“I felt like I was in hell,” he says. “I had no choice, no free will left, and I felt like I had no way out.” One day, he got on his knees, sobbing, pleading to God for help. The next day, after praying for the Lord’s help, he used again – and immediately found himself in trouble with the law. He was arrested and soon faced serious time in jail. Yet he now sees this situation as God’s answer to his prayer. “It was the only way I was going to stop,” he says. Ricardo learned early to never trust anyone,
Your Support Provides a
New Path for People
like Ricardo.
Ricardo had struggled hopelessly with addiction for almost seven years.
For years, he was involved with gangs in Los Angeles, trying to prove how tough he was. At 26, he escaped out of that life and established his own successful contracting business. Despite his success, however, he felt empty and lost, with no purpose in life. “All my life, I wanted to take the easy way out,” he says. “So, I went down the wrong path and started using drugs, but that path turned into a dark world of paranoia and hallucinations.” Until he faced time in jail. After Ricardo’s arrest and he was released on bail, he came straight to Union Rescue Mission. “Here, I started learning for the first time what the Bible says. It opened my eyes to who Jesus really is and what He did to save me. Within a month, I gave my life to Jesus and He took away my addiction.” Yet, he also learned he had to do more than understand the truth, he had to live it. “My philosophy of life is now Proverbs 3:5: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.’ If I do that, He will help me live a better life. It’s like John 15:5: Apart from God, I can do nothing.” When Ricardo came to Union Rescue Mission, he faced 10 years in prison for the crime he committed – but, since then, thanks to his radical transformation here, he’s learned that he will only serve three years’ probation!
“God bless you,” Ricardo says to donors like you. “You’re a servant of God, and I would not be here if not for you. Today, I understand that Christ died for me. Now I want to die every day for Christ.”
You are a Bright Light on the Streets of Skid Row
Some call homelessness in Los Angeles “Dante’s Inferno,” the largest man-made disaster in America that has evolved into a living hell for more than 86,000 precious souls. Many of them are finding that no one really lives on these cruel streets…
but they do die there.
• The number of deaths among people devastated by homelessness has doubled since 2018.
• On Skid Row, drug & alcohol overdose is the biggest cause of death at 27%.
• Violence – including murder – accounts for 24% of the deaths on Skid Row.
• People facing homelessness on the streets are 16 times more likely to die of traffic-related injuries, such as being hit by a car.
• While winters in Los Angeles are relatively mild, people exposed to rain & cold weather are still vulnerable to hypothermia & death.
YOUR LIGHT SHINES. . .
Life on the streets of Los Angeles is grim – and often deadly. Yet in the midst of this dark world, there shines a bright light of hope.
You. Every day, generous people like you who support Union Rescue Mission, Hope Gardens, and Angeles House help rescue thousands of hurting men, women, and children!
Your gifts provide food, safe shelter, counseling, medical and dental care, life-changing support, and help people experience the healing power of Jesus Christ.
There’s Still Time!
Take the Leap to Fight
Homelessness in Los Angeles!
Are you ready to take the plunge? Sign up for URM’s “Over the Edge” event – it’s your chance to raise critical funds for the Mission’s life-saving programs and services by rappelling down a 25-story building! All funds raised will be used to save people and fight homelessness
here in Los Angeles.
Date: Sept. 30 – Oct. 1 Time: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Location: Universal Hilton Hotel, 555 Universal
Hollywood Drive, Universal, CA 91608
Questions? Contact Alexandra Monsibaez at
(213) 673-4882 or amonsibaez@urm.org
Help Save Precious Souls from the Deadly Streets
At least 86,000 men, women, children, and families are currently devastated by homelessness in Los Angeles – many of them suffering the life-threatening cruelty, hardship, and indignity of life on the streets. Some of them are there because of mental illness, some because of addiction, and for many others, because of circumstances beyond their control. Yet, each one is someone’s mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or sister – and each one needs a hot meal, safe shelter, and love. They need caring people like you to give them the chance to start over. You can’t solve the crisis of homelessness all by yourself. But you can help save ONE life today. Your gift right now will help someone escape these dangerous, cruel streets for good. So please, don’t wait – send the most generous gift you can today.
NOTES FROM ANDY
Grace in Dante’s Inferno
Homelessness in Los Angeles is dangerous, not just on Skid Row, but everywhere. Slashings, beatings, assaults, robbery, rape … men, women, and children on the streets are vulnerable. Officer Deon Joseph, who patrols the streets of Skid Row, calls it Dante’s Inferno. Today, however, we’re seeing more communities,
frustrated by those who are homeless, resort to violence to drive them from their neighborhoods. I understand their frustration, but those of us who seek to honor Christ know that violence is not the solution. We can’t look at the tragic magnitude of the crisis. We must simply act in
faith, welcoming everyone who comes our way. We must go out to the streets and invite people to come in and experience God’s love. We must keep crying out to city officials to seek justice and solutions for homelessness. That’s why I’m so grateful for caring people like you. Your support is changing lives, even in
Dante’s Inferno. I encourage you, don’t give up. Don’t grow weary. Keep doing good, and keep speaking out. A new day is coming. There is hope on the horizon, and I believe that people of faith like you are the reason for that hope.