Founded in 1867, Olive Branch Mission was established by Rachel Bradley and a courageous band of Free Methodist women who dared to minister where few others would go. Not only is Olive Branch Mission the oldest rescue mission in Chicago, it is also the oldest and longest continuously operating mission in the United States.

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Historical accounts describe these devoted women traveling the streets and alleyways of Chicago, tending to the hungry, the homeless, and the dying. Anchored in Christian principles, they confronted the social injustices of their time and offered compassionate care to those most in need.

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Rachel Bradley’s early motivation was to provide women with a dignified alternative to prostitution and to address the growing crisis of young girls being forced into sex trafficking. As the work expanded, the Mission’s outreach grew to support homeless men, women, and children, as well as individuals struggling with addiction and living at the margins of society.

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The Mission’s founding came at a pivotal moment in Chicago’s history. The city was rebuilding after the Great Chicago Fire and rapidly filling with waves of European immigrants and newly emancipated African American families seeking opportunity and stability. In this moment of profound transition, Olive Branch Mission stepped forward with a bold outreach model—meeting people where they were, forming relationships, and restoring hope for those who felt broken, cast aside, or forgotten.

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From its beginnings to today, the Mission has remained committed to meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of each person, affirming the dignity, worth, and God-given potential of every individual.

Across wars, economic depressions, civil unrest, and shifting political, social, and theological theories about poverty, Olive Branch Mission has endured. Its commitment has never wavered: to stand with those who have lost their way, who face overwhelming hardship, or who have no place to call home.

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Olive Branch Mission declares that the lives of people surviving on streets, under bridges, and in tent communities can be reclaimed and restored—and for the very sake of humanity, must be. In caring for those who are struggling, we affirm our shared humanity and care for a part of ourselves.

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Today, Olive Branch Mission continues in its historic calling. We are in the work of human development—providing pathways for recovery, restoration, reinstatement, and re-entry into productive, fulfilling life.