BILLINGS — A local nonprofit is addressing Montana's high suicide rate through colorful murals on the Billings' South Side that will hold a strong message of hope and healing.
Watch how public art is using paint for a purpose in Billings:
The art is part of a growing campaign to make the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline more visible and accessible to the city's most vulnerable areas, a place local mental health counselor Matthew Leavensworth wanted to reach.
"(I) spent so many hours just listening to people's stories and trying to figure out what leads to meaningful change," said Leavenworth. "Counseling is a wonderful tool that can help people get there, but people need purpose, and they need to be part of something bigger."
Montana has consistently ranked in the top five states for suicide rates over the past four decades. In 2023, the state recorded a rate of 26.65 suicides per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate is nearly double the national average.
According to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, the state’s three 988 crisis centers received more than 8,000 calls that same year, with 90% coming from Montana’s 406 area code.
In Montana, nearly 60% of suicide deaths involve firearms, and in Yellowstone County alone, one in five residents has considered suicide, according to RiverStone Health.
Related: RiverStone Health seeks volunteers for new Yellowstone County suicide grief support team
These are statistics Leavenworth has been trying to fight through Pay Love Forward, a nonprofit he founded in 2019 that focuses on building community and offering mentoring for underserved youth. His initiative combines his passion for mental health with public art.
“This is sort of my vision for Montana. I remember I was interviewed as a mental health counselor when we got the news that Billings, Montana, was the most depressed city in the nation, and it's just heartbreaking to hear that,” said Leavenworth. "Maybe we can create another story."
He began funding murals for mental health awareness. Leavensworth, who also serves as vice chair of the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Yellowstone County, said the goal is to remind people they are not alone and display an important resource that is just three digits away.
“I just think that I think our community needs some love, especially in some of these dark spaces,” said Leavenworth.
The crisis hotline, 988, was established in 2022, replacing the longer National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number. When dialed, it connects callers to a trained counselor. The number has seen a dramatic increase in calls since its establishment, but back in July, the Trump administration discontinued funding for the "Press 3" option that offered specialized support for LGBTQ+ individuals. In 2024, the lifeline was contacted over 8 million times.
Since the organization's first mural at the YWCA in 2024, Pay Love Forward has completed nine murals across Billings. The two newest, its 10th and 11th, are currently underway, one at RiverStone Health facing S. 27th Street and another near the Billings Stake Park behind Family Promise.
Related: Murals aimed at suicide prevention debut in Billings
“We're painting to people that are struggling," said Leavenworth. "There's an unhoused population that lives here in the park, and that's that's who we're painting these murals for."
Two local artists were selected for the project: Kaitlyn Landwehr and Sunshine Phelps.
Landwehr, whose mural is inspired by growing up in Montana, told MTN the artwork is part of her personal project, The HOPE Initiative, which promotes healing through art. She expects her mural at RiverStone Health to be completed by the end of October.
“This piece really reflects a big part of that mission and my passion for spreading hope and creativity through art,” Landwehr said in a statement.
For Phelps, a tattoo artist, the mural at Stake Park is her first public art project. Her design features pastel colors, fairies, mushrooms, and a silhouette with the handwritten message, “I’m glad you’re here,” written by her mother.
"I really wanted it to feel like a big hug," said Phelps. "I wanted to be like really sentimental and try and put my personality out there."
Phelps' mural is also a way for her to use paint for a purpose and turn her past pain into progress.
"I've had a few anniversaries where I'm glad I'm here because if it went the way I wanted it, it wouldn't have been, so it's kind of a full circle to make it to 29, for one, and to be painting something," said Phelps. "I've gone through like a lot in my 29 years, a lot more than I should have, but being like, I'm lesbian, my dad died of cancer, my brother was murdered, so I've had a lot of like big struggles early on. Being alive to do this, I'm kind of grateful.”
Phelps did not paint alone. Her mural also includes handprints from community members, placed during a volunteer day in August. Hot meals were served to unhoused residents as many in the area added their mark to the wall.
“It's overwhelmingly good to have this many people that want to volunteer and want to help and make their mark on my art," said Phelps. "It was beautiful. I feel really good about it.”
Both murals will prominently display 988 to ensure it is seen by those passing by.
"If you can extend your hand in just a message of compassion, like it matters," said Leavenworth. "You don't know what's going to come out of that one little act of kindness."
The murals are still a work in progress, but soon, they will serve as a powerful reminder to anyone that they are not alone and that help is available.
"It's this dual statement of we see you, we share, you're not forgotten about, and also that there is a lifeline. It's not a perfect lifeline, but it's a place that people who are hurting can start and find some resources to begin to rebuild," said Leavenworth. "You can't just wave a wand and fix everything, but we can't stand together, and we can fight.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information, click here.
