Bridgeport Rescue Mission

Food and Clothing: In fiscal year ending 2022 BRM's food and clothing program provided over 1,000,000 meals to those in need, as well as thousands of winter coats, blankets and clothes and shoes. Bridgeport Rescue Mission served as Coastal Connecticut's primary food distribution organization during the COVID pandemic. While we did not close our doors during COVID, we saw a complete transformation of our food distribution operation that more than doubled (to nearly 14,000) the number of struggling and food insecure families we supported. This level of food distribution and reach into the community held steady through the entire fiscal 2022 year.

Men's and Women's Emergency Shelter, Addiction Recovery and Supportive Housing: Bridgeport Rescue Mission (BRM) demonstrates the love of God to the hungry, homeless, and addicted throughout Fairfield County, CT 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In fiscal year ending 2022 BRM's shelter and recovery program offered 40,880 nights of shelter to homeless men and women, while offering hot meals, clean clothing and showers. BRM's faith-based New Life Program served over 60 men and women in fiscal year ending 2022 through a residential curriculum of counseling, case management, work therapy and 15 hours of classroom education weekly, focused on spiritual formation, addiction recovery and life-skills training. Men and women completing these programs may participate in BRM's Supportive Housing Program, which provided over 25 men and women in fiscal year ending 2022 with transitional housing, case management and educational and employment opportunities prior to their transition to independent living. The COVID pandemic forced the Mission to discontinue traditional emergency shelter services for the homeless, when we relaunched our traditional 25 bed emergency shelter into an 8 bed, COVID protocol, and socially distanced longer term program for chronically homeless men. This pilot program from 2020 has now become a permanent program of services provided to the homeless in coastal Connecticut. We continued our addiction recovery programs within very strict COVID quarantine protocols, throughout fiscal year 2022 and provided a safe space for nearly 45 men and women on the path to recovery amidst the pandemic crisis. We maintained a residential program curriculum of counseling, case management, work therapy and 15 hours of classroom education weekly, focused on spiritual formation, addiction recovery and life-skills training. Men and women completing these programs may participate in BRM's Supportive Housing Program, which provided over 15 men and women in fiscal year ending 2022 with transitional housing, case management and educational and employment opportunities prior to their transition to independent living.

Residential Program for Women and Children in Crisis: BRM's residential program for women and children in crisis provides the essentials of safe lodging, nourishing food, needed clothing, life and job skills and case management for displaced mothers with children, with special attention given to the needs of the participating children. Mid-year 2021, we found permanent housing for each of the families in our care and closed our Guest House for Women and Children. The Renewed Life Program for Women and Children was due to open in June of 2021, with 20 new bedrooms but faced several delays in supplies needed for renovations and set up. The program will welcome its first families in February of 2023.