By Brian Bouteller, Grants Pass Gospel Rescue Mission
Since 1983 the Grants Pass Gospel Rescue Mission has been changing lives for good! From being the first on the ground in our community helping guide people out of addiction, poverty and homelessness, to fighting all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States in 2024 for our city’s right to keep our parks safe for everyone to enjoy, the Gospel Rescue Mission has been there. We’ve helped thousands of people leave homelessness for good and become productive members of our community. We’ve been at it for 41 years, and we intend to be here, by God’s grace, as long as the need exists.
Now we’re so excited to tell you about our newest project: MissionView Village.
What we have in mind are the equivalent of a 450 square-foot one-bedroom, one-bathroom home, built to the highest residential construction standards. The 19 units will be built on site, with a foundation, with shared walls (mostly duplexes), mini-split HVAC, washer & dryers in each and kitchen areas. Our goal is to have this project be a true added value to the neighborhood, both in what it does and for neighboring real estate.
Our target resident
Our goal is to provide a home for seniors (55 plus) who are living on a fixed, low income ($1,500/month or less). This demographic is often homeless, living in a vehicle and filled with despair of finding a way into the ever-increasing cost of the housing market. This growing group of people can make up a significant portion of the program participants of the Gospel Rescue Mission due to the difficulty of finding them housing within the community. When a 60-year-old widow who worked all her life as a homemaker, successfully raising her children while her husband paid the bills, now has nowhere to go with a Social Security income of less than $1,000 per month, someone needs to get creative and do something. She, along with other men and women like her, are our target resident, because a vehicle was never meant to be a home. MissionView Village is our intended answer to this dilemma.
When a program participant of the Gospel Rescue Mission is prepared to graduate from our program, that person is free from addiction, has paid off debts, developed a significant savings and often owns a vehicle that is registered and insured. When their income comes from being employed, it is typically high enough to enable them to compete in the housing market. If it comes from SSI, SSDI, or some other form of fixed retirement, it inevitably is insufficient. The need is the same for the average American: a safe and stable home at a cost of approximately 40% of one’s monthly income. For a single adult, this should leave enough to budget for food, insurance and a humble amount for savings and simple pleasures.
Like all that we do, we rely upon the grace and wisdom of God and the support of His people to move such great mountains. We hope that you and your church will commit to praying for this project and possibly making a gift to help us see MissionView Village become a reality.
For the most current information on MissionView Village go to: gospelrescuemissiongp.org/village.
Brian Bouteller is the Executive Director of the Grants Pass Gospel Rescue Mission. To support the work of the Mission, contributions can be mailed to the Gospel Rescue Mission, PO Box 190, Grants Pass, OR 97528. Online contributions can be made at grantspassmission.org.