Stories that Inspire.
Victories to Celebrate.
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Gregory calls Mission program ‘saving grace’
Gregory started drinking and smoking when he was just 12 years old. By 14 or 15, he was using amphetamines. “There was a gang of kids who always played together in the neighborhood-kickball, baseball, whatever,” he said. “We always hung out, just like brothers and sisters. Then all of us got addicted to drugs. We…
Looking forward to a new year at the Mission
As we enter 2022 at the Rescue Mission Alliance Central Coast, we’ve been considering the many peaks and valleys of 2021, and what’s coming up in this year ahead. We’ve become experts at pivoting when faced with challenges outside of our control. We wish the pandemic was over. All year staff and volunteers have risked…
Lives changed for good: Updates
Rickie’s divorce was a traumatic event in his life, and led to an increase in his alcohol use. He ended up with three DUIs in a year, and the final one resulted in almost a year in jail. When he was released in October 2020, the pandemic had been in full swing for months. “I…
Director’s Note
By this time of the year at the Mission, our emotions are high and our tanks are nearing empty. We served 1,000 meals at our annual Thanksgiving Banquet. And at our Christmas Banquet we’re gearing up to serve 1,200 meals and give out 600 Christmas gifts! We mourned another year of the to-go style banquets,…
Alex reconnects with his son, makes plans for the future
Alex was raised in Santa Maria with his older brother and sister, and initially, both of his parents. “My mom ended up leaving my dad to pursue another relationship,” he said. “A year later my mom was found dead in a motel room. It’s a cold case-no one has ever been arrested in connection to…
Luis putting ‘foolish mistakes’ behind him
Luis’ parents were together until he was 6 or 7 years old. “My dad was really smart and was a mechanic,” Luis said. “He was a terrible husband, but a great father to us. He was an alcoholic and a drug user, and was abusive to my mom.” The family, which included Luis’ twin and…
Hardworking Valentin is committed to getting back on his feet
Valentin said he had a typical upbringing in Mexico, which is a little different than childhood here in the Unites States. “Here you go to a park, but I grew up in a rural ranch area,” he said. “But I would get toys and balls and toy figurines and play. And at a very young…
Mark is focused and facing his missteps head on
Mark was born and raised on the Central Coast, primarily by his mom. “I’ve lived here my whole life,” he said. “I attended church here from a young age. I played sports-basketball and football in high school-and got my diploma.” Mark enrolled in college and attended for a couple semesters. He’s always worked, mostly in…
Luis works on ‘building up spirit and mind’
After two difficult years in and out of jail and seeing his relationship with his family suffer, Luis decided to ask for help. He had tried to battle his addiction on his own, and at just 21, recognized that he needed more support. “I’d try to bring myself up and out of it,” he said.…
‘Why can’t someone just fix this?’
Everyone experiencing homelessness has a different story These days we see the tents and camps of those experiencing homelessness all around us. The population of those living on the streets seems to be ballooning in many cities. Why can’t someone just fix this? It’s a question we grapple with, and the answer is simply not…
Director’s Note
At the Mission we strive to make our Life Recovery Program holistic. What that means is we don’t just focus on one thing when it comes to recovery. We address the whole person, and address the issues as if they were interconnected. For instance, most of our clients have experience with homelessness, so we want…
Alex wants stability, and a future with his daughters
Alex was exposed to drugs as a child, smoking marijuana when he was just 8 and starting to experiment with other drugs by the time he was 11. “It was whatever I could get my hands on,” he said. At 13, he started selling. “I was a full-on drug dealer, picking up pounds (of drugs).…
