Catholic Charities set to break ground on $4.5 million facility in Muskegon’s Nelson neighborhood
A $4.5 million facility coming into Muskegon’s Nelson neighborhood will provide a 14-bed detox center expected to serve hundreds of people annually, as well as another building for counseling, foster care and adoption services, programs for seniors, a baby and toddler pantry, and more, Catholic Charities West Michigan announced today.
Catholic Charities is expected to break ground on the facility at 1713 7th St. by the end of this year, and construction is slated to be completed in late 2020. The facility includes a 21,000-square-foot building that will house more than 80 Catholic Charities employees and provide a variety of services, from counseling to the baby and toddler pantry. The 4,700-square-foot detox center—which will be separate from the other building but will be on the same property—will offer three- to five-night stays for clients and is expected to serve more than 700 people each year.
“We are excited to invest in the Muskegon community and continue to provide essential services to those in need,” Chris Slater, CEO of Catholic Charities West Michigan, said in a press release. “In addition to our existing programs, which will continue to provide help and create hope for individuals and families in the area, we have also seen a significant and unmet need for drug and alcohol detox services in Muskegon. With this new detox center, we seek to create a place that will uplift our neighbors in need and help them form a path to recovery.”
Catholic Charities received the space for their new home through a land swap agreement with the city of Muskegon. Approved by the Muskegon City Commission earlier this month, the swap resulted in Catholic Charities taking over the 7th Street parcel and the city receiving Catholic Charities’ current home at 1095 Third St. in Muskegon’s Midtown corridor. Catholic Charities’ office will remain on Third Street until their new facility is completed. After the organization leaves the Third Street space, the city is slated to rehabilitate the building and prepare it for redevelopment in the growing Midtown area that includes such venues as Hamburger Mikey, The Griffin’s Rest, Curry Kitchen, Third Street Vinyl, and Valy Vietnamese Oriental Food, Gifts & Market.
With the new facility, Catholic Charities said it will be able to expand its services to Muskegon residents. Currently, in Muskegon, the nonprofit 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, and senior support programs to 450 individuals.
Located next to the Muskegon Rescue Mission, the new Catholic Charities facility will include a store-like baby pantry that provides free resources for parents, conference rooms for group and individuals counseling sessions, green space, and more.
In order to not duplicate services already provided by the Muskegon Rescue Mission, Catholic Charities said it will not have a separate food pantry at the new facility. It will, however, implement “several new initiatives to address food insecurity throughout Muskegon,” according to a press release. The “God’s Roamin’ Kitchen food truck,” for example, will provide free hot meals to anyone who needs them.
The detox center will be supervised by a medical doctor, and Catholic Charities plans to hire 10 to 12 new employees to staff the stand-alone facility. The center plans to work with all insurance payers, including those accessing Medicaid.