Open Door Ministries.
Programs from Open Door Ministries are wide ranging. The non-profit is one of the leading organizations to call for help in the greater High Point North Carolina area. Emergency assistance can help meet basic needs of the low income and working poor. Or the agency can offer self-sufficiency and referrals to other resources in the region, including Guilford and Davidson County.
The highest demand resource is the local Emergency Services program. As funding and donation levels allow, Open Door Ministries provides very short term financial assistance for paying expenses such as rent, utility bills, and prescriptions. Clients from the community who receive help are generally representative of a population of people that find themselves sometimes in challenging situations.
Aid is for those families that are experiencing unexpected sudden occurrences that they did not cause but it is affecting their ability to pay necessary required household expenses. Maybe an unexpected car repair or medical bills. Emergency financial aid is for crisis situations. Contributions are used to fund the program and the money is available through community donations, United Way, grants, agency fundraisers and even local corporations.
The Community Resource Network, or CRN, also relies on Open Door Ministries to help the less fortunate. CRN is a network of government agencies, churches, and charities that serve the greater needs of the High Point North Carolina community. While the organization is committed to helping people in the community and they can offer a degree of relief in difficult times, additional support is always needed. Your donations will go to pay for rent, utilities, and provide other aid to the less fortunate.
The Transitional House program at Open Door Ministries is known as the Arthur Cassell Memorial. It is only available for a small number of select men from the greater High Point North Carolina community who want to stabilize their financial and housing situation. It takes a Cognitive – Behavioral – Spiritual approach in helping residents through the stages of transition from being homeless and jobless. The goal of the social workers is to assist them with obtaining permanent housing and employment and give them a sense of general well being.
The primary focus of the Arthur Cassell Transitional House is on supporting homeless men and veterans in the Guilford and High Point area. Participants need to show they are able to work towards stability.
Apartments or small homes are available for the chronically homeless as part of the Guilford Permanent Supportive Housing program. Many people who use the sites were at one time in the emergency shelters or short term transitional housing facilities.
Government grants and donations from the community help pay for this housing and related other expenses. Studies have proven that sheltering a chronic homeless individual first and then surrounding the individual with social services and resources already available, the cost in assisting chronic homeless individuals is cheaper to society and is better for the client as well. Open Door Ministries Housing First Program is a partner of Guilford County in ending chronic homelessness.
A dedicated shelter for men is available at Open Door Ministries. It is meant to provide a place to stay for a short period of time. It has beds for the general population, has a treatment program, and additional capacity is used for cold weather and winter months.
Those men that are able to use the shelter will also benefit from a wide variety of other assistance programs such as case management, the Father’s Table, the Education and Job Readiness Program as well as Arthur Cassell Transitional House. Staff can help in other ways as well, such as provide bus vouchers and passes, assist clients with obtaining Ids, provide referrals to clinics and offer other support.
Each guest will be assigned a case manager from Open Door Ministries whereby they can receive counseling to achieve their goals. Whether it is mental health, VA related, job related or medical related, help is available. Other programs at the shelter include:
- Medical Services from nurses and volunteers.
- Professional business attire.
- Substance Abuse Treatment.
- Personal hygiene items and clothing, as donations allow.
Free meals and food items are served from the Father’s Table program. This Open Door Ministries resource will serve a few meals a day up to seven days a week. It is available for the homeless and less fortunate in the Davidson and High Point community. It is open to anyone that is hungry and there are no requirements or application processes in place.
Like many of these resources, the non-profits Father’s Table relies on donations and they also have a continuous need for fruits, canned foods, and vegetables. Other needed food items that can be provided to the low income include rice, pasta, flour, and coffee.
The above resources are available as well as referrals and other support services. Open Door Ministries can be reached at 400 North Centennial Street, High Point, North Carolina 27262. Call 336-885-0191.
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