The Good News Rescue Mission Secures a $2.2 Million Matching Grant From Shasta County’s Opioid Settlement Funds for a $21 Million Expansion Project Funded by the State of California

Jonathan Anderson, CEO of the Good News Rescue Mission (the Mission) in Redding was invited by Chair Kevin Crye to come to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors’ November 18, 2025, meeting, to make a presentation to explain why the Mission is requesting a $2.2 million grant from the County’s opioid settlement funds.   These funds are needed by the Mission to match an $18 million grant that was conditionally awarded to them from the State’s BHCIP’s* funds for a planned 75-bed in-patient substance abuse treatment facility, providing 30, 60, or 90-day stays for people needing medical intervention to break their addictions.  

As stated on their website, the Mission has been providing assistance to the homeless and needy in the Redding area for the last 50 years through sharing the love of God exemplified by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, providing emergency subsistence services (food, shelter, and clothing), providing long-term recovery services, and educating and equipping the people of Shasta County to effectively minister to needy people.  With Jonathan Anderson’s leadership, and through the “At Home” partnership (a group of agencies and elected leaders from the County and City), plans were developed to improve services to the needy which are being implemented in two phases. 

Phase one of the plan is currently being built and will be a $4.5 million adult day resource center that will provide a variety of social services and outpatient treatment to get people onto the right path.  Phase two will be the 75-bed inpatient treatment facility that will not only provide medically supervised treatment, but also provide life skills training.  The Mission had been working with the State to secure $18 million of grant funding for the project and had received a commitment from a lender for the remaining $2.2 million; however, three weeks ago, the State informed the Mission that it would not approve the project with the loan, even though the lender was calling it a “forgivable loan”.  Hence, there was an urgent and unexpected need to ask the County for the remaining funds. 

The key to the success of the Mission’s efforts (called The Road Map Program) has been to go out to the homeless camps and develop a rapport with the people living in them and to gain their trust.  Most of the people in the camps have an opioid addiction and need medical intervention to overcome it.  In California, it is unlawful to force people into a treatment program, so meeting them where they are and speaking to them is the first step in this process, which will lead them through various phases of assistance and training, spanning a two or three-year period.  The goal is to transition them into housing and a job so they can support themselves and have long-term success. 

The Mission also has a program called “The Journey Home” that provides bus transportation to program graduates, reuniting them with friends or family in another County.  The leadership team of the Mission has firm restrictions on allowing any out-of-the-area contracts for services so that the programs will be focused on local needs only.  However, the Mission will work with others outside of the county who request assistance and training to develop and run their own resource centers.

Supervisor Matt Plummer recused himself from the vote for funds for the Mission’s project since he has been associated with the construction company that has been slated for the building.  The County’s Health and Human Services Director, Christy Coleman, expressed her support for the project.  Board Chair Kevin Crye stated that County Sheriff Michael L. Johnson is also supportive of this.   After public comments, which were almost all supportive, a vote was taken to approve the allocation of the funds and passed 4 – 0. 

The Mission is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and relies heavily on volunteers and donations from the community.  As mentioned by Crye on his Sunday radio show on KCNR 1460, the salaries for the leaders at the Mission are well below a typical nonprofit’s salaries, unlike some of the other nonprofits in Shasta County and other areas.  Crye stated that he is extremely thankful for what Jonathan is doing and believes that this is an excellent opportunity to fund a program with a proven track record to make substantial decreases in the County’s large homeless population and free-up law enforcement by getting more people into the treatment programs they need instead of having to deal continually with the petty crimes that these individuals are committing.   It has been estimated that there are 700 people in the homeless camps in Shasta County and approximately 21,400 people are living below the poverty level.** The Mission has provided emergency shelter, meals, clothing, recovery programs, and other restorative services to over 13,000 individuals experiencing homelessness, poverty, addiction, or related challenges in Shasta County and northern California. This cumulative figure reflects their long-term impact in offering "a hand up, not a handout," as described in their mission materials. 

To learn more about the successes and programs at the Good News Rescue Mission, visit their website at www.gnrm.org. 

*BHCIP funds refer to grants awarded through California's Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP), a state initiative administered by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Launched in 2021 via budget legislation (AB 128, SB 144), the program provides competitive grants to address critical shortages in behavioral health facilities, including mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment infrastructure. These funds support the construction, acquisition, rehabilitation, and expansion of properties to create a full continuum of care—from crisis stabilization and residential treatment to supportive housing and mobile crisis services—prioritizing underserved populations like those experiencing homelessness, Medi-Cal beneficiaries, youth, veterans, and Tribal communities.

**ppic.org – California Poverty by County sourced from California Poverty Measure (CPM), averaged across 2021-2023