Closing Berachah

Berachah Place closes it’s doors

I was interviewed yesterday about Berachah closing its doors. I’m kinda busted up by this, and I wanted to write a few things down, and perhaps clarify.

First things first – why? ... Funny thing that happens when you keep attaching another why to the previously asked why question is you get right to the heart of the matter.

It is the same game that 4 year olds play:

Why? Why? Why? Why?

Why is Berachah shutting down?

First simple answer is - We didn’t have enough funding to run Berachah Safely.

Why?

Because we need more than one staff on at a time.

Why no funding?

Right here is where the answers start getting muddled and historic.

The grand end to those questions past the muddled part of who Heritage Family Services is, what our role was, why we stepped in when we did, why we didn’t do some things, why we did do other things…..is a simple reality that I have been feeling for the last 2 weeks. The very root of the issue for Berachah’s closure rests on me.

I was the leader of it these last years.

And I failed.

And I feel horrible about it, especially as winter approaches.

I should have engaged the community earlier.

I should have set Berachah up as a non-profit, sooner, and engaged with other great people in Red Deer to help.

I didn’t.

Instead, from the first days after we lost our main funder a couple of years back, we ran it, and just kept running it.

The things that should have been done and done differently are myriad. The reasons for closing are myriad.

I could point the finger. I could blameShift.

Or I can just say this:

I wish I could have done more.

I hope those that step into the gap, can do a better job than I did.