A Heart

for Long Beach’s Homeless

Home > Who We Are

Since 1972, Long Beach Rescue Mission has opened its doors to thousands of men, women and children. The Mission provides food, clothing, shelter and spiritual guidance to the homeless and less fortunate people of the community.

We stand dedicated to helping individuals overcome the homeless cycle, achieve long term goals and make a world of difference in today’s society.

We also provide meals and worship services in the evenings and on Sundays to senior citizens and neighborhood families. The Mission provides loving care and spiritual guidance to help people who are homeless find purpose, direction and hope.

Long Beach Rescue Mission is comprised of two facilities. The Samaritan House serves as a home for men while Lydia House offers a safe haven for women and their children.

Individuals work with a case manager either in our 90 day Case Management Program or our one-year New Life Program, which helps men and women overcome substance abuse, addictions and life’s deeper challenges.

Our Mission

Long Beach Rescue Mission is a place of healing and hope serving the greater Long Beach community by improving the quality of life of the hurting and homeless through loving and equipping them to be reconciled:

To God • To Self • To Family • To Society

Our Vision

The vision for Long Beach Rescue Mission is to deepen and strengthen its programs, communicate its unique work, build a dynamic and committed team of employees and volunteers, broaden its financial support and plan carefully for its future in order to more faithfully and effectively carry out its mission.

Meet Kristen

Our Board Chair

As we begin our 50th year of ministry in the heart of Long Beach, we affirm the purpose and spiritual direction of the Long Beach Rescue Mission established by our founders Wayne and Janet Tuerle. Being faithful to God’s calling on their lives, they created a place for the homeless and hurting, a place that would provide a bed and meal, but more importantly, an opportunity for those in our care to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and the hope He brings. That vision remains today!

The transforming power of the Gospel is seen in the faces of our clients and heard in their testimonies at every graduation. We have the privilege of seeing countless lives healed of addiction, abuse, anxiety and depression. And we cheer as these transformed lives move from the Mission to lead productive lives, impacting the world around them for Christ.

As a board we serve with the confident expectation that God is actively pursuing the heart of every person in our care, and we believe that the long-established programs of the LBRM, which bring spiritual direction to work therapy, technical and academic training, addiction counseling, and life skills training, to name a few, continue to provide the very best environment for life change.

Thank you for your faithful contributions and volunteer hours which make it possible for us to serve our community. It is a privilege to partner with you as we seek to change lives for Christ!

With gratitude,

Kristen N. Jones

Kristen N. Jones
Board Chair

Kristen Jones with the Long Beach Rescue Mission

Meet Jeff

Our Executive Director

The Long Beach Rescue Mission Board of Directors thanks God for the provision of Jeff Levine as our Executive Director.

Jeff brings a wealth of mission experience, as well as church and school leadership, to the role. He has a passion for sharing the life changing message of Jesus Christ with people experiencing homelessness and in need. He will also provide leadership to our incredible staff and valuable partnerships with our community, donors, and volunteers.

We invite you to stop by the mission for a tour and to meet Jeff. We are so very thankful for you!

Jeff Levine

Our Core Values

A PLACE

We value the creation of a place that says you are welcome, that this is where you can be reconciled and heal. We value staff and volunteers who treat our clients as guests coming through our doors. The physical characteristics of this place say to the surrounding neighborhood and community that this is a place for spiritual and physical healing. Finally, this place creates the context where our guests, staff, volunteers, donors and the public are introduced to a relationship with Christ and eternal rest in Him.

(Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:2, 1 Peter 4:9)

HEALING

We value the work of enfolding a hurting community by extending the tools to help overcome mental and physical weaknesses by ministering the healing love of God to the whole person – spirit, mind, body, emotions, will and relationships. We value innovative ideas, courageous change and seizing critical moments. In all of our activities, we value the principles of inclusiveness, cultural sensitivity and compassion.

(Psalm 147:3, 1 Corinthians 12:28, James 5:16, 1 Corinthians 12:9)

HOPE

We value our call to be a beacon of hope to everyone, offering people a chance to deal with the issues in their lives through a relationship with Christ, the resources to work through those issues, and a constant reminder that change is possible.

(Romans 15:13, 1 Corinthians 14:7, Ephesians 1:18, 2 Thessalonians 2: 16 – 17)

SERVING

We value serving the whole person in mind, body and spirit. We value serving others with humility, treating all people with dignity and respect. We value the opportunity to meet or exceed the expectations of those we serve.

(Romans 12:11, Galatians 5:13, Hebrews 9:14, 1 Peter 4:10, Jude 1:7)

LOVING

We value the love of Jesus Christ emanating from us to the hurting and homeless. We value showing respect and warmth by listening carefully to all we come into contact with in our community and by finding the best resources for their situation.

(Ephesians 5:2, Hebrews 13:1, 1 Peter 4:8) 

EQUIPPING

We value equipping our program men and women, guests and clients in all areas of personal and spiritual enrichment by instilling in them a sense of confidence; lasting recovery; and significance at home, church, and work.

(Ephesians 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:17)

RECONCILIATION

We value reconciliation for all broken or strained relationships whether they exist in the lives of our clients, our fellow employees, volunteers, donors, business contacts or in our relations with the community around us. We value our role in taking prompt action; following through; and providing the Biblical instruction, counsel, time and tools necessary to bring healing to broken relationships.

(II Corinthians 5:17-20, Colossians 1:20 – 21)

EVERYTHING IN JESUS CHRIST

We value continuing the work of Jesus Christ through evangelizing, discipline, and serving the spiritual and physical needs of the disadvantaged. We value people as eternal beings created in God’s image with inherent dignity and worth, redeemable by God and capable of living a life of meaning and purpose. We value all interactions as opportunities to love people, that through us the gospel of Jesus Christ might transform their lives.

(Joel 2:32, John 14:13, Romans 10:13, Philippians 10:9, Colossians 3:17)

Meet The Team

See Our Financials

Discover Our Impact

The History of the Long Beach Rescue Mission

Here’s how YOU can help!

A hot meal for a homeless man, woman or child is just $2.43!

Your $50.60 donation will provide about 21 hot, nourishing meals.

Give today to help with meals & care. Give monthly to help all year.