It’s been some time since Adult and Teen Challenge of Central Canada (ATC) set up a community office in Swan River, with the intent to reach out to people with addictions in the area and help them overcome the challenges in their life, whether that be by being a place to talk to somebody or by being the first step towards one of the inpatient recovery programs that ATC runs.
For the time being, ATC currently runs a monthly program called Freedom Church at their community office located at the former First Baptist Church in Swan River at 224 Fifth Avenue North.
“We have been getting people from throughout the community – whether it be from the churches or people off the street – to join us on a Sunday afternoon for some food and listen to some testimonies, some live music and be able to share stories with others,” said Terry Thiessen, who works on the ATC Regional Team in relation to alumni and community development.
“We usually have a small group of volunteers that help us reach out into parts of the community and connect with that demographic that we know to be there that we can help by showing some love.”
Thiessen noted that they have had quite a few referrals into either inpatient or outpatient programming by connecting with people who attend Freedom Church.
The greater plan that ATC had for the space includes a full-time staff couple that would live at the facility and be able to connect with people on a more regular basis.
“We have a job posting, but I think there’s a bit of a shortage in the job market right now for both people applying and those that have the right skill set for the position,” said Thiessen.
“Our goal is to become a centrepoint for outpatient programming. We have a goal of having women’s groups and men’s groups held separately as outpatient support where people can come and receive support through a weekly gathering, through various relevant studies, all done through an umbrella that we call ‘Ready Now Recovery’. And, people get an opportunity to receive basic, weekly regular support for the life-controlling issue that they’re walking through.
“We also plan to launch a family support system called ‘Concerned Persons’,” Thiessen continued. “What that does is it focuses more on family, friends and loved ones that have somebody they know who is in addictions but they’re not exactly sure how to navigate that.
“We walk alongside them in a nine-week course called ‘Concerned Persons’ and we help them gain some perspective and some different ways of being able to respond to their situation of pressure that you go through when a loved one is in addictions and how to respond in the best way that doesn’t just continue a cycle but maybe it can help to stop a cycle. It goes deeper into maybe not being able to change our loved one – despite wanting to try – but how can we change the atmosphere that we are helping to change or create for them that’s going to steer them towards wanting to get some help.”
Thiessen added that the support program also helps in the sense that people can often feel like they are the only ones in those situations, and it really helps to know that others are going through the same challenge that you are.
Thiessen also noted that not only has the monthly services helped get some referrals for individuals who need the long-term programs, but it has also helped the community by gathering a group of volunteers that have a heart for the community, which can benefit an eventual full-time staff person in their success.
“There’s a base of high-quality volunteers that believe in their own community and want to make a difference,” said Thiessen. “Those two things are the biggest wins so far.
“There’s a general consensus of everyone being eager to get this (greater programming) going. As part of the regional support team, we’ve tried to do our best to at least have a consistent presence as much as we are able to. But, I think that the excitement is there and we are hoping to find the right person to step into that (full-time) role, which would open up the opportunity to move into some more regular and frequent type program.”
A job posting for the Swan River position is available at teenchallenge.applytojobs.ca.