Panama City Rescue Mission

Faith-based finalists: On-the-street ministry and flexibility put addicts on the road to recovery | Suzanne Haberman

PANAMA CITY, Fla.—Eleven days sober isn't long for a lifelong alcoholic, but Tony White, 52, said repeatedly, "I've been sober for 11 days." That's seven in detox and four more in the Pathways program at Panama City Rescue Mission (PCRM), a homeless shelter in Florida's panhandle that features drug and alcohol rehab. He took a cigarette from behind his ear and studied it, rolling it between his fingers. His brown eyes were clouded and deeply bloodshot as he hung up his apron and stepped outside for a smoke between chores and chapel.

Where White stood near the corner of East 6th Street and Allen Avenue, homeless individuals, members of the general public, and Mission residents all mingled, slumping in the shade and resting their elbows on the dingy, peach-colored stucco walls of the mission. Only four days into Pathways, White had already faced a trial.