Mobile is a national leader in Mardi Gras, the Senior Bowl, the Azalea Trail, America’s Distinguished Young Woman, the Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo and other difference-making activities.
Now, the city is seeking to become a leader in effectively helping folks in need.
It is a partnership between the City of Mobile and non-profit groups. The lead group is “The RAIN Group.”
On December 17, the Mobile City Council transferred property on Shelton Beach Road Extension to the RAIN Group. The land will ultimately house a “campus” to coordinate services for the needy.
There will be three phases to the project. The first phase is called the “Community Couch.”
Rain Group founder and head Monique Rogers says Community Couch will be a movable resource that will go around Mobile County to offer assistance to the homeless and others in need.
It will be like a rolling store, or bookmobile, or neighborhood ice cream truck for adults in need. Rogers says they plan to start it sometime in January 2025. Wow. That’s quick work.
The couches each park in neighborhoods identified as those with underserved people.
You enter the van, register, provide information on yourself and your needs, and talk with a caring, listening Samaritan. Your information is then passed on to the right sources for action — the city of Mobile or private or church groups.
Some limited resources and emergency supplies will always be inside the Couches.
“Community Couch is an outreach that houses information and technology where if we come out and see the homeless, we have a van with some supplies on it. We will set that van up so they can come and sit in the community couch,” Rogers said. “The city will be able to find out what’s going on with the people in the community, what are the needs, or just cool out, get a snack, and we’re just gonna keep coming back.”
For details or how you can help, visit here.
The second phase is to build a “campus,” a resource center on the Shelton Beach property transferred by the Mobile City Council.
The resource center will provide workforce development, literacy, mental illness, drug treatment and counseling.
Rogers says she expects the campus to be operational in the next 12-18 months. Wow. That’s quick work.
The third phase will include 160 apartments for temporary housing for homeless and endangered persons.
It is estimated that the municipal area of Mobile has 675 homeless people. It is hard to get a good assessment because homeless folks tend not to sign things or be counted. They mostly stay invisible.
The Mobile City Council voted 6 to 0 to sell the unused Shelton Beach property to the RAIN Group for $1. It is assessed at $180,000.
"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." — Matthew 25:40
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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