Pensacola, Fla. April 20, 2010-
After over 60 years in the same downtown location the Waterfront Rescue Mission will be moving. The year long search for a well placed location ended when the Mission discovered 350 Herman Street.
The president of the Waterfront Rescue Mission, Mick Breault, is extremely happy with the location, "It's close to ECAT, Workforce EscaRosa and the health department, which all provide critical assistance to the same people that the Mission serves and will allow them to get what they need much more easily than before.
"Our current location is in ill-repair and in today's environment it is no longer able to meet the needs of the ministry. The new location will not only allow us to double the capacity that the Mission will be able to hold, but it will allow us to design a state-of-the-art facility," Breault continued. The new facility will be designed to meet hurricane impact standards and will be equipped with an emergency generator so it will continue to function safely during disasters or extreme weather.
The Herman location already has a 6,000 square foot building on its property that will most likely be remodeled and used as a much needed day center for the homeless community. The Mission is also planning on building a 31,000 square foot building on the same property that will hold the shelter, kitchen, beds and chapel. The plans for the new building are extremely preliminary, but so far they include adding space for respite beds and a separate section for veterans.
The Mission has been working with EscaRosa Coalition on the Homeless (ECOH) for this project as well. Brunie Emmanuel, director of ECOH, worked with the Mission to help find a suitable location and will be involved with the day center facility once opened. "This is an important asset coming to our community for the growing population of those in need and will be a boost to the increasing economic development efforts in the downtown area. It is a "win-win" for us all," Brunie stated.
The new Mission is scheduled to open in about 24 months. "We have had an extremely supportive community that has kept us going for 60 years and we look forward to increasing and improving our ability to serve those in need over the next 60 years," Breault finished.
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