The Latest

Azubike Odunze is a hired intake assistant at the Culver City winter shelter, having been employed since the first of December 2010. He helps new guests fill out their intake packets and is available to talk to any guest. Listening to the stories of guests is his favorite part of the job, because he is able to show that he cares to those who most need it. He also helps set up the shelter daily, handling bedding and storage at the armory. After a night of working, he says he goes home uplifted by the guests, saying everyone is “surprisingly upbeat.”

Check back tomorrow for another look into the guests of Culver City Winter Shelter.

Michael is an employed security guard at the Culver City winter shelter, working every day since December 2010. “God put me here for a reason, to help the homeless,” said Hendrikson. He said God placed this job on his heart and he answered to the call. While working security, he has provided 10 guests with job interviews and new job opportunities. His security job involves watching over the guests and checking them at the door for any prohibited items. However, Michael sees his job as an opportunity to encourage the nightly guests and serve them in any way he can.

Check back tomorrow for another look into the guests of Culver City Winter Shelter.

Matt came to California nine months ago from Arizona. He now lives on the streets in Venice, California. Matt, known as “Ghost” to the guests, has been coming to the Culver City winter shelter since the beginning of January and plans to continue coming every night till March.

Check back tomorrow for another look into the guests of Culver City Winter Shelter.

Every winter, the Winter Shelter Program opens four additional shelters run through Union Rescue Mission.

Culver City is one of these four, providing a warm and safe place to those experiencing homelessness in Venice, CA.

This week is a look into the Culver City Winter Shelter, bringing stories of those employed and staying as guests in the shelter. For many, this shelter has become home in the past few months and has served as a transition to a better life. The shelter will be closing March 15, and for many guests of Culver City winter shelter this will be too soon.

A few volunteers and staff members start setting up the armory and preparing for guests to arrive at 4:00pm. Beds are assembled, chairs are set up, bedding is brought out, and televisions are put into place.A truck from URM brings the food prepared and ready to be served.

Jacqunette Goods is the Culver City winter shelter Program Coordinator and oversees the afternoon set up and nightly guest check in table. The guests arrive in two buses starting at 5:00pm and are checked-in and walk through security before going to claim their beds for the night.

Check back tomorrow for a look into the guests of Culver City Winter Shelter with stories of those finding their way home through the provision of the winter shelters.

Caring Ministries visited Union Rescue Mission this past weekend with their “Celebrating Youth” talent showcase. On Saturday, February 12, visitors and URM guests watched the showcase performance including national finalists as well as a few URM youth acts.

Morris Bland, DeMonja Hayes, and Philip and Isaac Hephzibah entertained with an outstanding break dance routine to the song “Pump Up”.

This little performer shared his gospel gift with the audience.

The event was hosted by celebrity figures Alphonso McAuley, comedian movie actor; Harry J. Lennix, a movie and television actor for twenty years; and Camille Winbush, TV series star. After the event, guests received autographs and Whole Foods gift bags.

Caring Ministries mission is to provide a stage to all youth and talents despite any financial hardship. Thank you for visiting Union Rescue Mission and letting us be a part of such a great show!

Thanks to the generosity and hard work of our faithful supporters, please join us in celebrating Rev. Andy Bales as the Fundraising Success Magazine’s 2011 Fundraising Professional of the Year!

The honor was given in part due to the great efforts and miraculous results of our Save Hope Gardens campaign, which helped raise over $3.8 million dollars in just 37 days! Because of generous supporters and Rev. Andy’s persistent message pleading everyone to help us rescue precious women and children from returning to the streets of Skid Row, the campaign raised $1million more than the original goal.

Over the past year, it has been a goal of Union Rescue Mission to update our Donor Wall, an area on the 1st floor honoring many of our generous donors. Thankfully, we were put in touch with a wonderful artist from Illinois, Marg Rehnberg, who designed a beautiful, colorful and inspiring image that was put onto 4″x4″ squares to create a 20’x7′ image!

This weekend, we held a “Donor Appreciate Weekend” to celebrate not only the beautiful artwork displayed for all our guests and visitors to enjoy, but the generous donors who help make our work here possible.

Visitors arrived around 10am on Saturday, at which time they were able to help place the tiles on the wall (above is what the wall looked like at the beginning!), take tours, and watch a film about Union Rescue Mission.

Volunteers serving lunch even came out to help with the wall – everyone was excited to help and amazed at how it transformed the area. The mural is located in a main hall on our ground floor, where people are constantly walking by.

We also held a Praise and Dedication ceremony on Sunday, which included testimonies, history highlights, musical performances, and an “unveiling” of the wall.

Big thanks to EVERYONE who made this honorary wall and this weekends event a success – we are very grateful. And of course, thank you to all of our supporters who help change the lives of people here on Skid Row. It is only by partnering together that we can end homelessness as we know it in LA!

Every two years, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) conducts the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, as part of its mission “to support, create and sustain solutions to homelessness in the City & County of Los Angeles by providing leadership, advocacy, planning and management of program funding.”

LAHSA is the lead agency in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care and coordinates and manages approximately $74 million annually in federal, state, county and city funds for programs providing shelter, housing and services to homeless persons in the City & County of Los Angeles. They provide funding, program design, outcomes assessment and technical assistance to nearly 265 homeless services programs at nearly 100 non-profit partner agencies operating in the City & County of Los Angeles.

The count is a vital part of LAHSA’s services, which in turn benefit the guests of Union Rescue Mission. If you would like to help with the Count, please go to http://theycountwillyou.org . You can sign up with the URM Team by following these easy steps:

1. Click “Volunteer Now” at the top of the page. This will take you to the Volunteer page.
2. In the center of the page there will be a box that says “Sign Up to Volunteer” – input your email address. That will take you to the Registration page.
3. On the right hand side of the page input your information – in the box marked Team Name input “I will – URM”.