Durham Rescue Mission

Description

As Durham, NC’s oldest and largest long-term shelter, the Durham Rescue Mission currently serves 400 men, women and children a day, 365 days a year throughout the Triangle by providing safe shelter, addiction recovery programs and much more.

Their mission is to meet through the power of Jesus Christ the needs of the whole person: spiritual, educational, emotional, physical, social and vocational, so that those who are hurting may become fully functioning members of society.

History

The Durham Rescue Mission was founded in November 1974 by Dr. and Mrs. Ernie Mills with one goal in mind: to mend shattered lives in Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill for the glory of God.They have remained dedicated to that mission for the past 40 years.

Their rescue mission began in a small, two-story house on the corner of North Holman and East Main Street in Durham, NC, with just enough space to provide shelter for up to a dozen men. After only a short amount of time, we were running out of space to meet the needs of everyone coming through our doors.

In 1978, the Lord blessed us with a larger church building for a men’s shelter just a block away from the original location on East Main Street. This new space provided room for up to 35 men.

In 1993, the Lord led them in opening a three-story home for up to five mothers with small children. With an ever-growing waiting list for this women and children’s shelter, they soon opened a new shelter for five families in 1997 and a shelter for single women in 1998.

Our women, children, and family division, the Good Samaritan Inn, opened in 2005. They are currently able to house more than 100 women, children and families in this facility.

In 2013, they opened their new facility, the Center for Hope, at our men’s division. The Center for Hope offers a spacious dining room that seats 250 individuals, a commercial kitchen, classroom space for the Victory Program, a GED classroom, and a computer lab, as well as 3 dormitories.