North End Family Centre closing

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This article was published 17/09/2018 (2045 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After serving the inner city for a decade, the North End Family Centre is closing its doors Oct. 4.

The decision to shut down the centre, a registered charity which provides free programming and services for low-income families or those living in poverty, was made “with sadness and heavy hearts,” executive director Jamie Buhler stated in a press release.

Buhler declined to comment outside the official statement.

“Regrettably, debt, reduced funding streams, and organizational issues have brought an end to this good and well-used place,” the statement read.

“We saw tears when we gathered our community, friends and neighbours as we announced our closing…”

The press release stated that there were many suggestions by community members to try to keep the centre open.

“Unfortunately, the issues facing NEFC cannot be remedied by simply finding enough funds and the pressing issues are beyond the simple need to secure funding.”

The centre was operated by Buhler, two other employees and a volunteer board of directors.

Founder Kyle Mason, who resigned from the centre in August 2017 to accept a new job, said the centre’s closing will leave a hole in the community.

“I am very saddened and shocked and disappointed to hear the news that the North End Family Centre will be closing. That was never an agenda item or a conversation we had while I was there,” said Mason, who is now with the Lung Association.

“I stepped out at a time when things had a chance of growing and succeeding beyond me… So I’m shocked and very sad to hear that the opposite has happened.”

The original location at 1322 Main St. opened in October 2009. The centre moved down the street in December 2015 to a more spacious location at 1344 Main St.

Mason said he started the centre in the Luxton and St. John’s area of the city to meet needs of community members that weren’t being met by other organizations.

The centre offers workshops, sharing circles, assistance with agency referrals for other services, cooking classes, a speech and language development program for pre-school children and a children’s play area. Clients have free access to a laundry facility, a phone, the internet and computers, photocopying and a community shop that offers free personal care supplies.

“The heart and soul of the North End Family Centre was what we called the community living room. It was about finding community, belonging, hope and finding and connecting with networks of people who were collectively working towards good. It was about more than programs and services,” Mason said, noting approximately 60 people per day would use the centre when he worked there.

Though its website stated the centre was supported by “a growing number of compassionate individuals, families, clubs, businesses, and churches,” the media release did not offer any further information about what happened to change all of that.

The statement said a barbecue will be held Oct. 9 at 11:30 a.m. to celebrate the centre’s past successes in the community.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca