Brandon organization helping people with addiction in need of $100K repair

One organization in Brandon that helps people impacted by addiction needs $100,000 to make an unexpected and urgent repair.

Last week, the Adult and Teen Challenge of Central Canada learned that the south structural wall of its building, located at 127 7th St., requires $100,000 in repairs.

“It’s an exterior wall that has a slant to it, I guess you can say, and needs to be repaired immediately,” said Aaron Murray, the development director for Brandon’s Adult and Teen Challenge, in an interview on Saturday.

“It affects our store, it affects just the whole progress. It needs to be addressed quickly.”

According to the organization, if the structural wall is not fixed, it won’t be able to finish the construction of the community office and provide additional programs for those impacted by addictions.

“If we couldn’t fix the wall, it would absolutely stop everything. We can’t operate our thrift store, which funds our faith-based program, which gets little government funding, if any,” Murray said.

In the Brandon area, Adult and Teen Challenge has a 20-bed home for women taking part in a long-term, live-in discipleship program, as well as graduate housing for mothers reuniting with their children.

The main floor of the building 7th Street is currently being used as a SuperThrift, which provides the funding for the organization’s programs and vocational training.

“We employ people in the community. We do weekly groups for people in the community and then we also care for I think right now, it’s 15 or 16 women in our program and four children,” Murray said.

For those looking to support the organization, they can donate online or by calling the organization.

“Our goal is to raise $100,000 in the next couple of weeks,” Murray said.

“I am totally hopeful and believe that can happen.”

- With files from CTV’s Daniel Halmarson.