Back Bay Mission is helping breathe new life into Rebekah’s House, a local organization that provides families with up to 60 days of housing while they work towards permanent housing solutions.
Over its ninety-one years, Back Bay Mission has been instrumental in founding a variety of social services on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Among them are the South Mississippi AIDS Task Force, Coastal Family Health Center, Loaves and Fishes, Open Doors Homeless Coalition and many others… including Rebekah’s House.
Rebekah’s House is the successor to the Ocean Springs-Long Beach Interfaith Hospitality Network, an organization that was founded in part by Back Bay Mission. The Interfaith Hospitality Network provided shelter in churches and other facilities around the city on a rotating basis. During the day, members of the family who weren’t working or in school could stay at the day center located in the Mission’s thrift shop.
After Hurricane Katrina, the congregations that made up the Interfaith Hospitality Network had their own needs to attend to. The Network purchased a house in Biloxi and reinvented itself as Rebekah’s House, which continued to provide temporary housing for families on their way to stability.
In recent years, Rebekah’s House has faced the same difficult economic climate that many agencies have had to deal with… an economic climate that has put Rebekah’s House in dire financial straits. It has continued to serve families when it is able, but the house has fallen into disrepair. And like a parent helping a struggling child, the Mission has stepped in to assist Rebekah’s House.
The Mission’s housing rehabilitation program is renovating Rebekah’s House, making it a warmer and more welcoming space for the families who will stay there. In addition, Kenney Washington – the Mission’s Director of Client Services – sits on the Board of Directors of Rebekah’s House, putting his expertise to work in strengthening the agency.
At Back Bay Mission, we’re proud of the many agencies we’ve helped create on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and we continue to work closely with many of them. While we always hope for their success, we also know how important it is – to us and to the people they serve – to be there when they face obstacles. Our deep thanks goes out to all of the volunteers who are helping us make Rebekah’s House into a safe, decent and hospitable space for the families who need its help.
