Cookeville Rescue Mission Searching For New Location

The Cookeville Rescue Mission has begun the process of finding a new location.

The Jefferson Avenue road project will soon swallow up about half of the current property.

Rescue Mission Executive Director Bruce Bailey said the board of directors will begin looking for property.

“It will have to be according to city zoning and codes and we will need to have a design of what the physical layout will look like,” Bailey said. “Hopefully between now and September we will be able to put some of those pieces together.”

Bailey said the relocation will need to occur within two years to meet the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s timeline.

“Anybody who has done a capital campaign knows that two years is almost an impossible task,” Bailey said. “We are praying hard and asking God to send people who have resources to help us find the right site.”

Bailey said the mission has also experienced a lot of growth over the years.

“We are about 45 people on a daily basis that we house, clothe, feed, counsel, and nurture,” Bailey said. “We grow at about 20-percent per year and we need to calculate that so we can anticipate what our needs are going to be.”

The mission’s board of directors plan discuss the relocation effort during a strategic retreat in September.

“We are bringing in some consultants to help us talk through that process and lay a solid plan down that we can present to the community,” Bailey said.

The Rescue Mission is currently located on the Corner of Jefferson Avenue and Davis Street. The facility has served more than 500 people since January of this year.