I was born on Skid Row, already addicted to drugs before I left my mother’s womb. I stayed in the hospital for four months until my grandmother agreed to raise me. She was great to me, but my father and uncle—who lived with us—fought so violently every day that the police were constantly called to break it up. By third grade, I was so traumatized, depressed, and emotionally shut down and I started cutting myself just to feel something, anything. When I was 14, my grandmother died. After I lost her, I was passed from an aunt to my dad to foster care. In high school, I was sexually assaulted by a friend’s older brother, who then threatened me if I ever told anyone.
Running to new life
Ramona got a
second chance
because YOU cared
“I can often hear God say, “Don’t give up. I’m here with you and you can do it.” Ramona
I never did. But shortly after that, I tried to kill myself and failed. My foster parents, a young Christian couple, really tried to help me, but I was so emotionally messed up I couldn’t appreciate it at the time. I actually told them I didn’t want to live with them, and I spent the rest of my time in foster care at a group home. After aging out of the system, I just kind of wandered, lost, depressed, and overwhelmed with anxiety. I got into an abusive relationship and had a son. Then I got into another relationship, got pregnant, and the father abandoned me. At 26, I was homeless, with one child, another on the way, and I had no idea how to live life. That’s when a friend of my foster parents told me about Hope Gardens. When I came here in May of last year, I was determined to give this place—and God—a try because nothing else had ever worked for me. What actually happened was far more than I could have ever hoped for. I found a community of women who supported me, encouraged me, and believed in me. I had never experienced that before. Sometimes it was kind of hard to accept, but I slowly opened up to them, and God started showing up in my life. I love the Bible studies and chapels, and I can often hear God say, “Don’t give up. I’m here with you, and you can do it.” My daughter was born last July, and today I’m just finishing my program at Hope Gardens. Now I plan to go to college and start my life for real. I’m so grateful to donors like you who made this possible for me. I truly believe your support meant the difference between life and death. Thank you for saving me!
Here are a few people that have experienced hope thanks to you.
Life Transformation
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” —Matthew 11:28
These are the biggest challenges facing
women (and mothers) on the street:
1. Unsafe spaces: Women on the streets face higher rates of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse than
women who are housed.
2. Mental health issues: About 75% of homeless women struggle with mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia.
3. Aging: Older women are particularly vulnerable to homelessness due to financial insecurity, deteriorating health, and social isolation.
4. Having your period: Simply because periods are expensive. Homeless women who live on limited incomes often have to choose between buying food and buying menstrual hygiene products.
5. Barriers to employment: Women face many challenges in finding and keeping a good job. These include being able to secure appropriate childcare, gaps in employment to raise a family, gender biases, and discrimination.
DON'T JUST FIND A JOB, FIND A PURPOSE
Join us at Union Rescue Mission as we share the compassion of Christ in the downtown Los Angeles Area. Every day is a good day when you’re saving lives. View our open positions at urm.org/careers
Give Someone the Gift of a New Beginning
At Union Rescue Mission, we’re committed to never turn
away a woman or child who needs our help. That’s only
possible with your continued support.
Your partnership provides them with safe shelter, nutritious food,
emotional and spiritual support, and the REAL long-term support
they need to rise out of homelessness and thrive once more.
We cannot do it without the support of friends and partners like
you. People who care. People who are determined to make a
difference. People who want to show God’s love. So please give
today. Women, children, and men—everyone we serve who
is devastated by homelessness—depend on you for a second
chance to be made new.
For more information or to put
Join Union Fellowship—Give Monthly
To make a difference in someone’s life all year long, join Union Fellowship. Here’s your opportunity to make a real, long-term difference on behalf of someone each and every month by joining our Union Fellowship today. Your monthly gift will help someone on the road to recovery and will support them, step by step, as they move from redemption to transformation to a new beginning for their life. You’ll also receive exclusive access to our Union Fellowship Facebook Group to watch Live Events.
NOTES FROM ANDY
Body, Soul, and Spirit
I am overwhelmed with gratitude every time we get to be a part of transforming the lives of a precious mother and her children—like Ramona and her kids in this issue of The Mission. Thanks to you and the love and compassion she found here, Ramona experienced real healing—body, soul, and spirit. That’s what Union Rescue Mission, Hope Gardens and now Angeles House are all about. Your support provides safe shelter, healthy food, medical and dental care, and mental healthcare to heal minds and bodies. Complete healing, however, takes far more. Real transformation begins when we connect men, women, and children with the power of God’s love. It’s why we do what we do. We are God’s instruments of love, embracing everyone with the compassion of Christ. When people finally understand how much the Creator of the universe loves them, change happens. Then, as that change continues, when people regain hope and realize new life is possible, a new light shines in their lives. A holy fire reignites their spirits— and then, watch out! That’s what your support provides to people devastated by homelessness: healing and new life—body, soul and spirit.
Thank you for all you do!