There’s no failure like failing as a father, a son, a husband, and as a man. Before I came to Union Rescue Mission in July 2020, I was a wreck. I didn’t know if I was coming or going. My spouse had kicked me out of the house. My kids and my dad didn’t trust me. I was living on the streets, drinking so much I thought I’d die—and a part of me wanted to. I had to change. I spent much of my early childhood watching my mother slowly die of cancer. After she died when I was 10, I grew rebellious.
Your Support Transforms Dads Like James
“Thank you for helping men like me rebuild our lives and become the men God made us to be.” —James
My dad tried to set rules, but I wanted none of it. I ran away to the streets, living wild, drinking and using meth. I was going to live for me, and only me. I carried myself with a swagger, but really, I was just a hurt man struggling with alcohol, drugs, and failure. I failed to earn my GED. I failed trade school. When I failed my family, including my father, they turned me away.
Then I met my spouse. She saw something in me that I just couldn’t see. I tried to get stable for her, but I never could for long. It was a long cycle of living at home and then going back to the streets in a drunken stupor. Many times, my spouse came and found me. She’d say, “I know the guy that I met, and this is not that guy—but I know he’s in there.” Yet, even she finally had enough. One day, she said, “If you walk out that door again, don’t come back.” I walked out.
In July 2020, I was dying and I knew it. I wasn’t eating, my legs started swelling, my body began to shut down, and I lived in a drunken psychosis. I had to do something, so I came to Union Rescue Mission. I told them, I’ll do whatever you say. URM helped me in so many ways, but most important, they introduced me to Jesus. I slowly started to open myself up to him. I learned that Jesus didn’t live for himself, he lived and died for the whole world—and for me. I wanted my life to look like that. I got baptized and all my past failures were washed away. I was reborn. Last September, I graduated from URM and started working here. I also returned to my spouse and kids, determined to be the husband and father they need— and I’m so blessed they accepted me back. I’m even restoring my relationship with my dad. Thank you for helping men like me rebuild our lives and become the men God made us to be.
Match for up to $500,000
Double Your Gift!
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” —Isaiah 60:1
Right now, generous friends of Union Rescue Mission have offered to match every
gift we receive—up to $500,000!
Your gift DOUBLES to make an even greater impact in hurting lives!
• 1 meal 2 meals
• 1 night of safe shelter 2 nights of safe shelter
• 1 day of life-changing care & counseling 2
days of life changing care & counseling
Please send your gift today to provide twice as much help. The deadline is June 30!
Or double your gift now.
A Safe Refuge for Families!
This 3-story, 75,000-square-ft. facility will house up to 86 more families experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County. Thanks to your support, these families will find new hope, healing, and a way home through services such as:
• Case Management
• Counseling & Mental Health Services
• Medical & Dental Care
• Onsite Daycare
• Job Search & Placement
• Community Job Opportunities
Thank you for being a blessing to these families through your prayers and support. Impact the lives of more families!
Please give now, when your gift provides 2x the help.
Join the Walk to Fight Homelessness
We need you!
Join CEO Andy Bales and Union Rescue Mission for our annual
5k walk to provide a safe haven and life transformation for those
devastated by homelessness on Skid Row.
The walk begins at 9:30 am at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Registration begins at 8:00 am.
Please visit urmwalk.org for race details and to sign up!
Healing Emotional Wounds… thanks to you!
Men, women, children and families devastated by homelessness often face serious psychological wounds—past abuse, domestic and sexual violence, overwhelming loneliness, depression, and now, the stresses of COVID-19. Some face serious neuroses, while others just need a compassionate, listening ear and practical, consistent guidance.
The Pepperdine Mental Health Clinic provides essential psychological services for men, women, children and families at Union Rescue Mission, Hope Gardens, and Angeles House, dramatically increasing their chances for long-term recovery.
The Mental Health Clinic is staffed by doctoral interns from Pepperdine University’s Department of Psychology and supervised by a Pepperdine Clinical Psychologist.
Our Mental Health Clinic provides the following services:
• Psychological assessments to clarify a diagnosis
• Treatment plans
• Individual psychotherapy sessions
• Marriage counseling
• Group therapy sessions
For more information, visit urm.org/services/clinics or
contact us at (213) 347-6300 x3337.
NOTES FROM ANDY
Thank You for Supporting Families in Need
I ’m so excited that our new Angeles House is finally open, offering shelter and hope for up to 86 families devastated by homelessness. For more than a century, people in South L.A. who needed help had to come to Skid Row. No family should have to endure this man-made disaster. Now, thanks to your support, they can stay in their own neighborhood, connected to their own churches and schools. Also, with homelessness at an all-time high, the need for Angeles House is vital. One of the most important resources available to families at Angeles House will be mental health care through the Pepperdine Mental Health Clinic. Many of the women and kids who come to us have experienced severe trauma and abuse, not only on the streets but in their past. These psychological wounds must be addressed—and now, thanks to your support of this important service, they will be. As we move forward, I can’t tell you how crucial your ongoing prayers and support will be as we continue serving vulnerable men, women, children and families throughout Los Angeles County. And with summer just around the corner, there’s no better time to give. Thanks to a generous Match, your gift today will DOUBLE. This is a wonderful opportunity to prepare for our summer months, when donations tend to slow down… but the need remains as great as ever.
Thank you for your extraordinary compassion and generosity!