DIY Community Health makes progress on new mutual aid centre

The DIY Community Health team is making progress at a new mutual aid centre, near downtown Timmins. Officials with the project say about $80,000 in upgrades to the building have been done to help make it suitable to welcome people with various needs.

DIY Community Health is hopeful its new mutual aid centre near downtown Timmins will open at the end of January. (Lydia Chubak/CTV News Northern Ontario)

Jason Sereda, DIY Community Health's executive director said many individuals and businesses wanted to help with monetary donations and no government funding has been awarded at this time for the centre.

"We quickly learned that if we are going to meet all the needs of everybody, we really needed to improve the capacity of the building, which means adding washrooms, improving the health and safety of the space, improving the fire prevention, conditions in the space," he said.

"It's been very, motivating to see everybody come together but it's definitely been a challenge, but we're making headway."

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Sereda said a number of services will be offered at this location and it will be a place where people can feel they belong.

"We need places like this where people can just have community, can have a cup of coffee, can do their laundry and can connect and support each other,"he said.

"We have our community kitchen where people can donate food, people can come in and access food when they need it."

June Marchildon was on the receiving end of Sereda’s support in the past and is now helping him get the centre ready to open.

"When someone doesn't give up on you and gives you hope, you’re worth something more,"she said.

"We're all equal, right? And when that person just kind of boosts you, it gives you that, it gives you strength."

Sereda said he’s aiming to open the centre to the public at the end of the month and to start, it will be open in the evenings – until there are enough volunteers to keep it open 24/7.

"Probably the most innovative thing that we're proud of is our connection with Jan's closet, who we share the building with and by doing that, we're hoping to create an opportunity for people to have an equitable shopping experience, but also an opportunity for them to volunteer or get work and start building on some of those skills that they might want to build on to participate in our community,"he said.

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Besides donating funds, people could also pitch in with food for the community fridge, drop by to participate in some activities or just chat with someone in need of a warm smile.

"Saying hello can change someone's life," said Marchildon.

The centre is located on Algonquin Boulevard, two blocks west of city hall.