Month: January 2009

“Homeless deaths on skid row have decreased” – LA Times

Union Rescue Mission was glad to read the latest article from Andrew Blankstein and Cara Mia DiMassa of the Los Angeles Times about the decrease in deaths on skid row.

The number of people who died on downtown L.A.’s skid row has declined by 36% in the last four years, according to city records, the latest sign of major changes on what for decades has been the city’s epicenter of homelessness and drug-dealing. 

Excluding murders and suicides, 60 people died in the skid row area in 2008, according to Los Angeles Police Department statistics. In 2005, there were 94 such deaths. 

60 deaths is still far too many, 1 is too many, and we won’t slow down our efforts until the day when no deaths are reported and we live up to our title as the City of Angels with no human being having to live on the mean streets and sidewalks of Skid Row. 

At Union Rescue Mission we have taken several steps to assist in this effort.  During the summer heat in LA we deliver over 1500 bottles of cold water each day that the temperatures rise to 85 degrees or higher.  You can see a documented case on video of a man whose life was saved through URM’s efforts by watching the video below.  URM has also played a major role in slowing the dumping, or improper dropoffs of patients on Skid Row by area hospitals.  We’ve worked hard to make URM more welcoming and added  210 beds to help move people from the streets and supported the Los Angles Police Department with their Safer Cities Initiative.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Pray for My Friend G.

Yesterday, as I walked back to Union Rescue Mission from the Los Angeles Mission where I had just completed my term as President of the Los Angeles Central Providers Collaborative, I ran into one of my friends/guests from the Mission. He was weeping uncontrollably. He kept telling me, “You are the best person in the world, thank you!” Then he said, “Union Rescue Mission is the greatest place on earth! But I can’t stay!” My friend G. had been drinking. I believe that though he was intoxicated, he was absolutely sharing his heart feelings with me. I had some tears in my eyes as well. I grabbed his hand, and I told him that if Union Rescue Mission was truly the best, then he could certainly come back with me to the Mission and get some immediate help. He refused. I tried to direct him to a local 24 hour drop-in center where he could detox. He refused. I grabbed his hand, looked him in the eyes, and told him, “Remember G., if URM is the best, that means you can always come back, right?” As he walked into some of the meanest streets in the United States, I yelled one more time, “Go to one of our Winter Shelters!”, another man tried to direct G. back toward my voice, but he was gone. I walked back the remaining block to URM with my head down, praying against the evil forces that had taken hold of G. and were weighing him down, telling him he was not worthy of our love or care or anything else. As I continued walking I prayed for God’s hand of protection to watch over him on these mean streets of Skid Row. One of our (CLDP) program men caught me as I walked by our loading dock and asked me what was wrong. “That is hard on you isn’t it, Andy.” I answered, “Yes, it really is.” Our gentleman said, “What you have shared with us will stay with him, you’ve planted a seed of hope. When I was out there hitting bottom — that seed was always with me and brought me back here when I needed help.” Those were extremely encouraging words that I needed to hear at that moment. Please pray for my friend, G. Please also pray for the 150 men in our Christian Life Discipleship Program who are making it through one day at a time. Thank you.

Andy B.

“Shelter looking for site” – Glendale News Press

Jason Wells of the Glendale News Press reports on Union Rescue Mission’s urgent need to find a temporary site for the Burbank Winter Shelter.  

Operators of the winter homeless shelter at the Burbank National Guard Armory are scrambling to find an alternate location capable of housing 50 of their clients during two planned closures of their current site.

The Salvation Army of Burbank has agreed to take in up to 50 homeless people during the planned closures Feb. 6 to 8, and again for the same dates in March, but that would cover only half of the average crowd that uses the emergency winter shelter every night, said Carrie Gatlin, vice president of government relations and special project for the Union Rescue Mission of Los Angeles, which oversees the operation.

Click here to read the article.

Honored to Serve at URM

There is no question that working at Union Rescue Mission is both challenging and at the same time, a work of ministry, to say the least. Every now and then, someone takes a moment to share a life changing experience that they have had at the Mission, and then you know that all of the hard work and all of the challenges are more than worth it. Here are two stories I received just yesterday that lifted my spirits:

I received this one from someone I will call Rebekah;

“I came to L.A. in 2005 with only a few dollars in my pocket due to a serious family situation beyond my control. I landed at Union Rescue Mission where I was favored and taken care of. I was given shelter, food and clothing. Your case managers worked along with me and my working schedule. I was able to start working temporary as a legal secretary and after six months, I landed a permanent job. I am on my feet now with my own apartment and a nice car to get around the city. I’m back in school majoring in legal studies with a minor study in performing arts. Because of my wounds, it was very hard and challenging, but it is worth it. I will always support Union Rescue Mission and I thank you for allowing me to have another chance at life.”

Bill sent me this one late last night;

“It has been several years since I have been to Union Rescue Mission; the last time there was a funding event that I attended as a Board Member of Centenary United Methodist in Little Tokyo. Before that, our church had a youth mission project at Union Rescue Mission.

However, today I had the chance to engage with your staff once again as I was personally directed to help usher a young [abused] Crack addicted mother to a safe, and Godly nonprofit. It could have been that the timing was bad and it conflicted greatly with my calendar, or – it may have been so inspired by faith that I was simply in shock at the urgent role that your nonprofit (Union Rescue Mission) plays on skid row.

From the moment this mother and I walked into your mission, I could indeed feel the spirit move in [our] favor. We were asked to sit in the lobby, and a team of staff embraced this young mother’s needs.

One person guided us from one person to another, and then another… within 15-minutes (of our arrival), I met Mr. Colin Kakiza. He assured us that he would find the supportive services that were needed. With care, and Christ-like friendship Colin shared his love for this new client. Job well done!

However, the saga did not end there; this mother in need was guided to the patio, then (she) slipped out the back to Crack Alley, then to the park. Having produced a 2-year documentary on the skids (the bottoms)… I am well versed in this area, also well known and respected. I saw your new client sitting with a group of (drug) dealers. They hovered around her like bees on honey offering her their products. Not seeking to enter a beef with bangers, I returned to the mission to find security. I told Mr. Kakiza what happened, and he said ‘I will go back with you and we will get our client’.

Again, God was on her side and allowed her to flee. Rev. Bales, your staff member, Colin, provided Christ’s love and was ready to stand in the gap for a stranger. I’m not amazed at the courage of his heart, but – I am thankful for his service to your client, and the willing support he directly displayed for me.

May God continue to bless the Union Rescue Mission with the fiscal resources to grow a sustainable nonprofit on the front lines in the Kingdom.”

There isn’t much more I can say or add to these two stories, except, I am honored and blessed every day to serve here at Union Rescue Mission.

Rev. Andy Bales

Amazing Stories of Sacrifice

I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and sacrifice of many of our friends and donors who faithfully support Union Rescue Mission.

Let me give you an example:  Just before Christmas, we sent out a one-minute video describing the challenge that we face as we have tripled the number of families at URM.  In addition, we have experienced a 223% increase in the number of families coming to our Winter Shelters in Burbank, West LA and Culver City.  A good friend of the Mission saw the video and called to let me know that he and his family had decided together to skip their vacation in Hawaii in February.  Instead, they downsized their vacation  to nearby Palm Springs.  This isn’t the first time this donor has made a sacrifice like this, but it really touched my heart, that a family would put the needs of others as a high priority over their own plans.  It is hard to describe how much this act of kindness has touched my heart.

Then yesterday, we received a check in the ten’s of thousands of dollars from an elderly lady who lives humbly outside of the Los Angeles Area.  I will call her Rachel.  She has lived her entire life in a way that is focused on blessing others.  She is a coupon clipping shopper, invests in CD’s with the highest return possible, wears modest clothing, lives in a humble one bedroom apartment with the intent of giving all that she can to charity to assist others.  She lost at least 30% of her wealth in the latest economic downturn.  This had to be devastating to a person who gathers wealth solely for the purpose of giving to others.  Rachel is also facing a very tough time in her life when she must decide if it’s the right time to enter a care facility.  In spite of what she was going through personally, she still took the time to give all that she could to help our guests here at URM who are struggling with homelessness.  I marvel at Rachel’s tenacity and purposefulness in giving.  I want to be more like her.

Finally I had lunch with a very wealthy man today.  He could live in luxury 24 hours-a-day, spoil his children, and himself.  Instead he lives modestly, instills the value of work in his children, and resists the temptation to live the high life.  Instead, choosing to give his time, talents and treasures away to many worthy charities, including URM, and especially URM’s Hope Gardens Family Center.  He can’t imagine moms and children living in cardboard boxes on Skid Row, so he has committed 100’s of thousands of dollars and 5 years of his life to making Hope Gardens Family Center a reality.  He is responsible for rescuing many moms and children from the horrors of homelessness.  I was honored to be in his presence and to learn from his example.

Living examples of self sacrifice like these precious people cause me to take a closer look at my own life, and maybe order it a bit differently.

Luke 12:34 (TLB)
34 Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.