Skid Row

Please Help Keep the Winter Shelters Open!!

Today marked the end of our Glendale Winter Shelter, and on March15th, the remaining shelters will be closing as well. Unfortunately, the money that funds the armories will run out then, which means that the 670 people who have been staying at the Winter Shelters will have no place to go.

We would like to ask you to please be an advocate for those who are experiencing homelessness, and consider contacting government officials to keep the Winter Shelters open year round.  The number of people walking through our doors has continued to increase; we don’t ever want to see the day when we have to turn someone away.  Keeping the Winter Shelters open would ensure that we would not have to.

Please go to http://youarethemission.org/advocate. We are asking people to send a pre-written letter to Governor Schwarzenegger to help keep these shelters open by declaring a State of Emergency.  Then, contact the LA City Council, LA County Supervisors, and Los Angeles Housing Services Authority (LAHSA) to support our efforts. With your help, we can bring about a change!  Thank you so much for your support.

 

 

February End of Month Update

February has been a busy month for us at URM.  We hope you will take a moment to watch this video for exciting highlights on the events and challenges, including photos of our Hearts for Hope Fashion Show honoring Paris Hilton.

When you support us and share our message with others, you are helping to provide a better life for those who may otherwise be living on the streets of LA.  We cannot do what we do without you.

Blessings,

Winter Shelters

It has been our honor to participate with LAHSA (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority) in 4 of their Winter Shelters throughout Los Angeles from December 1st to March 15th.  We utilized the National Guard Armories in Glendale, Culver City and West LA, and added 200 beds to our downtown URM facility, to operate these Winter Shelters.  We contracted to operate 660 or so beds, but found many nights that we were housing up to 820 guests at these timely, thoughtful Winter Shelters during much of the rain that we have experienced recently. 

We chose to jump into this opportunity with our pubic benefits charity, not because it helps us earn extra money, or any other reason except that it helps us fulfill our mission: to embrace people experiencing homelessness.  It also helps us regionalize the solution to homelessness, the 4th step in our 10 step plan http://youarethemission.org to end homelessness as we know it in Los Angeles.  We firmly believe that every region, city and neighborhood in Los Angeles County should provide services and housing to assist their own neighbors who are experiencing homelessness, rather than sending their struggling folks downtown to the mean streets of Skid Row; as I describe Skid Row, it is the worst man made disaster in America and we need to end Skid Row as we know it by regionalizing the solution to homelessness.   

It has been a joy to participate in these thoughtful, helpful Winter Shelters.  We’ve seen people arrive at our shelters just 30 minutes after being evicted from their homes, experiencing homelessness for the first time.  We’ve seen senior adults, adult males and females, young ladies running from abusive relationships, young unemployed people, and families with children. It has been an honor to be there to greet them with a warm cot, good meal, and a roof over their heads in their time of need.  The challenge and heartache is coming up quickly; the closing of the Winter Shelters is on March 15th!  On that day, the armories close, funding runs out, and the cots go to a warehouse and the precious souls who do not connect with other hard to find services return to the streets.  It is hard for me to bear.  I grieve for days.  I already am grieving.   

The 7th of 10 steps in http://youarethemission.org , is a call to keep the Winter Shelters open year round as a much needed safety net! There are more deadly things on the streets than just the bad weather.  Homelessness itself is deadly, taking decades off the life of an individual and doing devastating damage.

Why in the world would we close down this vital safety net?

How can we send folks out to the streets who want to stay in a place that provides a roof over their heads and a connection with case management and vital services?  The Governor of California, during these extraordinary times, could declare a state of emergency, keep the armories open, and our city and county could team up with us and the other agencies running shelters to make sure that these 1600 beds stay open, and that our friends experiencing homelessness could be provided with a shelter long enough to get back on their feet.  It could cost as little as $1,000,000 per shelter to operate them at capacity(150-200 persons each night) for 1 year.   

For the sake of these precious souls, would you consider contacting the :

Governor: Click here for email form.

LAHSA: Click here for email form.

County officials: Click here for contact list.

City officals: Click here for email form.

 

Thank you!

 Andy B.

s

Hearts for Hope Fashion Show Extravaganza

Tory Burch Fashion Show - Models 

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (February 8, 2010) — The Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village was teaming with celebrities as the Hearts for Hope fundraising celebrity fashion show got underway on Saturday February 6th presented by award winning designer, Tory Burch.  The star studded event was spearheaded by Alice Starr and a committee of people who have a profound heart for helping those experiencing homelessness.

 

The event honored two of the most recognized women that have had a personal impact on helping people experiencing homelessness, Socialite Paris Hilton and the courageously bold Leigh Anne Tuohy, the true life mother of adopted son Michael Oher, depicted in the movie “The Blind Side”. Union Rescue Mission CEO, Andy Bales, was all smiles as he presented Paris Hilton with the coveted “Heart for Service” Award.  A teary eyed Paris humbly accepted her award and replied “I have received lots of Awards but this one means so much more to me because it’s about being a humanitarian, something I am getting into doing more of this year”.  She expressed much admiration for the work of Union Rescue Mission and thanked the crowed of over 400 for coming out on a rainy Saturday afternoon to support the Mission.

 Paris Auctions off Personal Picnic

All proceeds benefit the Union Rescue Mission’s Hope Gardens Family Center, a transitional and permanent supportive housing facility serving women and children.  

 Attendees included:

  • Heart for Service Award recipients- Paris Hilton & Leigh Anne Tuohy
  • Heart for Service Award Presenter- Union Rescue Mission CEO, Andy Bales
  • Some Celebrity Committee members included; Jackie & Anson Williams, Roma Downey, Kathleen Quinlan and Rick Springfield
  • Event Hosts – Kevin Dretzka and Stanley Gerlach Jr.

Silent Auction 

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue…

…sending Valentine’s Day love, from us to you!

What do you look forward to on Valentine’s Day? Do you have any plans this year?  We asked some of our guests what they think about Valentine’s Day, and here’s what they said!

"This year, I'm giving my daughters a prayer and chocolate covered strawberries to show them I love them. But the true gift of giving is a gift from God." - Zane

 

 

 

 

 

"My favorite Valentine's Day memories are buying red roses and chocolates for my wife." - Eric

"My fiance better be taking me out, buying me a box of chocolates and a stuffed animal!" - Sharon

"I get a party at shool and we get to make Valentines to give to people." - Donovan

"This is the first Valentine's Day I'm actually celebrating in a really long time. I'm sending a chocolate rose, perfume and a CD to a girl I've been talking to and really like!" - Roderick

 

Students Spend Time Serving at URM

Foothills Christian School - Serving Lunch  

This week, we have had the pleasure of having the 8th grade class from Foothills Christian Church volunteer.  The volunteering is part of a 7- year tradition the school  has set up; each year, the 8th grade class completes a unit on Homelessness in America.  At the end of the unit, they are able to come down to Union Rescue Mission to experience serving and see first hand many of the issues they have been learning about.

Foothills Christian School - Helping With Food Prep   

We are very grateful for all the students and their hard work this week – not only have they been a tremendous help with kitchen work and laundry, but they have brought smiles and laughter to many of the guests!

Foothills Christian School - Making Sack Lunches 

January 2010 Statistics Update

January 2010 Statistics

Here is our latest update for January 2010 Statistics including URM, Hope Gardens and Winter Shelter Program.

So far, 2010 has been a busy year for us here at URM, with most of our numbers increasing significantly from last year.  Our meals served were up 11% from last year, with 85,749 meals served at URM alone.  Adding in our four winter shelters in Downtown LA, Glendale, Culver City, and West LA,  and our Hope Gardens Family Center, that number increased to 138,737 meals served in the month of January – that’s about 4,475 meals served each day!   

We also showed increases in the number of guests staying at URM, Hope Gardens, and the Winter Shelters each night.  Altogether, we were able to provide 49,451 nights of shelter this month! 

But our ability to serve would not be possible without your support! We would like to say thanks to all our donors and supporters, as well as to the many volunteers that brighten the lives of our guests while helping out; we had a whopping 1,801 volunteer visits for a total of 5,572 volunteer hours!

 We are also grateful for our USC Dental Clinic, UCLA Medical and Mental Health Clinics, and Pepperdine Legal Clinics.  Often times, people experiencing homelessness do not have the resources to gain the help they may need to improve their life and their current situation.  Our clinics are here to provide that kind of help free of charge!  This month they provided the following:           

Dental Clinic Visits = 511

Legal Clinic Visits = 38

Mental Health/Counseling Sessions = 152

Medical Visits = 634

 

With all the rain that we have been experiencing, it is good to know that our Winter Shelters are available for hundreds of people who might be sleeping in the cold otherwise.  From December 1st through the end of March, Union Rescue Mission runs four extra shelters through the Winter Shelter Program.  For some, the Winter Shelters provide the temporary assistance they need to get back on their feet and secure permanent housing of their own.  For others, coming in out of the cold and interacting with one of the caring members of our staff is the first step in their journey towards life transformation.                                                         

WSP Nights of Shelter

Downtown    Avg:  258 ppl per night   (10% increase from last year)

Culver City   Avg:  129 ppl per night

West LA        Avg: 123 ppl per night

Glendale       Avg: 159 ppl per night

 

Just to give you an idea of what donations, large or small, from caring people like you can do, here are some quick facts about the costs of services we provide:

  • Having a great smile can make all the difference in a person’s self esteem and outlook on life – $142.72 can provide dental care for a family of four.

 

  • By providing emergency and outreach services, we try to show God’s love to those that we serve.  By caring for even basic needs, we hope that they will gain confidence from knowing someone cares and believes in them – that way they have the strength, hope and foundation to go through the process of life transformation. The cost of ‘emergency services’ (food and shelter) for a man for one week is about $152.81.

 

  • Living on the streets or near poverty, most people can only dream of having proper health insurance and health care for themselves and their children. Thanks to our UCLA Medical Center, $93.99 can provide a medical visit for a mom and 2 kids.

 

To help provide these important services and care for our guests, click here to donate today.

PHC 2009 Serves Over 700 Guests!

 

Most days the Union Rescue Mission is bustling with people and activities – people coming and going all day long looking for supportive services.  But on December 10th, 2009, the ground floor of the Union Rescue Mission (URM) was even more active than usual – full to the brim with guests, volunteers, local partner agencies, helpful staff, and a whole host of new Skid Row neighbors experiencing homelessness.

On this day, URM joined with many of our city, county and private partners to host the Project Homeless Connect Day (PHC) 2009, in alliance with the National Initiative coordinated by the White House Interagency Council on Homelessness.  The purpose of this LA County sponsored event was to bring together service providers, agencies and other local organizations to provide housing, hospitality, information, health-care and many other invaluable services for friends in the midst of homelessness.   PHC is not only a service fair, or an information and referral event, it is an innovative one-day *consumer-focused* one-stop.

Our downtown site hosted a large-scale collaboration of over 40 downtown Los Angeles area service providers, service organizations, businesses and residents to provide area homeless and working poor access to the assistance they need to become self-sufficient and to ultimately obtain affordable housing. At our downtown site, we served over 700 guests, with the help of over 280 volunteers and community friends.  Services included legal aid, service referrals, medical attention, flu shots, mammograms, birth certificates, ID cards and transitional housing.  Practical needs were met as well by providing hygiene kits, warm blankets, bus tokens, free books, and a hot lunch, all in a fun atmosphere with plenty of musical entertainment throughout the day.

Project Homeless Connect 2009 was a great success – uniting our downtown community, strengthening our partnerships, sharing our gifts and providing much-needed services to bless those who we have the privilege of serving.  Special thanks to everyone who pitched in and served so joyfully that day. We couldn’t have done it without you!

December Statistics Update

Here is part of our  Statistics Report for December 2009 so you can see how many lives we touch with the help of our wonderful volunteers, donors, and sponsors!

Key December 2009 Stats (Compared to December 2008)

                    *URM= Union Rescue Mission

                    *WSP= Winter Shelters – Downtown, Glendale, Culver City, and West LA

                    *HG= Hope Gardens Family Center

Meals Served:

URM:  92,369    avg/day: 2980   6% increase

WSP:   39,548   avg/day: 1276    (no 2008 data)

HG:    10,800     avg/day: 348      (same)

Total: 134,699   avg/day: 4345

 

Nights of Shelter: 

URM:  31,728   avg: 1023    43% increase

WSP:    15,397    avg: 497     (no 2008 data)

HG:      3,866    avg: 125     15% increase

Total: 50,991    avg: 1645  

                    Children:

                    URM:   2767    avg: 89     33% increase

                    HG:     2229     avg: 72     28% increase

                    Total:  4996     avg: 161   31% increase

                  

                    Project Restart Families:      avg: 15 families/night    

                    *family defined as mother-father-child(ren) or single father-child(ren)

 

 Quick Facts:

  • It’s nearly impossible for whole families and single dads with children who are experiencing homelessness to find a place where they can stay together and receive the help they need. 

            We are caring for 15 of these precious families every night – most are experiencing homelessness for the very first time due to the economy.  

            $128.71 will help provide food, shelter and care for a family of 4 for one day.

            $900.97 will help us care for one of our families for an entire week.

  • Many who become trapped in homelessness have significant barriers to overcome before they can return to a productive life of their own. The longer one remains homeless, the greater the barriers become.

            Union Rescue Mission has life transformation programs to serve the needs of men and women and families who want to break the cycle of homelessness for good. 

            $56.58 will help provide a day of care for one of the brave men or women who have entered our life transformation programs.

            $396.06 will help provide a week of food, shelter and the training and counseling necessary for a successful and lasting transformation. 

 

  • From December 1st through the end of March, Union Rescue Mission provides shelter for an additional 600 people each night through our Winter Shelter Program.  For some, the Winter Shelters provide the temporary assistance they need to get back on their feet and secure permanent housing of their own.  For others, coming in out of the cold and interacting with one of the caring members of our staff is the first step in their journey towards life transformation.

            $100.00 will help provide emergency services for a family of 3.

            $ 257.60 will help provide an entire week of meals (dinner and a sack lunch for the next day) for 10 winter shelter guests.