A road to redemption, and a calling to share it.
It began with one act of compassion. It grew into two homes where broken lives are made new.
The heart behind these homes.
A pastor who walked this road himself, a wife who has built this ministry beside him, and a CEO who watched her own brother come back. One conviction between them: no one is defined by their past.
He knows the road back.
Doug and his wife, Connie, have been pastoring at Mission City Church since 1997. They have three beautiful daughters and four grandchildren, who are the joy of their lives. They love spending time together as a family, whether they're out on the boat, taking walks along the river, or making memories with their grandkids.
Doug has always had an adventurous spirit and loves living life to the fullest. But beyond his love for adventure is a deep passion for people. Having come from a personal background of drugs and addiction, Doug understands the power of redemption and the difference that hope, love, and someone believing in you can make.
That experience has given Doug a particular passion for reaching people who are lost, hurting, and struggling to find their way. He believes that no one should be defined by their past, and that every person deserves the opportunity to discover hope and a new future.
Every life has value.
Connie serves as the Business Manager for the Coalition of Tracy. Having lived in the Tracy area since grammar school, she has a deep love for the community and its people. Connie met her husband, Doug, in 1994, and together they built a life centered on faith, family, and serving others. They are blessed with three daughters, two sons-in-law, and four wonderful grandchildren.
Since 1997, Doug and Connie have faithfully pastored and served the City of Tracy, walking alongside individuals and families through life's joys and challenges. Their years of ministry have given them a deep understanding of the struggles many people face and a lasting commitment to bringing hope to those in need.
Connie recognizes that many of the men served by the Coalition have experienced hardship, loss, and brokenness. Through compassion, encouragement, and practical support, she is committed to helping each man turn the page to a new chapter filled with hope, healing, and renewed purpose.
She watched her brother come back.
Danielle watched her own brother live through addiction and homelessness, and then watched God restore his life completely. Seeing that transformation up close gave her a deep compassion for people who are struggling, lost, and hurting, and it shaped a lifelong commitment to helping others find the same hope her brother found.
She has served the homeless community in Tracy for more than ten years. She spent two years on the Coalition's board before stepping into the role of Chief Executive Officer in May 2026.
That is Danielle's hope for every resident of Emerson and Rochester House: freedom, healing, and transformation, and a life he steps into on his own two feet.
It started with a hot shower.
In 2009, one Tracy man decided the people living on our streets at least deserved to be clean and warm. That small act of dignity became a movement.
In 2012, Emerson House opened as a transitional home for men ready to leave homelessness behind. In 2015, Rochester House followed: a supportive home for formerly homeless men, including those living with disabilities, where they could stay for good.
Today these two homes stand as proof that one person who refuses to look away can change a whole community.
The people behind the mission
A small team carrying a big calling, and a volunteer board that keeps this work accountable.
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."2 Corinthians 5:17
