General

Oasis to hundreds closes doors Sunday – Burbank Leader.com

Christopher Cadelago of the Burbank Leader writes about the closing of the Burbank Winter shelter on Sunday.  The Union Rescue Mission and EIMAGO Inc have operated the winter shelter since Dec. 1, 2008.  A total of 473 men and women have been provided meals and a safe place to sleep since the winter shelter opened.

Union Rescue Mission’s CEO Andy Bales is concerned about what will happen to the individuals who sought shelter over the last few months and would love to see the shelter remain open.

But the chances of that happening are slim, said the Rev. Andy Bales, chief executive of the Los Angeles Union Rescue Mission, the shelter’s operator.

“Not only do we have to contend with the shrinking economy and growing unemployment, which I believe is actually closer to 20%, but now we’re in the process of listening to complaints from neighbors and doing our best to address them,” Bales said. “It’s something that needs to be done to keep us up and running.”

Bales said he met Friday with Councilman David Gordon, who shared with him some of the community’s concerns. Among them are problems with loitering, public urination and homeless people arriving at the shelter at all hours of the evening.

Another complaint lodged against the Union Rescue Mission and EIMAGO Inc., the nonprofit that takes care of day-to-day duties, is that volunteers have failed to keep criminals away, specifically sex offenders.

To tackle issues of loitering and walk-ins, Bales said, the Union Rescue Mission has spent about $40,000 on increased shuttle service to and from the facility in the last month.

Click Here to read the rest of the article.

Click here for more information on the current situation with the Burbank Winter Shelter.

Receiving Coordinator

Responsible for the accurate and efficient receiving and recording of all purchased merchandise and GIK donations, and distribution and/or short/long-term storage of same. This person will: Prepare and maintain daily logs of incoming product. Inventory product received against manifests, and resolve any discrepancies. Deliver items and/or coordinate delivery with warehouse. Data input of delivery information using the Platinum computer system. Inventory GIK donations against Donation Receipt, and resolve any discrepancies. Must be able to lift 50lbs and complete forklift operations. Must have forklift certification or able to obtain within 60 Days of employment. High School diploma required plus 2+ years progressively responsible, related experience, preferably non-profit accounting experience. Able to analyze complex data and develop innovative solutions; excellent planning, organizing, written, verbal and PC skills, particularly Excel and Word. Knowledge of Win PC Pay and ADP payroll systems preferred.

3rd Annual URM Spring Golf Classic

You are invited to participate in the Union Rescue Mission’s 3rd Annual Spring Golf Classic benefiting URM and Door of Hope. Once again, the day will be filled with excitement, fun contests, prizes, great food, and awesome people.

Golfers will compete on Monday, March 2, 2009, at the beautiful Mountain Gate Country Club. The tournament format will be a shamble. The top three finishing teams will win TaylorMade irons.

Whether you’ve been a longtime friend of Union Rescue Mission and/or Door of Hope, or this is your initial engagement, you’re sure to have a great time! Remember, the support you lend to our cause is not measured in dollars and cents, but in transformed lives.

Click here to register now!

Download The Mailer Here

“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.

Whoville Thanksgiving Celebration Wrap Up

Click here to check out all of our photos in our NEW Gallery

On Saturday, November 22, the Union Rescue Mission hosted a Whoville Thanksgiving celebration on Skid Row. An estimated 3,000 people came out to enjoy the Thanksgiving feast. Attendants included 2,500 guests from the homeless community, volunteers, URM staff, corporate and celebrity sponsors.

A BIG thanks goes to some of our corporate sponsors: Fox Entertainment, Dodgers, KJLH, Herbal Life, Clippers, City National Bank, HSBC, Nestle, Magic Johnson Foundation, and Disney.

Celebrity Sponsors include: Andre Ethier, Red Cloud, Jaynie Jackson, Jeremiah 22, and World Boxing Hall of Famers – Israel Vasquez, Alfonso Gomez, Bobby Chacon, Danny “Little Red” Lopez, Walter Sarnoi, Paul Banke.

In order to feed the large crowd with a delicious feast of roast/deep fried turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, salad, and apple pie, URM prepared: 100 deep fried turkeys (16lb ea), 90 turkey roasts (8lb-11lb), 75 pans of vegetables, 74 pans of stuffing, 40 pans of cranberry sauce, 64 pans of sweet potatoes, 80 pans of mash potatoes, 4320 dinner rolls, 510 pies (4080 slices), and 65 gallons of gravy.

Check out the joy and excitement of the thousands that participated.