ABOUT BOSTON RESCUE MISSION
Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the Boston Rescue Mission (the “Mission”) is a nonprofit, Christian organization dedicated to helping Boston’s poor and homeless for nearly 30 years. Today, the Mission runs an impressive range of residential recovery, outpatient counseling, shelter, Veterans, and meal programs.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Boston Rescue Mission has a primary goal that individuals served “may someday achieve some level of self-sufficiency where they are holding a job, have their own place to live and will become productive, contributing members of society.” Its programs are broken up into a few main areas: homelessness prevention and rehabilitation, Veterans programming, nutrition and meals, and spiritual development.
At its outpatient counseling center, the Mission helps individuals struggling with substance dependency, thus preventing homelessness “by All Means Possible.” The outpatient center’s full continuum of care includes private and family counseling, case management services, recovery education, referrals and aftercare planning.
Programming for homeless is manifold. The Safe & Healthy Program provides daily breakfast and dinner, bathroom and shower, and case management services where needed. Those without a place to sleep may spend the evening at the Mission’s Emergency Overflow Shelter, generally open during the colder winter months from December until April.
The residential recovery program aims to provide a therapeutic environment in which individuals can address any underlying causes of their substance abuse and develop a healthy, substance-free, independent lifestyle. Participants of the program work regularly with case managers who’ll assess their mental health, vocational, legal, medical, educational, and other needs. They’ll then work to actualize these needs through daily 12-step meetings and in employment assistance, job training, and financial management. Applicants must have 30 days of sobriety prior to their initial screening. A sober living program is also available to sober applicants at a nominal weekly fee.
The Mission’s Safe Haven program is a short-term, 10-bed, transitional housing program for Veterans with substance abuse and mental health problems. Evidence-based practices like Motivational Interviewing (MI) and the Stages of Change help Veterans transition into a more permanent housing arrangement.
Beyond its Safe & Healthy Program, the Mission provides nutrition and meals for Boston’s less fortunate in two additional ways. At 5:00 p.m. on Sundays, the In House Meal Program serves “hot, well-balanced, and nutritious” community meals. And staff and volunteers bring food, coffee, water, and companionship to the needy through the Saturday Morning Outreach initiative.
Finally, the Mission offers a variety of opportunities for spiritual development. Bible study, church fellowship, mentoring, and outreach all take place on a regular or semi-regular basis.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
The nonprofit is led by an individual with more than 35 years of experience in nonprofit organizations, executive leadership, and fundraising. Case managers, licensed independent social workers, and both one-time and permanent volunteers make up the staff.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Aside from a few details on its program for Veterans, the nonprofit offers no additional information on its residential and sober living environments. A Best-rehabs.com survey respondent gave the program they attended three stars for its accommodations, and four stars for its meals and its level of cleanliness.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
A former attendant of the Mission’s Kingston House told Best-rehabs.com that they “personally loved it.” Claiming that the program was “structured, well organized,” and overall a “great place” to be, the anonymous reviewer also gave high marks for the staff’s level of training and experience and treatment effectiveness. “They don’t shove religion down your throat but it is there,” this reviewer commented. “They are big on meetings, 90 in 90.”
Boston Rescue Mission also fared well across some secondary reviews site. To date, the nonprofit has an average rating of 4.6 stars out of five from 13 individuals on its Facebook page, as well as three five-star reviews on Google.
FINANCING
The nonprofit’s webpage maintains that “All residential recovery services are provided without monetary commitment from program members.” Support comes from individual donations, churches, grants, and some public funding.