Last December, Pastor Tommy Tucker of New Direction Ministries and his wife, Elder Denise Tucker, began operating an Emergency Winter Homeless Shelter for men. Homelessness in St. Louis city disproportionately affects men, Pastor Tucker said, though a vast amount of resources are allocated to homeless women and children.
The shelter, located at 3517 St. Louis Ave. at Grand, sits in the heart of North St. Louis, an area Pastor Tucker said has succumbed to “deplorable conditions.”
“We’re not just a four-wall kind of ministry,” he said. “Our goal is to get out into the community to reach those people in that dark place that most pastors and church leaders really don’t want to go to.”
New Direction Ministries has established an ongoing partnership with the Rev. Larry Rice and the New Life Evangelistic Center at 14th and Locust Street, longtime advocates for the homeless.
At New Life, the men undergo an intake process prior to being transported to New Direction Ministries in a bus provided by Rev. Rice. Men are housed overnight on cots with warm blankets at New Direction after a hot meal and spiritual fellowship from Pastor Tucker and others within his ministry.
This is where The American met Robert Monigan, an elderly man who has been living on the streets since his release from prison in 2009. At the time, he only had $10 in his pockets and lacked direction on how to properly reenter society. His family rejected him and, he said, “I began living on the streets like everybody else.”
Deacon Roger Whitley has been with New Direction Ministries from the start and is all too familiar with how easily a person can fall on hard times. Once homeless and addicted to drugs, Whitley was led to Step into the Light Ministry for men suffering from substance abuse.
He said being part of New Direction Ministries is an empowering experience because it’s a constant reminder of where he came from.
“Because of God and Pastor Tommy Tucker, I have a ‘New Direction’ with faith in action,” Whitley said.
Stepping into the Light Ministry has also partnered with New Direction Ministries, fulfilling Pastor Tucker’s goal to implement a substance abuse program.
For 25 years, Pastor Tucker and his wife owned and operated Tucker’s Department store in the same space that currently houses the shelter before leasing the property and re-locating to Dallas, TX. It was ministry work that prompted the couple’s return to St. Louis six years later.
Pastor Tucker said the pair are “drum majors for the disenfranchised, those individuals who are looked down upon and don’t have a voice.” He said they privately fund all operational costs of the shelter that include building maintenance and utilities, which means New Direction Ministries is limited in the service it provides. Pastor Tucker would like to see increased support and compassion from the community.
“There are companies, corporations, churches, ministries, social organizations that could contribute a little and make a tremendous difference,” he said.
In a wish list, he requests clothing for men, women and children; metal bunk beds, cots and mattresses; blankets, sheets and pillowcases; food and personal hygiene products. They also need volunteers, the use of vans by churches and other ministries and gently used computers, with all donations being tax deductible.
On the upside, he recently secured a van which he hopes will increase the number of men who are brought to shelter. With additional funding, Pastor Tucker plans to rehab the upper levels of New Direction Ministries, expanding housing and space for other programs like literacy training and job readiness..
To be of service, contact Pastor Tommy and Denise Tucker at 314-680-5800 or email tuckerslimited@gmail.com.
