Union Rescue Mission, The Way Home

The Many Benefits of Volunteerism

by Rev. Andy on Thursday, November 19th, 2009, Filed Under General, Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments

Union Rescue Mission in LA is the oldest Rescue Mission in Los Angeles and the largest Mission of its kind in the United States.  One of our best kept secrets to success is the impact volunteers have on our organization.  We have nearly 14,000 volunteers that come to give of their time throughout the year.  This allows us to house over 1,000 people a night at Union Rescue Mission downtown and our Hope Gardens Family Center in Sylmar and feed more than 3,000 meals each day at a greatly reduced cost, as volunteers join our staff to prepare and serve the meals, teach in our learning centers, tutor children, carry out special activities, and provide much needed love to our guests.  This ability to serve our guests well at a greatly reduced cost is an incredible benefit, but it does not come close to the benefit received by the delivery of much needed love by our volunteers.  One very special volunteer in our cafeteria shows up to serve the guests each day, and does so faithfully, but she also has a nearly 50 lb. purse loaded with candy that she hands out to the 130 children under our roof, and to the nearly 400 grown men as well.  Getting candy from anyone is special, but it is the love that this volunteer and the candy represents that is so life-changing to children and adults who have been devastated by homelessness.

I credit the difference inside our Mission, as compared to the violence surrounding us on the streets of Skid Row, to the love delivered inside Union Rescue Mission by volunteers. While the streets around us are filled with crime, drug use, violence, and even death, once inside URM there is warmth, peace, hope and life.  Our committed staff plays a part in this, but our swarm of loving volunteers  transforms the environment.

URM is not the only beneficiary.  I once had a poster inside my office with a Dr. Martin Luther King quote: “10 steps toward getting rid of the blues: do something for someone else and repeat it 9 nine times!”

I have followed that principle in getting the blues/depression out of my own life, and I believe that our volunteers have learned this secret as well.  Nothing is more satisfying or healing than giving yourself and your time away to others who are struggling in our society.

I have had friends find their life’s passion and work by taking time to volunteer.  A friend of mine had a passion for carpentry.  He had an office job, but came down, volunteered at our Mission, and built a wonderful stack of strong shelves for our food storage.  Soon he volunteered for other building projects and realized what a gift he had for building.  He now builds $1,000,000+ homes.  I am still looking for my own hidden talent like that!  :) 

Another friend of mine, a CFO for an insurance company, met me for lunch and shared his heart with me.  He had a burden for young people experiencing homelessness.  After our meeting, he volunteered in our work.  He found his life’s calling and purpose.  He left the high paying job to launch a very successful program for young people.  It is called Hope For Homeless Youth.  Taking that first step into the waters through volunteerism helped him discover his passion and make a huge impact on his community. 

We’ve recently had several large corporations join us at URM for, what I call, Acts of Kindness Day.  We line up about 12 acts of kindness throughout our building and our community; delivering cold water to people on the streets, handing out socks and sandwiches, working in our kitchen, BBQing for our families on the rooftop, karaoke with our kids, volleyball in the gym with our guys, footwashing along with new socks and shoes for our men and women.  Certainly our guests were blessed by these events, but I believe that the corporations experienced a wonderful time of team building and joy. 

As you can tell, I believe in volunteerism for selfish reasons.  Volunteerism makes my job easier, helps me achieve our Mission’s objectives, and transforms our environment.  However, I also appreciate volunteerism for some selfless reasons, as I watch the positive life changing effect it has on those who volunteer. 

For more information on how you can become involved, check out our Volunteer Page!

Blessings, 

 Andy B.

A Long Way From Home: Family Homeless In Los Angeles

by Rev. Andy on Monday, November 2nd, 2009, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog, The Latest | View Comments

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority on October 28^th released its 2009 Homeless Count.  There was remarkable news – the total number of persons counted in this latest survey decreased by 38% compared to the total number of homeless persons counted in 2007.   

Among the 48,053 homeless individuals in Los Angeles County Continuum of Care, the survey identifies 4,885 individuals in 1,840 homeless families in our community, reflecting a stunning 70% drop in homelessness among families with children during the last two years. 

As agencies that advocate for and provide housing and services to homeless families throughout Los Angeles County, we have a unique perspective on these numbers.

The results of the survey suggest that our concentrated efforts and focus on successful strategies is making an impact on reducing the number of homeless families throughout Los Angeles.  We have on our staffs experienced skilled professionals who understand the unique challenges associated with family homelessness.  We have strong partnerships with public and private agencies committed to our common cause.  Our program models are successfully demonstrating positive outcomes. 

However, we feel that the 2009 Homeless Count substantially understates what those of us on the frontlines of addressing family homelessness are seeing on the street.  A sampling of data from providers that focus on family homelessness indicates a 40% increase in family homelessness between 2007 and 2009.  Confirming this perception, the Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) recognized 7,500 homeless families in January 2009, the same month the Count was conducted, a 49% increase from April 2008.

Families who are homeless have been referred to as the hidden homeless: they typically are less visible than chronically homeless adults. They may live in an automobile or on a friend’s living room floor, and spend the day at the mall or a city park. With a child in a stroller, the family’s homeless condition is less noticeable to the public, or even to outreach workers. These are some of the reasons families are under-represented in the Homeless Count.

We fear these numbers will likely get worse before it gets better.  Family homelessness tends to lag behind unemployment by six to nine months.  As we endure the worst economic plunge since the Great Depression and the unemployment rate soars past 12.7% across the region, we are bracing to support a surge in the number of homeless families, possibly rising to 10,000 homeless families in LA County alone.

If homelessness was truly decreasing in our community, we’d be the first to celebrate.  However, our experiences from the frontlines indicate that the problem is getting worse, not better.

For this reason, the release of the 2009 Homeless Count should be a call to action to continue investing in solutions that work.  We need resources to dramatically accelerate the pace of affordable housing development and to provide more Section 8 housing vouchers for families.  We need additional resources to help families who are currently homeless and those who are at risk of losing their housing in the near future.  Most importantly, we need a regional, collaborative and aggressive approach to end family homelessness. 

Despite surging demand and diminished resources, agencies across Los Angeles County that address family homelessness remain dedicated to battling this crisis.  Let the 2009 Homeless Count be a call to all of us in Los Angeles to rededicate ourselves to addressing this unconscionable crisis once and for all.

 
Reverend Andy Bales
CEO
Union Rescue Mission 

Jill Govan Bauman
President and CEO
ImagineLA 

Devorah Brous
Executive Director
Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness 

Rabbi Marv Gross
CEO
Union Station Homeless Services 

Tahia Hayslet
Executive Director
Harbor Interfaith

Stephanie Klasky-Gamer
President and CEO
LA Family Housing 

David Littlehales
Executive Director
Rio Hondo Temporary Home 

Joel Roberts
CEO
Path Partners

David Snow
Executive Director
Upward Bound House