Education, Vocational & Other Program Best Practices for Rescue Missions
Why read this article and forward it to your program staff? This is our treasure trove of 25+ years of programmatic best practices collected from hundreds of missions, including:
Vocational Training
Third Party Client Training Curriculum in Recovery, Trauma, Financial Literacy & Job Training
Adult Education & High School Equivalency Training
Culinary Training and Food Services Best Practices at Rescue Missions
Aftercare Programs
Don’t have time to read this? Listen to the Podcast on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Others
At City Vision, we have the opportunity to meet with hundreds of rescue missions each year to learn about what they are doing to train and equip their clients. From those meetings I’ve been amazed at three things:
There are so many innovative ideas and tools that rescue missions are using to change lives, but unfortunately many missions are unaware of the wealth of resources that are being used.
There are a lot of missions that are essentially reinventing the wheel, developing way too much of their training resources from scratch rather than following a build vs. buy decision that would typically be considered in businesses.
One of the key challenges in identifying best practices is that a mission is looking for best practices in a particular domain, but they do not know which missions are the strongest in the network in that particular area.
To help address that, we’ve tried to gather as many resources into this report and a series of four podcasts where we highlight what the top missions are doing in a variety of areas. In addition to combining what we’ve gathered directly from our rescue mission partners, we have also used Google Deep Research AI to review the entire contents of every rescue mission website for best practices.
To really get the most benefit out of this, I would encourage you to listen to the podcasts linked below, but also to share this with your program staff. Below is a summary of what we are providing:
Podcast Episodes, Reports and Workshops
Podcast Episode S2E2. Rescue Mission Vocational Training Best Practices
This podcast covers various vocational training initiatives across numerous rescue missions, categorizing them by the depth of information and reported outcomes. These missions provide a broad range of training, from trade skills like welding and culinary arts to digital literacy and soft skills, often through on-the-job experience within mission-run social enterprises. Many programs emphasize industry-recognized certifications and strategic partnerships with educational institutions and local businesses to facilitate job placement. The podcast highlights a general challenge in the sector regarding standardized and transparent reporting of quantifiable employment outcomes from these programs. Some highlights include:
Cherry Street Mission offers training in automotive technology, building trades, culinary arts, forklift operation, machining, and welding. They even operate a food truck as a practical training ground for culinary and customer service experience. They report that 80% of their graduates are employed within 30 days, earning an average wage of $20/hour, with an impressive 70% job retention rate after three years.
Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries provides training in culinary arts, landscaping, video editing, web design, residential wiring, and small engine repair.
City Union Mission covers building trades, welding, manufacturing, warehousing, culinary skills, transportation, barbering, and IT.
Orange County Rescue Mission has a 12-week program teaching carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, and drywall installation through a hands-on building project.
St. Matthew's House leverages its various social enterprises—thrift stores, catering, and even farming operations—as practical training environments for retail, hospitality, and agriculture. They train and employ over 100 participants annually in their own operations, and approximately 40% of their entire staff are former program participants.
Springs Rescue Mission saw 72 graduates secure jobs in 2024 with an average starting wage of $20.25/hour. Many graduates are also hired internally.
City Vision University's Wounded Healers program reported a 94% graduate employment rate in 2023.
Union Gospel Mission Dallas uses partners for certifications in OSHA compliance and forklift operation while providing extensive internal training in food service, maintenance, and client intake.
Mel Trotter Ministries reported that their NextStep Wood program has a 77% job placement and retention rate.
For more information visit City Vision's Certificate Programs, Wounded Healers Program and Vocational Training Toolkit
Podcast Episode S2E3. Client Training Curriculum Resources for Rescue Missions
This podcast provides an overview of the curriculum tools and resources used by rescue missions to support clients in various stages of recovery and personal development. It highlights a range of third-party programs and academic partnerships focusing on areas such as addiction recovery, vocational training, financial literacy, and spiritual growth. The podcast examines in detail specific external curricula like Jobs for Life, Celebrate Recovery, and the Genesis Process, and how partnering with City Vision University can provide ministry clients with academic credit for some of these. The podcast also describes how ministry clients can provide training so clients can obtain industry-recognized certifications such as OSHA-compliant forklift licenses, ServSafe, and the National Career Readiness Certificate. Overall, the podcast shows how rescue missions can strategically integrate diverse external resources to enhance their holistic support services for individuals experiencing homelessness and addiction. Some highlights include:
Core Recovery Programs
Celebrate Recovery (CR): This is the most widely used Christ-centered recovery program in rescue missions. Based on a 12-step model, it explicitly identifies Jesus Christ as the higher power. Missions like Orange County Rescue Mission can become official CR sites or simply use the materials in their own groups. The primary cost involves leader guides and participant workbooks.
SMART Recovery: In contrast, SMART (Self-Management and Recovery Training) is a secular, science-based program grounded in psychological techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Interestingly, some missions, such as Las Vegas Rescue Mission, use both CR and SMART, offering clients a pragmatic blend of spiritual and psychological tools for recovery.
The Genesis Process: This program combines a biblical foundation with insights from the neuroscience of addiction. It aims to address the root causes of self-destructive patterns by exploring brain chemistry, subconscious triggers, and core beliefs. It requires a significant investment in staff training, but the curriculum also offers a direct pathway to 3 college credit through City Vision University.
Trauma-Informed & Discipleship Resources
Healing from past wounds is fundamental to lasting recovery. Missions use specialized, evidence-based curricula for this, including:
ACE Overcomers: Helps people process the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences.
Seeking Safety: An evidence-based model for co-occurring trauma and substance abuse.
Helping Men Recover: A gender-specific, trauma-informed program using structured manuals.
Foundational discipleship materials like The Purple Book and Living Free are also used to build inner stability and spiritual growth. Furthermore, missions like Las Vegas Rescue Mission are integrating formal clinical tools like the DSM-5-TR for diagnosis and the ASAM Criteria to determine the appropriate level of care, showing a move towards greater clinical sophistication.
Vocational & Job Readiness Training
To equip clients with marketable skills, missions facilitate industry-recognized external certification programs:
ServSafe: The standard food safety certification for the hospitality industry.
OSHA: Workplace safety certifications valuable across many trades.
Forklift Certification: A practical credential requiring both formal instruction and a mandatory hands-on evaluation.
Jobs for Life (JFL): A widely used evangelical program that connects ministries with local employers and boasts a 72% job placement rate.
ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC): A nationally recognized credential that measures foundational workplace skills.
Financial Literacy
Managing money is a non-negotiable skill for long-term stability. Missions primarily use two external programs:
Financial Peace University (FPU): Dave Ramsey's popular course is the most widely used Christian personal finance program, teaching budgeting, debt, and saving from a biblical viewpoint.
Faith & Finances (Chalmers Center): This program is designed specifically for adults with low incomes, addressing unique hurdles like predatory lenders and navigating benefit systems, while building supportive relationships.
See Research Used in this Podcast.
Podcast Episode S2E4. Adult Education & High School Equivalency Training at Gospel Rescue Missions
This podcast provides an extensive overview of Adult Basic Education (ABE) and High School Equivalency (HSE) programs within Gospel Rescue Missions, highlighting their critical role in transforming the lives of vulnerable adults experiencing homelessness, addiction, and poverty. It details how these educational services are often integrated holistically into broader recovery and vocational training frameworks, and it identifies common instructional approaches, including one-on-one tutoring, classroom instruction, and self-paced online learning. The analysis emphasizes the strategic importance of partnerships with local school districts, community colleges, and literacy organizations, showcasing specific software, online platforms, and assessment tools utilized. Finally, it shares emerging best practices for establishing and enhancing these programs, while also acknowledging current challenges and gaps in program specificity and outcome data.
There are a variety of approaches used by missions which include:
Union Rescue Mission LA has a deep partnership with LAUSD's Belmont Adult Day School, giving them access to credentialed teachers and established online learning platforms like Apex Learning and Schoology.
Miracle Hill Ministries in South Carolina partners with the Greenville Literacy Association, which brings its established GED and digital literacy programming directly to the mission site.
Learning Management Systems (LMS): Platforms like Canvas and Schoology are used by partners to organize content and track progress.
Digital Literacy Training: Recognizing that many clients lack fundamental computer skills, missions use curricula like Google's Applied Digital Skills and Northstar Digital Literacy. This is a critical prerequisite for taking computer-based tests and securing most modern jobs.
Assessment Tools: For initial placement, missions use diagnostic tools like CASAS and TABE. For test readiness, they rely on official practice tests like the GED Ready and HiSET practice tests, which provide a realistic gauge of a student's preparedness.
Curriculum Resources: A blend of digital and print resources is common, including online platforms like Khan Academy and traditional materials like the Kaplan GED Test Prep book.
Many missions also become official GED testing sites, like Rockford Rescue Mission, making it easier for clients to earn their high school equivalency.
Learning Centers. Many missions have dedicated physical spaces, such as the learning centers at Union Rescue Mission LA, Open Door Mission, Market Street Mission and Long Beach Rescue Mission.
One-on-One Tutoring: This common approach offers highly individualized instruction and often relies on volunteer power. The personalized attention is incredibly beneficial for learners with significant educational gaps or past trauma that makes traditional classroom settings difficult.
Classroom-Based Instruction: Prominent in missions with dedicated learning centers or formal partnerships, this method provides a set curriculum and peer interaction, often led by credentialed instructors.
Self-Paced Online Learning: Leveraging technology offers flexibility for adults balancing recovery schedules and other challenges. It is also essential preparation for the computer-based format of the GED and HiSET tests.
Individualized Learning Pathways: More formalized programs often use assessment tools like CASAS or TABE to create Individual Learning Plans (ILPs). This tailored approach respects each learner's unique starting point, pinpoints specific learning gaps, and maximizes the efficiency of instruction.
Blended Learning Approaches: Combine one-on-one tutoring, classroom instruction, and self-paced online learning.
Podcast Episode S2E5. Culinary Training Best Practices at Rescue Missions
This podcast provides an overview of rescue missions operating culinary and food service training programs, frequently leveraging social enterprises like cafes, catering services, or food trucks (e.g., Springs Rescue Mission's Mission Catering, Charlotte Rescue Mission's Community Matters Café, KARM's Abundant Life Catering) to provide essential hands-on, real-world experience. These programs increasingly emphasize acquiring industry-recognized certifications like ServSafe and cultivate crucial soft skills (e.g., communication, teamwork, professionalism) alongside technical culinary abilities, recognizing that a holistic approach is critical for sustained employment. Additional resources: City Vision's Food Services toolkit & Food Service Management Certificate. Some highlights include:
Knox Area Rescue Mission (KARM) in Knoxville, Tennessee, leverages two prominent social enterprises: Abundant Life Catering and the Urban Table Food Truck. Abundant Life serves as the main training ground where participants work alongside professional chefs in a high-volume catering operation, learning production, presentation, and logistics. The food truck complements this by offering experience in a fast-paced, direct-to-customer environment. This dual-enterprise model equips participants with a versatile skill set attractive to a wide range of employers.
St. Matthew’s House in Naples, Florida, has a robust job skills program connected to its restaurant, Lulu’s Kitchen, and its catering operation, Delicious by Design. Their commitment is so deep that they report hiring their own graduates, with an average of 40% of their workforce having benefited from the training programs. Crucially, they integrate significant soft skills development—resume writing, interview practice, conflict resolution—recognizing that these skills are just as critical as technical cooking abilities for long-term job retention and success.
Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) runs a Culinary Arts and Hospitality Services Program with its Cornerstone Bistro at the center. Characterized as an "apprentice-style restaurant," the bistro provides an unparalleled environment for immersive, real-world learning. Students experience the authentic demands of a commercial kitchen, making them genuinely job-ready. DRMM also tailors this model to serve specific populations, including individuals in the Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative.
Charlotte Rescue Mission integrates culinary training into its 180-day rehabilitation program through the Community Matters Cafe. A key takeaway from their model is flexibility. Recognizing that not all individuals are suited for culinary work, they developed an alternative Facilities and Maintenance track. Offering multiple vocational pathways respects individual talents and interests, increasing the chances of successful outcomes for more participants.
Springs Rescue Mission in Colorado Springs has a formalized culinary arts program with dedicated, professionally credentialed instructors. They seek candidates with ServSafe certification and affiliations with the American Culinary Federation (ACF) or National Restaurant Association (NRA), signaling a commitment to industry-relevant, high-quality training. Their catering social enterprise is a major success, generating over $800,000 in annual revenue, which illustrates the sustainability potential of this model.
Shelter KC in Kansas City collaborates with the Morrison culinary program, allowing them to provide specialized, high-level training to clients without having to build an entire culinary school internally. This smart, strategic approach allows the mission to focus on its core services while connecting clients to expert vocational training in the community.
Central Union Mission in Washington, D.C., has built a comprehensive partnership network for its workforce development program. This includes educational partners like saylor.org, community organizations like UPO and Strive, and even the AFL-CIO, suggesting pathways to union jobs. Their Pathways to Success model is notably holistic, including crucial post-placement support like apprenticeships and ongoing mentoring to promote job retention and career advancement.
Bay Area Rescue Mission and Gospel Rescue Mission of Tucson partner with local community colleges—Contra Costa College and Pima Community College, respectively. These collaborations connect clients directly to accredited, college-level culinary education, opening doors to formal certifications, degrees, and more advanced career pathways.
Most rescue mission food services programs could integrate with City Vision University’s Food Service Management Certificate. This 16-credit program can be completed in about eight months and provides a solid foundation in management, food costing, and kitchen operations. Most innovatively, CVU has a formal process to recognize the training that happens inside a mission's kitchen for university credit. Through its Teaching Kitchen Credit Recognition program, a mission's structured culinary training can be articulated and submitted for up to 30 university credits—nearly a full year of college. This creates a powerful and direct pathway from a mission's vocational track into accredited higher education, validating the skills learned and dramatically accelerating a client’s educational journey. This is part of CVU's broader vision to build a food services leadership pipeline, supporting individuals from entry-level kitchen roles all the way to executive leadership positions within the nonprofit sector.
See the research used for this podcast here. You can find any articles and research related to this episode as well as how we developed this podcast here or using the link below.
Food Services and Teaching Kitchen Workshop & Toolkit
We presented a workshop with Dr. Jeff Cook on “Developing a Teaching Kitchen & Food Services Employee Pipeline” at the Citygate Network 2025 Conference (slides). See recording below.
We also launched our Food Services and Teaching Kitchen Toolkit.
Best Practices in Aftercare Programs
We presented a workshop with Chris Hedlund on “Developing Effective Aftercare Programs” at the Citygate Network 2025 Conference (slides).
We also launched our Aftercare Program Toolkit, which is a part of our larger Rescue Mission Program and Counseling Toolkit.
Path to City Vision’s Wounded Healers Aftercare Program
City Vision’s Wounded Healers program has worked with hundreds of program graduates from 60+ rescue mission partners as an educational aftercare partner.
Most of the above curriculum and resources from Rescue Missions can be integrated into a path with City Vision University through credit recognition, as shown below:
Other Program-Related Podcast Episodes
We included these two episodes in our Season 1 podcast episodes because they represent the two best books on how rescue mission values are translated into programs and ministry approaches.
S1E8. More than a Homeless Shelter: A Perspective on Residential Rescue Ministry Programming Overview. This episode is an overview of the book by the same name by Chris Hedlund at Hope Gospel Mission. This book is the best summary of best practices of rescue mission programming.
S1E9. Called to Serve in Rescue Ministry. This is an overview of the book Called to Serve: Servant Leadership Jesus Style by Lorraine Minor. It has been used by many missions to teach rescue mission values and approaches to new interns and program graduates.
Partnering with City Vision on These Resources
City Vision University was founded in 1998 as the education arm of the Citygate Network (then AGRM) before getting accredited and becoming independent in 2008. We are an accredited online university by rescue missions for rescue missions. Our vision for this initiative is that CVU would serve as a major R&D hub for the rescue mission movement in the same way that Stanford has largely served as the R&D hub for Silicon Valley.
If you find these resources helpful, partnering with City Vision is the best way to get more resources like this. We have partnership agreements with 120+ missions and like to meet with nearly every mission at least once a year. If you would like to learn more about partnering and sharing resources like this, please visit our Partnership Page, Wounded Healers Page or email us at partnerships@cityvision.edu