Wayne Richardson Gospel Center Rescue Mission by Charleen Earley
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ccording to the 2017 census taken by the San Joaquin County Continuum of Care Point-in-Time, there are 1552 homeless – 985 sheltered and 567 unsheltered.
Wayne Richardson plans to eliminate any excuse for homelessness in Stockton.
Answering The Call It’s only been one year since he started his new role as full-time CEO of Gospel Center Rescue Mission (GCRM) in Stockton, where he took a sizable pay cut. He’s made quite the impact so far, but takes credit as a team. “In one year, we’ve made massive changes,” said Wayne. “What we’ve done is established a strong foundation, and have looked at every single expense.”
photos courtesy Gospel Center Rescue Mission
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An army brat born in Germany, Wayne, who lives in Stockton, learned to speak Spanish while his family lived in Spain and South America. A graduate from the United States
the current
Military Academy at West Point, he spent five years on active duty as an officer. Fa s t - f o r w a r d i n g to age 57, he has three grown kids and two grandchildren, and is now serving on the frontlines of homelessness, implementing his expertise in the field of combatting what many might feel is a hopeless cause. GCRM is taking the lead with their Recuperative Care Program, where homeless individuals are able to transition from a hospital to the type of care a family member would provide for them at home.
“We are the only recuperative care nonprofit in the county,” said Wayne. “We have a 22-bed facility.” Among all of their accomplishments over the last year, Wayne counts their causerelated marketing program as their highlight. “The ministry we do that I’m most proud of, is that we give everything proprietary away for free; we train our competition to learn how to fundraise!” said Wayne. “I believe that ‘all ships rise with the tide,’ and we need everyone in the county, all nonprofits, to benefit.” “It also establishes us
july 2017