Couple Find Mission in Helping Homeless

The Ventura County Rescue Mission is in the business of rebuilding lives torn by abuse and addiction.

Jerry Roberg and his wife, Carol, who have lived in Oxnard for the past two decades, are on the front line of that effort, devoting their lives to helping others.

“My wife and I will celebrate 11 years with the Rescue Mission on Sept. 1,” said Jerry Roberg. “I’m the head and she’s the heart of the mission. We are reaching out to those in most need of our assistance.”

The Robergs are directors of the Rescue Mission Alliance, which operates the mission in the La Colonia section of Oxnard.

Carol Roberg said there has been an increase in the number of mothers with children among the homeless population. The increase led the mission to establish the Light House Family Transition Center for women and children.

“Among the homeless, 32 years of age is the national average, but it’s younger in this county, and we have many more women and children,” she said. “We have 30 beds for women and children, but we could easily fill 60 beds.”

The Robergs, who originally intended to become missionaries overseas, eventually decided to work domestically and settled in Oxnard. They have worked closely with nonprofit Operation Work, which provides job and career training for the homeless. Thirty-four area churches provide assistance at the 20,000-square-foot mission.

“We need to find the people who want to be helped. We have to be the first rung on the ladder that gets them going,” Jerry Roberg said. “Many are subjected to hunger, deprivation and cold, and nearly 30% of the homeless suffer from mental illness.”

Roberg said the rescue mission blends spiritual guidance with vocational training.

“We can keep constructing buildings, but the most important work we do is the building of lives and how those restored lives are benefiting the community,” he said. “That’s what makes me excited.”