Pontiac's Grace Centers of Hope
Pontiac, MI (CBS Detroit) - When we think of Pontiac, we think of Oakland County's comeback city. Indeed proof of that is at Grace Centers of Hope. Grace Centers of Hope provides the necessities of life: food, shelter, and clothing. They aim to serve with humility and treat all people with dignity and respect.
"Grace Centers of Hope is unique in the sense that we're faith-based," explains Pastor Kent Clark of Grace Gospel Fellowship. "We receive no government funding. We are the oldest, largest shelter, and center doing what we're doing."
All programs and services provided by Grace Centers of Hope are designed to help those who are suffering the effects of addiction and homelessness. They provide clients with opportunities for life-changing recovery and help them break the intergenerational cycle of addiction.
"33 years ago when I came to what was then the old Pontiac Rescue Mission," continues Pastor Clark, "it was mainly men, same ones in and same people out. We would feed them, clothe them, and shelter them. They drew a welfare check and then were gone for two weeks, and then came back, and we went through that whole process."
Grace Centers of Hope's vital programs include the Emergency Shelter, One Year Life Skills Program for Men and Women, Children's Programs, and the After-Care Program.
"If all you're doing is keeping the drug addict alive, to me, that's horrible charity," says Pastor Clark. "We want to see people get their life back, become productive citizens and homeowners. So we started the long-term rehab program for our men, and then my wife came alongside, and we started the women and children's' area, which is probably our fastest growing area at this time."
Adds Pastor Clark, "We're getting people back into the mainstream, really through the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
If you or someone you love needs help, please call 1.855.HELP.GCH (1.855.435.7424).
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