Buffalo City Mission achieves $2.3 million goal for 'One Mission, One Hope' fall fundraising campaign

More people than ever before are looking for shelter during bitterly cold winter temperatures

The Buffalo City Mission announced today its "One Mission, One Hope" fall 2014 campaign reached its $2.3 million goal to help raise crucial funds necessary to sustain the agency's critical programs and services that help the region's homeless population. This year alone, the City Mission saw an increase in the number of individuals receiving assistance by 36 percent.

"I want to thank the Western New York community for their gracious generosity in supporting the mission's work. This year was especially challenging to meet our goal, as the need for the services and shelter the mission provides continues to grow," Buffalo City Mission Executive Director Stuart L. Harper said. "We have experienced a bitterly cold winter so far in 2015, with 12 'Code blue' nights since Jan. 5. As a result, the Mission is very full, setting up on average between 30-60 additional cots to help serve all of our guests. It's because of these rising needs that each year's fall campaign fundraising effort is so crucial to the Mission's ability to provide these life-saving services."

The City Mission has recently faced challenges with having adequate space for the proper care, treatment and attention to the influx of guests, and, as a result, the agency has developed a plan that addresses the capacity problem with a long-term solution: a $31.5 million expansion at the City Mission's 100 Tupper St., location to add 68 permanent, supportive, affordable housing units and double the size of its emergency capacity to 184 beds.

The expansion will allow the City Mission to treat the core issues of homelessness rather than just the symptoms. It will allow for programs that break the cycle of dependency like those that have been running effectively for over eight years at the City Mission's Cornerstone Manor facility.

The 2014 "One Mission, One Hope" fundraising campaign kicked off in October and ran through the end of December. The $2.3 million raised equates to 36 percent of the City Mission's annual operating budget. 

About the Buffalo City Mission

The Buffalo City Mission, founded in 1917, is a not-for-profit organization that provides preventative, emergency and long-term recovery services to thousands of people who are homeless or impoverished. The women and children's shelter (Cornerstone Manor), the men's community center, the mission automotive vehicle donation program and Dick Road thrift store exist to better serve the community. For more information or to partake in a tour of facilities, visit www.buffalocitymission.org or call 854-8181, ext. 431.