August
4

Two formerly homeless women rejoice in the life-changing gifts of a car and a home.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. A servant of humanity, he wanted his life to be remembered as a life spent in service to others, ensuring freedom and equality for all people.

It was in that spirit, at a special luncheon honoring the legacy of Dr. King, that DRMM astonished two formerly homeless women with gifts that would have a huge and immediate impact on their lives—a house and a car!

“This is our way of honoring the remarkable legacy of Dr. King,” says DRMM’s President, Dr. Chad Audi.

Both the car and the house were donated by friends like you to help people who have overcome homelessness and other challenges to take the next step toward a life of dignity, hope, and true independence . . . people like Lynette Bradley and Sharon Thompson.

Lynette and her three children, ages 3, 4, and 6, became homeless a year ago. It was a frightening time for this young mother, as she constantly moved her family from place to place, relying on friends and shelters to keep them off our city streets.

But the day came when Lynette had to face the truth—she and her children were out of options. “My daughter looked up at me and asked, ‘Mom, am I going to be homeless when I get to be your age?’”

Every shelter Lynette called had a waiting list, but when she called DRMM, she was overjoyed to hear that she and her children were welcome at our Genesis House.

In addition to safe refuge, your support put Lynette on the fast track to self-sufficiency and independence. Within months, she was working as a house manager at one of our shelters and had saved enough to move her family to a rental property. But to her horror, rent and the cost of living consumed her paycheck each month, leaving her and her children almost as vulnerable as before.

Thanks to caring friends and partners, DRMM was able to place Lynette and her children into a modest, three-bedroom bungalow complete with donated furniture and appliances. At the end of one year, if she is able to maintain the home and pay the taxes on her own, the deed will be transferred into Lynette’s name. “I am so blessed! No one’s ever given me anything. I’ve always had to work for it,” Lynette says. “Now, I have been given the ultimate gift. I can’t do anything but say ‘Thank you!’”

Like Lynette, 60-year-old Sharon Thompson worked hard to overcome homelessness and credits DRMM with saving her life. “When I walked through DRMM’s doors, my life changed!” Sharon says. “DRMM is more than just a bed and a meal,” Sharon says. “They really do change lives!”

Sharon burst into tears of joy when Dr. Audi announced that DRMM was giving her a car. Not only does the late-model Oldsmobile free Sharon from a two-hour commute on public transportation each work day, it gives her a sense of dignity and hope that are such critical components to all we do here at DRMM.

On behalf of Lynette, Sharon, and so many other individuals and families whose lives have been transformed, thank you for your ongoing support of DRMM. Your financial gifts provide emergency food, shelter, and the critical programs that can rebuild lives. And your donation of property, vehicles, and other items allow those who complete our programs to take the next step toward a life of dignity, hope, and independence.

August
4

Rebecca Found a New Life Thanks to Your Support of DRMM.

“When I first arrived at DRMM, I was pregnant and scared. But it didn’t take me very long to settle in. They did so much to take care of me and to help me transition to a new life.”

She can hardly believe it now, but when Rebecca first walked through the doors of DRMM, her life meant almost nothing to her.

Perhaps it was because her mother had died when Rebecca was just 6 years old. Or because the years she lived with her Grandmother, after her mother’s death, were so hard they even included a period of homelessness. Or because she was just 20 years old when her Grandmother died.

After her Grandmother passed away, Rebecca’s life began to spiral out of control. “I was using and selling drugs, and I was pregnant. Somehow, God brought me here,” Rebecca says.

Thanks to the generosity and compassion of friends like you, DRMM was able to take Rebecca in and guide her a down a new path in life. Your support provided the transitional housing, nourishing food, and counseling to overcome addiction and leave the hurts of the past behind.

Your kindness also provided the special care and safe environment that a mother-to-be desperately needs to deliver a healthy baby—a gift that very few shelters are able to offer. And as Rebecca’s pregnancy progressed, the healing of her body and spirit gave her a newfound joy and love for life—and an overwhelming love for the little life growing inside her.

At DRMM, Rebecca learned that she is loved enormously and completely. She learned that Christ died on the cross for her—for all of us. And that through His death, burial, and resurrection, He paid the penalty for our sin, making eternal life possible for all who believe in Him.

Suddenly, life meant everything! And just ten weeks after her arrival, Rebecca welcomed little Shane into the world. To her great relief, her baby was born healthy.

“I want to be the best mom in the world, and DRMM is helping me with that through parenting classes. I want to go to school, and they are helping me with that, too,” Rebecca says. “They are helping me transition to a new life.”

This Easter, Rebecca is thankful for friends like you who keep the doors open at DRMM, and she is deeply grateful for the new beginning you have given her and her son. “I want to thank the donors and tell them that their gifts are going to such a good cause. They are helping mothers and helping children here. They are helping me make a better life for my child.”

August
4

Your Support gave Joe a fresh start and new Christmas joy

Joe was at the end of his rope when he walked through the doors of DRMM. He had lost everything and had nowhere else to go. No one cared if he lived or died, except maybe his sister. But she suggested he check out DRMM. “I said, ‘A shelter? I thought I was coming to your house.’ But my family would not accept me,” Joe says.

You see, drug addicts burn more bridges than most people cross in a lifetime.

Once he arrived at DRMM, Joe was amazed at how kind and welcoming everyone was. “They took me in, gave me a bed, and helped me think about the steps I needed to take so I wouldn’t be homeless.”

Your gifts gave Joe the courage and tools to begin again.

Joe had no idea how to break the chains of addiction and begin rebuilding his health, his spirit, and his life.

Every fiber of Joe’s being cried out, “Will you help me? Can you help me?”

“I’m 53 years old. I feel like this might be the only chance I have,” Joe says. “I might not get another chance to get it right.”

“My counselor, he sat me down and we made a plan of all the things I had to do to make a difference in my life,” Joe says. “I started, took it step by step, and things actually started getting better for me.”

Joe is a new man . . . with a life worth living!

This Christmas will be very different for Joe and he is so grateful, so thankful for the help he has received from DRMM and friends like you.

“Your donations really helped me. If it weren’t for donors, there would have been no change in my life. That’s what I really believe,” Joe says. “I came with nothing, but I’m going to leave with something.”

“They really take care of you and make you feel like you have a family. Because when you’re an ex-user, the streets will just swallow you whole,” Joe says. “I thank God for this mission. This is a wonderful place . . . miraculous. They saved my life.”

Because you gave, Joe’s holidays will be free of drugs and filled with new joy. Please share a special gift today to help other lost and broken people experience true hope this Christmas.

August
4

Thank you for giving teenage mothers and their little ones a real home and a fresh start in life!

Spring is all about new life, including new lives like Victoria’s baby girl.

“My mother died when I was nine. I totally didn’t know how to take care of a baby,” remembers Victoria. I was two months pregnant when I got here. I wanted to protect myself and be responsible for my baby.”

Thanks to friends like you, we were able to give this frightened teenager a safe and stable place to call home as she welcomed her daughter into the world. Your support also provides educational resources, employment counseling, and valuable parenting skills to help develop self-sufficiency and independence.

Victoria has completed high school and has started college classes, but the education she values the most is learning how to care for her little one. She is amazed at how quickly DRMM has helped her transition from helplessness to confidence. “When I came here, I didn’t have anything. I didn’t have a birth certificate, a social security card—nothing. This place helped me get them and it’s just such a blessing. They help people help themselves.”

Thanks to special friends like you, Victoria is working and has moved into an apartment of her own, where she and her daughter have begun a new life together. Thank you for opening your heart to teenage moms like Victoria, and making a lasting difference.

August
4

By now, you’ve probably read about or seen the disturbing video showing a Florida police officer tossing peanuts at a homeless man who is handcuffed and intoxicated, while awaiting booking at the Sarasota County Jail. The officer also reportedly gave a series of “dog commands” to the man. Several sheriff’s deputies and the officer laugh at the man as his mouth misses the nuts and he struggles to eat them off the floor.

The video is disgusting and shows how the homeless are often looked upon as second- class citizens. In this case, the men sworn to protect the public have resorted to cruelty and disrespect in their treatment of this man.

Here at the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM), we are all about preserving the dignity of the homeless people we serve, as we minister to their body and spirit. Although the demand for our services is very high, DRMM has to find a way to meet our clients’ needs and maintain their self-respect. No one goes to sleep hungry or is forced to stay out in the winter cold or the summer heat.

The homeless are human beings, just like you and me. The majority don’t want to be homeless. Negative life circumstances are to blame, such as a job layoff, serious medical condition, addiction, or the inability to keep current with the rent. The homeless are good people who had bad things happen in their lives or made bad choices.

In addition to feeding and housing the homeless, DRMM puts them on the right path again. We understand. We let them know they are appreciated and that we will always preserve their dignity and respect at all times.

Meanwhile, the Florida law enforcement officer who threw the peanuts at the homeless man like he was an animal in a zoo has been placed on leave, while the incident is being investigated.

It’s a sad day in this society when such a heartless act takes place, under any circumstances.

July
18

By now, you’ve probably made your summer vacation plans. Perhaps you’re taking the kids to Disney World or you have a family reunion to attend. Schoolteachers are enjoying the summer break, and some workplaces are operating on summer hours, giving employees Fridays off. Summer is a wonderful time, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, for the nation’s nearly 600,000 homeless individuals, summertime does not provide a break or vacation. In fact, some cities see a spike in family homelessness during the summer. When the school year ends, more families show up at homeless shelters. That’s because during the school year, families do whatever they can so as not to disrupt their children’s daily routine or school location.

As a result, these families may end up staying in a home without electricity or gas. Or they may move in with other families who are relatives or friends. However, when school lets out for the summer, the home becomes overcrowded with stay-at-home kids, and the at-risk family ends up leaving. We also suspect that a landlord is more likely to evict a family during warm weather rather than in the wintertime.

So, for many organizations like the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM), occupancy in our shelters is pretty much the same year round. The hot, summer sun sends the homeless on the street in search of shelter just like the cold wind and snow in the winter. The heat can lead to several health-related issues, such as dehydration, blistered feet, heat stroke, respiratory problems, and malnourishment.

Homelessness is a byproduct of many different circumstances. And it never takes a break. Support your local rescue mission and homeless shelter this summer by donating money, lightweight clothing, baby wipes, foot care products and other toiletries, and bottled water.