THUNDER BAY - Adult & Teen Challenge opened the doors to its newest Community Office in Thunder Bay this weekend.
Adult and Teen Challenge is a long-term live-in program for people who struggle with addiction and has operated in central Canada for over 25 years.
Katie Emond, chief operating officer, says that the Community Office serves as the first point of contact for anyone looking for support or programming.
“We've identified that a lot of people looking for support for addiction aren't ready for a live-in program, or even to give up a whole year of their life,” she said.
“And what we've been able to do through our community offices is meet people where they're at, everyone is at a different level, and assess, sit down with them and assess what the next best step is for them.”
Terrence Mckenzie, development director, Adult & Teen Challenge Thunder Bay, says that he’s excited to get to work in the community.
“It's something that we feel has been missing from our organization,” he said. “Being able to help people outside of our live in long term programs and help people right where they are.”
Emond says that one of the benefits the community office brings to Thunder Bay is support and a starting point for people who may know someone struggling with addiction.
“If you know anybody struggling with addiction and you're not sure where to bring them or what to do, but you want to help them, bring them to us, we'd be happy to meet with you, we'd be happy to meet with them,” she said.
“Our staff are trained on how to assess somebody, how to work with parallel agencies to find that next best step and connect with them and we're not going to send them away and ask them to do something else, but we're going to walk alongside them.”
Through the new community office, Adult & Teen challenge will be providing training and support to family members with a loved one who is struggling with addiction as well as out patient services.
These Concerned Persons groups run weekly and cover many great topics including healthy communication, codependency, boundaries and how to support without enabling.
To learn more about Adult & Teen Challenge and what kind of programs are available, visit their website.
