Sometimes it’s tragic what too much freedom can do to a child.

Growing up in Louisiana, my father was a mean, abusive man. My mother sheltered me from him — and the world — as best she could. When she finally couldn’t take his abuse anymore, she left him and moved us to San Diego.

I was 13 and tasted freedom for the first time. I saw all the big, bright lights and got a taste for the party life — marijuana, barbiturates, acid, speed, and PCP. I loved it all. Then, in 1987, I tried crack. My life spiraled out of control.

I finally moved to Los Angeles in 2006, where I had relatives who dealt crack. Within a month, I smoked away every last penny I had. My girlfriend and I ended up sleeping on the sidewalks of Skid Row outside Union Rescue Mission — we fell . . . all the way to the bottom of the world.

Every day we hustled for a few dollars and more drugs. Every night, we lay down on filthy sidewalks that reeked of human waste and slept in a drug-induced coma with giant rats that crawled over us in the darkness. In winter, we shivered in the rain, in summer — never bothering to eat or drink much — we withered, dehydrated from the heat. Summers on these streets sapped my body down to 150 pounds of skin and bones.

And I didn’t care. Because all that mattered was that next hit. By 2008, however, it seemed like the world was closing in on us. We were surrounded by the constant presence of police, drug dealers, and thieves, and I knew we couldn’t survive much longer. I told my girlfriend, “We can’t fight this anymore. We need help.” And I promised her, if she came into Union Rescue Mission with me, I’d take care of her for the rest of her life. So that’s what we did.

It was a challenge at first. So I prayed, “Lord, take this disease from me. Give me the strength to complete this program so I can live a Christ-like life.” I read my Bible every day, went to the classes, worked the 12 steps, and stayed close to God. Slowly I recovered my life.

In time, I even found a job for the first time in more than 20 years. And with that foundation, I kept my promise to my girlfriend. On June 19, 2010, we married.

That’s the power of restoration that Union Rescue Mission — and you — offers men like me.

It’s nearly impossible to describe the disaster we call Skid Row. It’s a filthy, violent inferno populated by people who are drug addicts, alcoholics, gangsters, predators, ex-cons, prostitutes, and those struggling with mental illness.

But is that all they are? It’s easy to apply those ugly labels to them. But these unfortunate men and women are more than that. They’re someone’s mom or dad . . . brother or sister . . . son or daughter. They are precious human beings who are suffering in immeasurable ways — and I’m so grateful they have people like you who care.

Thank you for investing in people trying to escape these streets. You’re helping them climb out of an underworld of disease and evil, and enabling them to rejoin a world of health and hope. Your gift is changing lives.

Blessings,

Andy Bales

Two years ago, Will Nicklas and John Kennelly were living the American Dream. As executives at Toyota Motor Sales, USA, they earned substantial incomes that afforded their families the protection of upper-middle-class lifestyles and affluent neighborhoods far from the grit and hopeless despair of Skid Row.

“People on Skid Row weren’t even an afterthought to me. I was too busy working on getting my own slice of the pie,” John admits. “I never cared until Will and I went down there one afternoon.”

Will, who wanted to “do something meaningful in the community,” had already secured a cargo van for Union Rescue Mission, and was also involved with securing special shirts for an upcoming fundraiser for the Mission. When it came time to deliver the shirts, he invited his boss, John, to accompany him.

“Honestly, I only went because I wanted to play hooky from the office for an afternoon,” John says.

“But when I took a tour of the Mission, met some of the guys in the program, heard their stories — well, I was moved. Unless your heart is made of stone, you want to help those guys.”

Before long, Will and John were brainstorming ways they could make a bigger difference.

“Ultimately, the way home is a job. Without a job, the cycle of homelessness will never end for these guys,” Will says.

So Will and John agreed to spend time mentoring URM’s men, coaching them as they developed resumes and teaching them how to interview. More important, they persuaded UGL Services, Toyota’s facility-maintenance vendor, to come down and interview several of the men — with no obligation to hire anyone. “The problem is, most guys at the Mission believe no one cares about people like them,” Will says. But the day UGL came to interview the guys at URM, hope filled the hallways. The men who interviewed for jobs were articulate, energetic, poised, and prepared.

In the end, four men were hired that day — men who are truly grateful for the second chance they’ve been given. And UGL has four new valuable employees. Today, John and Will are already inviting more Toyota vendors to join them at URM.

“The Bible calls us to bear one another’s burdens,” Will says. “I think it’s time for us to live that out. Skid Row is the epicenter of homelessness. It’s dark and depressing. But you know what? I keep coming back because of the hope I experience there. If you want to tap into a sense of purpose and meaning, reach out to these people. Be involved in this situation. You’ll be forever surprised at what happens.”

A growing number of people on Skid Row desperately need hope and a helping hand — they need YOU. Right now, generous friends of Union Rescue Mission have offered to match every gift we receive — up to $150,000!

That means any gift you send will be doubled to provide twice as much help for hurting men and women — and remind them that someone really does care.

This extraordinary opportunity is only available until June 30. So please make a generous gift today to provide twice as much help — and receive twice the blessing!

Over the years, I’ve heard many excuses for not helping people experiencing homelessness. Some people insist Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you, so why try?” Still others think we’re only enabling addicts and alcoholics if we offer them food and shelter.

But I think it’s time to stop making excuses and truly help our brothers and sisters experiencing homelessness.

Probably the most significant — and most difficult — way to help is to offer real friendship to struggling men and women, just like Will and John have done (see our cover story in this newsletter). They’ve eaten with them, mentored them, shared skills with them, and encouraged them. That’s what people really need.

But there are other ways to get involved. Help someone read in our learning center. Play with our kids in the gym. Serve a meal. Help raise money for Union Rescue Mission — and, of course, write a check of your own! Everyone can do something!

I know it isn’t easy. Sometimes it’s even heartbreaking and a little risky. But Jesus took a lot of risk and experienced much heartbreak to rescue humanity. I believe it’s time to follow in His footsteps.

Blessings,

Rev. Andy Bales, CEO