Jeff Levine remembers pulling into the parking garage of the faith-based homeless shelter he operates north of Downtown, and God giving him a vision.

“It was like I was pulled out of the conversation and all I could see was an opportunity to create some space for this younger population,” said Levine, president and CEO of the Long Beach Rescue Mission.

That vision led quickly to plans for a new 12-bed shelter to serve one of the most vulnerable populations: Young men who age of the foster care system and have nowhere to go, and no one to guide them.

Renovations to the garage were projected to cost at least $650,000. Within 24 hours, Levine was able to raise $800,000, turning into “a vision into reality super quick,” Levine said. The funds came from county, with help from Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office, and a donor who gave $300,000.

On Thursday — the same day that the city conducted its annual homeless count — Levine gathered with his staff, officials from Hahn’s office, and Mayor Rex Richardson to break ground on new shelter, expected to open as early as this summer.

The shelter, named the Timothy House, will expand the Rescue Mission to serve young men age 18-24. It will add capacity to more 200 existing beds for unhoused men, women and children at the Rescue Mission, which provides hot meals, support and job skills.

Levine said the project will help catch these young men before they “get too far into the darkness,” helping them deal with childhood trauma and other challenges.

Jaylin Williams, who was part of a year-long program at the Long Beach Rescue Mission, said the mission has made a huge impact on his life.

“It will make a heavy impact on everybody,” Williams said of the Timothy House.

Williams said he was going from hotel to hotel and sleeping on the streets before he was accepted to the program.

“These are miracle workers and I appreciate them, they showed me the right things and told me the right things to put my back on track,” Williams said. “Following Jesus’ path, I’m becoming a man of God that I am today.”

Tone Crissinger came to the mission four years ago from a clifftop where he said he was going to commit suicide. Someone called him, telling him there was an open bed at the Long Beach Rescue Mission.

“I decided I would go take a shot and I came down there,” Crissinger said.

Crissinger remembers the first day going to the ministry, feeling the despair. Shawn Purdy, who was part of the ministry, had no judgment for him, which changed the way he thought and Crissinger remembered Purdy asking, “Do you want to start a future?”

He advised youth in a similar situation as him to not give up, “as long as you have breath in your lungs, there is a reason for it and we have to look in and find that reason and put Christ first.”

The one-year house manager said not only the ministry helped benefit individuals like himself but it helped bring a unified spirit that makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself.

“This particular building will have the potential of affecting hundreds of people in the future,” Crissinger said regarding the Timothy house. “These beds will be continuously used as people come and go and continue to graduate and start their lives.”

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The shovels used to break ground on a new shelter for young men at the Long Beach Rescue Mission on Jan. 23, 2025. Photo by Samuel Chacko.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson speaks to the Long Beach community during a ceremony at the Long Beach Rescue mission on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. Photo by Samuel Chacko.
Members of the community pack the small garage in Long Beach on Jan. 23, 2025 as they listen to Mayor Rex Richardson, Long Beach Rescue Mission CEO Jeff Levine and others explain how new shelter will impact the Long Beach community. Photo by Samuel Chacko.
Jaylin Williams, who completed a one-year program at the Long Beach Rescue Mission, spoke to members of the community about his experiences and the impact the rescue mission made in Long Beach on Jan. 23, 2025. Photo by Samuel Chacko.
Jeff Levine, president of Long Beach Rescue Mission, speaks with 60 attendees in Long Beach Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, about the Timothy House project and how the project came to be. Photo by Samuel Chacko.