Rescue Mission

What Rescue Mission does

Rescue Mission Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1887 and headquartered in Syracuse, New York, that delivers emergency shelter, meals, permanent supportive housing, street outreach, clothing, and case management services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness across Central New York. It operates three regional locations—Syracuse (main campus), Auburn, and Binghamton—with a combined footprint that includes the 192-bed Kiesewetter Emergency Shelter (the largest in Onondaga County), the 59-bed Crossroads Adult Home (a New York State-licensed Level 3 congregate care facility), the Clarence L. Jordan Food Service Center (serving 155,000+ meals annually), the Alice C. Barber Day Center, the Homeless Intervention Services (HIS) full-time street outreach team, Whitney House for women, Auburn's 28-unit family housing complex, and the new Alejandro Garcia Runaway and Homeless Youth House (10 beds, LGBTQ-affirming). The organization runs no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is operationally traditional.

Its revenue model is diversified across donation-based streams: individual giving (online, mail, phone), stock/securities donations held at Morgan Stanley, vehicle donations, corporate grants and partnerships (e.g., Bank of America's $50,000 Neighborhood Champions grant), planned giving and legacy gifts, third-party platforms (Facebook, GoFundMe, PayPal Giving Fund), and a recurring subscription-like fee stream from Crossroads Adult Home at $1,261 per resident per month. Ancillary earned income is generated through the Thrifty Shopper resale brand, which operates 18+ retail locations across Central New York and sells donated goods with proceeds supporting program operations. The customer base is bifurcated: beneficiaries are homeless individuals, families, adults unable to live independently, and runaway/homeless youth aged 12-17; funders are individual donors, corporate partners, and grant-making institutions.

Name

Rescue Mission

Legal name

Rescue Mission Alliance Inc

Website

https://rescuemissionalliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Rescue Mission Alliance is a Syracuse-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating since 1887 that provides emergency shelter, meals, permanent housing, street outreach, and case management to homeless individuals, families, and youth across Central New York (Syracuse, Auburn, Binghamton), funded primarily through donations, grants, and the Thrifty Shopper resale brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homeless and Social Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221), Community Food Services (624210), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Affordable / Low-Income Assisted Living (Medicaid Waiver Focused) (HLADABAE)

Keywords

• Homeless services
• Emergency shelter
• Food assistance programs
• Supportive housing
• Street outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Syracuse

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Rescue Mission receives financial gifts from individual donors through online portals, mail, and phone. Donors receive thank-you letters and annual contribution receipts.
2. Stock and Securities Donations: Donors can gift appreciated stock or securities, receiving tax-deductible donations and avoiding capital gains taxes. Account held at Morgan Stanley.
3. Vehicle Donations: Donors can donate vehicles (cars, boats, motorcycles) which are sold at auction. Donors receive tax-deductible receipts for the sale value or minimum $500.
4. Corporate Grants: Rescue Mission receives grant funding from corporations such as Bank of America ($50,000 Neighborhood Champions grant) for specific programs like the youth shelter.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners commit to annual financial support and engage through multiple pathways including cause marketing, volunteer groups, and event sponsorship.
6. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Rescue Mission accepts bequests through wills, beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance, and charitable gift annuities.
7. Crossroads Adult Home Fees: Crossroads Adult Home charges $1,261 per month for its 59-bed congregate care facility providing long-term supportive residential care to men.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rescue Mission Alliance is a nonprofit organization that provides food, shelter, clothing, and supportive housing services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or poverty in Central New York. Its core offerings include a 192-bed emergency shelter, a food service center serving 155,000+ meals annually, long-term congregate care housing, full-time street outreach, case management, free clothing distribution, and affordable housing programs. The Thrifty Shopper thrift store brand generates revenue to support these programs across 18 retail locations.

Product overview

Rescue Mission Alliance is a nonprofit organization operating since 1887 that provides food, shelter, clothing, and supportive housing services across Syracuse, Auburn, and Binghamton, New York. The organization operates multiple interconnected programs: the Clarence L. Jordan Food Service and Culinary Education Center serves over 155,000 meals annually; the Kiesewetter Emergency Shelter (192 beds) and Alice C. Barber Day Center provide immediate refuge; Crossroads Adult Home (59-bed licensed congregate care) offers long-term residential care; Homeless Intervention Services (HIS) Team conducts full-time street outreach; Community Clothing Center distributes free clothing and hygiene items monthly; and Whitney House provides women-specific housing. Additional services include affordable housing programs in all three locations, Auburn's family housing (28 units), Binghamton's mixed housing for 32 men, and the upcoming 10-bed Runaway and Homeless Youth House for LGBTQ youth. The Thrifty Shopper resale brand supports fundraising through multiple retail locations across Central New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thrifty Shopper: Thrift store operation accepting donated clothing and goods, with multiple retail locations across Central New York.

Products and services

• Kiesewetter Emergency Shelter The largest 192-bed emergency shelter in Onondaga County with eight dormitories including two designated for women, providing overnight stays, linens, clothing, and hygiene items to guests experiencing homelessness.
• Clarence L. Jordan Food Service and Culinary Education Center
• Crossroads Adult Home
• Alice C. Barber Day Center
• Homeless Intervention Services (HIS) Team
• Community Clothing Center Monthly distribution of free clothing, hygiene items, and other necessities to the public. Serves as distribution station for CNY Diaper Bank.
• Affordable Housing Programs Permanent housing options including Crossroads Adult Home (59 men), supportive housing for 11 additional men/women in renovated and tiny homes in Syracuse, Auburn 28-unit family housing complex, and Binghamton housing for 32 formerly homeless men.
• Whitney House Three-bedroom single family home serving women who have experienced or are at risk of homelessness. Located at Binghamton Rescue Mission, providing guidance, care management, peer support, and referrals to job training, life skills, spiritual counseling, and legal services.
• Auburn Family Housing Program
• Thrifty Shopper
• Alejandro Garcia Runaway and Homeless Youth House 10-bed emergency youth shelter for ages 12-17, with focus on serving and affirming LGBTQ youth. Named Alejandro Garcia Runaway and Homeless Youth House.

Quantifiable outcome

• 155,000+ meals served annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 1911 EstablishedminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 June 2023Launched Pink Lady Cider benefiting Rescue Mission's Whitney House program for women experiencing homelessness.
• Salt City MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2021New Ambassador Workforce Program announced, providing employment opportunities and workforce development for Rescue Mission clients and community members.
• Syracuse University Sport Management ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Charity Sports Auction event raising funds for Rescue Mission. 20th annual event held December 2024.
• Catholic Charities Supportive Services for Veterans ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to help veterans experiencing homelessness access permanent housing through coordinated services with Rescue Mission street outreach.
• ResupplyminorOthersVeteran-owned company that assists with furniture donation pick-ups from donors' homes.
• Syracuse City School DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on food school program providing workforce training in food service industry at Clarence L. Jordan Food Service Center.
• NewsChannel 9 (WSTM)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual holiday telethon partner for Movie with a Mission event. Station hosts join CEO live on-air during commercial breaks to accept viewer pledges.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Goodwill Industries International: Goodwill operates thrift retail stores whose proceeds fund job training and social services. Its Thrifty Shopper-like revenue model combined with employment-focused services for vulnerable populations creates direct functional comparison.
• HELP USA: HELP USA operates transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and street outreach programs serving homeless individuals and families, with a comparable integrated shelter-to-housing pipeline as Rescue Mission.
• Salvation Army: The Salvation Army operates an integrated network of emergency shelters, transitional housing, meals programs, and street outreach across the U.S. with a faith-based mission closely paralleling Rescue Mission's model, though at vastly larger national scale.
• Catholic Charities USA: Catholic Charities operates shelter, food, case management, and housing programs across the U.S. with a comparable faith-based nonprofit structure. Rescue Mission already partners with Catholic Charities Supportive Services for Veterans Program, indicating direct service overlap.
• Abode Services: Abode Services is a California-based nonprofit providing housing and supportive services to homeless individuals through emergency shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing - a directly comparable operating model in a different geography.
• Union Gospel Mission: Union Gospel Mission is a faith-based nonprofit delivering emergency shelter, meals, addiction recovery, and long-term rehabilitation services in multiple U.S. cities. The service portfolio and faith-centered operating model closely mirror Rescue Mission.
• Bowery Residents' Committee: BRC provides shelter, housing, and street outreach services across New York City, sharing the same integrated services-for-homeless-individuals model and New York operating geography as Rescue Mission Alliance.
• Volunteers of America: Volunteers of America delivers homeless services, affordable housing, and supportive services across multiple states, operating emergency shelters and transitional housing programs that compete for similar public and private funding pools.

Regional players

• Food Bank of Central New York: Food Bank of CNY distributes food to member agencies across Central New York including Rescue Mission's meal programs. Same operating geography and food-security mission, but operates as a wholesale distributor rather than direct service provider.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity International: Habitat for Humanity operates affordable housing programs at national scale. While focused on home ownership rather than emergency shelter, it competes for housing-related donor dollars and government housing grants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rescuemission
• Facebookfacebook.com/therescuemission

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rescue Mission