- Hi everybody, I'm here in Syracuse, New York
and I'm totally honored.
And this relationship actually started
in Binghamton, New York, my hometown
because I was passing through, I think, in '09.
You guys didn't have a shelter yet.
- We were just, yeah.
Not yet.
- But I have them, thanks to Hanes, enough socks
that they could do outreach for almost a full year
handing out socks and then we kind of became friends
and now you have a shelter. - Yeah.
- And this is Alan
and we are at the rescue mission
in Syracuse Rescue Mission Alliance.
- Yeah, the Rescue Mission Alliance in Syracuse, yeah.
- So if you follow me at all,
you know that I love the Rescue Mission model.
If you are in a church, this is the model you should follow
because there have to turn people away.
You know, you want people in your church.
Feed them, house them, clothe them,
you know? - Absolutely.
- And if you're a rescue mission, this is the model
because these guys get it
and I love what you're doing.
- Thank you.
- So, - Yeah.
- So Alan, - Yes?
- We've got this whole complex here.
- Yeah, yes. - In Syracuse.
And you got homes in Auburn, - Yeah.
- And Binghamton
and a new one. - Ithaca.
- Ithaca. - Yeah.
- Tell me about it.
- So our mission, it starts there.
We share hope, we end hunger and homelessness,
we change lives.
And with every life we change, we strengthen the community
one person at a time and we do, in fact,
believe that we do end homelessness for that person
coming into the shelter tonight, for that family
moving into their apartment tomorrow,
we know that we can end homelessness for that person.
- This whole area
is called the Mission District, and as I was driving in,
there was a sign not put up by them, but put up
by the Syracuse or probably New York State Department
- (laughs) I have no idea, - of, you were,
right (laughs). - but somebody did (laughs).
- So. - I mean, so, but it wasn't.
So it was an actual traffic sign with an arrow
pointing here. - Yeah.
- And you know what that said to me?
They work with the community.
So one of the things that your guys are doing,
and pinch me, pinch me, please.
You guys are doing permanent supportive housing.
You're getting people into housing.
- We are.
In fact, every given night, we have about 250 people
in residence with us in Syracuse.
About 100 of those people are in permanent supportive
housing just in Syracuse.
And then, we are also working with 10 families at a time
in a permanent supportive housing in Auburn
and both Binghamton and Ithaca are permanent supportive
housing environments.
On average, we're placing 40 people a month
in a permanent housing.
- 40 people a month.
Now see, your typical rescue mission, and I love you rescue
missions, but we got to get with it.
Your typical rescue mission has a shelter.
Some of them are 30 days in, 30 days out.
I don't understand that, but that's how we've evolved.
You know, some of them are year shelters, maybe a little
longer, some of them are 90-day shelters.
Who gets their life together in 90 days?
Okay, but they're typically a cot.
- Yeah. - And you know,
there's not a whole lot of dignity.
Well, I've been walking around and just,
I took a picture
of what you call an outreach
- Thrift store, yeah. - Thrift store.
- To give to.
And the dignity.
I mean, it was like a real nice store.
- Yeah, yeah.
- So anyways, here is this rescue mission
that is providing the shelter
that's needed - Absolutely.
- On a transitional basis and a temporary basis,
but you're actually helping people
get out of homelessness.
- Absolutely.
If you're in a mercy shelter, you're still homeless
and our goal is to move you out of homelessness
and move you into a place of your own.
So our goal, all of our programs are aligned
towards that end. - Right.
- So we help you find income, we help you find housing,
we help you.
If you need mental health services, we'll provide you
and connect you with that.
Other health services, we'll connect you with that,
but it's all about moving you out
of homelessness. - Right.
- And last year, we helped over 440 people
put homelessness behind them and move into a place
of their own.
- That's amazing
and this is a Christ-centered program.
- Yes.
Yeah. - Because Christ
would end homelessness.
He wouldn't run around with a Bible mandating
memory scriptures, and mandating prayer time.
He would get people into the life
that God wants them to be
and I just love.
Now I'm getting a bit
(Alan laughs)
you know, many of you know, this is my opinion,
not necessarily Alan's,
but you're a little progressive
than your typical rescue mission.
- Yeah, yes,
because it's not just about saving souls for us.
It is about that person that's still under the bridge,
it's about that person that's in an abandoned
trailer somewhere, that family living in their car,
and we know that that's not sustainable
and that's not a life that we would want to have
and our neighbor shouldn't have that either.
- Right. - And so, we are about
moving them out of homelessness and into a place
of their own.
Now we are committed to spiritual life
and we have a team of five chaplains embedded
in our programs through all of our regions,
all of our communities that are there to offer encouragement
and prayer, and support.
Yesterday, we just celebrated a man that was baptized
in our chapel.
But at the end of the day, everything is voluntary.
They engage as they want to.
- Yeah. - We meet them where they are
and it's about moving them out of homelessness.
- Yeah.
See, most places,
they actually, it's a coercion.
It's like, "Are you hungry?
"Say the Sinner's Prayer.
"Are you hungry?
"Say the Sinner's Prayer."
And really, what Jesus would do is just love
on everybody. - Right.
- And help everybody, and it really is the way
to do church.
I see you wanting to say something.
Go for it! - Yeah because for us,
we have a way that we frame that.
We'd rather people experienced the gospel first
before they hear it. - Oh, I love that.
- And so, that's embedded in the culture
of our programming.
We want to meet people where they are
and care for them and love them
regardless of whether or not they ever come to faith.
- Right. - You know, that's okay.
We believe we are called to do the job that's in front
of us with the person at hand
and everything else will happen.
- The old model, the rescue mission model,
which is still better than the typical church model,
the old model of the rescue mission was,
the priority was winning souls.
I don't even know what that means, really,
but they're trying to get people to say
a Sinner's Prayer.
And that has evolved.
Nobody was bad, it's just how the programming
of church and Evangelism has made it to get people
to go out and get other people to say a prayer.
Come on, that doesn't make a lot of sense.
But to get people to work together to end homelessness,
- Yeah, yeah. - Whoa!
- And you guys, you just got a new grant.
- We did.
Very exciting.
So it was announced yesterday, a $3.4 million grant
from the State of New York, the Homeless and Housing
Assistance Program.
That coupled with the 2 million grant we got
last year from the Federal Home Loan Bank in New York
is going to help renovate and expand
our shelter services, which opens the door for more
permanent housing on our campus.
Our goal is to expand permanent housing capacity here
by 60 beds in the next three years.
- Oh my gosh.
So I could sit in here and talk to you forever.
We've been having that conversation.
I mean, we just came from a coffee shop slash thrift store.
- 3fifteen, yeah (laughs).
- That looked like something
that was
high-end marketing - Yeah.
- It's, you know, a lot of thrift stores you go to
for rescue missions and stuff are a little bit dumpy.
Come on, let's be real. - Yeah.
- This was college kids enjoying coffee
- Yeah, yeah. - And shopping.
I mean, come on. - We're trying to raise
the profile of what it means to be a thrift store shopper,
and so whether it's at 3fifteen
or our Thrifty Shoppers store,
of which we have 14, our customers love
how we merchandise our product, and we stand out,
I would say, larger retailers as well.
And it helps generate a ton of revenue.
It goes toward - Oh, it's awesome.
- Supporting programs and services that feed,
clothe, shelter, and move people out of homelessness.
- So here is the $20 million question.
I'm out there, I manage a rescue mission
and I kind of feel what you're feeling, but I'm hitting
that wall. - Yeah.
- That wall of religion, or that wall
of status quo.
How do you move forward?
How do you create something that's going to really
be relevant to the needs of the people?
- I think you have to start with what the needs
of the people are and I look really at the basic needs
and how are you meeting those first and foremost?
And are they moving people forward with their lives
or are they keeping them where they are?
And so I start there.
Then I look at the culture of my staff and I think,
"Are we the kind of place the encourages spiritual
"exploration, that it's okay to come into a program
"but not engage?"
Or are we a place that forces it on people?
Personally, I respond better
to someone that's willing to put their arm around me
and spend some time talking to me and encouraging me
than someone telling me what to do.
And so I start there and then I engage in the community.
Engage with your local continuum of care,
your local homeless taskforce.
Take that risk.
I understand it can be big.
It could big a big risk.
Take it, it's worth doing it and it's going to lead
to better outcomes for the people you serve.
- Yeah, and as many of you know,
I support the Home for Good in Los Angeles
because it takes the faith-based, the politicians,
the non-profits, and the businesses, and all come
to the same table to have a discussion
about ending homelessness.
And as I travel in a lot of communities,
it's usually the missions that are over on their own side.
It's not that it's bad, it's an evolution in new housing.
First, people, we need to include the missions
and the shelters in the conversation.
- Sure, absolutely.
- Because that's a part
- Yeah. - Of it all
and I really just, I cannot say this enough,
how much I love the model here.
I keep on wanting to call you
the Syracuse Rescue Mission. - (laughs) That's fine,
that's fine. - But you're still bigger
- Yeah, right. - Than Syracuse.
- Actually, I want to call him the new and improved
rescue mission
and I mean, you know, with the stamp on the thing
and everything else, that would be cool,
you know? - No, that's cool.
- But how do people support you?
How do they find you?
- They can go to rmlifechanging.org.
That's the best way, our website.
Check it out, it's new as of May.
I think you'll be impressed with it.
It's cutting edge, in my opinion.
It's out there.
So best way to find out about rmlifechanging.org
if you're in Syracuse, come and visit us.
We'd love to host you in the Mission District.
And one thing I would say, going back to engaging
in the community is, remember, God's at work
in all pockets
of the community. - Yeah.
- And caring for those in need
is a common ground experience that you can have
with someone.
So maybe you're coming from a place of faith
and you've been nervous about engaging people
in a community.
Remember, there are Christians at work in the government.
There are Christians at work in other organizations,
other agencies. - Yeah.
- And so, and where there aren't specifically
those that say they're a Christian,
there are people of faith that care about the poor
and want to see homelessness ended.
That's common ground and I believe that's what God
has called us to do.
- Thank you much for having me today.
- Hey, it was our pleasure.
Thank you so much, Mark.
- Thank you, everybody.