Saving the Children of “Kid Row”
“This Is Just Making Me Stronger”
FINAL DAYS FOR MATCH
Notes from Andy
SAVING THE CHILDREN OF “KID ROW”
According to a recent report on CBS This Morning, an estimated 17,000 children are devastated by homelessness in the LA Unified School District—
The real number is “probably closer to 30,000.” Now, the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is putting even more pressure on vulnerable families. But with your help, we can say YES when these children and families need our help.
Thank You for Being the Answer to a Child’s Prayers
Children in our community are suffering like never before in recent memory. But when these families have nowhere else to go, they turn to Union Rescue Mission.
Currently, more than 200 children live in the safety and support of Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens. Their parents also receive the long-term help they need to get back on their feet, and their children experience the safety, tutoring, support, and love they need—and the chance to play like kids in an environment free from drugs, violence, and predators.
“I love to watch the progress of our families,” says Andy Bales, CEO of Union Rescue Mission. “It’s one of our greatest honors to say that we do everything we can to help the men, women, and children who come to our door. Spiritually, I think God is using Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens to answer their prayers. What could be better than that? To be part of God’s work in answering prayers.”
Reach more children and families
Your gift brings young people devastated by homeless into a loving community. Here, their immediate needs are met and they find life-changing tools for future success.
UNION RESCUE MISSION BEGINS CONSTRUCTION ON NEW SHELTER FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES—THANKS TO YOU
In times of uncertainty like we’re experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be tempting to pull back. But we believe children and families on the streets can’t wait. That’s why URM is moving forward to finalize construction of a new 3-story, 370-bed structure in south Los Angeles that will provide a home for children and families.
Called “Angeles House,” the structure will offer a comfortable, home-like environment for families with private bathrooms, storage areas, furnished apartments, and a garden.
Union Rescue Mission is the only mission in Los Angeles that helps everyone—single moms with kids, single dads with kids, two-parent families, and families with teenagers. But we can’t say YES without your help. We need you . . . they need you!
Welcome more people into the new shelter
Your gift will swing the door wide open for children and families at a new, 3-story, 370-bed structure in south LA. Here, their immediate needs will be met as they find practical help for overcoming the past and moving into a bright future.
“THIS IS JUST MAKING ME STRONGER”
Your support is opening doors to a new life for DeJanee.
“When I first came to Skid Row and Union Rescue Mission, I thought, We’re not going to live here, are we? I don’t want to live here—but we had no place else to go,” says DeJanee, 16, who came to Union Rescue Mission with her mother and 14-year-old sister. “I asked God, ‘Why us? Is this going to be the rest of my life?’ ”
DeJanee is just one of more than 200 children who currently call Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens Family Center “home.”
The past few years were a “roller coaster” for DeJanee and her family.
She watched helplessly as her mother, Rosalind, suffered a long cycle of traumatic relationships, including horrible abuse. Then, after Rosalind lost her job and her apartment, DeJanee’s family was thrown into homelessness, on and off the streets for two and a half years.
“Homelessness devastates kids like DeJanee in every way: physically, mentally, and educationally,” says Andy Bales, CEO of Union Rescue Mission. “Kids are resilient, but this will impact DeJanee for the rest of her life.”
Fortunately, shortly after DeJanee came to Union Rescue Mission, Rosalind and her children went to live at the safety of Hope Gardens.
At first, DeJanee was depressed. “I didn’t show it, but I was,” she admits. “I couldn’t tell my friends at school where I live, because it’s embarrassing. They’ll talk about you.”
Yet over the next several months, DeJanee watched her mother work hard to deal with her personal issues and put her life back together so she could build a better future for DeJanee.
“My mom’s taking classes so that when she graduates, she’ll be able to get a job, save money, and then we’ll be able to move into our own house,” DeJanee says. “I’m learning that everyone goes through something. This is just making me stronger than I was before.”
“I’m thankful for how much better our life has been here.”
“I’m thankful for my mom. I’m thankful for the people around me who want to see me succeed, and I’m thankful for Hope Gardens. I’m happy here, and I know it’s just going to get better.”
Show a child she is seen, known, and loved
Let someone like DeJanee know that just when she thinks all hope is lost . . . it can be found again. Give a young person reason to be thankful today!
PLANNED GIVING?
You may have heard about planned giving, but might not be familiar with the benefits.
A planned gift is really quite easy—it involves some planning that helps both you and our mission.
The planning tools on our website can help you create a legacy in your will or trust, increase lifetime income for you and your spouse, and pass on property to your heirs through a charitable plan.
To learn more about the benefits of making a planned gift, you can visit our website at urm.org or contact Rosie Perez at rperez@urm.org or 213-673-4593.
See how supporters like you are making a difference in children’s lives, like through our dedicated volunteer Diane.
Learn more at urm.org/stories
FINAL DAYS FOR MATCH
SAY YES! TO HELP A CHILD, AND YOUR GIFT WILL DOUBLE!
No one deserves a life devastated by hunger and homelessness—especially a child. Yet today, thousands of children throughout Los Angeles have no place to call home. Today, however, you can say YES! to a child on the streets.
Union Rescue Mission is committed to doing everything we can to ensure that children—and their families—are able to escape these streets. In fact, as a privately funded organization, we can’t help those in desperate need without your help.
We’re in the final days of this extraordinary opportunity. The June 30 deadline is only days away. So please say YES! by sending a generous gift today and providing TWICE as much help—and in return, receive twice the blessing!
Rush your gift to go twice as far…
MAKE TWICE THE DIFFERENCE!
There’s no better time than right now. Generous friends of Union Rescue Mission have offered to match every gift we receive—up to $500,000!
That means any gift you send will be automatically DOUBLED to provide twice as much help for hurting men, women, and children at Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens.
For more information or to put your gift to work even faster, go to urm.org/June2020
Help vulnerable children and families struggling through the economic fallout of COVID-19
Thanks to friends of Union Rescue Mission who are matching every gift we receive—up to $500,000—you’ll bless TWICE as many people today!
NOTES FROM ANDY
Hope in the Face of Tragedy
I’ve often said that the homeless crisis in Los Angeles is the worst man-made disaster in the United States.
But over the past few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed that disaster into the most trying time in the history of Union Rescue Mission—and I expect the worst is yet to come, as both the health issues and the economic fallout in our economy overwhelm our resources even more.
Yet as painful as this crisis is for the men and women we serve, the most heartbreaking of all are the children. Right now, more than 200 children call Union Rescue Mission home. These are children who must not only endure the misery of Skid Row, but now they’re surrounded by the fear and threat of COVID-19.
Yet I am still filled with hope for these children, all because of caring people like you. Thanks to you, no child goes hungry. They each get the medical and dental
care they need, and we continue to support them with their education and connect them to a loving God.
Thanks to you, no matter how tragic this crisis becomes, I know that together we can make a difference in our community and save lives. Thank you!
Blessings,
To read Andy’s blog, please visit revandysblog.com