Atlantic City Rescue Mission Leader Highlights Mental Health Crisis

ATLANTIC CITY — Mental health challenges have overtaken substance abuse as the leading factor driving homelessness in South Jersey, according to the head of the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, one of the nation's oldest organizations dedicated to serving people experiencing homelessness.

Dan Brown, president and CEO of the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, shared that assessment during a recent interview with EWTN News Nightly, following a Vatican message urging the international community to place greater emphasis on addressing homelessness as part of efforts to create more sustainable cities.

"What we've come to understand is that mental illness has really come to the forefront as a very big factor in those who are experiencing homelessness," Brown said. "Over the years it's been addiction, both alcohol and narcotic kind, and then just traumatic family events, death of a loved one, things like that. But the largest number in recent years is really dealing with mental health."

Brown's observations echo concerns expressed by other organizations serving Atlantic City's homeless population. During a recent interview on WOND's AC Mike Lopez Show, Street Love Foundation Executive Director Liz Schneider said many of the people her organization encounters face challenges that extend well beyond a lack of housing, often requiring ongoing support and connections to additional community resources.

Founded in 1964, the Atlantic City Rescue Mission has grown into the largest homeless shelter in southern New Jersey, providing emergency shelter, meals, addiction recovery, job training, counseling, mental health services and long-term assistance for individuals seeking to rebuild their lives.

The Atlantic City Rescue Mission is one of several organizations serving the region's homeless population. While the Rescue Mission provides emergency housing and long-term recovery programs, community groups such as the Street Love Foundation conduct street outreach by distributing food, clothing, hygiene products and other necessities while helping connect individuals with shelters and support services.

Brown's comments came after the Vatican released a July 30 statement urging the United Nations to ensure homeless populations are included in urban planning and sustainability initiatives, saying the continued existence of homelessness "should trouble the conscience of the international community."

Nationally, homelessness remains a significant challenge. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2025 Point-in-Time count, an estimated 745,652 people experienced homelessness across the United States, including more than 266,000 living unsheltered on a single night in January. Although homelessness has increased substantially over the past decade, the federal report showed a slight decline from 2024 to 2025.

Brown said the Rescue Mission's work goes far beyond providing a bed or a meal.

"When someone steps through the doorway into the mission, it's their worst day," he said. "Our job is to serve them as we've been called to be servants to the poor and servants to the homeless, which is to really provide them with hope."

He added that addressing physical needs alone is not enough.

"If we just feed and house and don't share the Gospel, we've really done an injustice to that individual. So that's paramount," Brown said.

For organizations working on the front lines in Atlantic City, the message is increasingly consistent: helping people experiencing homelessness requires more than temporary shelter. Local service providers say lasting progress depends on expanding access to mental health care, stable housing, addiction treatment, employment opportunities and other long-term support while continuing to meet immediate needs for food, clothing and emergency shelter.