We would like to send a special thanks to Oasis Christian Center for hosting a food drive, with the donations going to URM! They were able to collect more than 2,500 cans of food.
In particular, we appreciate the hard work of Pastor Phillip & Holly Wagner, Pastor Alex Jones Moreno, and the whole Oasis team for being out in the rain collecting food!
The Special Edition of “The Mission” newsletter is now available! Please click here to subscribe
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 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,
Rev. Andy will no longer be speaking with Frank Pastore on his show this Wednesday, February 24th. The appearance is in the process of being rescheduled, so please stay tuned for updates!
Each year, we are part of a program that allows us to open extra shelters during the winter months. This year, we are running Winter Shelters in Downtown LA, Glendale, Culver City, and West LA. Not only do these shelters provide a warm bed for someone who might otherwise be sleeping out in the cold and rain, but they are crucial in helping guests become aware of Union Rescue Mission and all the services we provide!
Please take a moment to hear from Sandra, the Glendale Winter Shelter Program Manager, on how great an impact the Winter Shelters are having on hundreds of people, some of them experiencing homelessness for the first time. Sadly, these shelters are only open from December through March of each year, which leaves many people asking “Where can I go?” in less than a month. We would love to see the Winter Shelters open year round, but are unable to do this on our own.
There are two ways you can help make a difference; first, you can advocate for the Winter Shelters by contacting the Governors office and local city officials to ask that National Guard Armories be opened year round, and that the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority be more substantially funded. This way, the shelters in place can remain open wirh sufficient case management and support services to assist people experiencing homelessness in finding more permanent solutions. Secondly, you can donate to help support the costs of keeping these shelters running.
Please take a moment and hear from Sandra about our Winter Shelters
Blessings,
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.
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:
…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
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.
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!
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:
To help provide these important services and care for our guests, click here to donate today.
