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Pastor Ty Cotter and the crew at CareCenter Ministries Mountain Home and guests celebrated the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the ministry’s new building for their men’s home Saturday morning.
The new building will allow Cotter to house an additional 34 men, bringing the total number of men the ministry can accommodate up to 58, a substantial increase over their main facilities 24 beds.
“You think about a building like that and go OK another building,” said Pastor Ty Cotter. “But we think it allows us to take in more men and plant more seeds to lead more to Christ. To see more people heal. More people free. More people walking out their God-given purpose.”
Ty Cotter and his crew pose for a photo before cutting the ribbon at CareCenter Ministries ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday. Photo by Chris Fulton/MHO.
Guests take a moment to catch up before touring CareCenter Ministries new building at the men’s home outside Mountain Home. Photo by Chris Fulton/MHO.
CareCenter Ministries Pastor Ty Cotter gives Erric Totty a run down of the men home’s day to day operations at the ministries ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday. Photo by Chris Fulton/MHO.
A member of CareCenter’s crew sets up for lunch at the ministries ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday. Photo by Chris Fulton/MHO.
CareCenter’s men’s home got its start in Mountain Home after Cotter moved back to the area in 2015. With help from local donors, he was able to get a car and a six-bedroom home that he would use as the foundation of his ministry.
CareCenter’s Mountain Home location continued to grow as Cotter and his crew worked to help the local community. Eventually Cotter and the ministry were gifted 20 acres of property in Baxter County to expand. The new property allowed Cotter to build a larger two-story building to house 24 men plus members of his ministry that live on-site to oversee the property’s daily activities.
The main building features a main office, chapel and worship area, bunk rooms, full bathroom facilities, an industrial kitchen, dining area, and a 1,500 foot three-bedroom apartment for the home’s director, assistant director, and intern.
The new building features another apartment, a larger bunkroom, a full bathroom, and a washer and dryer room.
The bathroom inside of CareCenter’s new men’s home building. Photo by Chris Fulton/MHO.
A photo of the bunk room at CareCenter Ministries new building at their men’s home facility in Mountain Home. Photo by Chris Fulton/MHO.
A number of religious books lay on a chair beside a bed at CareCenter Ministries Men’s Home. A large portion of CareCenter’s rehabilitation program revolves around introducing addicts to Christ’s teachings. Photo by Chris Fulton/MHO.
A photo of the chapel/worship area at CareCenter Ministries Men’s Home. Photo by Chris Fulton/MHO.
“I can’t believe how they started from so small to where they are now. It’s very impressive,” said Erric Totty, director of membership and sales for the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce.
CareCenter Ministries Men’s Home is a one-year program that seeks to help addicts overcome their addiction through acts of service to the community and a highly structured life. Most addicts at the men’s home come directly from prison.
While at the home, those recovering can expect to work throughout the day in the ministry’s cottage industry program, which has the men mowing lawns, fixing buildings, acting as movers, and helping widows. The program also features daily worship and counseling sessions with Cotter and his staff.
The program was assisting over 40 men before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. To date, the ministry has been kept from speaking to prisoners at the Baxter County Jail due to COVID restrictions, resulting in fewer recruits into the program.
Cotter said his program has a success rate of about 54%, with most dropouts leaving within the first 30 days. Many of those who leave reach out to the ministry years later to thank Cotter and his team for giving them a shot even though they left.
Cotter said he expects to bring more men into the home as COVID restrictions are relaxed.
“We see a lot of different lives change, and then we get calls later, even from people that may not have finished,” Cotter said. “They’re like, ‘Man, I’m sorry I was a knucklehead while I was there. I just want to let you know where I’m at in life.’ And I’m like, man, that’s cool.”
