MUSKEGON, Mich. — Leaders and employees of Catholic Charities West Michigan broke ground Thursday Jan. 22 on $4.5 Million new Muskegon Facility that includes a second building to house a detox center.
The 14-bed detox facility will provide a three- to five-night stays for clients making the first step to recovery. When open the facility will be the first of its kind in Muskegon.
"They are being shipped out of this community for that first step and we want to keep people in their community near their friends, family, and jobs." said Chris Slater, CEO of Catholic Charities West Michigan.
The detox facility and larger 21,000-square- foot facility, will both be located at 1713 7th Street. The building will house more than 80 Catholic Charities employees and will provide counseling, family preservation services, foster care, adoption, pregnancy counseling, Senior Corps, and a baby & toddler pantry.
The current property was attained through a land swap agreement with the city of Muskegon, exchanging Catholic Charities West Michigan's current location at 1095 3rd St. for the vacant land.
Catholic Charities West Michigan began planning for the move after realizing the 3rd St. location was too small for expansion.
"With the amount of parking we needed, with the amount of space we needed," Slater said.
The City of Muskegon will take ownership of the 3rd St. property after Catholic Charities West Michigan makes the move to the new facility.
"We can claim a piece of property in a quickly developing area called Mid-Town," said Stephen Gawron, Muskegon Mayor. "It makes so much good sense, we're collaborating with an organization that through the decades has provided essential services to our citizens and those beyond the city of Muskegon."
The new Catholic Charities facility will open early next year. The detox center could open as early as August.
In Muskegon, Catholic Charities West Michigan currently provides baby clothes and supplies to 1,500 families, food assistance to 4,961 families, foster care in almost 50 homes, counseling to 803 clients, Senior Corps programs to 450 adults/children, and family preservation services to more than 500 individuals, each year.
The new facility will not have a separate food pantry. However, the organization will be implementing several new initiatives to address food insecurity throughout Muskegon.
Catholic Charities' new detox center is expected to treat more than 700 clients annually. Muskegon is currently the 8th highest, out of all counties in the United States, for opioid and alcohol deaths per capita (Michigan Nurses Association).
Catholic Charities plans to hire 10 to 12 new employees to staff the facility.
Muskegon leaders hope the 3rd St. building it will soon own can be redeveloped into something to compliment the city's growing Mid-Town.
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