Community Missions unveils Lantern Project, helping individuals struggling with substance abuse

Tue, May 13th 2025 03:50 pm

A ‘beacon of hope,’ room now available at Niagara Falls agency

Community Missions, in partnership with Niagara County Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services and M&T Bank, opened its Lantern Project on Monday afternoon. Co-located within the organization’s emergency housing shelter at 1570 Buffalo Ave., Niagara Falls, the Lantern Project is a two-bed safe place reserved for individuals ready to engage in substance treatment.

Community Missions operates Niagara PATH, a program that works to educate and reduce opioid abuse in Niagara County. Often, there is a time between when individuals may choose that they would like to engage in rehabilitation for substance use until their admittance. The Lantern Project will fill that gap, providing a safe space for individuals during the time until they are able to access such services.

“For 100 years, Community Missions has evolved its programming to meet the needs of our community,” said Eric Boerdner, vice president of specialized services at Community Missions. “When we took on the Niagara PATH program, we realized that there is more that we could do to help individuals when they want to become sober. We are dedicating this space to those brave enough to make the choice seek help, and we look forward to saving lives here in Niagara County thanks to all our partners involved in this project.”

Representing the PATH team, recovery advocate Joshua Anderson said, “There’s a probably a million reasons … why people sometimes can’t, don’t and won’t seek treatment. Here in Niagara County, we are excited and ready to say that, today, there’s a few less reasons of that … because of the Lantern Project.

“For the past five years, the PATH team, we’ve been trying to fill the gaps that are easily identified by a lot of individuals but, for one reason or another, they’re really hard to address.”

He added, “This project is us responding to the damage of active drug misuse – and it continues: a lot of loss, and a lot of collateral damage. Many suffer because they don’t quite know what to do, and many have died for us to be here. I don’t want to minimize that. But we’re here, and we’re all hands on deck.

“A fundamental PATH truth is that we give individuals the best that we’ve got, because we know it might take someone’s absolute best to get better. This space is filled with some of our best contributions – most importantly, our time. The amenities that are in there now, they reflect that.”

Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino said, “Community Missions, generally, has been filling an important need in our community for decades and decades … doing the important things – the things that a lot of people forget about; things that don't necessarily get the headlines and glamourous praise – but they’re critical to our community.”

Niagara County Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Director of Community Services Laura J. Kelemen said creation of the PATH team is the result of a larger goal.

“Several years ago, when faced with greatly increasing numbers of opioid overdoses and fatalities, the Niagara County Legislature asked us to do everything in our power to help – to give people opportunities; to give people services; to give people supports that would meet them where they were at, in order to help them along their journey toward recovery.

“And so, from there, the Presenting Alternatives for Treatment and Healing – PATH team – came about.”

She added, “They identified a gap – and the gap is a safe place to go when people are ready for treatment” and a bed is unavailable.

For assistance, community members can call 716-278-8166.

Funding for the project has come from the Niagara County Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services, along with the M&T Bank Foundation, each of whom were represented at the open house on Monday.