Page 40 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2018

BACK BAY MISSION being the solution
Sustainability
Helping Back Bay Mission clients improve their lives
story by Lynn Lofton Sphotos by Neil Ladner
ustainability
is a word that’s heard often at Back
Bay Mission. That’s because the concept goes
hand-in-glove with their mission statement of Strengthening
Neighborhoods, Seeking Justice and Transforming Lives.
The Mission wants to respond
to clients’ immediate needs and to
go a step farther. “Sustainability
is a process of clients claiming responsibility for their own lives through knowing their value and that their lives have purpose,” Executive Director Dr. Alice Graham said. “When we respond to their emergency situations, we want them to know that this is not all God has for them; it’s not the end of their stories. We help them learn there are more options in life.”
For instance, she says a client was exposed to an art class “and just blossomed.” Another client — a recovered alcoholic — is now going
to homeless camps and doing what he can to help individuals there. “He can tell his story better than we can,” she said.
Graham points out that staff members do not tell people ‘you have to do this and this.’ “We ask ‘who do you want to become?’ We’re all about facilitating people in their efforts to move forward,” she said. “They may have family members who do not encourage them, but we do.”
Communication and sensitivity are at the core of the Mission’s sustainability focus. There are numerous opportunities for the 19 staff members to talk with clients, such as in the Micah Day Center and the food pantry. “As someone is shopping in the food pantry , a volunteer can walk with them and have a conversation to find out what’s going on with them and build relationships,” Graham said. “That’s a value that runs through all we do. These are human beings we’re encountering, and when they come in for services, they’re at low points in their lives.”
Graham, who has a Ph.D. in pastoral counseling, praises the staff, saying they were a gift to her when she took the position four years ago.
She and the staff want people in the community to know that those who come will be respected and treated with kindness at Back Bay Mission.
TWILA HOLLOWAY, Emergency Assistance Case Manager at Back Bay Mission, assists clients in the food pantry.
“Everyone can not be measured by the same stick,” Graham says. “We want to help move people forward, otherwise we’re part of the problem.”
With sustainability firmly embedded in the programs, the Mission is dedicated to being a path to a solution for those in need.
40 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • July 2018
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