As Fairhaven Rescue Mission nears its 40th anniversary, officials at the Covington-based organization said they’re committed to helping people regain their lives.
Incorporated in 1984, Fairhaven Rescue Mission is a Christian nonprofit ministry and men’s homeless shelter that provides food, housing and recovery services for at-risk individuals. Its 260 W Pike St. facility boasts over a dozen beds, a commercial kitchen and laundry facilities. It also has a 10,000-square-foot thrift store at 3921 Winston Ave. in Latonia, which helps fund the mission’s services.
In 2023 alone, Fairhaven served 24,720 meals, distributed 1,461 clothing vouchers and provided groceries to 3,715 individuals, according to the ministry’s website. Executive Director Alan Johnson told LINK nky that Fairhaven feeds 60 to 70 people on a daily basis.
Johnson, who was appointed executive director two years ago, started volunteering at the ministry in 2007. The opportunity to help struggling people inspired him to keep coming back.
“When you start putting names to faces and you start hearing stories and talking to folks and getting to know them, it’s not just, to be quite frank, a scary face on the street that you want to steer clear of,” Johnson said. “You get to know them as people.”
Fairhaven’s services are completely free of charge to those who need them. Their evening services include a meal prepared by a team of volunteers for men, women and families. Johnson said that around 80% of the food is donated from restaurants and grocery stores, while the mission purchases the rest. To be admitted, participants must arrive by 5:45 p.m. and pass a breathalyzer. After that, Fairhaven hosts a chapel service that starts at 6:30 p.m.
“To be able to serve really good meals that are enjoyable, I think that’s important,” Johnson said.
Fairhaven’s overnight shelter services are for men only. Fourteen of the 16 beds are for transitory nightly housing, while two are reserved for residents needing longer-term care. Like the nightly meals, residents must pass a breathalyzer test and present a valid ID. Residents are permitted to stay for up to 14 nights, have access to a shower, and are provided with a snack, pajamas and laundry services.
“There’s a myriad of reasons why people become homeless, and it doesn’t matter to us,” Johnson said. “What got you here doesn’t matter. We need to show you some love and compassion but at the same time – maintaining order and following rules.”
Fairhaven relies heavily on volunteer labor. While it does have 12 employees, eight full-time and four part-time, Fairhaven’s volunteers are the backbone of the operation. From Johnson’s perspective, their volunteers’ desire to serve others continuously is a primary reason for the mission’s sustained success.
“It’s all about loving people. It’s taking care to the best you can,” Johnson said. “Our volunteers – that’s why they keep coming back. They keep coming back to serve. They come back to lead chapel, to do the food pickups, to work in the kitchen, to volunteer at the thrift store, because they’ve all had that experience of it’s not just about us.”
The mission’s long-term residential New Life Program is next door to Fairhaven’s shelter. It’s designed to help men struggling with issues such as chemical dependency, chronic job loss, or unhealthy relationships. Participants live in the apartments next door to the mission. There are five beds in total.
Bryon Harvey, the program’s director, said it consists of a moderate work schedule at the mission, class work, group/individual counseling and requires that the resident has a full-time first-shift job. In addition, the program requires that participants save a majority of their earned income.
Like Johnson, Harvey started at Fairhaven as a volunteer. He told LINK nky that the most rewarding part of working at Fairhaven is seeing how far people come from the time they enter to the time they exit.
“That’s got to be the most rewarding, just seeing somebody going somewhere of promise, somewhere positive, into a place of blessing, and seeing how they carry it,” Harvey said.
