Shreveport Bossier Rescue Mission

Since 1955, the Mission has been on the frontlines as a beacon of hope ready to serve the most hurting and vulnerable in our community. 

The reality is that none of our guests dreamed when they were growing up that one day that would have to live at the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission. No one ends up at the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission by accident. Through a series of trauma and broken relationships, our guest have found themselves living in homelessness and poverty. 

The guests we serve come from all walks of life. Many include women escaping domestic violence, veterans experiencing PTSD, men and women struggling with addiction, women escaping the sex industry, individuals experiencing unemployment, those who have suffered severe trauma, seniors who have disabilities, children, and more recently, those affected by current inflation and job loss. 

While all of our guests may have different circumstances that led them to the Mission, they all have one thing in common. They all have hopes and dreams for their future (Jeremiah 29:11), and with the help of our Life Recovery Program, our guests are able to rediscover and achieve those hopes and dreams. 

The Mission has 11 different program from a 7-day emergency shelter for homeless men, women, and children in need all the way to a 1-year long term recovery program. Each program in our Life Recovery Program not only meets a person's basic needs but also provides them with the tools needed for a complete life transformation. 

Our Life Recovery Program provides Christ-centered small/large group classes, essential life-skills education, comprehensive financial literacy, one-on-one weekly case management, Christian counseling, vocational training, medical and dental care, and more. Over the course of a year, our Mission Family provided 72,000 meals, 36,000 nights of shelter, 7,000 medical and dental services, 8,000 hours of classes and essential life skills education, 31,000 hours of Vocational Training and more than 3,800 hours of one-on-one case management to 846 homeless men, women, and children who lived onsite at the Mission and received 24 hour care and services.

At the end of our program, our goal is for all our guests to find God, find purpose, find life, and go out and change the world. A person is able to accomplish this when they have repaired a series of broken relationships in their life. Those relationships are a relationship with God, relationship with self, relationship with others, and relationship with creation. Mark Twain is quoted as saying, "the two greatest days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." God created all of our guests with a purpose and our Life Recovery Program allows our guests to find their purpose and gives them to tools to live it out. 

Testimonials

Linda came to the Mission not once, not twice, but three times. The third time was a charm because she didn’t even make it to the doorbell the first two times because of fear and disbelief of the situation she was in. A frightening situation taking place and a tug inside of her gave her courage to ring the doorbell that would change her life.

Although Linda experienced some dysfunction in her family, she had a great childhood filled with wisdom and love. It wasn’t until much later in life when Linda was affected by unfortunate circumstances that left her homeless. A house fire had destroyed everything and Linda had nowhere to turn so she found herself living at a bus stop. Linda felt she had no way of moving forward because along with everything else, the house fire destroyed all her essential documents.

“But God had different plans.”

When Linda came to the Mission, she was provided with food and shelter but more than that, the Mission also helped her obtain her Birth Certificate, ID, and Social Security Card. As Linda began listening to the Word of God and watching His plans for her unfold, Linda started to feel hope again. “I can do this, and I can go forward in life. Even at my age, I can go forward in life and have a good life.”

Today Linda has regained hope for her future, and trust in God’s plans for her. “When I came to the Mission I didn’t have anything… and I left with so much more.” She has now moved into her own home and continues to come visit.

Linda’s story proves it’s never too late for God to restore a life. Hope has no age limit. Neither does your impact.

Check out more stories like Linda's at https://www.sbrescuemission.com/blog/