Rescue mission nears fundraising goal

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the actual age of the Rescue Mission's building.

By SAMANTHA PHILLIPS

sphillips@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley is progressing on its quest to raise enough funding to construct a new shelter.

Thanks to the shelter workers’ fundraising efforts and generous community contributions, the Rescue Mission is $471,332 away from that goal.

Portions of the current 87-year-old building’s ceilings are crumbling, water leaks in the ceilings have caused a couple of small electrical fires and plumbing issues have at times forced all the occupants to share one bathroom.

Luckily, the shelter’s administrators are close to reaching their monetary goal for the Move Our Mission campaign.

The total construction cost for the new shelter is

estimated to be $4,750,000.

If enough funding is secured, John Muckridge, CEO of the Rescue Mission, says it may be able to break ground for a new shelter in the spring.

“I really believe the Lord is building this new building in 2019,” he said. “I’m expecting this money to come in before we break ground.”

The original plan was to build the shelter on a 17.5-acre property deeded to the organization on the city’s South Side, but Muckridge said the mission is discussing choosing a more efficient location with city officials.

Aside from needing a new building, the Rescue Mission also needs more space for beds. The new shelter will allow them to expand the number of beds in its family (women and/or men with children) section of the shelter.

“We’re always on a wait; we’re always full there,” Muckridge said.

The Vindicator reported last year that there are a growing number of families, rather than individuals, seeking relief from homelessness in the Mahoning Valley.

The family section currently has 54 occupants and can hold 60. The men’s section currently has 56 occupants and can hold 92.

“Water from the ceiling was leaking into the light fixture, so the two rooms had to be shut down as family living rooms. Now they are used for storage,” Muckridge said.

Donna Wells, family services coordinator, said in addition to space for beds, there’s also a need for more space for common rooms and for storage.

“Women and children need space, and singles need separate space. Children don’t have space to move, and parents get frustrated,” she said. “There’s a lot of things we would like to set up – programs we want to have but can’t.”

The Rescue Mission hosts social service and religious programs, but the only spaces where people can congregate are the conference room and chapel, which multiple groups sometimes request for use.

“We have to praise God because he keeps the building standing, and we haven’t had anyone get hurt,” Wells said.

The heat sometimes goes out. Wells said she hopes with a new building, they won’t have that problem in the winter anymore.

Monetary donations for the campaign can be made by dropping it off at the rescue mission on Martin Luther King Boulevard in the city or going to www.moveourmission.org/.

As for clothing donations, the rescue mission isn’t seeking any at this time and is tight on storage space. Donations of coffee, sugar and cereal are welcomed.

“The team here recognizes that the bodies we shelter and the bellies we feed will eventually turn to dust, so knowing that, we recognize our primary goal here is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Muckridge said. “We want to be faithful in doing that for the Lord, and faithful in feeding children for the Lord.”