MUSKEGON, Mich. — In just the last year, the Muskegon Rescue Mission said it had seen a 40% increase in the number of homeless residents it served.
Fortunately, its facilities are in the process of expanding to meet the increased need.
Work seemed to be progressing at lightning speed on the Rescue Mission’s newest addition: a large multi-use facility adjacent to the existing men’s shelter on Laketon Avenue.
Behind the studs, the concrete and the heavy machinery: a new game-changing tool-kit for those less fortunate.
“It's really exciting for us,” Executive Director Dan Skoglund explained.
Excited over the possibilities that will come with a brand-new chapter in the story of one of the oldest non-profits on the Lakeshore.
From the dawn of the 20th century, Muskegon Rescue Mission has provided emergency housing, resources and stability to those experiencing homelessness.
“They're the first ones impacted by the hard times or last ones to recover from it, because they're starting at the lowest point,” Skoglund noted. “The need is growing and we're seeing that continue to grow on a week-by-week basis.”
Crews broke ground on the new Community Resource Center and Daycare Facility in April.
The $5 million project is now within inches of its goal, all of it privately funded.
And despite the cost increases, shortages and labor issues of the moment, Skoglund said he expected the project to reach completion on time and on budget.
“That’s because of the generosity in many cases of our contractors,” Skoglund said. “Prices have gone up, but they've been willing to donate those costs back to the project and not pass them along.”
The facility will bring a growing list of dozens of partnerships with local non-profits and like-minded groups under the same umbrella, all with a shared goal.
“The purpose for this is in our effort to help people move through and out of poverty,” Skoglund related. “Instead of having the resources in the community scattered, where people are having to go to the resources, we're bringing the resources to the people.”
Smoothing over the often bumpy road back to stability, promising support to bring about a better tomorrow.
Muskegon Rescue Mission said it expected work to be complete around the end of 2022.
For more information or to donate, visit the Muskegon Rescue Mission website.
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