begins with the parents; it begins with helping young parents in particular remove themselves from crisis living situations and address their immediate basic needs, as well as their therapeutic and mental health needs. 

By intervening early with the parents of these young children, we can reduce displacement of children from their families. If displacement is necessary, we can work towards faster reunification and decrease their time in foster care. And when foster care placement is necessary we can help those families create a safe and loving environment for those displaced children.  This all leads to less likelihood of adverse childhood experiences and a reduction of risky behaviors, school struggles, incarceration, and even health problems later in life. 

The ultimate goal of Florence Crittenton is to create stronger communities, a reduction of crime, the reliance on government assistance, and a more economically stable environment.  We know these communities begin with a solid household for infants and toddlers, where they are raised in a safe and loving environment and child abuse and neglect does not exist.