Building Communities through Credit Counseling 

Our Mission | Credit Counseling

Our purpose is to strive to change behavior and prevent crime, by providing crisis intervention, and counseling, decent and affordable housing in an atmosphere of trust.

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About RCSM

Rapides Station Community Ministries (RSCM) is a faith-based non-profit organization created in 1990 to assist families toward positive academic, social and character development of their children in Rapides Station, Boyce and Alexandria, Louisiana. Additionally, RSCM, a HUD-approved counseling agency, extended its outreach to provide decent, safe, sanitary and affordable homes to families in Central Louisiana.  Meet our staff.

RSCM has a proven track record in providing high-quality educational programs to young children and their families. From 2002-2010, RSCM received more than $2.3 million from the Louisiana Department of Education (DOE) to operate the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and the 21st Century Community Learning Center programs in Rapides Parish.

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    In working with students and their families through educational programs and activities, RSCM’s director and staff discovered that healthy families needed safe communities and safe, sanitary, decent and affordable housing. Thus, RSCM became engaged in many home ownership activities and received more than $10 million from the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency (LHFA) to provide affordable housing to low-income families throughout Louisiana. RSCM has built approximately 40 single family homes, in which 20 were built in a one-year period. Also, from 2010-2013, RSCM participated in the LHFA’s Non-Profit Rebuild Pilot Program designed to assist families affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in St. Tammany, Washington, Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes. RSCM assisted five (5) families reconstruct their homes, and 20 families in rehabilitating their hurricane-damaged home. Additionally, RSCM has developed a 17-unit, 202 HUD Senior Citizen Housing Development, and an 8-unit housing development for low-income families. Both are located in Boyce, La.  

Our Services

Rapides Station Community Ministries is a certified counseling agency of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development. RSCM is the only certified counseling agency in Central Louisiana.


The following services are provided:

⚪ Fair Housing Pre-Purchase Education Workshops

⚪ Financial Management/Budget Counseling

⚪ Home Improvement and Rehabilitation Counseling

⚪ Mortgage Delinquency and Default Resolution Counseling

⚪ Non-Delinquency Post Purchase Workshops

⚪ Pre-purchase Counseling

⚪ Pre-purchase Homebuyer Education Workshops

⚪ Predatory Lending Education Workshops

⚪ Rental Housing Counseling

⚪ Services for Homeless Counseling

Meet Our Staff

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Executive Director

Dr. Joe S. Green

Dr. Joe S. Green is the founder and executive director of Rapides Station Community Ministries, governed by a seven-member Board of Directors who brings expertise from ministry, military, industry, management, banking, education and business.

 Dr. Green is a visionary who brings extensive expertise from a range of fields, including community development, community relations, labor and housing. He is the pastor emeritus of St. Matthew Baptist Church, where he served for 30 years. Under his leadership, the church’s membership grew from 38 to more than 1,000.

office manager

Office Manager/Housing Counselor

Linda Venson

Linda Venson, a native and resident of Alexandria, is the office manager of RSCM. She has been with the organization since 2007. Linda brings a wealth of knowledge to RSCM having worked in banking 18 years before joining the team. Linda is a member of St. Matthew Baptist Church in Boyce, La., and she is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

In addition to facilitating the organization's daily operations, she is a certified Housing Counselor who assists first-time homebuyers in the process of purchasing a home. She also offers credit counseling to those who want to improve their credit ratings.

program director

Program Director

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Sherri L. Jackson

Sherri L. Jackson, a native of Hammond and resident of Alexandria, is the Program Director, who is responsible for managing the agency’s various programs. Joining the organization in 2010, Sherri is an educator and former journalist, who has expertise in community development and housing.

In addition to her work at RSCM, Sherri is an ordained minister at St. Matthew Baptist Church. She is pursuing a Master of Divinity from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

FAQs

Have a question? We are happy to help. Call us at 318-487-9254

  • Can you tell me more about Rapides Station Community Ministries, Inc. (RCSM) ?

    Rapides Station Community Ministries (RSCM) is a faith based non-profit organization for credit counseling that was created in 1990 to assist families toward positive academic, social and character development of their children in Rapides Station, Boyce and Alexandria, Louisiana. Additionally, RSCM, a HUD-approved credit counseling agency extended its outreach to include providing decent, safe, sanitary and affordable homes to families in Central Louisiana. RSCM has a proven track record in providing high-quality educational programs   to young children and their families involving credit counseling. From 2002-2010, RSCM received more than $2.3 million from the Louisiana Department of Education (DOE) to operate the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and the 21st Century Community Learning Center programs in Rapides Parish. In working with students and their families through educational programs and activities, RSCM’s director and staff discovered that healthy families needed safe communities and safe, sanitary, decent and affordable housing. Thus, RSCM became engaged in a multitude of home ownership activities and has received more almost $10 million from Louisiana Housing Finance Agency (LHFA) to provide affordable housing to low-income families throughout Louisiana.  RSCM has built approximately 40 single family homes, in which 20 were built in a one-year-period. Also, from 2010-2013, RSCM participated in the LHFA’s Non-Profit Rebuild Pilot Program designed to assist families affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in St. Tammany, Washington, Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes. RSCM assisted five (5) families in reconstructing their homes and 20 families in rehabilitating their hurricane-damaged home.

    Additionally, RSCM has developed a 17-unit, 202 HUD Senior Citizen Housing Development, and an 8-unit housing development for low income families. Both are located in Boyce, La.  

  • What is the Boyce Farmer's Market?

    In 2014, RSCM was awarded $175,000 to help Boyce Farmers Market in Boyce at 521 Pacific Ave. USDA Rural Development awarded the money to RSCM to help bring fresh produce to Boyce, which doesn't have a grocery store. 

  • What is the best way to contact?

    There are multiple ways to contact the team at RSCM. The most immediate source of contact is by phone, at 318-487-9254. You may also email us at rscm1429thirdst@yahoo.com, or submit a form on our contact page