Rev Andy’s Blog

Honored to Serve at URM

There is no question that working at Union Rescue Mission is both challenging and at the same time, a work of ministry, to say the least. Every now and then, someone takes a moment to share a life changing experience that they have had at the Mission, and then you know that all of the hard work and all of the challenges are more than worth it. Here are two stories I received just yesterday that lifted my spirits:

I received this one from someone I will call Rebekah;

“I came to L.A. in 2005 with only a few dollars in my pocket due to a serious family situation beyond my control. I landed at Union Rescue Mission where I was favored and taken care of. I was given shelter, food and clothing. Your case managers worked along with me and my working schedule. I was able to start working temporary as a legal secretary and after six months, I landed a permanent job. I am on my feet now with my own apartment and a nice car to get around the city. I’m back in school majoring in legal studies with a minor study in performing arts. Because of my wounds, it was very hard and challenging, but it is worth it. I will always support Union Rescue Mission and I thank you for allowing me to have another chance at life.”

Bill sent me this one late last night;

“It has been several years since I have been to Union Rescue Mission; the last time there was a funding event that I attended as a Board Member of Centenary United Methodist in Little Tokyo. Before that, our church had a youth mission project at Union Rescue Mission.

However, today I had the chance to engage with your staff once again as I was personally directed to help usher a young [abused] Crack addicted mother to a safe, and Godly nonprofit. It could have been that the timing was bad and it conflicted greatly with my calendar, or – it may have been so inspired by faith that I was simply in shock at the urgent role that your nonprofit (Union Rescue Mission) plays on skid row.

From the moment this mother and I walked into your mission, I could indeed feel the spirit move in [our] favor. We were asked to sit in the lobby, and a team of staff embraced this young mother’s needs.

One person guided us from one person to another, and then another… within 15-minutes (of our arrival), I met Mr. Colin Kakiza. He assured us that he would find the supportive services that were needed. With care, and Christ-like friendship Colin shared his love for this new client. Job well done!

However, the saga did not end there; this mother in need was guided to the patio, then (she) slipped out the back to Crack Alley, then to the park. Having produced a 2-year documentary on the skids (the bottoms)… I am well versed in this area, also well known and respected. I saw your new client sitting with a group of (drug) dealers. They hovered around her like bees on honey offering her their products. Not seeking to enter a beef with bangers, I returned to the mission to find security. I told Mr. Kakiza what happened, and he said ‘I will go back with you and we will get our client’.

Again, God was on her side and allowed her to flee. Rev. Bales, your staff member, Colin, provided Christ’s love and was ready to stand in the gap for a stranger. I’m not amazed at the courage of his heart, but – I am thankful for his service to your client, and the willing support he directly displayed for me.

May God continue to bless the Union Rescue Mission with the fiscal resources to grow a sustainable nonprofit on the front lines in the Kingdom.”

There isn’t much more I can say or add to these two stories, except, I am honored and blessed every day to serve here at Union Rescue Mission.

Rev. Andy Bales

Amazing Stories of Sacrifice

I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and sacrifice of many of our friends and donors who faithfully support Union Rescue Mission.

Let me give you an example:  Just before Christmas, we sent out a one-minute video describing the challenge that we face as we have tripled the number of families at URM.  In addition, we have experienced a 223% increase in the number of families coming to our Winter Shelters in Burbank, West LA and Culver City.  A good friend of the Mission saw the video and called to let me know that he and his family had decided together to skip their vacation in Hawaii in February.  Instead, they downsized their vacation  to nearby Palm Springs.  This isn’t the first time this donor has made a sacrifice like this, but it really touched my heart, that a family would put the needs of others as a high priority over their own plans.  It is hard to describe how much this act of kindness has touched my heart.

Then yesterday, we received a check in the ten’s of thousands of dollars from an elderly lady who lives humbly outside of the Los Angeles Area.  I will call her Rachel.  She has lived her entire life in a way that is focused on blessing others.  She is a coupon clipping shopper, invests in CD’s with the highest return possible, wears modest clothing, lives in a humble one bedroom apartment with the intent of giving all that she can to charity to assist others.  She lost at least 30% of her wealth in the latest economic downturn.  This had to be devastating to a person who gathers wealth solely for the purpose of giving to others.  Rachel is also facing a very tough time in her life when she must decide if it’s the right time to enter a care facility.  In spite of what she was going through personally, she still took the time to give all that she could to help our guests here at URM who are struggling with homelessness.  I marvel at Rachel’s tenacity and purposefulness in giving.  I want to be more like her.

Finally I had lunch with a very wealthy man today.  He could live in luxury 24 hours-a-day, spoil his children, and himself.  Instead he lives modestly, instills the value of work in his children, and resists the temptation to live the high life.  Instead, choosing to give his time, talents and treasures away to many worthy charities, including URM, and especially URM’s Hope Gardens Family Center.  He can’t imagine moms and children living in cardboard boxes on Skid Row, so he has committed 100’s of thousands of dollars and 5 years of his life to making Hope Gardens Family Center a reality.  He is responsible for rescuing many moms and children from the horrors of homelessness.  I was honored to be in his presence and to learn from his example.

Living examples of self sacrifice like these precious people cause me to take a closer look at my own life, and maybe order it a bit differently.

Luke 12:34 (TLB)
34 Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.

Thanks

There are days when you get a word of “Thanks” and you know that you are in the right place at the right time of your life.  Two weeks ago I had a few of those days.

I attended a luncheon for a wonderful group of Lawyers and staff at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, with one of our precious moms from URM’s Hope Gardens Family Center.  O’Melveny & Myers LLP had gathered food, gifts and clothes for Union Rescue Mission.  They overwhelmed us with gifts!  Our mom did a wonderful job of sharing, she said, “Before I came to Hope Gardens all of my dreams were deferred, and I thought they were dead, but now my dreams have awakened and I am alive again, studying to be a nurse.”  It is hard to describe the joy I had inside.

The next day I received this letter from another mom at Hope Gardens:

I am a resident at Hope Gardens and I am writing you to let you know how grateful and appreciative I am. Around this time last year, I was 7 months pregnant and sleeping on the streets. I was cold, scared, hungry and tired. I was too scared to ask for help. I thought that everyone had turned their back on me. I didn’t think anyone would even want to help me. Finally I got tired of the cold and hunger and asked for help. I ended up staying at the cold weather shelter in West Covina and then a couple of nights at West LA shelter until I was able to find a more stable place. If it wasn’t for the cold weather shelters, I don’t know where I would be. I hope others see them as much of a blessing as I do. Also I want to thank you for all you do. Your staff here at Hope Gardens are so caring and loving. I have never felt so much love in my life. It’s so overwhelming I want to cry. Not because I’m sad, but because I’m happy. I hope that others will be able to experience this happiness.

Last night I learned that the first mom who walked into our Burbank Winter Shelter on Dec. 1st, cold, afraid, desperate for help, and clutching her beautiful 5 month old baby in her arms, moved into the safety of Hope Gardens last week!

This is too much joy to keep within me, and I had to share it with all of you who have made these words of thanks possible.  Bless you, Andy B.

Pray For URM Donors & Friends

I just got off of a call that broke my heart. A donor was broken hearted about a letter that I sent out quoting Matthew Chapter 25 in the Bible, “If you fail to feed a hungry/homeless person, it is like turning your back on Jesus himself.”  She said, “How can I help if I can’t even help myself?  I have always given in the past, but now I am very sick, my husband is in tougher shape, suffering from dementia, and our house has been foreclosed! How can I possibly help? Please pray for me!”  My heart was broken.  I shared with her that the Lord understood. I told her that the Lord heard her cry and knew her heart.  We prayed for healing and comfort, and I asked her to keep me up to date with how she is doing.  I ended the call with tears in my eyes.

Our donors are very special people.  We talked about these special, spiritual people this week in our staff meeting.  Two years ago I was amazed at the letters that I received, many from people in their 90’s, who were apologizing for not being able to send more. These are amazing people, many of whom are from the “Greatest Generation”, and I believe it with all of my heart.

This heartbreaking call was not the first.  Another donor, who normally sends a Christmas gift in the thousands, called and let me know that they could only send $25 this Christmas.  Then they asked me to pray for them, because they are struggling from day to day and fear becoming homeless themselves.

Please say a prayer, today, for these dear, sweet friends.  They have blessed so many with their generosity, and what hurts them the most is not being able to give to others at this difficult time.  Bless you.  Andy B.

Economic Challenges and Union Rescue Mission (URM)

I recently received this information through AGRM.org’s publication, Street Smart, on how a Mission can survive the economic challenge that we are currently in. I appreciated the advice, but also wanted to share what specific steps URM is taking to both step up and meet the needs while cutting expenses to survive the challenging times. I hope they are helpful to someone.

From AGRM.org

Take action to survive a tough economy
With money tight and donations trending down, Rescue magazine columnist and administrative consultant Ron Mattocks offers these 10 actions steps to weather the economic downturn:
1. Reduce charitable gift revenue expectations.
2. Reduce expenses. Do not let increased demand drive you to deficit spending.
3. Do not accept anything less than a balanced budget.
4. Develop and maintain a 12-month rolling cash-flow projection.
5. If you borrow short-term funds or draw down on a line of credit, develop a backup plan, assuming that access to credit may be reduced.
6. Initiate an aggressive debt-reduction plan.
7. Defer major expenses/delay new construction.
8. Initiate a hiring freeze.
9. Pay special attention to donor-restricted funds; do not borrow against them.
10. Watch the receivables. Do not accept risk, and do not let them age.

Union Rescue Mission’s Approach:

This season the numbers of families showing up at our door desperate, having lost their homes is up 100% and the number of individuals seeking housing is up 25%. This dire situation has taxed our resources to such an extent that we converted an entire floor formerly used for volunteers to house two parent families and single dads with children. Additionally, meals served per day are up from 2,100 to 2,800 per day, a 30 % increase.

It is also hard to believe this next statistic (I personally found it astounding), but in the first 3 days after opening up our Winter Shelters on December 1st in Burbank, West LA, Culver City and our downtown facility, the same number of families arrived homeless, needing assistance as did in all 3 and ½ months of operating Winter Shelters during the entire Winter Season last year! This is a daunting sign of things to come.

Operationally, this has greatly challenged our financial resources, as it has for many people, but our donations are down over $600,000 this year and our capital campaign to fund our new Hope Gardens Family Center Row for single women with children outside of the mean streets of Skid Row is off by $700,000.

We have taken drastic steps to reduce our costs, while still step up to meet the growing need. URM has frozen hiring, put a freeze on wages, and URM has put a hold on paying the matching portion of our employees 401 K plans. We’ve taken these steps so that we do not add to the ranks of the unemployed and struggling and so that we can keep the necessary staff to care for our guests and live up to URM’s history of stepping up to meet the need as we did during the Great Depression, when we fed 42% of the hungry in the City of Los Angeles. We are praying and planning on what our next steps may be. I hope that you will pray with us. Andy B.

Deconstructing Skid Row

As I stood speaking next to an LAPD Patrol Officer, a gentleman lay still on the sidewalk, covered in a sheet.  He had not awakened that morning due to what appeared to be an overdose of heroin.  Other folks in the same dire straits walked past and made signs of the cross, respectfully prayed, or blessed the man now departed.

The officer asked, “What is it going to take to change this area?”  I shared the usual answers: the difference and improvement the LAPD has made through the Safer Cities Initiative, the increased outreach, the building of permanent supportive housing and the plans to build more. But then I said what I believe needs to be said, “This area of Skid Row needs to be deconstructed, disestablished.  The plan to corral/contain homelessness in the 50 square block area known as Skid Row over the past several decades has created, what I describe as, the worst human made disaster in the United States.  Dropping off, dumping, and gathering all of our County’s most challenged, struggling, and, sometimes, desperate folks into one dense area has done the area and those individuals undue harm.”

My friends who are homeless would be best served if they could regularly connect with other healthy people in a community surrounded and filled with Hope.  That is why Union Rescue Mission founded Hope Gardens Family Center, far from the mean streets of Skid Row.  The transformational locale and community has done wonders for the spirit of our moms and children.  We moved ahead with the plan for Hope Gardens because of our own convictions, but also due to a study by University of Southern California which stated that our friends who are homeless would best be served in their own regions, in smaller facilities, away from the mean streets of Skid Row.

As the CEO of one of the largest Mission’s of its kind west of the Mississippi river and as the President of the Los Angeles Central Providers Collaborative on Skid Row, I now truly believe we need 100 facilities like Hope Gardens for each of our men, women and children homeless in our communities. Skid Row, as we know it, and the policies of containment and corralling need to be deconstructed and disestablished for the good of our community and the good of the individuals we are trying to assist, encourage and provide a hand up and out of homelessness.  -Andy B.

How URM Responds to Depression/Recession

Launched 117 years ago, Union Rescue Mission faced a challenge similar to what it appears we are facing right now.  About 79 years ago, as the Great Depression hit the US and Los Angeles. During those tough years, URM actually expanded its services to meet the need – one point in time URM was feeding 50% of the hungry people in the City of Los Angeles. When we weren’t feeding people, our job training program was actively working to find employment for hundreds of desperate people hoping for work and a little money each day. This is what happens when the rest of the economic world seems to crumble around us. We can’t cut back on programs or services because the rest of the world and our fellow human beings need us more than ever.

I lied awake the entire night last Wednesday contemplating URM’s response to what appears to be coming our way. Calls to the Los Angeles County hotline from families losing their homes have doubled in recent months. The sheriff in Chicago, Illinois has put a moratorium on any further evictions after foreclosures or failure to pay rent because as he says, “there are just too many families on the streets already!”

After this sleepless night, I came in with the resolve that we will prepare for more families and not less. We have reorganized and opened up our 5th floor for families, in addition to the 4th floor of our building so that we can house double of the number of two parent families, single moms with children, and single dads with children who are coming our way in droves. We have prepared ourselves for the long haul by cutting costs where we can but increasing services and we realize that these desperate families will be staying with us for longer periods than they have in the past. We are at our normal capacity in our men’s and women’s guest areas, but we are creatively strategizing on ways that we can increase our capacity so that we don’t turn anyone in need away.

We want to live up to URM’s reputation and history of stepping up to the need during the most desperate of times. We can do this because our Hope is in the LORD and we know we can rely on our generous and faithful donors who give to others no matter how difficult things become in their own life.

Thanks to all who are helping us through this challenging time. Bless you! Andy B.

A Precious Man Known Only as John

The hearts of URM staff and guests are going out to a gentleman known as John, or Grimley, who was homeless and brutally doused with gasoline and lit on fire, causing his death this past Thursday evening in the Mid-Wilshire area of downtown. Our hearts also go out to the wonderful people who looked out for him each day, and to those who tried to save him from the fire.
His tragic death re-emphasizes the need for our work of loving people who have lost their homes and everything that they had only to find themselves reduced to trying to survive on the tough streets of our city. It also motivates us to speak up in an even stronger way that each one of our friends who is homeless is a precious human being, made in the image of God, and highly valued by God. That is why I strive each day to make sure that Union Rescue Mission stays focused on our calling to reach out to the folks who the rest of the world seems to have given up on and forgotten. As we approach our 118th year of serving the least and the lost of Los Angeles, we will continue that commitment in the years ahead, hoping that one day our great city will live up to the title of the City of Angels by making sure that not one precious human being is left to live on these mean streets. -Rev. Andy Bales

Safer Cities Initiative – 2nd Year Anniversary

As we sort through all of the commentary and controversy regarding the Safer City Initiative, the Los Angeles Central Providers Collaborative (LACPC) paused to reflect on the program with unique perspective. The LACPC is made up of many of the missions and homeless service providers in the Central City region of downtown – an area commonly referred to as “Skid Row”. We have long-standing relationships with both the housed and un-housed people most affected by Safer City Initiative efforts. We have partnered with LAPD, the Mayor’s office, City Council and the City Attorney’s office to make sure this effort fits the unique character of our community.

With the incredible growth that the downtown area has experienced, the problems and potential of the area have been magnified – the residential population has increased by 20% since 2005. Some estimates suggest that over 40,000 people will be living in this area by the end of 2008.

The good news is that in the past two years violent crime has decreased 33% and “sidewalk” deaths, which include those people who died sleeping on the sidewalks, under freeway off ramps, under bridges, and in the street generally from overdoses or neglect, is down a startling 41% as compared to 2005/2006.

The streets are cleaner, trees are trimmed, drug dealers no longer stake claim on our corners and the residents (housed and un-housed) feel safer. Today there are no drug-infested porta-potties being used for prostitution and it has been a long time since we pulled one of our neighbors out of the stench and filth only to find them dead from an overdose. There are fewer people dying from traffic deaths because jaywalking has been reduced.

Central Division is the only LAPD Division that has a pre-filing diversion program – called “Streets or Services” (SOS). This effort, initiated by social service providers, elected officials, the City Attorney, LAPD and others, recognizes that the problems that perpetuate homelessness and poverty are not addressed by incarceration. Instead, programs that encourage people to recognize and address underlying issues provide a higher level of benefit for both that individual and the community. Out of all of the narcotics arrests made in the City of Los Angeles, historically 20% have been made in the downtown area. Five LACPC partners are collaborating on a grant from the City of Los Angeles to provide beds and services for the SOS program in order to try to give some of our chronically homeless guests a way off of the streets for good.

Services are still insufficient for all who need them. We still experience more need than available resources. However, we envision a day where we have the increase in services, and specifically dollars, to support that need. The economy has hit all non-profits hard and while we are suffering to make ends meet – our clientele is growing. The City of Los Angeles needs to continue to invest in our community which is home to people who have some of the most severe mental health and addiction issues you will find anywhere.

A few years ago we all realized it was imperative that this community make changes in order to provide safety and an environment that promotes community pride and ownership.

The efforts of the entire community have resulted in an improvement in quality of life. Is it perfect? Not yet. But a clear line has been drawn in the sand. We are a community of people that deserve the opportunity to live, work, recover and play in a safe and clean environment. There is a new pride in the neighborhood. There is still more work to be done. More resources have to be committed, but clearly we have made significant strides in our quest to end lawlessness and foster an environment that encourages respect, responsibility and personal and community prosperity. We are an example of a community that believes change can happen and we are willing to invest ourselves to make it happen. I am going to see if I can organize my neighbors to take this kind of action in my own home community! – Andy B.

What can you do to create an environment that promotes community pride and ownership in your neighborhood?

Do you think this will make a difference?

Here is a list of Union Rescue Mission’s local officials, if you’d like to thank them for their support.

1. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

2. Councilwoman Jan Perry

3. County Supervisor Gloria Molina

Faithful Friends Bringing Us Through

I received a call from the Los Angeles Business Journal asking about the effect of the current financial turmoil and impending disaster is having on our fundraising and our Mission. I’d like to share my answers with you.

The need and demand for our services is up with more single people, more two parent families, single fathers with children, and, in a couple of cases, even former donors, coming to Union Rescue Mission and appearing at our doors in need of help. At the same time, giving to our Mission has dropped, about 17% so far this year compared to last year, and dropped off even more significantly in the last 10 days. More need with fewer resources is a very challenging combination. Each day we are meeting to strategize on cost cutting in order to make it through this difficult time while still stepping up to meet the extra need.

The reasons we have made it this far vary but we do believe there are two categories of faithful friends out there who sustain us during this tough time. We have a group of donors (1,450 in number) who give regularly each week or month, in gift amounts between $14.00 to $25.00, even $100 up to $500. I believe these people are not giving from their excess, but are faithfully giving despite the pain and challenge it brings to their own lifestyle. They believe so strongly in caring for the “least of these” that Jesus Christ spoke of and offering hope to people who have run out of hope that they are willing to sacrificially give despite the hardship it brings on them. It is hard for me to describe the appreciation that I feel for these 1,450 faithful friends of Union Rescue Mission.

The next group of donors helping us through this hard season is a constant surprise and gives us the opportunity to be astonished from time to time. These are precious folks from the “Greatest Generation”, who remembered our guests when they wrote out their wills and estates. This group usually comes out of the first group that I described above. They often faithfully gave a regular, though not an extraordinary total amount, throughout their lifetime, and yet, shortly after they have left this world, Union Rescue Mission is notified that they remembered us, and we are alerted to the fact that a large gift, possibly greater than $100,000, is on its way. When it arrives, as one did yesterday, we gather around as a team, ring a wonderful bell made for the Mission by a dear friend, and remember this generous, loving person, pray as a group and thank our Lord for the provision that allows us to carry on with this needed work and ministry. Yesterday, we received two of these gifts. These gifts are literally carrying us through difficult times when we seriously are wondering if we will make it through. These friends planned ahead and now are unaffected by these tough financial times, but they are making a huge difference in our lives and more importantly in the lives of our guests.

I plan on joining this group of difference makers. I have placed URM in my estate plans. If you would like to be this kind of difference maker please contact dhutson@urm.org. Keep us in your prayers! Andy B.