GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A Gaston County church has purchased what they hope will be one of the largest in-house substance treatment facilities in the state.
City Church wants to turn an eyesore in Gastonia into a 72-bed unit.
They took Gaston County reporter Ken Lemon inside Heritage Oaks Assisted Living Center, which they are certain is already being used by people in crisis.
Tracy Cox with the church said she understands the people drawn here.
“I’ve actually stayed in buildings like this,” said Cox.
Cox explained that she had a dependency on illegal drugs for 12 years.
“In addiction, you lose even being a human being,” Cox said.
Now she is part of the team hoping to turn the building into a 72-bed facility for substance abuse treatment.
“If we don’t have that to offer them, then they just give up hope,” said Cox.
According to the state Department of Health and Human Services, Gaston County had 149 opioid overdoses reported to the ER in the first 10 months of 2024.
The church said it brought the Heritage Oaks Assisted Living Center two months ago hoping to change those numbers.
“To repair this building is really going to be a picture of what we want to see in a lot of lives,” said City Church Pastor Dickie Spargo. “I see the opportunity to change lives.”
The church said they spent almost half a million dollars buying this building, and they need at least $4 million more from the county to redevelop it.
The pastor said he hopes commissioners are ready to see this eyesore become something more.
“Our hearts break when we walk into this building because it really reflects what’s happening in a lot of lives,” said Spargo.
In 2023, they made a similar pitch to county commissioners with another group leading the effort to buy and redevelop this building.
This time the church owns it, and they are seeking millions in grants to help. They will make their pitch in a commissioner’s work session next month.
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