At 61 and struggling financially, Michael never dreamed he’d be a full-time dad again. But his daughter, 8-year-old Michaeyla, needed him. So in 2017, he packed up his car in Florida, picked up his daughter, and moved to Los Angeles to start over.

“I already have four older kids,” Michael says. “So when Michaeyla was born in 2008, it was totally unexpected. I wasn’t afraid of it, because I come from a big family.

“But about the time she was born, the economy fell apart and I lost my job and my home. Then Michaeyla’s mother left because of drugs, and I had to give Michaeyla to her godmother to raise while I tried to work various jobs. I finally got tired of it. She’s my baby child and she was growing up fast. I wanted to raise Michaeyla myself.”

At that time, Michael felt that Los Angeles would be a good place to build a new life for himself and his daughter. But after he arrived, his plans quickly fell through. Facing homelessness and with his life savings disappearing fast, he came to Union Rescue Mission in November 2017.

“Bringing Michaeyla to Skid Row was a big concern,” Michael says. “There’s nothing nice about this area at all. But I figured this was my best shot to make it, for both of us.”

Over the next several months, the staff at Union Rescue Mission grew more and more impressed with Michael’s joyful spirit, work ethic, and his skills. “I worked as a building maintenance technician my whole life,” Michael says. “So I just started helping out all over the building, painting, that kind of thing. I guess they liked what they saw, because three weeks ago they offered me a full-time job here.”

Michael finally found the long-term stability he needed and the chance to start over with Michaeyla. “I owe it all to this place,” he says. “If it weren’t for Union Rescue Mission, we’d probably be on the streets. We always had three meals a day, a safe place to sleep, and clothes. And they really helped Michaeyla do good in school.

“Michaeyla is a special little girl. She’s smart for her age and I want to make sure she has a good future. I know I’m getting older. That’s why it’s so important I have this time with her, and it’s why I’m so grateful for the people who donate to Union Rescue Mission. They’re giving my little girl every chance to succeed.”

Union Rescue Mission is the only mission in Los Angeles that accepts single mothers and single fathers with children, intact families, and even families with teenaged boys. Without your support, many of these families would have nowhere else to turn. Most have no history of drug or alcohol addiction — they simply got trapped in a perfect storm of personal and economic losses that led them into a free fall all the way to Skid Row.

But thanks to you, these families experience the safety, stability, and long-term support they need to heal and to rebuild their lives so they can escape homelessness forever.

It’s an unimaginable tragedy. Every day, it seems Union Rescue Mission is squeezed even further to care for the increasing numbers of families who find themselves devastated by homelessness for the first time. For many, Union Rescue Mission is their last resort — we are the only rescue mission in Los Angeles that aids single men, single women, single moms with children, single dads with children, two-parent families with children, and families with teenage children.

We are determined to never turn away anyone who needs our help. But we’re facing significant challenges as we offer food and shelter to more people than ever before.

Your generous gift of $25, $35, or more will help provide frightened, hurting families with hot meals, safe shelter, and real help at a time when hope seems hard to find. So please send the most generous gift you can today. Thank you!