Andy's Updates - 4/2010
by Rev. Andy on Thursday, April 29th, 2010, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments
There has been some controversy over guests paying a fee for services, both nearby on Skid Row and in New York City. The controversy arose when a local group in LA bought a building, and after a few months began offering a cot and a place to sleep for $125.00 per month. Some advocates for people experiencing homelessness cried out about the fee, but also in regards to the fact that only the cot and case management was offered, and that there were no shower services or regular food program to go along with the cot.
In New York City a bigger storm arose over the City of New York carrying out a Client Contribution Program, a pilot program to charge guests with an adequate income a gradually growing fee to both sustain the shelter program and to develop responsible choices among the guests. I have posted the link below;
http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-08-21/news/bloomberg-charges-the-homeless-rent/
“Dusting off an idea dating back to the Giuliani era, the Bloomberg administration has quietly started charging rent to homeless people who stay in emergency city shelters, the Voice has learned.
With no fanfare, Bloomberg officials in June began charging residents of at least four Brooklyn shelters up to 30 percent of their income, records obtained by the Voice show. People who don’t pay could be kicked out of the shelter, the documents show.
Eric Deutsch, a spokesman for the Department of Homeless Services, tells the Voice that the so-called Client Contribution Program is a “very small” pilot program for people with a significant amount of income in the shelter. “We’re trying a variety of new strategies to help families and individuals move towards permanency and into their own homes,” he said.
According to Deutsch, the first month at the shelter is free, with fees rising from 10 percent in the second month to 30 percent in the fourth month. Deutsch said the money goes into a pool that “clients” can draw from when they leave the shelter. But shelter residents say a number of people have already refused to pay the rent fee because they can’t afford it, and because the city hasn’t offered any additional rights or benefits in return.”
At the Rescue Mission I ran from 1986 to 1990 in Des Moines, Iowa, we had a similar practice. The Door of Faith Mission was established by George Holloway, a man who had a 3rd grade education, spent 37 years on the road without a home, going from shelter to shelter, until he had his life transformed right here at Union Rescue Mission, I believe. He returned to Des Moines, Iowa, with a philosophy of running mission’s differently;
- He made it welcoming for the entire day, instead of making people line up at night to come in for a meal and a bed
- >He fed the men well so they could feel good, go out and work, and get help avoiding the temptations of drugs and alcohol
- He required sobriety from those who lived at the Mission because it is difficult to stay sober when surrounded by the site and smell of alcohol
- He required the men to work and pay their own way, because people feel better about themselves when they work, and pay their own way. It affirms their dignity, teaches responsibility, prepares them for paying rent when they move, and it provided 1/3 of the needed income for operating the shelter. The rest of the income came from churches and individuals. The first 3 days were free of charge or paid by the County, subsequently the next 30 day fee was $6.00 per day, then $7.00 per day, and finally $8.00 per day to prepare the men to pay rent.
In effect, I learned everything I know about properly running a Rescue Mission not from my more than 15 years in colleges, universities and seminaries, but almost entirely from a man with a 3rd grade education.
I came to Union Rescue Mission with this philosophy intact, but I have not implemented all of the components of this philosophy as of yet. I was reminded of George Holloway’s teachings the other day, when a front line staff mention that some guests residing free at Union Rescue Mission have an income of $1,000 and some an income of $2,000 and that it is difficult to watch someone stay free, eat free, and irresponsibly fritter away huge sums of money in the first few days only to be completely broke the rest of the month, while our worker has suffered 2 pay decreases and responsibly struggles to make ends meet.
I’d like to start a dialogue and get your thoughts on this dilemma. What do you think? Should Mission guests pay a fee to learn responsibility, prepare for paying rent, and help sustain the Mission’s operating costs during such a challenging time? Thanks for weighing in!
by Rev. Andy on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments
Two of my Union Rescue Mission colleagues and I just had the opportunity to travel to Baja Mexico with Calvary Church Pacific Palisades to build a loft house in partnership with Hands of Mercy for a family experiencing homelessness in their little village outside of Ensenada, Mexico. To be honest, I’d been so blessed by the church’s support of URM that I wanted to go and make sure they were safe on the trip! I think that Scott Johnson, our COO, and Michael Treadway, a URM graduate and head of our transitional living program for men, went along to make sure that I stayed safe!
We knew that the trip would be a challenge, but as Michael and Scott tearfully shared in this week’s URM chapel, it was also life changing. We arrived on a very long bumpy canyon filled dirt road, and spent the first night in a camp, and slept in a loft house, just like the one we would build for the family. We were without electricity, cell phone coverage, or indoor plumbing. I got up in the middle of the night and we had 7 wild horses running around our camp and cabin. Amazing! This was our view in the morning!
We then met the families we would build the homes for and travelled back out the bumpy road to begin.
We picked up our houses on a trailer and headed out.
We then journeyed to the village, up a very steep rocky road, to a scenic site for the new home.
I quickly made friends with the family, Victor, his wife, and their 12 year old girl Maria. Maria showed me where they were temporarily staying with their Pastor in a 144 Square foot home, just like the one we would build with them.
We began to build their beautiful, little, green house.
At times I even found the strength to pitch in and do some heavy lifting! Scott made the mistake of saying in front of me that he had not worked this hard since 1987! 
It took us from sun up to nearly sun down to near completion, and Victor, the father, a very spiritual man who suffers from diabetes and loss of some sight, was praising the Lord for his new home.
The neighbor, Robert, who lives behind Victor, kept coming to me, asking us to build a house for him. He said, when it rains, water runs through his home. This is his house below:
These are the neighbors’ precious kids:
We are going to go back to build an outdoor toilet and water catching system for Victor and his family to go along with their new home. We hope to go back soon to build a home for Robert and these precious little ones as well. Michael wept as he said, “I never knew people lived like this.” Scott gave Victor his tool belt and tools so he could take care of his own home and hopefully earn money to support his family. I learned two things – what good men Scott and Mike truly are, and that I would be content with what I have from now on and cease to want more. Bless you, Andy B.
by Rev. Andy on Wednesday, April 7th, 2010, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments
Today, Carmen Trutanich, County Attorney Steve Cooley, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, Sheriff Lee Baca and others issued a public notice at a press conference of a first-of-its-kind civil law enforcement action designed to curb rampant drug activity in Downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row by gang members and career criminals. An injunction was taken out against 80 individuals, drug dealers, gang members and 1 entire gang, the Grape Street Crips, who come from the outside of Skid Row to sell drugs and commit crime on the streets of Skid Row.
Below is the speech that I tried to share as I was invited to speak on behalf of area Mission’s and Recovery programs. Our speeches were rudely interrupted by a group called LACAN. I’d like to take time to share my speech and our perspective in this blog. Thanks for taking time to understand our point of view:
We asked for this. People selling drugs and behaving violently were waiting outside of Union Rescue Mission’s and other agencies’ doors, coming into our courtyards and restrooms, and preying on the vulnerabilities of our guests.
Over the course of a week, a woman was shot in the head and murdered steps from our back door, 2 men chased another man down who owed them money and violently beat him outside our back door on San Julian St., and our precious guest women cried and told me that gang members threatened and robbed the little man who pushes an ice cream cart through the neighborhood, “They shouldn’t have done him like that!” they said. We felt frustrated and helpless in protecting our very vulnerable and precious guests.
We asked for help, and met with individuals representing our City Attorney, County Attorney, LAPD, Sheriff and others, and they have now delivered that help today. Thank you!
As a colleague of ours shared yesterday, “This is the best news I have heard on Skid Row in 20 years!” Larry Adamson, the CEO of Midnight Mission, said “With the progress we have made in recent years, men are staying in their recovery programs 66% longer with much greater success!” This step will help in improving the success of our recovery programs.
We at Union Rescue Mission have had an average of 60 families with well over 100 vulnerable children in our Mission this year. These children have seen too much in their short young lives and experienced too much fear. Thank you, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, District Attorney, Steve Cooley, and all, for putting an end to this fear.
One of the very thoughtful parts of this initiative is the “exemption clause” through which those listed can leave the life of preying on others, and enter into a recovery program like the one we have at Union Rescue Mission, or as I like to call them, a life transformation program, and have their name removed – exempted – from the list. Thank you for including this grace and hope filled opportunity!
We have made significant progress in our community — stopping hospital drop-offs, stopping mental hospital drop-offs, making sure women and children are not on the streets and reducing crime. This injunction is yet another tremendous step in making Skid Row a true Recovery Zone! It’s an important step in moving toward the day when not one precious human being is left to live in terror and die on the streets of Skid Row. And, indeed, this is a step closer towards truly living up to our great city’s name, the City of Angels. Thank you!
