Our mission is to seek to rescue the poor and needy of the Knox Area by providing recovery services in Jesus' name.
Rescue, recovery and restoration - these three words represent both the promise of healing and the power of hope at Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM). Established in 1960 as the Knoxville Union Rescue Mission, we began as a shelter for homeless alcoholic men. Since then, KARM has been feeding the hungry, helping the needy and healing the wounds of lives shattered by homelessness, poverty, violence and despair. Indeed, our mission statement captures the commitment to this urgent need: "Our purpose is to seek to rescue the poor and needy in the Knox area by providing recovery services in Jesus' name." By reaching out to hurting, homeless men, women and children in Jesus' name, we seek to restore lives.
In addition to food, shelter and other basic necessities, we offer alcohol and drug counseling, group counseling, life skills training, parent education and family enrichment, educational opportunities and job training experiences. Our services are designed to repair the wounds of shattered lives and renew hope in people's hearts by reminding them that they are not discarded or forgotten. KARM is the only agency in the Knox area that provides emergency overnight shelter and meals to all homeless in need. In additional to meeting the emergency food and shelter needs of thousands, an additional goal is to move those in hopeless and desperate circumstances to a residential status of stability and hope.
Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) is a local Christian ministry devoted to rescue, recovery and restoration, who for over 49 years has worked to heal the hurting, feed the hungry, and shelter the homeless in our community. KARM is a key partner in the Knoxville Mayor's Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness and works closely with other agencies to help facilitate getting the homeless off the streets and into safe permanent housing. Our professional affiliations include membership in the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions and the Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability.
