The Long Beach Rescue Mission opened its doors in 1972. It is a Christian social service center for the homeless and poor at 1430 Pacific Ave. in Long Beach. The following is an interview with some of the homeless men living at the Mission. They are basically recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.
Steve, age 63, was born in Detroit, Michigan. Steve was on the Detroit Police Department for a short time and left because of a medical problem. There was a big snow storm in Detroit and Steve thought it was best to travel to California. It was here that he worked as a truck driver off and on over the years. Today, he enjoys reading books and swimming occasionally.
Anthony, is age 52 and his nickname is “the Reverend.” He was born in Providence, Rhode Island and he left because he thought California offered him more work as a carpenter. He also found employment as an assistant chef in some restaurants. Today he is involved in ministry and relaxes listening to music.
Kevin, age 55 was born Long Beach, California. All his life he was involved in retail sales for stores like Walmart and Marshals. Today he spends most of his time watching different sports on television and lots of old time movies.
Terri, age 43 was born in Baltimore, Maryland. For a large part of his life he worked for a postal contractor sorting out mail. He also filled in his working time as a part time security officer.
Today his enjoyment is watching movies most of the afternoon.
Chris, 29 was born in San Pedro. His primary employment is being a carpenter specializing in hardwood floors. He likes to try and stay in shape by exercising, swimming and snowboarding when he can get up to the mountains.
David, age 19 was born in Torrance. David says his mother left him to move back to Mexico. He elected to stay in California and has sought work in construction.
To pass his spare time he likes to play the guitar, and play the drums if he has any to play.
The homeless population in the greater part of Long beach is rising every year. To some extent it is their good fortune to live in California and not in the mid-west where the winter months really take a toll in lives. A large portion of the homeless are women and children.
The Long Beach Rescue Mission is helping to provide a way for keeping the homeless off the streets and getting them on the road to recovery. By having a nice shelter, good food and spiritual guidance, this in itself helps those to recover from the homeless cycle induced by alcohol and drug addiction. With some basic work-related training, and our support many will return to normal lives in today’s society.
Most of the homeless are referred to the mission from the Long Beach Police Department, local hospitals, case workers and many are walk-ins.
The mission provides food, clothing, shelter and spiritual guidance to everyone. The mission includes a seven day emergency shelter, case management and a one year social rehabilitation program, and continued education.
If anyone thought they might want to volunteer at the mission you can call 562-591-1292 or go on their website lbrm.org.
