Cathy Harback is among the 300 people who regularly receive nourishment for the body, mind and soul by coming to Chatham’s Hope House.
“It’s a safe haven,” she said of the house at 71 Raleigh St. “I just can’t wait to get back here every morning.”
Harback said she has personally grown over the years with the support she’s received from programs offered at the Mental Health Network of Chatham-Kent-operated home.
“We talk and we learn about ourselves and how to deal with our anxieties and mental health,” Harback said.
She was glad to finally be able to return to Hope House since it reopened after COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were eased earlier this year.
“Once I got back, I can’t wait to get here in the morning,” Harback said “You feel like, it is home. It’s a safe haven.”
Mental Health Network executive director Kelly Gottschling said the goal of the organization is to provide a safe, homelike environment for people who live with mental-health symptoms.
“It is imperative that all people of Chatham-Kent have the option of filling their day with positive groups and activities to promote recovery and to encourage long-term health,” she said.
Gottschling said the past few years have been extremely isolating, especially for those without transportation and living well below the poverty line.
“People need each other. They need to know others care about them,” she said. “Too many people have died during the pandemic, not from COVID but as the result of loneliness and hopelessness.”
Hope House also provides a place where members can get a nutritious meal, which not only provides valuable social interaction but also helps ease some financial pressures many are facing
Living on small provincial and federal disability pensions, Harback said she relies on the meals she receives at Hope House.
And she’s not the only one.
At least 98 per cent of the people who receive services at Hope House live on disability benefits, Gottschling said.
“The skyrocketing costs of rent, food and personal items have left many with little money left over to actually buy food,” she said.
“We support young people who are very ill,” she added. “They are losing weight rapidly, as are seniors.”
The Mental Health Network is partially funded by the Ministry of Health, said Gottschling, but not for food items.
The need has become so great that Hope House could use some help providing meals to the people it helps, she said.
Gottschling is asking any businesses, individuals, churches and service clubs to consider the Mental Health Network for monetary donations or gift cards that can “go directly to feeding our vulnerable population.”
She said Hope House also offers grocery trips at the first of the month, taking members shopping while helping them make the best choices with what little money remains after paying rent.
Gottschling said they also refer their members to Outreach for Hunger and Salvation Army for supports
To donate or learn more about the organization, visit www.mhnck.com or call 519-351-3100.