Bed, Food, Treatment, Training and Christianity

To get a better sense of the social services available in Lancaster, two NewsLanc representatives recently visited the Water Street Rescue Mission on South Prince Street. (Photos of the facility are available here.)

Founded in 1905, the Mission's stated purpose is "to advance the Kingdom of God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ by providing rescue and renewal services to the needy in the City of Lancaster and other areas." However, the staff made it clear that the immediate needs of their clients come first.

"We know that not everyone in our chapel service is digging what they're hearing, but all we ask is that they respect what they're hearing," said Director of Residential Programs Steve Brubaker.

On a budget of roughly $7 million a year, almost exclusively from private contributors, they offer a wide range of services at their impressive facility, including emergency shelter, food service, life counseling, on-site medical and dental services, employment assistance, and more.

On a typical night, 220 men and women find safe shelter at the Mission. Anyone can have a bed to sleep with virtually no questions asked for up to seven days before the Mission asks that you attend religious and counseling services, and attempts to match clients to appropriate resources.

A common misconception is that most of the homeless are chronically unemployed or mentally ill. In fact, according to Water Street's statistics, 68% of their clients stay only a month or less.

In the Mission's computer-equipped learning and career center, counselors assist clients with finding suitable employment, provide referrals to other agencies, and even help them obtain their GED's.

Attention is also given to helping clients to identify and cope with inappropriate actions on the client's part that lead to ongoing losses of jobs.

The medical and dental facilities, new in 1993, features "six or seven full time staff and 200-300 volunteer" medical personnel. It serves about a thousand clients a year.

Director of Public Relations Maria Ream stressed that Water Street Rescue Mission strives to develop trust, address the causes of one's homelessness, and help the individual accept Jesus into one's life.

Water Street Rescue Mission is part of a 300-member international network of rescue missions called the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions.

According to the organization's web site, "If annual cash contributions were combined, the 300 Association member RESCUE missions would be among the ten largest nonprofit organizations in the United States."

NewsLanc plans to report on specific services offered by Water Street Rescue Mission and other local public health organizations over months to come.