River Park Church, soon to be the location of the Mustard Seed. (Courtesy: Ross Lavigne)

By Jessie Weisner

THE MUSTARD SEED

New foundation aims to reduce poverty in the Flats area of Medicine Hat

Sep 6, 2019 | 4:36 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — A foundation that aims to help people in poverty will be moving into Medicine Hat next month.

The Mustard Seed plans on setting up shop at the River Park Church on Allowance Ave SE in the Flats.

After communication with local foundations, The Mustard Seed saw a need for its services in that area of the City.

“There are some needs that are needing to be met in Medicine Hat and we thought we were an agency that could meet those needs,” says Dean Kurpjuweit, executive director of Edmonton Mustard Seed. “We could help out the people that are looking for our kind of services.”

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The Mustard Seed will also be absorbing the Oasis Cafe, located the River Park Church, and the Champion Centre, currently located at 435 North Railway Street.

The Champion Centre’s location isn’t changing, and it’s operations will largely stay the same. Kurpjuweit says the Mustard Seed’s contribution will be allowing it to expand its services.

“For those that are already using the champion centre, our only hope is that their pleased with this transition the only difference they notice is an increase in services,” he says. “Perhaps we’re able to enhance the services that are already being provided, we think that there’s an opportunity for more volunteers to get engaged in whats occurring there.”

The foundation will be setting up multiple services within the River Park Church. Those include opening up a Wellness Centre and a Family Resource Centre.

The Wellness Centre will provide after-hours services for low-income residents.

“We recognize the fact that there’s a group of people that are housed, maybe they’re renting, maybe they own, but perhaps their level of income or the kind of job they have doesn’t allow them to see a medical physician or a chiropractor or a physiotherapist, something along those lines during their work hours.”

It will also have advocacy services for anyone struggling with government documents or navigation.

“Perhaps even provide some employment opportunities out of there as well, we have employment coaches where we work with businesses as well as people seeking employment to hopefully find a match of skill set and openings.”

The services have been designed around the needs of residents in the Flats specifically. The centre is meant to be a community hub for the area.

“The programming that we’re designing at that location on Allowance avenue will be for the people that live in the Flats,” says Kurpjuweit.

The Mustard Seed is hosting an open house on September 16, and will be opening its doors on October 1.