"Open Arms" to the Community: Army Outreach in Halifax

In Uniacke Square, a public housing neighbourhood in Halifax, you’ll find a Salvation Army centre that doesn’t look much like a Salvation Army centre, aside from the sign out front and the bright Red Shield. Occupying three adjoining rowhouses, Open Arms Halifax offers a second home for many residents. It’s a place to belong, to receive support, and to experience the love of Jesus in practical ways. And given that two-thirds of the population of Uniacke Square are under the age of 25, it should come as no surprise that much of the Army’s ministry there focuses on youth. 

Mitch Brouwer, the Open Arms program co-ordinator, takes us behind the scenes and shares how the centre is having a big impact in the community. And mom-of-three Kristina shares her family's experience with the centre.

Transcript

Kristin Ostensen

This is the Salvationist podcast. I’m Kristin Ostensen. Salvation Army centres come in all shapes and sizes, a reflection of how different ministries meet different needs, according to their local community. In Uniacke Square, a public housing neighbourhood in Halifax, you’ll find a Salvation Army centre that doesn’t look much like a Salvation Army centre, aside from the sign out front and the bright Red Shield. Occupying three adjoining rowhouses, Open Arms Halifax offers a second home for many residents. It’s a place to belong, to receive support, and to experience the love of Jesus in practical ways. And given that two-thirds of the population of Uniacke Square are under the age of 25, it should come as no surprise that much of the Army’s ministry there focuses on youth. Mitch Brouwer, the Open Arms program co-ordinator, takes us behind the scenes and shares how the centre is having a big impact in the community.

Hi Mitch, and welcome to the Salvationist podcast. 

Mitch Brower  

Hello, thanks for having me. 

Kristin Ostensen

Yeah, it's great to have you here. So of course, we're here today to talk about Open Arms Halifax, and I'm wondering if you can start by telling me a bit about its history and its mission.

Mitch Brower

Certainly. So Open Arms is just located in the north end of Halifax in Uniacke Square, right on Uniacke Street. It's been around for the last about, almost 20 years now, I think. It's been a little bit longer than that, about mid-90s to late 90s, but they officially became, I think, Open Arms and what it is, in about 2007-ish. So it's kind of located in the housing unit, kind of right dead centre in the Uniacke Square, which is kind of significant, I think, as well. And its main mission, I think, is very much just to kind of be what the name is, right? To open arms to the community. How can we give opportunities for people to find community, find connection, and to build on relationships in that? So, I think the main mission being that, you know, we are here for the community. We're here right in the middle of the community. And how can we best serve you in the likeness of Christ as well? 

Kristin Ostensen

So, you mentioned Uniacke Square. So, for those of us who are not from the Halifax area, can you talk a little bit about what that means, what that neighbourhood is like? And I noticed the Open Arms is actually in a house. It's not sort of a traditional centre. So, I'm wondering if you can tell us a little bit more about your context and what the significance is of that choice.

Mitch Brower  

Yeah, so we are in kind of what is called row housing. And so we are actually in three houses that they've actually turned into one centre. So if you come in, there's about three entrances. But of course, we have the walls knocked out in the first and second floor to kind of widen out the space. And so we have a lot of different opportunities to build programs in that. And so Uniacke being what it is, it's a low-income area. And so you'll see a lot of people of low income; of course, immigrants and refugees will come into this area as well. So we have a lot of children and families who are, you know, from countries that are in the Middle East or in Africa and aspects like that. So, a lot of people just new to Canada. And so, it's a great way to build a relationship with people who are just learning how to come into a new situation as well. 

Kristin Ostensen  

A key program for the centre is the after-school club, which features a range of fun and creative activities. Think painting, cooking, helping out with the centre’s community garden, and so much more. Open Arms also hosts special programs such as their recent Easter Jam and Brave event for girls. As well, the centre recently launched a new youth leadership program, which gives young people practical ministry opportunities, such as serving meals on the streets of Halifax.

Mitch came on board as the Open Arms co-ordinator shortly after the pandemic ended, and has been building the centre’s programming from there.

Mitch Brower

So when we opened up our doors again, it was a lot of kids coming back. So we have a lot of after-school programming from grades one to six, and then we're starting to build out a bit more into the youth and kind of the grades seven to 12 as well. So we've been starting youth leadership, as well as just a separate teen program as well, to kind of build relationships with them as well. And so, yeah, the kids have always loved this place, and it just seems to be a magnet for a lot of them. And so we just sometimes, when we're not having program, they're at the front, knocking on the door, wondering if we're open again, and we’ll say, “Oh no, we'll be back tomorrow.” So we still have that love for the kids, wanting to be in here and want to build relationships, which is, you know, great problem to have for us, for sure.

Kristin Ostensen

Yeah, oh, that's lovely. And what do you think it is about Open Arms that makes it that kind of magnet for the young people?

Mitch Brower

Well, in terms of our mission, I think, and certainly me and my staff—we kind of have that need of wanting to build relationship with them. It's—when they come in, we see who you are. We love you. We want to know what your days are like. And so we really want to build a relationship with them. We want to find out who they are, what their loves are, what their dislikes are, whatever the case is, and just, you know, to find out who they are, right? And so that's kind of been our focus in that. I think it's very much been a tradition, I think, of this place, pretty much since its infancy. But, you know, we're just continuing on the lineage of what this is supposed to be about.

Kristin Ostensen

Yeah, it sounds like there's a real authenticity there. And can you tell me a little bit about the folks who are participating in these programs, and how are people getting connected to the centre? I mean, it sounds like you have a pretty solid reputation, but can you tell me a bit more about the people in the programs?

Mitch Brower

Yeah. So, we do have, like, mostly the younger age that have traditionally been coming. So they've been part of the program before I was hired. And then when we had, I think, COVID and a kind of a reset as well, and so those are the ones that have kind of been a part of it before, and have kind of come back. But we've also tried to build relationships with community. We've been, of course, connected with our community and family services centre, our other ministry here. And so we kind of partnered with them to, you know, as they are getting their stats and data from the food bank, we're able to kind of get those contacts and say, OK, we can send mails out or emails to connect with some of these people as well. And it's been helpful for us to kind of have those connections. Because when you come into this neighbourhood, besides going door to door, it's kind of hard to, how do we find a way to connect with these people? So we go through these kind of channels, are a bit easier. And then I think, this day and age with email and texting all that kind of stuff, sometimes that's an easier avenue in, than other ways as well. 

Kristin Ostensen  

That makes sense. And what kind of impact are you seeing on the youth? I mean, obviously it's a very amazing sign that people are kind of literally beating down the doors to come in. But I'm wondering if you can talk about maybe some of the stories, some of the people you've met and the impact you've seen.

Mitch Brower

Yeah, so we've really, I think, built some great, deep relationships with some of these youth and kids as well, and some of the parents as well, too. It's been kind of nice to have those connections beyond the kids that just come. So we have some parents that we've connected with and been able to have great conversations with them and just kind of help them with certain situations they go with. So a couple of our younger youth that have been going through some issues, rather than, you know, say, “Well, we can't bring you back because of some of those issues.” We talk to the parents, say, “Is there anything that we can do to help support you going through this kind of situations?” And it's been very helpful for them to have some people that can, you know, come into their life and, you know, not just dismiss the children, but actually say, “OK, what is the next step to helping us to get through something like this?” So, we found that to be very beneficial for us because, you know, as we build relationships, we're not going to have just kids and youth that are perfect and act the way we want them to. We have to kind of deal with the other side of that, too. And so how do we kind of maneuver that direction? And also, you know, try to find a way to kind of bridge the gap too. 

Kristin Ostensen

And has there been any sort of feedback from the parents and families about how they've seen these programs impacting their kids?

Mitch Brower

Yeah, we've had a few parents that would say, “You know what, this is the best program that my kids have ever been a part of.” And you know, I don't want to get too boastful in that, but I think that's a really good thing to hear, because it means we're doing something in a good direction. It also kind of keeps us a bit humble to say, “OK, well, what are we doing right?” And I think when we come to certain events, or we create events that kind of work with some of our people, we just look it back and say, “OK, what went right? What didn't go right? What can we do differently? How can we get better?” And as we continue to do stuff like that, hopefully we can kind of still hear that kind of feedback, because we want to best serve our parents and our kids in the best way, as God has intended for us to do. And how do we do it, and how do we do it better the next time?

Kristin Ostensen

If you’re a parent, it’s not always easy to find good programming for your kids, especially if you have limited resources. For Kristina, Open Arms has been a godsend. Her three children have enjoyed many programs at the centre over the past five years. And she’s especially grateful for how the staff have supported her son, Ethan, who is on the autism spectrum.

Kristina

So, I'm a single mother of three kids. I have two boys and a girl. We lived in the—they've been going to Open Arms for about five years. They've been very supportive and benefited my kids in ways where they learned, you know, accountability and responsibility, and they learned a lot of leadership skills and confidence building and teamwork and stuff.

Kristin Ostensen

Oh, that's awesome. Well, we're definitely going to get into that. How old are your kids, for starters?

Kristina

My youngest has just turned 10, and my daughter's 12, and my oldest son's 13.

Kristin Ostensen

Wonderful. And you said you've been involved in the centre for about five years now. Can you tell me how you originally got connected to the centre?

Kristina

I believe it was through another youth that went there, that was friends, and then they just started going regularly. 

Kristin Ostensen

Oh, OK. And if you're thinking back, what sort of appealed to you at the time? Do you remember what programs you got involved in initially?

Kristina

Yeah, they were very supportive, in general, with—they helped me with some of the behavioural issues with Ethan, and would benefit with that. And they went to some cooking classes that they had together, and they learned—they really liked that they used to bring home what they made or what they, like, some carrots that they cut up and like prep work and stuff like that. So they really enjoyed that. And there was some camps that they went to, and some community things that they went at the Dixon playground and the Dixon Centre. And we also went to the Christmas Jam last year or the year before that. So it was a lot of fun stuff that we got to go to. And we always went to the community event that they had at the school. And we always got information through them, too, and some Bibles from them.

Kristin Ostensen

Nice. Well, it sounds like you've been involved in a lot of things over the past five years. And you mentioned there was some behavioural things that were happening with one of your children. Do you want to tell me a little bit more about that? And how the Open Arms was able to assist?

Kristina

So, he's had a lot of trauma since he was quite young. So, he's autistic, so his regulation and stuff—it's getting better now, but it was a process that he had to go through. He just lived with his father for five years. He came into back in with me, and it's slowly got better. But in the beginning, it was quite intense, where he would do a lot of hands on, so he would get sent home, and he was learning accountability and responsibility of his actions. So that really benefited him. He knows that, like, the right and wrong—you can't put hands on. So, he doesn't do any hands on anymore. But it was just, when we first started Open Arms, it was just fresh from the change and going from his father and the trauma. It was going to be a long process, but they helped with the taking accountability and taking responsibility and learning hands off strategies.

Kristin Ostensen

That's amazing. So how would you say your experience has been with Open Arms over the years? Are there some things that really stand out for you?

Kristina

Yeah, like, very understanding, and they were patient with Ethan. They would get, they would send him home for a period of time, then let him back and give him chances. I really appreciated that. And there were times where there was kids in the community that bullied him and made his anxiety go worse—the “fight or flight.” So he would always reaction back, and the people at Open Arms always took that into account, and separated them. And sometimes, if they realized that it wasn't Ethan, they would always do appropriate actions. They’d handle it really good.

Kristin Ostensen

That's really good to hear. If someone were interested in checking out Open Arms, what would you say to them? 

Kristina

I would definitely recommend them. I would tell them all the programs that they had and that they have, and how much it benefited us, and how much we were supported in Open Arms. They’re such welcoming, really caring people in that centre, and I would definitely recommend to send their kids to that centre.

Kristin Ostensen

The bulk of the ministry happening at Open Arms is aimed at children and families, but the centre also offers programming for adults. And as a ministry of the Halifax Centre of Hope, it has strong links with Army corps and social service centres across the city—a testament to the unity of the Army’s mission in Halifax.

Mitch Brower

Yeah, so every week we have a Celebrate Recovery that we run out of this program in our centre here. And it's kind of in conjunction, because we do have a men's recovery centre in our Centre of Hope, just down the road in Gottingen. So it kind of felt like a good opportunity to give these guys another night to kind of see if they can find some connection, but also a way to serve the community as well. So by doing that, we want to just have an open space where people can come in. We have a bit of a worship time, and we have a bit of a teaching and kind of discussion, and it's very, I'd say, very easy entrance, because it's not, you don't have to know anything. You can just come in and just listen. You don't have to be the best singer. And some of us aren't, and some of us are, and that's OK—it's a joyful noise to Lord as well. So we have a time just to connect and maybe learn something new that we didn't know before. 

Kristin Ostensen

For those who might not be familiar with the program, do you want to just give a really quick overview of what Celebrate Recovery is? 

Mitch Brower

Yeah. So it is a program that was based out of the Saddleback Church in California, by Rick Warren's church, if you're familiar with that. And it's kind of a program after you've kind of gone through recovery, and how to continue through that. So it doesn't necessarily be for anyone that is in a recovery. I mean, we're all in walks of life, and we're all learning how to kind of live life in freedom with Christ. And so it's, if you have any habits, hangups or hurts, or anything in your life that's kind of held you back or has made it a little bit difficult, this is a good place for you to come and kind of learn how to kind of walk through life, in community, but also as an individual as well, because we all need people around us to kind of help us through this life. But at the same time, how do I kind of build skills and tools in my life to kind of move into a way that God has called me to?

Kristin Ostensen

Yeah, absolutely. And so, between the youth programming and the adult programming, how many people would you say are connected to Open Arms, either weekly or perhaps monthly?

Mitch Brower

Well, any given program that we have after school, we might get about 15 to 20 kids on average that will show up, and we have about maybe 10 that show up in our adult program, and maybe about 10 that show up in our youth program. So on any given week, could see about 50 to 60 that would be actually coming in and out of our doors. That's on just a weekly basis. And we can have a little bit more of a different look in terms of other things we have, other programs that we've run at Christmas and Easter. And last Christmas, we had over about—I think we had about 75 to 80 people that showed up for our Christmas program. And we have an Easter program coming up next week that we're anticipating that will be a bit more. We already have 60 people that are signed up for it now, and we're still a week away, so it could be more than that as well. So we still have, I think, a lot of great potential that we could have in this place, and a lot more opportunities to kind of serve. So we're just excited to see what that looks like.

Kristin Ostensen

Awesome. And you've mentioned some linkages with CFS in the city and the recovery centre. And I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit more about how Open Arms fits into the Army's wider mission in Halifax and what some of those connections look like.

Mitch Brower

Yeah. So one of the first things I did when I came here is kind of look at our goals and our mission and our values and aspects. And I kind of came up with a mission statement: that God has entrusted us and empowered us to shine his light, show his love, and help others to be restored back into his arms. And so looking at that, that's kind of been what I think everything needs to be filtered through. So how do we kind of build relationships with people through that? So we have a great relationship with Encounter Church, which is a Salvation Army in Sackville. And so they've come in collaboration with us with a lot of our events, especially at Christmas and Easter, and they're helping us with our Easter Jam next week. But also, we've kind of made a note to talk to all the churches. We've gathered Bibles from a number of different churches for those who need one. We've got a bunch in Arabic. So if anyone is interested in that, to find out what God's Word is and, there are those who've never read it in their own language, we have an opportunity for that as well. So I think our main mission is very much: how can we be the hands and feet of Christ in every aspect of what that looks like in this community? Because being very much in the centre of this neighbourhood, I don't think, is a coincidence. I think that being in the centre of where we are is very much what God has kind of called us to. And how can we use that strategic location to further his kingdom?

Kristin Ostensen

Yeah. Can you talk a little bit more about some of the spiritual impact you've been seeing since you've been with the centre?

Mitch Brower

I would say that we're working with about maybe 75-80% Arabic children in our neighbourhood. A lot of that, we have people from Jordan, from Syria, from Egypt, and so a lot of people who have come and certainly are of the Muslim faith. So we have that notion that we are working with people who have a different way of looking at things, but certainly have a faith-based aspect in their life, so to kind of work with that tension a bit. So we've had opportunities to kind of speak a lot of truth into them, that we would understand God's truth. And it's kind of funny. I did a painting on one of our walls, and you might have seen it before. It's the superheroes all around Jesus, and he's the one saying, “This is how I save the world.” And we've kind of used that to really open up conversations sometimes, because a lot of kids will, “Who is, what's this? What does this mean?” And, you know, sometimes it's off handed. They don't even know what they're asking. So we kind of say, “OK, well, if you like, I can explain a little bit more about who he is to us.” And, you know, some of it might be, “Oh, I can't really, that's not really for me.” And other ones will just kind of—you know, we call it a bit of a seed that's still kind of growing and that. So it's going to be small snippets. And we just pray that the Lord is planting seeds, because, you know, it may not happen with us, but somewhere down the road that might come. Conversation might turn into something else, where somebody else can kind of pick up where we started and lead them to a bit of a different way than we did.

Kristin Ostensen

Yeah, of course. And looking ahead, what is next for Open Arms? How do you see the centre growing and developing into the future?

Mitch Brower

We're kind of constantly looking at what is next for us. And I think we look to what the community needs, and I think we're still kind of building into that. We have a lot of empty hours in the middle of our day that nothing is being used, nothing's happening. So what can we do with those hours? We're trying to kind of fill those hours with maybe more opportunities to build into community. We're connecting with the kids. How can we connect a little bit more with the parents that don't have a job or aren't working right now? How can we find ways to kind of bring them into here and maybe build more relationship with them? So a lot of it is, I think—you know, the Lord, he's always moving, and we're trying to catch up with it. So we're starting to see, “OK, what is it, Lord? What can we do next?” And he's still, I think, opening up avenues for us to see. But that's kind of where I'm seeing a bit more. We have potential here, but how do we kind of harness a bit more and which areas do we need to focus on right now?

Kristin Ostensen

Yeah, of course. Well, thank you so much for your time today. It's been really inspiring to hear about how God is using this centre in Halifax, and just praying God's blessing on all that you're doing.

Mitch Brower

Well, it's much appreciated, and thank you so much for having me.

Kristin Ostensen

Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Salvationist podcast. For more episodes, visit Salvationist.ca/podcast.