Union Rescue Mission in LA is the oldest Rescue Mission in Los Angeles and the largest Mission of its kind in the United States. One of our best kept secrets to success is the impact volunteers have on our organization. We have nearly 14,000 volunteers that come to give of their time throughout the year. This allows us to house over 1,000 people a night at Union Rescue Mission downtown and our Hope Gardens Family Center in Sylmar and feed more than 3,000 meals each day at a greatly reduced cost, as volunteers join our staff to prepare and serve the meals, teach in our learning centers, tutor children, carry out special activities, and provide much needed love to our guests. This ability to serve our guests well at a greatly reduced cost is an incredible benefit, but it does not come close to the benefit received by the delivery of much needed love by our volunteers. One very special volunteer in our cafeteria shows up to serve the guests each day, and does so faithfully, but she also has a nearly 50 lb. purse loaded with candy that she hands out to the 130 children under our roof, and to the nearly 400 grown men as well. Getting candy from anyone is special, but it is the love that this volunteer and the candy represents that is so life-changing to children and adults who have been devastated by homelessness.
I credit the difference inside our Mission, as compared to the violence surrounding us on the streets of Skid Row, to the love delivered inside Union Rescue Mission by volunteers. While the streets around us are filled with crime, drug use, violence, and even death, once inside URM there is warmth, peace, hope and life. Our committed staff plays a part in this, but our swarm of loving volunteers transforms the environment.
URM is not the only beneficiary. I once had a poster inside my office with a Dr. Martin Luther King quote: “10 steps toward getting rid of the blues: do something for someone else and repeat it 9 nine times!”
I have followed that principle in getting the blues/depression out of my own life, and I believe that our volunteers have learned this secret as well. Nothing is more satisfying or healing than giving yourself and your time away to others who are struggling in our society.
I have had friends find their life’s passion and work by taking time to volunteer. A friend of mine had a passion for carpentry. He had an office job, but came down, volunteered at our Mission, and built a wonderful stack of strong shelves for our food storage. Soon he volunteered for other building projects and realized what a gift he had for building. He now builds $1,000,000+ homes. I am still looking for my own hidden talent like that! :)
Another friend of mine, a CFO for an insurance company, met me for lunch and shared his heart with me. He had a burden for young people experiencing homelessness. After our meeting, he volunteered in our work. He found his life’s calling and purpose. He left the high paying job to launch a very successful program for young people. It is called Hope For Homeless Youth. Taking that first step into the waters through volunteerism helped him discover his passion and make a huge impact on his community.
We’ve recently had several large corporations join us at URM for, what I call, Acts of Kindness Day. We line up about 12 acts of kindness throughout our building and our community; delivering cold water to people on the streets, handing out socks and sandwiches, working in our kitchen, BBQing for our families on the rooftop, karaoke with our kids, volleyball in the gym with our guys, footwashing along with new socks and shoes for our men and women. Certainly our guests were blessed by these events, but I believe that the corporations experienced a wonderful time of team building and joy.
As you can tell, I believe in volunteerism for selfish reasons. Volunteerism makes my job easier, helps me achieve our Mission’s objectives, and transforms our environment. However, I also appreciate volunteerism for some selfless reasons, as I watch the positive life changing effect it has on those who volunteer.
For more information on how you can become involved, check out our Volunteer Page!
Next week we are launching our new website! We want to make sure it’s the best it can be, and we need your help. Could you take just a moment and answer our poll? Thanks so much!
“The King has one more move – God has plans for you!”
This was the message that our Men’s Christian Life Discipleship Program graduates were encouraged by as they celebrated graduation on Sunday, November 1st. Albert Tate, Intergenerational Pastor of Lake Avenue Church, spoke to 30 graduates and a full Chapel (it was standing room only!). He spoke about David, who was considered small and unimportant to most, but not to God. God had a plan for his life, just like he has a plan for each and every one of us.
He also told a story about two friends visiting a museum, one a teacher and the other a professional chess player. They encountered a painting of a chess board and a few chess pieces, titled “Check Mate”, which the teacher was rather uninterested in. He went about the museum, looking at the other pieces until finally it was nearly closing time. He went back to his friend, and found him still studying the chess painting. “This picture is wrong, ” he said, “It is not checkmate. The King still has another move. The game is not over- the King has another move!!” His powerful message reminded us that God has a plan for our lives – the enemy has not won, because the King still has one more move.
The program included musical performances by Rick Austin, and short speeches from Rev. Andy Bales, Chief Programs Officer Rev. Steve Borja, and Messengers Group Chaplain Rev. Rodney Tanaka. Anthony Armstrong, Rickie Furnal, Donald Jelks, and Raymond Peters, of the graduating class, also shared with the group some of their personal testimonies and words of appreciation. Afterwards, there was a delicious meal served in the dining room. Graduates and guests enjoyed roast beef, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and salad, and of course cake and ice cream! All in all, it was a great time of celebration and encouragement as these men enter a new phase in their lives!
Thank you to everyone who made this celebration a success, and congratulations to the new graduates!
I guess you could say we take giving thanks pretty seriously here at Union Rescue Mission. Our guests are thankful to be off the street and to have a safe place to sleep at night. The men and women enrolled in one of our life transformation programs are thankful for the opportunity to rebuild their lives with the help of loving case managers and chaplains dedicated to helping them succeed. Our growing population of families who are experiencing homelessness for the first time are thankful that we have stepped up to meet the needs of whole families and single dads with kids. Last but not least, our staff and team of dedicated volunteers are eternally grateful for the sacrificial giving of our donors that allows us to do all that we do.
Needless to say, we take Thanksgiving pretty seriously too! Our Thanksgiving celebration is a time for us reach out to the community we serve and shower them with love, attention and of course great food. And for many of the guests who attend our special celebration, it’s the first step in their journey toward home.
Take a moment to watch this special Thanksgiving video and see first hand the difference you are making in the lives of so many people.
Thank you to Albertsons for awarding Union Rescue Mission with a $2,500 grant!
Albertsons started a new initiative called “Fueling the Community” to help non-profits with the transportation costs of picking up Gifts in Kind from Albertson’s stores throughout LA. Union Rescue Mission was awarded a full grant of $2,500 which we will use to cover the costs incurred from picking up food donations from Albertsons Stores in LA, Glendale, Burbank and Santa Monica.
Union Rescue Mission, in partnership with Giving Children Hope and Fundación Salvadoreña (known as FUSAL) delivers pharmaceutical supplies to needy families in El Salvador.
Story by Joe Callahan, Director of Gifts-In-Kind, who recently went to El Salvador to help those in need.
(Proud mothers with healthy babies delivered at the hospital)
El Salvador is a beautiful country. It is green, tropical, and filled with natural beauty that took my breath away as I toured the county. However, El Salvador has many who live without running water, without electricity, and without the things most 21st century people take for granted. Among the things many Salvadorians live without are nutritional food, quality medical supplies, and medical care. FUSAL is providing the boots on the ground in El Salvador where they are working to make a difference for the poor people who need their help. Gabriela de Hurtado, MD, was my tour guide and interpreter while I visited two FUSAL assisted hospitals and a program site, and spoke with some of the people being helped through our cooperative efforts in El Salvador.
(Dr. Gabriela de Hurtado standing next to a FUSAL vehicle, taken on the last day of my visit in El Salvador.)
In this shipment, FUSAL received medicines for use to combat intestinal disorders, vitamins, antibiotic creams, and antibiotic pills and tablets. These items, and other medical supplies provided by Union Rescue Mission and Giving Children Hope in previous shipments, are making a difference for the people of El Salvador. The following programs are being operated by FUSAL:
Medical Aid Distribution Program – distributes medical supplies
Libras de Amor (Pounds of Love) – distributes food and provides nutritional training, including training to raise chickens or other animals for food and as sources of income.
Education Programs – classrooms for the many children who have dropped out of school to help support the family.
Luis Poma Training Center – Adult professional development in support of FUSAL programs.
I was honored to see how God’s work is being done in El Salvador. This outreach program is possible because of the support Union Rescue Mission receives from our donors and the cooperation of Christians working with us at Giving Children Hope and FUSAL.
(HOSPITAL DE MATERNIDAD LADIVINA PROVIDENCIA – a remote maternity hospital)
(Dinner is being prepared on a wood burning stove in a home occupied by 2 families in a remote area outside of San Salvador)
The final step of “What We Do” is Restoration. It combines everything that has been gained throughout the other three steps and allows people to ‘find their way home’. Upon successful completion of one of our Life Transformation Programs, we encourage people to stay with us long enough to secure stable employment, and save up enough money to not only cover the initial expenses associated with moving, but also to build up an emergency fund. We also love to see that people have an established support circle outside the mission before they leave – whether it is family or through one of our church partners.
Please take a moment to hear Olga’s story of how she has found her way home.
Over 100 Wells Fargo employees, friends, and family member teamed up with Union Rescue Mission last Saturday, October 24th, for the Wells Fargo “Acts of Kindness” event. The volunteers engaged in what we do here at URM in a variety of ways- from serving ice cream in the guest Chapel, going on water walks, distributing sack lunches and Gatorade, and even singing karaoke and double-dutch jump roping with the kids. The event was a huge success for both volunteers and recipients of the acts of kindness.
The event began at 9:00am with a brief program hosted by former LA Lakers star, AC Green. The goal of the Wells Fargo “Acts of Kindness” Day was to assist in supporting programs that directly benefit and empower working poor men, women and families experiencing homelessness- and it did just that.
This event was a great reminder of how important it is for us as a community to join together to help others – what we do together is larger than any of us as individuals. Andy Bales, URM CEO, states, “Generous individuals from amazing corporations like Wells Fargo engaging on the streets with people who are homeless will play a vital role in moving toward the day when not one person is left on the streets of Skid Row.”
Thanks to the Wells Fargo Volunteers for all your help and support!!
Union Rescue Mission’s initiative to end homelessness in Los Angeles.
We cannot live up to our name, the City of Angels, while leading the Nation with the highest population of homeless individuals and families living on the streets of our Community. Los Angeles County has 3% of the nation’s total population, but 10% of its homeless population. It’s time for the people of Los Angeles to rise up and take positive action to bring an end to the epidemic of homelessness in our community. It is time to replace homelessness with hopefulness. Hope for a better life off the streets and help from those individuals and organizations who can pull together to make this a reality.
We need a coordinated set of strategies to address this problem. One size does not fit all – no single strategy will work for everyone who is experiencing homelessness. Homelessness is a complex issue with a variety of underlying causes that require different solutions. When you get to know the people who are living on the streets you’ll find that they are usually struggling with some deep, emotional pain: the result of abuse, neglect, or trauma of some kind. This unresolved pain leads to a withdrawal from community and healthy relationships, if in fact, they ever existed. The pain often leads to addiction as a coping mechanism which causes the individual to spiral downward. The earlier the pattern starts, the more likely that there will also be a lack of life, educational, or vocational skills. Finally, serious mental or physical health issues can compound the problem, making recovery very difficult. Most of the men and women who are struggling with homelessness experience some combination of these elements.
The longer one remains in a state of homelessness, the more damage is done and the higher the barriers or obstacles to overcome. Finding solutions then comes down to a question on an individual level of the severity of the barriers or obstacles to overcome, the resources that can be brought to bear to address the challenges, the motivation level of the individual to accept help and work through his/her issues, and the level of support given by the community.
With your help, we are launching an initiative to reduce the population of people on the streets of Skid Row by 90% in 3 years, cut the number of people who are homeless in LA County by 50% in 7 years, and in 10 years end Los Angeles’ reign as the Homeless Capitol of the United States. We are calling this “You Are the Mission” because it’s a challenge for all of us. You are the Mission to end homelessness in Los Angeles!
The following is not a comprehensive solution, but outlines a 10-step framework to help us reach these goals.
1. Heart Change. We need to change the way we talk and think about people who are homeless. We need to stop saying the homeless, addicts, transients. These are precious people, made in the image of God, who are currently experiencing homelessness. People should never be defined or labeled exclusively by their current condition. They are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters. We don’t see the potential and possibilities within people when we label them. When we look the other way and choose to ignore them, we de-humanize them and diminish their value. We need to look into our own hearts, change our thinking, learn to say “but by God’s grace, there go I” and ask “What can I do?” to make a difference.
Action Steps:
Take time to get to know individuals experiencing homelessness. Hear their stories, understand their struggles, and put a human face on this issue.
Train yourself to think and speak differently about people who are homeless.
Engage others in this discussion. Language shapes our thinking and when we change our language, we begin to see things from a different perspective.
2. We need to not make excuses for inaction based on myths. Some in the faith community respond to poverty and homelessness by quoting Jesus, “The poor you will always have with you”. They use this to justify inaction, and develop an attitude of complacency. This ignores the rest of His words and the context. “The poor you will always have with you so be kind to them.” He is quoting Deuteronomy 15 – “There should be no poor in the land if you are obedient. However, since there is disobedience, both personally and corporately, there will always be poor in the land, so have an open hand to your brother and sister. Lift your brother and sister out of poverty.” Jesus’ words are not an excuse for inaction, but a Call to Action!
Action Steps:
Have a holy discontent in regards to precious human beings living on our streets and take action!
Volunteer, learn how to address this human tragedy with wisdom and compassion, take to the streets with acts of kindness, give to agencies making a difference and providing effective solutions to homelessness, speak up and advocate for those who have no voice or power!
3. No one should be evicted to the streets. Families with significant barriers and challenges should be referred to a structured, transitional housing program like URM’s Hope Gardens Family Center in order to gain the skills they need to maintain housing. Families falling on hard times with low barriers should be connected immediately to Rapid Rehousing programs like those currently being offered by LA Family Housing, PATH, URM’s Project Restart, and others. We are encouraged that the federal government is makings timulus funds available to provide case management and temporary financial assistance to rapidly re-house families that have fallen into homelessness in this difficult eceonomy. Every effort should be made to keep families from experiencing the devastation of homelessness. Individuals should be referred to other agencies even when there are difficult circumstances – never put out on the streets with no other options. URM has made it a practice to provide a van ride when referring even a difficult client to another agency. We do not accept the premise held by some that homelessness is a legitimate lifestyle choice that should be accepted and protected. Homelessness is bad for individuals, families, and communities. The longer one remains homeless, the more damage one suffers and chronic homelessness becomes an early death sentence.
Action Steps:
Advocate for more structured, transitional housing programs.
Encourage faith communities to connect people experiencing homelessness with available resources and consider establishing a structured transitional housing program.
No one solution is best for all. Become educated about the causes and appropriate solutions for various groups of people experiencing homelessness.
4. Solutions to homelessness should be regionalized. Each city, suburb, and region of southern California should provide services to serve their own neighbors who are experiencing homelessness. We must end the policies of corralling, containment, and dumping of people who are struggling and experiencing homelessness on Skid Row in Los Angeles. Union Rescue Mission and the partners who stand with us are willing to consult, collaborate, and if needed, develop regional satellites to provide regional solutions to homelessness.
Action Steps:
Begin a movement to meet the need. Envourage your neighborhood or city council to address the need in your own community. This is everyone’s challenge and opportunity – not just a downtown problem.
Encourage your community to open a winter or year round shelter.
Encourage your city or faith community to provide affordable housing for low-income families and individuals.
5. Connect families with a mentoring team. Union Rescue Mission is partnering with Imagine LA, working with churches, faith communities, and other agencies on a plan to connect families experiencing homelessness with a mentoring team who will walk with the family as they transition out of homelessness. We will also ask faith communities to reach out to a family in their own vicinity who is on the edge of homelessness, and work together to prevent this family from ever experiencing the devastation of homelessness. There are 8,000 homeless families in LA County, and 8,000 faith communities in LA County.
Action Steps:
Connect with your faith community and encourage them to embrace this idea.
Arrange a meeting for your faith community with Union Rescue Mission and Imagine LA.
Raise your awareness level of neighbors/families in need and help connect them with your faith community.
Faith communities need to reach out with marriage counseling, financial counseling, parenting classes, and fatherhood initiatives to strengthen families, prevent family disintegration, and address the root causes of homelessness.
6. Adopt best practices in community policing. Communities throughout greater Los Angeles need to adopt best practices in community policing in response to their homeless populations. There are homeless individuals and families in every community, and each municipality should take responsibility to address the issue intelligently, effectively, and compassionately. Helping individuals access services, advocating for more local services when they are lacking, maintaining reasonable community standards, dealing effectively with the drugs and crime that often accompany homelessness, and investing in the training of police officers and other community officials are all important components of a comprehensive approach to reducing homelessness. We salute the efforts of the Los Angeles Police Department and its Safer Cities Initiative. The LAPD – Central Division has been instrumental in helping to reduce the number of people living on the streets of Skid Row, connecting individuals with vital services and bringing about a 39% reduction in violent crime, a 43% reduction in property crime, and a 71% reduction in street deaths over the last 4 years. In addition, Los Angeles is one of the few major cities where violent crimes against the homeless are in decline. We applaud the efforts of Captain Blake Chow, Sgt. Deon Joseph, and the LAPD- Central Division.
Action Steps:
Volunteer to walk along or ride with LAPD as they do community policing.
Join URM in outreach on the street before LAPD carries out a maximum enforcement.
Mentor an individual participating in our Just In Reach program who is returning to their community from incarceration.
7. Advocate for year-round shelters. As a safety net, we applaud Los Angeles Housing Services Authority (LAHSA) for its thoughtful Winter Shelter Program. We ask that the City and County fund it sufficiently and that it can be expanded to a year round opportunity so that anyone who becomes homeless can have a roof over their head and a place to sleep in safety.
Action Steps:
Speak to the Governor and ask for National Guard Armories to be opened year round.
Speak to City and County officials to more substantially fund LAHSA so that the shelters can not only be open year round, but also have sufficient case management and support services to assist people experiencing homelessness into more permanent solutions.
8. Support services for chronically homeless individuals. We applaud LA County’s Project 500, which focused on providing permanent, supportive housing with comprehensive services for the most chronic, high-barrier, homeless individuals on Skid Row. We also appreciate and support the continued county-wide efforts to identify individuals throughout the region who would benefit from an expansion of this project. Both of these initiatives are necessary. However, we also ask that an additional investment is made to fund a Project 500 focused on Skid Row, which contains the greatest concentration of chronically homeless and devastated individuals in the United States. Permanent, supportive housing is the best solution for many people who have been devastated by long-term homelessness. We applaud partners like Beth Sandor from Common Ground for focusing on this initiative and we are proud to support their efforts. We especially applaud the great service provided by SRO Housing in providing permanent, supportive housing along with strong management and services to address underlying issues.
Action Steps:
Speak to County Supervisors and City Council members to encourage more permanent supportive housing both in and outside of Skid Row along with supportive services.
Join us as we take to the streets with outreach and connect people to services and housing.
Mobilize your business, community, or faith community to take to the streets with acts of kindness and engagement.
9. Understand significant barriers that must be overcome. Many who become trapped in homelessness have significant barriers to overcome before they can return to a productive life on their own. The longer one remains homeless, the greater these barriers become. Devastating emotional impacts, addiction issues, criminal pasts, and insufficient job or life skills are all conditions that hold people back and keep them trapped in homelessness and poverty. These barriers are not insurmountable or permanent, but usually require a structured, long-term recovery process that is available at agencies like Union Rescue Mission, the Los Angeles Mission, Midnight Mission, Salvation Army, the Weingart Center and others. These agencies have helped thousands of individuals and families address and overcome their obstacles and return to the community as productive citizens. The positive impact of these long-term programs should not be overlooked with the current focus on Permanent Supportive Housing or Rapid Re-Housing as solutions for homelessness. These Housing 1st initiatives are the best solution for certain segments for the homeless population, but will not address the needs of the entire population.
Action Steps:
Support effective life transformation programs: they offer a great return on investment, altering the future for individuals, families, and generations to come.
Attend graduation events: see for yourself how lives can be transformed and encourage these folks who have had the courage to give life another try.
Come alongside and mentor one of these graduates. The greatest contributor to ongoing success is the relationship established between a mentor and an individual as he transitions from program to community.
10.Help with employment-related opportunities. One of the most important follow-up opportunities to a life transformation program is a Job Opportunity. We plan to invest more in employment training, job skill development, and connection to career opportunities. Our partner Chrysalis, who has done this most effectively, serves as a model to others and deserves recognition and support.
Action Steps:
Share your skills to teach employment readiness and job skill classes.
Encourage employers to hire people who have successfully graduated from these programs.
Support Chrysalis and others who are doing this vital work.
Please join with us in this important cause! Our website http://urm.org will continue to be updated with information and resources to help you make a difference.
Get involved personally. Invite your family, friends, faith community and workplace to join you in this cause and let’s work towards the day when there are no more homeless people on the streets of LA.
WHAT: Union Rescue Mission is hosting a press conference with community leaders and organizations helping people experiencing homelessness. The purpose of the press conference is to announce an initiative to end homelessness as we know it in greater Los Angeles.
WHEN: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels – Courtyard
555 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, 90012
WHY: Because it is time for the people of Los Angeles to rise up and take positive action to bring an end to the homelessness epidemic in our community. It is time to replace homelessness with hopefulness. Hope for a better life off the streets and help from those individuals and organizations who can pull together to make this a reality.
Union Rescue Mission CEO, Andy Bales, said “We cannot live up to our name, the City of Angels, while leading the Nation with the highest numbers of people living on the streets of our City. With your help, we are launching an initiative to reduce the population of people on the streets of Skid Row by 90% in 3 years, cut the number of people who are homeless in LA County by 50% in 7 years, and in 10 years end Los Angeles’ reign as the homeless Capitol of the United States. You are the Mission to end homelessness!”
About Union Rescue Mission
Union Rescue Mission is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving people experiencing homelessness. Established in 1891, URM is one of the largest rescue missions of its kind in the United States and is the oldest in Los Angeles. It provides a comprehensive array of emergency and long-term services, including food, shelter, clothing; medical and dental care; Christian recovery programs, transitional housing, legal assistance, education, counseling, and job training to needy men, women, children and families. For more information, please visit urm.org.
