How Florida Rescue Missions help with food, shelter and basic needs.
Rescue Missions in Florida operate as local charities and they try to step in to provide help when people have no food, no place to sleep, or nowhere else to turn to for assistance. They are usually contacted after other help has failed or as a last resort with many unhoused people turning to them for support. Rescue Missions, with their local contact information listed below, are not part of public assistance programs and they do not require long applications, therefore most services begin the same day a person shows up.
Rescue Mission programs that address immediate needs
Helping feed the community is a core service. A hot meal is the most widely available and available form of help. Many Rescue Missions serve hot meals every day, often once or twice per day. When turning to them for something to eat, identification, proof of income, or advance approval is usually not required. The meal service schedule is fixed, often limited in capacity, and people line up during set hours. Some locations in Florida also pass out boxes of food or have a food pantry for their FL community, but prepared meals remain the primary food service.
An emergency shelter for homeless people is offered at many Florida locations, especially in urban areas. The shelter usually includes a bed or mat indoors, restrooms, showers, and access to free basic hygiene items. While each Rescue Mission has different capacity and application criteria, in general curfews, sobriety requirements, and designated check-in times are common with home shelters designated for men or some form women. While some shelters allow only overnight stays, while others permit short multi-week stays tied to certain requirements such as job participation requirements.
- During extreme heat, severe storms, or hurricane threats in Florida (which all residents know can and will occur), some locations extend shelter hours for anyone in the community or open extra sleeping areas. When evacuations occur, missions may be one of the few places still taking people in.
Many locations give out donated clothing to people in the shelter when supplies are available. This usually includes passing out everyday items such as shirts, pants, socks, shoes, belts, and coats or even designated items for homeless people. While resources are limited, people are generally given what fits and what is in stock - which varies by Rescue Mission. Some Rescue Missions have thrift stores in which people can get affordable clothing, furniture, or household products.
Longer term support from Florida Rescue Missions
Some form of work requirement is usually required in live-in programs. Some Rescue Missions operate thrift stores as noted above, furniture bank warehouses, or donation centers. If there are those programs, residents may need to work set hours each week in these operations. The work, which is not usually paid, helps keep the mission running and gives people routine and responsibility.
Rescue Mission locations may help people look for work outside the mission. This may include help writing a resume, filling out job applications, or preparing for interviews. The centers may point people toward local employers in their Florida community who have hired program participants in the past.
Medical care is sometimes offered, but when it is, it is limited. A few Rescue Mission in Florida locations have nurses, volunteer doctors, or mobile clinics that are open on certain days - limited hours. Others help people find nearby free or low-cost clinics in Florida.
Several rescue missions in Florida operate residential recovery programs for adults facing substance use disorders. These programs, which may be free or have a minimal cost, usually involve a structured schedule with required participation in counseling classes and work assignments. The lengths of stay in a substance abuse program vary and can range from a few months to one year. Always note that recovery services are usually faith based but participation in religious activities may vary by location.
Ongoing guidance is usually available only to people staying longer in a Rescue Mission program. Staff may help with getting identification, filling out paperwork, or contacting housing programs including section 8. Progress can take time and depends on outside agencies. The focus is on helping people regain stability.
Locations of Rescue Missions in Florida
The main regional offices are listed below. Rescue Missions in Florida are independent organizations rather than operated as a single statewide agency. All programs vary in capacity, resource levels, and application criteria.
North and Panhandle Florida
- The City Rescue Mission, Inc: Address: 426 S. McDuff Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32254. Phone number for the "Help Line" is (904) 387-4357
- Trinity Rescue Mission: Address: 622 W. Union St, Jacksonville, FL 32202. Phone: (904) 355-1205
- Panama City Rescue Mission: Address: 609 Allen Ave, Panama City, FL 32401. Phone: (850) 769-0783
- Waterfront Rescue Mission Inc.: Address: 350 W. Herman St, Pensacola, FL 32505. Phone: (850) 478-4027 for the administrative office while the shelter is at (850) 436-7868
- Panama City Rescue Mission: Men’s facility: 609 Allen Ave, Panama City, FL 32401. Phone: (850) 769-0783
Bethel Village (Women and children Rescue Mission): 1313 E. 11th St, Panama City, FL 32401. Phone: (850) 914-0533
Central West and Gulf Coast Rescue Missions
- Jericho Road Ministries Inc.: Address: 16176 Cortez Blvd, Brooksville, FL 34601. Phone: (352) 799-2912
- The Path of Citrus County: Address: 21 S. Melbourne St, Beverly Hills, FL 34465. Phone: (352) 527-6500
- Lighthouse Ministries Inc.: Address: 215 E. Magnolia St, Lakeland, FL 33801. Phone: (863) 687-4076
- Manna on Wheels Inc.: Address: 13730 N. Wheeler Rd, Dover, FL 33527. Phone: (813) 767-5708
Central Florida
- Orlando Union Rescue Mission includes Orange County: Address: 1521 W. Washington St, Orlando, FL 32805. Phone: (407) 422-4855 is the main office and the shelter is at (407) 423-3596
- Rescue Outreach Mission: Main Location: 1701 W. 13th St, Sanford, FL 32771. Phone: (407) 321-8224
South Florida
- Faith Farm Ministries (Boynton Beach): Address: 9538 US-441, Boynton Beach, FL 33472. Phone: (561) 737-2222
- The Caring Place (Formerly Miami Rescue Mission / Broward Outreach Center): Miami Men’s Center: 2020 NW 1st Ave, Miami, FL 33127. Phone: (305) 571-2211
- Miami Women and Children center: 2250 NW 1st Ave, Miami, FL 33127. Phone: (305) 571-2250
- Broward Outreach Center: 2056 Scott St, Hollywood, FL 33020. Phone: (954) 926-7417
- St. Matthew’s House (Naples and Fort Myers FL area): Campbell Lodge is a shelter: 2001 Airport Rd S, Naples, FL 34112. Phone: (239) 774-0500
- Immokalee Friendship House: 602 W. Main St, Immokalee, FL 34142. Phone: (239) 657-4090
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