We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Thomas Garner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Thomas, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

Early on my journey after leaving my corporate business world I sold my home, properties and beach house and moved into an economically depressed mobile home park. My neighbor next door struggled with drug addiction and asked me to counsel her. One day after about 3 months of working with her there was a knock on my door. Her ‘boyfriend’ was there to tell me he was leaving her but she was sick if I wanted to check on her. I went next door-the door was open-and I walked into a virtual wasteland of drugs and alcohol abuse. There were planks across the floor as this unit had no flooring. I looked into the room to the right and I saw her face down in the mud (no flooring) with a needle still in her left hand. She was dead from an overdose. After summoning the authorities and the the landlord the body was removed. I was asked by a grandmother in another city to do a celebration of life service. After I returned the landlord came to me and said he finally understood what I was doing: trying to make a better community. He said he would remove her trailer from next to mine and destroy it. I asked him if I could have it. He replied it’s trash and needs to go. However he let me have it and it became the ‘birthing center’ of Harbours Gate. Over time many volunteers helped improve and make more useable and the unit that once housed death was now ‘breathing life’ in the countless numbers of the struggling who were seeking our resources for life recovery. In a few years we had outgrown this unit and now have our 7 acre campus nearby. However I learned from this humbling experience that to truly serve and understand the needs of our neighbors we need to be proximate, available and place based. Residing and serving in the same conditions as the families and individuals that come to us.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Our primary mission is life recovery.. That will include substance disorder issues, mental health, education, legal, medical, substandard housing and financial. Our signature certified programs our the All Recovery Reconnect Steps Resources and the Gateway to Recovery Arconic Foundation Grant. In additions we have long term treatment centers which are absolutely free-no insurance required. We also operate as a Second Harvest Emergency Food Pantry on site which is available 24/7.

It’s not what we do by why. We empower and train those that we serve as they have the true knowledge of what their communities needs are. Instead of outsiders looking in and assuming-we lift u p the struggling and let them control and operate from within.

Triage: for urgent needs response
Prevention: to prevent the reoccurrence of life hurts.
Community: engaging again as an active member of community and giving back to others who also seek a better life.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Listening-not just hearing-to each who come through our door with a life hurt. Eliminating all preconceptions, misconceptions or assumptions. Gaining trust and recognizing everyone’s worth and letting them help create a plan of life self improvement.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Being proximate, available and place based. I live in the same mobile parks with those i serve. Same issues with slum landlords, poorly maintained units, overflowing septics into the yards and driveways, active addiction and rampant poverty. We grow one life at a time as we share the same common goals without religious or political arguments. Working for the higher good of all we form a bond that brings about gradual but real change in both life responses and action to help alleviate the underlying causes and conditions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://harboursgate.org
• Instagram: Https;//www..instagram.com/harboursgate
• Facebook: HTTP://www.harboursgate.org
• Linkedin: Tom Garner/Harbours Gate
• Youtube: https://Www.youtube.com/@9toonces

Image Credits

All photos credit to Tom Garner, Executive Director Harbours Gate