The Niagara Gospel Mission in Niagara Falls is working on a unique plan to improve the delivery of assistance to the homeless when temperatures dip below freezing.
Instead of waiting for people at risk to come to the mission’s Portage Road shelter on their own, this winter staff members will use a van to go travel local streets to find those at the greatest risk of illness, injury or even death during so-called Code Blue events.
The “quick reaction force” was one of several new initiatives unveiled during the rescue mission’s 10th annual Vision Banquet, which was held Friday at Antonio’s Banquet & Conference Center on Niagara Falls Boulevard.
“We not only plan on reaching Niagara Falls with this but also all of Niagara County,” said the rescue mission’s Executive Director John Cooper Jr. “This means we will be working with North Tonawanda police and fire and other agencies in the Niagara Falls and Lewiston area to seek and save the lost at their most vulnerable time and that’s in the snow.”
“Code Blue” is a life-saving operation that allows emergency shelters and other locations designated for Code Blue care to provide shelter, food and support services to homeless individuals when the temperature falls to 32 degrees or below.
While the Falls rescue mission has served as a Code Blue location in the past, Cooper said it intends to enhance its offerings this year through not only the van patrol but also additional staff, cots, blankets and clothing to accommodate up to 50 men per night.
Cooper also revealed Friday plans for a new 90-day internship program for men seeking assistance at the shelter year-round. Under the program, Cooper said homeless men receiving mission services will be able to not only improve their life, work and financial skills but also get a better feel for available jobs by visiting area businesses and community groups in need of additional workers.
“There’s a lot that the Lord is enabling us to do,” Cooper Jr. said.
The faith-based rescue mission has been providing shelter and other services to homeless men in Niagara Falls for more than a decade. At its current facility, the former YMCA building located at 1317 Portage Road, the mission provides more than 100 beds for homeless men as well as a 30-day, 32-day emergency shelter program and an eight-bed area devoted exclusively to helping homeless military veterans. The mission also offers 52 rooms used for transitional housing and a reconciliation program, which aims to reconnect men who may be struggling with addiction or loss of relationships with help in re-establishing personal connections by strengthening their connection to God.
Cooper said the mission and its followers believe the best way to break the cycle of homelessness is to strengthen each individual who walks through the door. He said the mission also believes doing so will help accomplish a larger mission, and that’s improving the quality of life in what has for decades been a beleaguered City of Niagara Falls.
“The soul, the heart, the people in our city, what they really need is hope,” he said.
Friday’s event featured an appearance by guest speaker, former Buffalo Bills tight end Jay Riemersma who is now the executive director of Gateway Mission in his hometown of Holland, Michigan.
During the banquet, Riemersma challenged those in attendance to do what they could individually to ensure that the rescue mission’s services continue to thrive.
“How can we expand on that foundation that’s been laid over the last decade or so?” he said.
He also encouraged mission supporters to focus not only on the impact of financial concerns on individuals in need but also on other types of “poverty” that people around them might be experiencing, including struggles involving challenged interpersonal relationships and living with feelings of hopelessness and despair.
“It’s really an act of courage,” Riemersma said, referring to the first steps a homeless person takes when they seek help through a shelter like the rescue mission. “You are essentially saying, “I can’t do this anymore on my own.”
Chris Kennedy, who is now a front desk manager at the rescue mission, knows a lot about the type of courage it takes to make those steps.
During Friday’s banquet, he offered a testimonial on his life as a homeless man who struggled with addiction and loss of family relationships after one of his sons died in 2001. His boy was just six weeks old.
After years of what he described as “self-inflicting poisoning,” Kennedy said he was blessed to find the mission and to turn his life around by resurrecting his faith.
“The program gave me structure and accountability and no co-dependency, except for the one, our Lord,” he said.
To learn more about the Niagara Gospel Mission, visit https://niagaragospelmission.org/. To donate in support of the mission’s efforts, visit https://niagaragospelmission.org/give/. If you are struggling with homelessness or know someone who may need help, contact the mission at 716-205-8805.