Gimme Shelter: Reflections from Back Bay Mission

Just over 20 years ago, Hurricane Katrina swept through the Mississippi Gulf Coast, taking with it not just homes, but shelters of all types. Today, there are no overnight shelters operating anywhere in that part of the state. What’s more, it is illegal within the state of Mississippi to sleep or camp in public. Which leaves the question, for the unhoused of Mississippi’s gulf coast, where are they supposed to go?

With limited resources, what is known as “dumping” has become a serious issue. People who are exiting the prison system, mental health facilities, or hospitals with nowhere to go are often dumped outside of aid organizations. One of those stories was told to me by a social services director at Back Bay Mission. She told me of a man who had his legs amputated, who was then dumped in front of Back Bay Mission with no antibiotics, no extra bandages, nothing. They found him crawling to the door.

Do justice. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly.

These are the words found throughout the campus of Back Bay Mission, from the well-known verse written in the book of Micah. For years I’ve heard folks within our church, and throughout the South Central Conference, mention Back Bay Mission down in Biloxi. We’ve packed hygiene kits and talked about the good work they’re doing in the Mississippi gulf coast. But I’d never been, nor had I known the full extent of the work they do. I had an opportunity to travel to Biloxi this past week, where a handful of folks across the South Central Conference, as well as a group from Wisconsin, came together to fulfill the requirements asked of us in those words above.

We learned that Back Bay Mission offers housing rehabilitation free of charge, whether it be for folks whose homes never fully recovered from the damage left by Hurricane Katrina, or people who would benefit from the HVAC program, which replaces refrigerators, hot water heaters, and insulation to cut down on utility expenses. The woman who lived in the house where we worked told us that her home was on an entirely different street when they returned after Katrina, and a crane had to be used to relocate it back to the plot.

We worked in their client-choice food pantry, where a grant has just been awarded to stock the day bags with healthier items that might be beneficial to unhoused people who struggle with diabetes, heart disease, or dental issues. Poverty is currently the third leading cause of death in the United States.

And we helped in the Micah Day Center, one of three along the Mississippi Gulf Coast that provide daytime shelter to people experiencing homelessness. At 8am, the doors open, and folks are provided with breakfast and coffee, there is also a lunch that is served later in the day. They can take a shower, wash their clothes, and select other essentials from the clothing closet. Besides clothes, this room offers anything from shoe insoles, nail care supplies, toiletries, professional clothing, perfume, and sleeping mats woven from hundreds of plastic grocery bags.

The Micah Day Center also allows folks to use the facility as their address so that they can receive their mail. Computers are available, as well as sunscreen, bug spray, fentanyl testing strips, condoms, and period products. Additional services are on site to help with transitional housing, job placement, drug rehabilitation referrals, and driver’s license testing.

What I think stuck with me the most was the relational aspect of Back Bay Mission. By the end of the week, I knew most of the names of the folks who came by on a daily basis. I knew if they had a shellfish allergy, or preferred chicken salad to tuna. I knew about prospective jobs, and their clothing sizes, nicknames, and stories from the past. I thought of the early church, of their commitment to fellowship and the breaking of bread, and I knew that Back Bay Mission was a special place to which I hope to return. To all those I met, and for their stories, thanks be to God.