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BELIEVE IN
SECOND
CHANCES.

When it comes to homelessness,
DESPAIR is gripping San Diego County.

The DESPAIR of men and women living on our streets.

You’ve seen it. More men, women and even children are experiencing homelessness on our streets. It’s not just downtown. Homelessness is sweeping across all of San Diego County. These neighbors desperately need a second chance.

12,153 people became homeless in 2022, many of them seniors and families.

Shelter bed capacity is at 96% in San Diego County.

33,024 adults access homeless services in San Diego County annually

5th largest homeless
population in the entire U.S.

10% increase in homelessness since January 2020

10% increase in homelessness since January 2020

“This is a humanitarian crisis.”

— Donnie Dee, President/CEO, San Diego Rescue Mission

Believe Everyone Can Begin Again.

When you partner with the San Diego Rescue Mission, you’ll help get people off the streets… not just for a day, a week or a month… but permanently.

To address the current homelessness crisis in San Diego County, we’ve launched a new approach to fighting homelessness – the Every Heart Campaign – to dramatically expand our services and offer help that works to individuals in crisis throughout San Diego County.

Together, let’s change the state of
homelessness in San Diego County! 

USD

GIVE
HELP
THAT
WORKS

Thanks to the caring support of friends like you, we have a proven track record of helping men, women and children break free from homelessness, abuse, poverty and addiction since 1955.

Now we’re offering our community a bold response to homelessness: Provide immediate help for people who need to escape the streets… and long-term care to make sure they never, ever return there.

This is the goal of our Every Heart Campaign – support men and women as they regain their stability, health and hope for the future.

Through the Every Heart Campaign, your support will nearly double the number of shelter beds available across San Diego County to help get people off the streets immediately – plus provide long-term rehabilitation to end their homelessness permanently.

NAVIGATION CENTERS

There are currently not enough shelter beds in San Diego County, and a key goal of the Every Heart Campaign is to add three more Navigation Centers throughout San Diego County to provide neighbors experiencing homelessness with 30 days of:

These Navigation Centers are a crucial first step in people’s rehabilitation. Our Centers will get them off the streets immediately; that’s when our staff can help them think about long-term recovery in our year-long Mission Academy program.

Renderings of our National City Navigation Center expansion!
Renderings of our National City Navigation Center expansion!
Renderings of our National City Navigation Center expansion!
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The need for immediate care in San Diego County is overwhelming. Your support today will add more locations to meet the increasing demand.

Oceanside

Operate the recently acquired Navigation Center to provide 50 beds and related services. Note that the purchase and renovation costs have been supplied by the City of Oceanside.

East County Future Site

(Coming Soon) - We plan to acquire property for a future Navigation Center with additional beds to rescue hurting people.

Downtown
San Diego

We plan to renovate and refurnish 79 sleeping rooms and 10 community spaces for our Mission Academy rehabilitation program.

National City

We plan to purchase, renovate and provide operating costs at this new, 8-acre Navigation Center, provide 160 new beds, kitchen facilities, classrooms and other necessary accommodations.

It’s so disappointing when we don’t have a bed to offer someone. The best I can do is make sure that the person has enough blankets… but they’re disappointed. It’s very disheartening for me and them… I have to take them back to where I found them.

— Carla Vanegas, our SDRM Outreach Manager

You can help give long-term help to more of San Diego County too…

HELP THAT WORKS

OUR
MISSION
ACADEMY
PROGRAM

A person-centered, trauma-informed approach to rehabilitation is the key difference in the San Diego Rescue Mission’s approach to fighting homelessness: Mission Academy.

Our 12-month residential Mission Academy program offers a long-term, holistic approach to rehabilitation and recovery. Many will come to our Navigation Centers for immediate care and from there, join our Mission Academy program to focus on leaving behind destructive patterns… permanently.

Here’s how Mission Academy changes lives…

Our Mission Academy space is in desperate need of refurbishment. Providing a first-class program environment is critical to an individual’s recovery and will allow each student to overcome the issues that led them into homelessness. Your support today will renovate this space so we can meet the growing demand for this program.

When someone graduates from our program, they’re not just sober… they’re housed, working again, reconnected to family, church and their community. Those are our goals for every single person that comes to our program.

— Donnie Dee, our President/CEO

Right now, our
Mission Academy offers 250 beds.

To help create more dedicated spaces and a better environment for healing, we’re renovating and refurnishing 79+ sleeping rooms and 10 community spaces as part of the Every Heart Campaign.

Remodeled women’s standard room and community room
Remodeled women’s standard room and community room
Remodeled women’s standard room and community room
Remodeled women’s standard room and community room
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I was in abusive relationships… and living in a broken down trailer with my two daughters. I was digging into dumpsters, doing whatever I could to make money and provide… At the Rescue Mission, I felt God’s embrace and it was an amazing feeling of healing. Thank you Jesus!
— Windy, a Mission Academy graduate
I came to the Rescue Mission after living in my car for over a year. I was overwhelmed by being separated from my two children. Not only was I able to work on myself with these classes, but I strengthened my relationship with God. In less than 3 weeks, I was reunited with my sons. There is hope.
– Rosanna, a Mission Academy graduate
It was wintertime… I was living on the street, miserable and feeling that if something didn’t happen, I was going to die out there. I prayed to God, please don’t let me go out like that… and He brought me to the Rescue Mission. Today, I’m sober, I’ve accomplished 14 of the 16 life goals I set for myself and for the first time, I have my own apartment. I pinch myself every day.
– James, a Mission Academy graduate
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You can

CHANGE THE
STATE OF
HOMELESSNESS

in San Diego County

YOU CAN GIVE HELP THAT WORKS!

Every Heart Campaign Phase 1 goal:
$5 million

Your support today will help DOUBLE the number of shelter beds available to our homeless neighbors. Once our new facilities are in place, we’ll have the capacity to:

$5 MILLION

Your $250 donation will change the state of homelessness in San Diego County!

this helps the most!

Rescue neighbors in need with help that works.

It starts with people like YOU!

As a business owner and active member of the community, I’m grateful to see an organization like the San Diego Rescue Mission stepping up to help more of our neighbors who are homeless and living in crisis. I support their bold plan to expand services in the community and am proud to partner with them in these efforts.
‒ Peter Seidler, Owner of the San Diego Padres
As believers in Christ, we’re called to minister to our brothers and sisters in need. The San Diego Rescue Mission’s vision for growth will allow them to meet more people in crisis, wherever they are across the San Diego community, and to bring them the hope and love of Jesus in mind, body and in spirit.
‒ Dr. David Jeremiah, Founder & Host of Turning Point for God Ministry – El Cajon, CA
It’s easy for us to want to look away from the messiness of people living on the streets. But, as we see the humanity of these people who are made in God’s image, perhaps we can imagine how we would want to be treated in these circumstances... with love, thoughtfulness and care. The San Diego Rescue Mission is leading us in how to do that as we seek long-term solutions for the good of our city.
‒ Susie Fikse, Executive Director, Hope for San Diego
We’ve supported the San Diego Rescue Mission for more than 30 years because they actually do the work everyone talks about. We all want answers to the homeless crisis - SDRM provides them.
‒ Anne and Bob Harrison, longtime supporters
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Yes, I have made a gift from my Donor Advised Fund to support the life-changing work of the San Diego Rescue Mission.

Please take a moment to fill out this form. We appreciate the opportunity to acknowledge your generosity and answer any questions you might have about the impact of your DAF gift.

Donor Advised Funds Form

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