Gaston County Hears Calls for Mutual Aid.

By: Grace Smith – Wise News Network

GASTONIA, NC (WNN) – After hearing a call for community support, Gaston County invested its resources to answer. The new Gaston County Community Support Services (GCCSS) building centralizes Gaston County’s need for community outreach and mutual aid. 

On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, GCCSS held a ribbon cutting to announce the grand opening of its new office location. The new building is located on Long Avenue in Gastonia. 

The GCCSS initiative is still relatively new. According to Dr. Gregory Grier, the director of Community Support Services, it has been a formal division for a year. GCCSS has occupied the office space since November, 2023. 

Since its inception, GCCSS has helped over 2,000 people. Through programs like the Cold Weather Shelter, GCCSS can assist Gaston County residents like never before. Justin Amos, the chief of staff for Gaston County, highlighted some of the division’s achievements. 

“They supported Home for Holidays, which served over 1700 children this year,” Amos said, “They supported Hope Fest 2023, [They] support the cold weather shelter, which has been open at least 30 days so far this year and has served 471 people.”

Additionally, GCCSS has helped allocate nearly $3 billion to fight the opioid crisis in Gaston County. 

The money has gone towards the prevention of opioids. It has also been used for the rehabilitation of those in need and the reunification of families impacted by substance abuse disorder.

“It has been our mission to provide excellent public service every day. We hope to meet the needs of our community through supportive services.” said Dr. Grier.

He said that GCCSS dreams of a central location that encompasses all of the community support services offered by the county. Bob Hovis, the vice chairman of the County Commissioners, praised GCCSS for accomplishing that dream. 

“We have a lot of need for citizens in this county. This local inauspicious location is going to allow those individuals to feel comfortable to come and talk with county staff in terms of what services the county can provide to help them in their particular area of life.” said Hovis. 

Dr. Grier demonstrated the need for the new GCCSS building through an anecdote. Some Gaston County residents needed medical support and the GCCSS community paramedics program assisted. 

“As we were preparing for this ribbon cutting, we had some individuals who needed support. They knocked on our door and we assisted them with some support services.” said Grier.

The ribbon cutting and grand opening marked a new beginning for Gaston County. Senator Brad Overcash attended and had pleasant remarks for the division. 

“Gaston County Community Services, who are taking the lead in improving lives and strengthening communities. I look forward to continued partnerships with Dr. Grier and his team in celebrating so many successes to come.” said Senator Overcash. 

The GCCSS building stands not only as a physical location but also as a symbol for outreach. With this division leading, Gaston County uplifts community challenges and uses mutual aid to help solve them. 

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