Waterfront Rescue Mission

Founded in 1949, Waterfront Rescue Mission provides rehabilitative services to indigent people and those suffering from substance abuse and other life-dominating issues. In 2023, the Mission served 168,351 meals, provided 62,788 nights of shelter, 5,200 pieces of clothing, and 1,504 household items to families in need. Waterfront Rescue Mission helps men and women address the challenges of life-dominating issues. Healing and restoration are the goals of this bible-based model that promotes self- sufficient, productive members of the community. Through the career development program, the Mission helps men and women enroll in local colleges, universities, and vocational schools and also assists in procuring jobs to help ensure clients are equipped to become and remain productive members of society. In this advanced stage of the program, men and women are also taught to manage personal finances and how to procure a personal residence upon graduation. The Mission's veterans program serves homeless military veterans by coordinating with the u.s. department of veterans affairs to provide guidance in obtaining benefits and affordable housing. The Mission's respite care program offers a safe environment with hospital beds for ill or injured homeless men to recuperate. The Mission's day resource center provides services to help indigent men, women, and children with job searches, mail and phone services, storage lockers, clothing, recreational activities, spiritual counseling, and also provides meals and laundering and shower provisions. Through the Mission's various sites and programs, men and women are offered literacy programs if needed, and they learn fundamental computer skills. They also have the opportunity to learn valuable work skills such as forklift certification, merchandising, production, register training, customer services, and cooking. The ultimate goal of Waterfront Rescue Mission is to provide a hand up, and not just a hand out, to men and women suffering from life- dominating issues.

The Waterfront Rescue Mission's recycling & donation center processes, on average, 1,650 tons of in-kind donated recyclable materials annually. Materials are donated on-site and collected from thrift stores as an intentional effort to reduce the local environment impacts caused by the over usage of area landfills. The Mission makes every effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle. In-kind donations which are not deemed safe or resalable at its thrift stores are immediately evaluated, dismantled as necessary, and sorted into recyclable components. In turn, salvaged materials are resold at current market values to provide work rehabilitation services for the indigent and those striving to overcome substance abuses and other life-dominating issues as participants work through the Mission's recovery programs. Additionally, the management and staff of the recycling & donation center work closely with program clients and employees to improve environmental awareness and to provide job skills training as they model christian integrity, strong work ethic, and stewardship as an investment back into the community.

In-kind donations processed and resold through the Waterfront Rescue Mission's supporting thrift stores ministry affords shoppers within the missions' communities to purchase affordable, high-quality clothing, shoes, household goods, and gently-used home furnishings at exceptional values. In turn, the proceeds generated from the thrift stores are used to provide work rehabilitation services for the indigent and those striving to overcome substance abuses and other life-dominating issues as participants work through the Mission's recovery programs. Additionally, the management and staff of the thrift stores work closely with program clients, employees, volunteers, and court-ordered community service programs to teach job skills, customer service, and teamwork, as well as to model christian integrity and strong work ethic as an investment back into the community. The Waterfront thrift stores have earned several customer choice awards for "best thrift stores" on the gulf coast.