Michigan Non-Profit Gives Underserved Population the Tools They Need for a Brighter Tomorrow

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) was founded in 1909 as a soup kitchen providing church services, food, shelter, and clothing to those less fortunate. Today, it is a non-profit, faith-based organization recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) with 15 locations in and around the City of Detroit. In its 107 years of service, DRMM has grown to become one of the largest homeless shelters in the country, serving more than 1,800 people every day.

Although it can only serve about 10 percent of the homeless population in Detroit – there are 18,000 people living on the streets on any given night – DRMM is on a mission to find a permanent solution to help its disenfranchised citizens make better lives for themselves.

“We’re playing a big role in helping write Detroit’s comeback story,” said Dr. Chad Audi, President and CEO of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries. “We treat everyone who comes to us with compassion, and we strive to provide them with access to services, resources and technologies that will help put them on the path to success.” 

Technology Required in The Fight to End Homelessness

DRMM provides more than just shelter to Detroit’s homeless. The organization also provides the resources that people need to fight homelessness and substance abuse, like food, inpatient and outpatient treatment programs, transitional and permanent housing, and computer labs for job searches, interview preparation, or homework.

For users of its computer labs, dependable Internet connectivity is critical, providing a lifeline to improve education and employment options.  Internet is also essential to support DRMM’s facility-wide IP video surveillance system, which helps the organization provide safety measures for the people they serve, as well as the employees that dedicate themselves to helping those in need.

Unfortunately, DRMM’s existing 1.5 megabit per second (Mbps) service, delivered via legacy T1 and DSL lines, was not scalable enough to support its Internet-based video surveillance system and provide a quality experience for users of its computer labs, challenging DRMM’s mission to fight homelessness.

“We want everyone to be able to get what they need from our shelter in a timely and effective manner,” said Dr. Audi. “In order to ensure that people leave our shelter successful, we need better technology.” 

Comcast Business Delivers Essential Internet and Cloud-Based Voice Services to Facilitate Change

After shopping around, DRMM selected Comcast Business because the company offered fast and reliable Internet service at a competitive price. Comcast Business installed Internet services at 12 of the 15 DRMM locations ranging in speed from 16 Mbps to 150 Mbps. DRMM was immediately able to see the difference in the quality of its video surveillance footage thanks to the added capacity, and its patrons reported a faster, better quality experience when using the computer labs. Now, DRMM employees can see what is going on in their shelters at all times and provide greater surveillance for their employees and the people who visit the shelter.

“Comcast Business has delivered Internet speeds and quality service that far exceed the other service provider we considered, and at a competitive price,” according to Dr. Audi.

DRMM also selected Comcast Business VoiceEdge, a fully-managed, cloud-based voice solution, to replace its phone service at 12 of its 15 sites. With VoiceEdge, DRMM has a scalable voice service with predictable costs that is fully supported and maintained by the Comcast Business network. DRMM staff can easily dial an extension and be instantly connected to their counterparts at another location, which makes it easier to locate employees and patrons. And DRMM selected Comcast Business TV to provide news and information to patrons and staff at its 12 of its 15 sites.

“We serve the homeless population of Detroit by giving them the technology they need to succeed and that wouldn’t be possible without the quality of Comcast Business services,” said Dr. Audi.