Kentville's Open Arms: a new facility to help those in need
Phlis McGregor | CBC News | Posted: September 14, 2015 9:45 AM | Last Updated: September 14, 2015
Open Arms Resource Centre will provide meals, clinic services, classes and counseling
"Help, hang out, talk, chat, coffee"
That's how Cindy Biggs describes the new Open Arms Resource Centre that opens in Kentville on Sept. 19.
Biggs is both a client and a volunteer at Open Arms and she says the facility has given her life purpose.
"I'd be home doing nothing if it weren't for Open Arms. We have a life now," she said.
We have a life now - Cindy Biggs, volunteer and client
The Open Arms Resource Centre has been a long time coming.
John Andrew is the executive director. He started working with people who were in crisis and homeless in Kentville more than 10 years ago. At that time, it was a "street chaplaincy", just him and a friend.
"It was just us and our backpacks and Tim Hortons," Andrew said. "At night, we'd take people into churches."
Now, Open Arms runs the Inn from the Cold Shelter in Kentville. It also has an eight-bed transition house for men who want to get off the street, as well as men coming from prison. There is also a drop-in centre in the nearby town of Berwick.
Before the new centre, the group operated in space provided by a local church.
Latest edition to Open Arms Family
The Open Arms Resource Centre is the latest addition to the Open Arms family. It will provide a safe, warm and friendly space for anyone who wants to drop by their two-storey former office building in downtown Kentville.
The drop-in centre on the main floor will be open for three hours in the morning and two hours in the evening, six days a week.
In the mornings, there will be breakfast and coffee. In the evenings, there will sometimes be a community meal.
Besides preparing meals, the kitchen will be used to teach cooking classes.
There's also a clinic room which will be used for foot care and there's even a room dedicated to haircuts which includes a sink set up for washing hair.
Office space for community organizations
Upstairs, there is office space for other like-minded community organizations. There's also a classroom where reading, literacy, computer skills and life skills will be taught. Programs programs will be offered for people with addictions and survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Andrew says every month, up to 120 people take part in day-to-day activities. Of that number, only a handful are homeless. He says the others are "people who are marginalized because of poverty, mental health issues or addictions.
"They've burned a lot of bridges, so their community is pretty small," he said.
The renovations for the new Open Arms Resource Centre cost much more than the group expected.
They bought the building for $189,000, expecting only to have to paint before everyone moved in.
However, Andrew says, there was some pushback from people in the community. Once the bylaw office got involved, the group was told it would have to do much more extensive renovations.
Instead of just a few gallons of paint, the renovation costs ballooned to more than $375,000.
Andrew says they raised a lot of money this past winter at their annual event, The Coldest Night of the Year. While that helped, the extra costs have stalled plans to buy a much-needed second transitional house in Kentville and set up a new drop-in centre in Kingston.
Great need for Kentville drop-in centre
Andrew says there is a growing contingent in Kentville of people who are active drug users and living an "at-risk" lifestyle. There are many services in place in Kentville, but he says resources to help people in need are limited.
You almost have to be so bad you're gushing with blood until someone wants to help you - John Andrew, Open Arms
"It's horrendous. There really are no resources for people who are falling through the cracks with regard to mental health or intellectual challenges. You almost have to be so bad you're gushing with blood until someone wants to help you. We saw that gap and began to see the need was quite great," said Andrew.
Doug Green appreciates Open Arms. He first came became involved with the group when he was homeless 10 years ago. He eventually started volunteering.
"Now, I have a life. I have a lot of good things in my life now because of Open Arms. I have mental illness and all the other stuff I have going on, including addictions and all that. Open Arms has always been there to support me. So I've been very blessed," said Green.