This season the number of families showing up at our door in desperation, having lost their homes is up 100%. The number of individuals seeking housing is up 25%. To meet their needs, we converted an entire floor formerly used for volunteers to house two parent families and single dads with children. Additionally, meals served are up from 2,100 to 2,800 per day, a 30% increase.
We believe the situation will get much worse before it gets better. We opened our Burbank, West LA, Culver City and downtown Winter Shelters on December 1st. In the first three days we saw as many families arrive homeless, needing assistance as we did in all 3 and ½ months of operating Winter Shelters last year! This is an ominous sign of things to come.
Here’s a quote from our CEO, Andy Bales: “I think we’re in an emergency, and I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. We get vouchers from the (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority) to put families up when they come to winter shelters and we’ve used four-fifths of the vouchers we get for the entire season already. We have a bigger problem now than we’ve ever dreamed of before.”
The increase in numbers would be a challenge even if our budget was fully funded but our donations are down over $600,000 this year and our capital campaign to fund our new Hope Gardens Family Center outside of the mean streets of Skid Row for single women with children is off by $700,000.
We have taken drastic steps to reduce our costs, while stepping up to meet the growing need. URM has implemented a freeze in 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 can keep the necessary staff to care for our guests. During the Great Depression, URM fed 42% of the hungry in the City of Los Angeles. We are committed to living up to that rich heritage — we are praying and planning on what our next steps may be.
We feel compelled to do what we can to meet the growing need but we need help from partners like you. Thank you for your generous giving and for keeping us in your prayers.
KABC news interviewed Union Rescue Mission’s CEO Andy Bales about the increase in individuals facing homelessness this year.
Officials at a winter shelter in Burbank say they have seen a 1,000 percent increase in demand since their doors opened on Dec. 1. They blame it all on a very troubled economy.
As they are dealing with increased demand in the valley, shelters in Downtown Los Angeles are retrofitting offices to accommodate more families.
“I’ve been doing this nearly 23 years and I’ve never seen anything close to this,” said Andy Bales, Union Rescue Mission.
Andy Bales runs the Union Rescue Mission on skid row in Los Angeles. He said homeless shelters like his are being inundated with young families.
“I believe that we’re going to have to take emergency steps to make sure that no family and no children spends time on the streets and suffers the devastation of homelessness,” said Bales.
Southern California Public Radio interviewed Union Rescue Mission’s CEO Andy Bales regarding the increase in individuals who are homeless.
Los Angeles County’s homeless authority says on any given night 73,000 people are sleeping on the street. More than 10,000 are children or teens.
And it’s getting worse thanks to the slowing economy and big job losses. Union Rescue Mission President Andy Bales says the number of people visiting his shelters is up three fold over this time last year. He says it reminds him of the 1930s.
Andy Bales: “During the depression, the Union Rescue Mission provided 42 percent of the meals that were provided to the city of L.A. and somehow made it through. We’re trying to live up to heritage.”
Bales says it’s not easy. Demand for his nonprofit’s winter shelters is up sharply, while cash and food donations are shrinking.
Troy Anderson of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin writes about the increase in visitors to winter shelters around Los Angeles County.
Despite innovative efforts by the city, county and nonprofit agencies to help keep homeless families off the streets, officials at rescue missions and winter shelters in Los Angeles County said Thursday their facilities are being overwhelmed by homeless families.
Andy Bales, president of the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles, said the number of homeless families staying at the mission has tripled to 45 over this time last year.
At his winter shelters in Burbank, West Los Angeles, Culver City and downtown, Bales saw more families in the first three days this year than the entire winter last year.
“I think we’re in an emergency,” Bales said. “And I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. We get vouchers from the (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority) to put families up when they come to winter shelters and we’ve used four-fifths of the vouchers we get for the entire season already.
“We have a bigger problem now than we’ve ever dreamed of before.”
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.
Union Rescue Mission’s CEO Andy Bales is interviewed about a new invention to provide shelter to individuals who are homeless. The invention is called E.D.A.R., which stands for Everyone Deserves A Roof.
On Saturday, December 13th over 100 volunteers from the Greater Los Angeles Region of Merrill Lynch will spend the day serving meals at Union Rescue Mission. The day was originally slated for the company Holiday Party. Instead, Regional Managing Director Chandler Root cancelled the party and encouraged his entire team to spend the day serving those in need.
Employees and family members from each office in the region will be participating including Kelly Caves, Resident Director – Long Beach; Nadia Allaudin, Resident Director – Century City; and Richard Rozman, Resident Director – Manhattan Beach. In addition to sharing their time serving people who are homeless, the group will be bringing donations for Union Rescue Mission’s annual Christmas Store.
Join the Union Rescue Mission & Wal*Mart at 4101 Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles 90008 this Thursday, December 11, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. as Wal*Mart shoppers fill the Union Rescue Mission Holiday Bus with donated toys. View Larger Map
For More Information Contact:
Kitty Davis-Walker, Union Rescue Mission
(213) 673-4585
kwalker@urm.org
WAL*MART & UNION RESCUE MISSION PARTNER FOR “BUS LOAD OF SMILES”
This Thursday Shoppers are Encouraged to Assist URM Achieve its Dream of Collecting 5,000 Toys by Filling Up The URM Holiday Bus
LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (December 8, 2008)—Union Rescue Mission (URM), the oldest mission serving the homeless in Los Angeles has partnered with Wal*Mart on Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles to hold its “Bus Load Of Smiles” Toy Drive outside of the store this Thursday, December 11, from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
For the past 17 years, Union Rescue Mission has opened a free Christmas Store where homeless and working poor parents can shop for presents to give to their children during the holiday season. This year URM has the dream of collecting 5,000 toys to serve 750 homeless and working poor families in the Los Angeles area. Last year, more than 500 families where invited to the store. Tough economic times have increased demand and URM’s goal this year is to serve 750 families and approximately 2200 children. Union Rescue Mission’s CEO, Andy Bales said “We are blessed that our friends at Wal*Mart have agreed to partner with us to make this holiday season a bit brighter for our friends who are experiencing extremely difficult times”.
The Union Rescue Mission’s holiday bus will be parked outside the Los Angeles Wal*Mart located at 4101 South Crenshaw Boulevard, Los Angeles California 90008 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 11, 2008.
Media visuals: Shoppers stuffing the Union Rescue Mission Holiday Bus with toy donations they purchased while shopping at Wal*Mart.
About Union Rescue Mission
Union Rescue Mission is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the poor and homeless. Established in 1891, URM is one of the largest rescue missions of its kind in the United States and is the oldest in Los Angeles. It provides a comprehensive array of emergency and long-term services, including food, shelter, clothing; medical and dental care; Christian recovery programs, transitional housing, legal assistance, education, counseling, and job training to needy men, women, children and families. For more information and how you can help please visit www.urm.org
Zain Shauk of the Burbank Leader writes about the opening of the winter shelter in Burbank. Union Rescue Mission is running the program again this year.
The city’s winter homeless shelter opened Monday, providing cots, showers and hot meals to 31 people on its first night of operation at the Burbank National Guard Armory.
Last year, the shelter drew only about 15 people on its first night and almost 150 on its most crowded evening before it closed in mid-March, said Andy Bales, director of the Los Angeles Union Rescue Mission, which runs the program.
