A new resource centre has opened in downtown Sarnia to help those struggling with addictions get clean and sober.
Grace Café in St. Thomas is the parent organization of The Annex, which opened at 184 Davis Street on September 9.
Executive Director Mike Toth said when the original founders of the Grace Café/The Annex in St. Thomas stepped back from their roles in St. Thomas, they moved to Sarnia and noticed a need similar to what they experienced in the Railway City.
Toth said The Annex will assist individuals seeking detox or rehabilitation.
"Having that helping hand to get through to the support and help is huge and sometimes people fall through the cracks," said Toth. "So, we figured that with the amount of addiction that Sarnia is suffering from -- just like many other medium-sized towns in Ontario - that it would be a good place. Davis Street actually, considering it's close to the tents and close to the downtown, is a pretty good location."
The Annex currently has two addictions support workers and is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
"If someone comes in who either has an addiction, or they're the relative or friend of someone who has an addiction, we'll do an initial assessment to try and see what is actually needed. If we are able to help, we will definitely help them. If not, we can refer them to other agencies, and of course most times when you have somebody that you're helping... you still have to get them to other agencies because addiction is not usually a stand alone problem," said Toth.
Toth said The Annex is a charity.
"We do not have any government money, nor do we do fundraising, but we have people in the community who see what we do and they get involved. It's pretty grassroots. So, we have a lot of individuals who feel compelled to donate," he said.
Toth said there was so much interest, people were walking into the Sarnia location before they opened.
"It's bittersweet. You want to provide a service people need, and you want them to come, [but] it is unfortunate and heartbreaking that it's so needed. We had people coming right off the bat. We've also had some interest on Facebook as well. People who are either looking for help for themselves or they have friends and family members that are involved with problematic drug use," he said.
Toth said the St. Thomas addiction resource centre, which the Sarnia site is modeled after, has made a real impact since opening two years ago.
"Generally, you don't win at the first crack of the bat, however we do stick with people as long as they want to be with us. It doesn't matter how many times they fail, we're going to continue with them until they either walk away or we can actually get them to treatment and successfully treated."
Toth said every time someone takes a step toward bettering their life, they consider it to be a success.
"We're hoping, obviously, for them to get clean and sober long term, but it is a process," he said.
Toth told Sarnia News Today he developed a passion for assisting people with mental health, addictions and poverty after serving as a police officer in Nashville for 14 years.
After he arrived in Canada, he worked at the Men's Mission in London for 15 years and was also a board member for Teen Challenge Canada's Ontario Men's Centre in London.