Your financial support fortifies our organization, so we can serve as pillar holding up the most vulnerable people living in Macomb County.
Offering one week of shelter to roughly 100
guests costs MCREST $5,250.
In a time when economic hardship is pushing more individuals and families toward homelessness, MCREST remains a lifeline for those without a place to call home. This year, your generosity can continue to lift lives and create stability for those who need it most. By joining our “We Lift Together” campaign, you’re helping us meet a growing need and supporting our mission to provide shelter, meals, and a pathway to self-sufficiency for each guest who walks through our doors.
Your Impact
Every dollar donated to MCREST supports critical services for those facing housing instability. Since 1988, with your help, we’ve provided over 2 million meals and over 680,000 nights of shelter to individuals and families in need. But as housing costs continue to rise, we face new challenges in providing this vital care. Macomb County is experiencing a 31% increase in homelessness, a trend affecting both adults and children alike—over 600 guests each year, including more than 25% who are children. With an average stay of 47 days, MCREST offers more than just emergency shelter; we offer a stable environment and comprehensive services that build a path toward permanent housing.
The Growing Demand for Shelter
With a sharp increase in housing costs, a severe shortage of affordable units, and a growing population in need, the demand for MCREST’s services has reached an all-time high. In our region, only 35 affordable housing units are available per 100 units needed, and the average rent is now over $1,100 per month. For those struggling with job loss, domestic violence, or health issues, finding stable housing can feel out of reach. MCREST bridges this gap, helping individuals and families transition from homelessness to hope.
How Your Support Helps
Your donation has a real impact, not only providing essentials like meals, shelter, and clothing, but also helping guests access resources that can transform their lives. From job training to securing vital identification documents, your support equips our guests to move forward with dignity and purpose. We rely on individual donations to continue this mission, and every contribution is a powerful investment in the well-being of our community.
Together, we can lift lives out of homelessness and into hope. Join us in the “We Lift Together” campaign and become part of a network of support that gives Macomb County’s most vulnerable residents a safe place to rebuild and the tools to thrive.
Every dollar counts.
Here is what your financial support enables us to do:
$5
Provides public transportation for a guest for 1 day
$10
Laundry for a guest for 1 week
$25
One night of shelter
$50
Gas to get someone back and forth to work for 1 week
$125
Feeds a family of four for 1 week
And a greater contribution makes a greater impact.
$5,000
1 Total Week of Shelter
Support a week of temporary housing for 100 guests when church partners are unable to accommodate us and we must house our guests in hotel and motel rooms.
$25,000
1 Total Month of Shelter
Sponsor a month of temporary housing for roughly 100 guests, including laundry services, transportation to the guest’s workplace, and three meals daily for each guest.
$10,000
1 Total Week of Food
MCREST provides each guest, including many children, three nutritious meals daily. With rising food costs, MCREST needs your support to ensure our guests don’t go hungry.
$125,000
Remaining Shelter for 2024
We are seeking a sponsor to help us ensure we can provide temporary housing to our residents the balance of the 2024 calendar year.
Our annual expenses near $1.6 million dollars.
We receive institutional support through grants annually, but stability in both the expected amounts and delivery times can be hard to come by. Individual donors finding space in their hearts and pocketbooks for MCREST's cause is integral to our financial health.
The future holds big things for MCREST -- we're moving full steam ahead on our goal to build a Men's Shelter on the property next door to our Women and Children's Shelter. Other future expansion goals include transportation services (currently we invest heavily the purchase of bus tickets to provide our guests daily), childcare assistance, self-improvement classes and student tutoring.
We have set our goal at $275,000.
You can be the difference maker in someone's life.
Meet Sandra Campbell
"My self-esteem was so low, and I knew I hadn’t done my best. I should have left him much sooner. It’s hard to live day-to-day like a normal family, doing things together when you’re constantly moving. The lack of stability weighed heavily on me."
“One day, we were staying in a hotel at 13 Mile and Little Mack. We had just received food stamps, and my ex-husband took us to Meijer on 13 Mile and Little Mack, saying he was going to park the car—but he never came back. I called a gentleman at MCREST named Fred, and he told me ‘Get your butt in here and bring those babies. I’m not going to let anyone take them away from you.’ Fred made me feel like things were going to be okay. Walking through those doors, he told me I was a good mom, and that meant everything to me. I felt like I’d done something right.”
“I saw kindness from people who had never met me but were willing to do everything they could to help me and my kids succeed. I had to change because it would have felt like a slap in the face to those who had helped me if I just moved on without growing.”
“It’s been 23 years since I joined the program. During that time, I was able to get my GED and a job that I truly couldn’t live without. Watching my children grow up, seeing them as parents and spouses, I know none of this would have been possible without MCREST.”
Meet Daniel Miller
“MCREST saved me—flat out saved me. I had nobody. When I had a
stroke that took much of my vision, everyone in my life disappeared.”
“I wasn’t going to let life beat me. I was a professional athlete for a long time; I’d had injuries and low points, but feeling sorry for yourself doesn’t get you anywhere. Never quit.”
“The amazing part is there are people who want to help. If you quit, it’s on you because they give you every opportunity to better yourself. When I first realized MCREST was where I’d have to be, I thought I’d call it quits as a human—I was done. But then I met my guardian angels. From the first time I came upstairs, everyone was great. I don’t remember who was at the window that day, but I felt comfortable.”
“Judy and Jane gave me a magic phone number for Kelly Shaw, a local landlord who I now love dearly. With her help and Judy’s help, I kept plugging away, trying to be patient as we waited for a place to open up. Kelly and I—well, I’d like to think we became friends.”
“MCREST needs support because they’re doing truly great things. If I had the money today—and I plan to fight my way back to make money again—this is the only place I’d trust to give it."
