Hope for Men and Women programs, Fellowship at the Beach

The Hope for Women program enjoyed a day at the beach in Santa Cruz this summer. They held a Bible Study and then were asked to write down any negative things in their lives on a rock and cast it into the sea. What a beautiful day!

The Hope for Men program also went to Santa Cruz during the summer for a day of Fellowship!

Philippians 4:4

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Collaboration: The Key to Success in Housing Unhoused Individuals

During the past several years, the collaborative efforts of government agencies, the Merced City and County Continuum of Care, and many non-profit groups have created HOPE in Merced County for a better future for unhoused individuals. County, City, and State agencies have developed programs to provide help for the unhoused.  Along with these agencies, non-profit groups such as the Catholic Charities, Community Action Agency, Healthy House, Merced Rescue Mission, Mission Merced, Salvation Army, Sierra Saving Grace, and Turning Point Community Programs are also helping. Due to the collaboration of these government agencies and non-profit groups, providing a bed for every unhoused person in Merced County within the next few years is now a possibility.

The County, through the Human Services Agency, the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, the Probation Department of Merced County, and the Merced County Housing Authority are all working to help unhoused people. Expanding the number of available beds began just over two years ago when the County of Merced opened the Merced Navigation Center.  Operated by Mission Merced, the Navigation Center provides 76 beds for unhoused people and is a low-barrier, service-rich environment that accommodates a person, their partner, pets, and possessions.  The Navigation Center operates at capacity a good share of the time and is exploring a way to add an additional 25 beds.  The “D” Street Shelter also provides services for up to 60 unhoused people utilizing a similar “Navigation Center” model.

 

There are also other programs and efforts to provide beds for the unhoused.  Merced County’s “Bridge Housing” program, operated by Mission Merced, has houses with services for unhoused people.  This program provides housing for people in the cities of Merced and Los Banos and is also expanding to the unincorporated areas of the county.  The City of Merced has also helped with the completion of its “Retreat Affordable Housing” program just over a year ago which added 119 units of housing to our community.  Of these units, 30 of them were designated for people experiencing homelessness and high utilizers of health care services. 

 

The State of California’s “Home Key” program has also been a great help in providing funds for two projects.  The first project consists of 96 units of housing on “V” Street where a motel is being remodeled into studio apartments.  The second project is on “R” Street near Childs Avenue and will provide 20 studio apartments for unhoused veterans.  The “Home Key” projects are expected to be completed in the fall. Other projects which will provide more housing are also being explored. 

 

The Merced Rescue Mission has provided housing for unhoused people in Merced County as well.   In March of 2022, the Mission’s Village of Hope Campus-Phase One began serving the community. As part of Phase One, the “Hope Respite Care” program provides 32 beds for unhoused people being discharged from Mercy Medical Center Merced (Dignity). Phase One also includes ten apartments for unhoused veterans and ten apartments for unhoused families with young children. The Village of Hope Campus-Phase Two, the faith-based side of the campus, will provide 32 beds for the Mission’s “Hope for Men” program and 32 beds for the “Hope for Women” program.  Additional space for a computer lab, classrooms, a chapel, and offices will also be included. The Merced Rescue Mission also serves in Los Banos with a “Respite Care” home that provides 9 beds for unhoused people being discharged from Sutter Memorial Hospital.

 

Collaboration is the key to success in providing HOPE for a better future for residents of Merced County. No government agency or non-profit group can meet the needs of the unhoused by itself, but as agencies and groups work together, more opportunities to help the unhoused can be created. The total existing and proposed projects make it possible, if even for a moment in time, that we will have enough resources to provide a bed for every person experiencing homelessness in Merced County. It is great to see what can be accomplished when government and non-profits all work together.  Merced is on its way to a brighter future for all our residents.

Serving the Mission

My name is John and I work for the Merced Rescue Mission as a Peer Navigator at the Hope for Men program. I would like to share how good this program is if you stay connected. Prior to coming to the Mission, my life was a mess. I went through the Hope for Men program and then went on to work with Restore Merced. One day, while working with Restore Merced, I was helping to clean up a homeless encampment. As I was working, I came across a person who was camped there. His name name was Larry, and he asked me how I got my job with Restore Merced. I told him, “from God, through the Rescue Mission.” Then he told me that he was alumnus from the Mission.

After telling me that, I told him that he had the necessary tools, and he knew what to do in order to get his life back on track. I told him that i hoped he would come back to the Mission. I prayed with him and we parted.

About four months later, I came upon Larry at Jesus Saves Men at Yosemite Church. I asked him if he remembered me, and he did. I told him how glad I was to see him back at the Mission and how much better he looked. I asked him what brought him back, “Was it my talking with you or the Spirit?” He said it was a little of both and that he had never let go of God. Being homeless and sick, he prayed and he contacted the director of the Mission and then David Carr, the Chief Operating Officer who helped get him into housing.

The power of prayer and connections with the Spirit of God kept him connected and helped to bring him back into the Mission. When he was out on the street, he was hurting and had a spirit of despair, living under a bridge. Now, he is connected with the Mission, looks great and goes to church and many meetings that are helping him. Every day, he is pushing forward, doing the right things that are helping him stay focused and connected.