Gateway Mission will open its new Eastport Men’s Center at 643 S. Waverly Rd. on Jan. 6. It's an $11.5 million facility that will more than double the organization’s capacity to serve men experiencing homelessness.
The shelter, located after 40 years in downtown Holland, expands from 27,000 square feet to 47,000 square feet. Executive Director Jay Riemersma said the new campus is designed with a trauma-informed approach.
“It gives dignity and privacy to those neighbors in need, and that’s a considerable upgrade from our current situation in downtown,” Riemersma said.
The expanded space will provide more beds and services and will house the nonprofit's four distinct programs. The Open Door program serves as the emergency shelter. The Pathway program focuses on helping participants return to work.
"We have a longer term, nine month program that we call Forge, which is kind of a word picture of really molding somebody to being the best versions of themselves," explained Riemersma.
Forge graduates can then apply for Thrive, a paid internship program.
“As you graduate through the program, [you gain] more space, more freedom, more accommodations, larger areas, more community building, [and more opportunities for] recreation,” Riemersma said.
Staff offices are sprinkled throughout the building so that employees can build relationships with participants.
"We really believe relationships are the key to getting people off of the streets, and building that relationship is a critical component of what we try to accomplish," added Riemersma.
The facility also includes the Bartlett Chapel, named for former executive director Darryl Bartlett, and Frank’s Café, a centralized kitchen honoring Frank Wilson, a program graduate who has led the mission’s food service program for more than 40 years.
“We don’t see people that are struggling as liabilities to be managed,” Riemersma said. “We see them as assets to be developed. And Gateway Mission does that incredibly well.”
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