Windsor's 'sober bar' in a secure position thanks to funding from Hôtel-Dieu Grace

When the owner of the Spiritual Soldiers Coffee Compound first heard that Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare wanted to sponsor his coffee shop — also known as Windsor's 'Sober Bar' — he was speechless. 

It's a coffee shop intended to be a safe haven for people with a common goal of staying sober. And now, with financial support from the hospital, owner Mike Brown is thankful to know the shop is in a secure position for the next six months to a year.

"I can get pretty choked up pretty easily because it does — it means the world to me," said Brown, who has had his own struggles in the past with drugs and addiction.

"It means that somebody believes in me personally, which feels good to me, and most importantly, they believe in the work that we're doing."

He heard the news from the hospital's VP of external affairs Bill Marra, whom Brown described as "an angel."

Validation from front-line staff

Marra says he admires the work Brown has been doing in the city, and that the organization has been recognized at the hospital — especially among staff who work with withdrawal management — as a significant community-based partner to help individuals who are facing addictions. 

Upon hearing that the shop might be facing some financial challenges, Marra knew he wanted to help the organization sustain itself.

To start, the hospital has partnered with Unifor Local 2458 to provide an initial financial sponsorship in the range of $5,000 to $10,000, with intentions of working with the Spiritual Soldiers in the long-term as well, he explained.

"We don't know what that's going to look like yet, but I'm personally committed and motivated to help them out," he said. 

"Our front-line staff, who work in our programs, have validated the importance of the program … so this is why we're doing it."

'We're not going anywhere'

Brown explained that the initial funding will directly help with rent payments over the next several months. He explained that, as with any start-up business, there have been challenges and some slower months, but the hospital's support will help alleviate some of those pressures.

"We want people to know that we're not going anywhere," he said. 

This partnership with the hospital isn't entirely new, Brown added. He said that he's already built good relationships with staff and that when people are struggling, he reaches out to the hospital to get them into detox programs. He's also found that detox facilitators are already sending people to the coffee shop once they're out of withdrawal programs.

"I love seeing when people get their lives back and how much they have to offer," Brown said. 

'Thank you from the bottom of my heart'

Marra said he's hopeful the sponsorship will shed more light on what the Spiritual Soldiers Coffee Compound is doing. 

"We're blessed to have them in our community," he said. 

Brown is still trying to absorb the significance of the hospital putting its support behind his work. 

"If you had told me four years ago that I would have been working with the hospital, and not in the hospital, I wouldn't have believed you," he said.

"For somebody like a hospital to stand behind us and be able to work with us and help us to help others, I don't have any words, to tell you the truth. The only thing that I know how to say right now is — thank you from the bottom of my heart."