[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 7, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H1122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING WINCHESTER RESCUE MISSION

  (Mr. CLINE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Winchester Rescue 
Mission on celebrating 50 years of caring for the homeless in our 
community.
  In July of 1973, Morris Whitaker took out a $20,000 loan and bought a 
building to convert it into a homeless shelter for men, and the rescue 
mission was born.
  Over a decade later, the rescue mission extensively expanded its 
operations to help more people in need, adding a commercial kitchen, 
and increasing the number of beds.
  Most recently, the current CEO and executive director, Brandan 
Thomas, spearheaded the opening of a new four-bed shelter for women in 
a single-family home and purchased a separate building to add 15 more 
beds for displaced women.
  Brandan now has plans to convert a former restaurant into a homeless 
shelter later this year on Valley Avenue in Winchester.
  This new venture will offer even more services to help local 
residents without permanent housing address mental health and addiction 
issues, learn how to properly care for themselves, and find jobs and 
affordable housing.
  Communities all over the country face the, at times, daunting task of 
caring for large numbers of homeless people, but under Brandan's 
leadership, and the four others who led prior, the Winchester Rescue 
Mission has proven that with compassion, commitment, and selfless love 
to folks who need it most, anything is possible.
  Congratulations again to the Winchester Rescue Mission, and I wish 
them another 50 years of success.

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