The Life Line Mission is the new name given to what has been known for twelve years as the Red Hook Mission in South Brooklyn, at No. 412 Van Brunt Street. It is devoted exclusively to sailors, and has a good reading room, chapel and dispensary. Already this mission dreams of a Sailors' Home and seeks to reach all the vessels and canal boats in its vicinity. It is estimated that about 1,500 sailors per week visit Brooklyn, which is now a large shipping centre. We bespeak the sympathy of Brooklyn Christians for the Life Line Mission. 
          American Seamen's Friend Society, 1892

Sailors needed a safe harbor when they were on shore between jobs. The Life Line Mission was established to care for their physical and moral well-being, providing basic medical attention and books both as kindness and as an alternative to alcohol. The 1893 edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac listed the health facility as the Red Hook Medical Dispensary.