Andy's Updates - 8/2010
by Rev. Andy on Monday, August 23rd, 2010, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog, The Latest, You Are The Mission | View Comments
I first became aware of the idea to allow guests to participate in their eventual transition out of homelessness by paying a proportion of the cost of their program when I walked into the Door of Faith Mission in Des Moines, Iowa, over 24 years ago.
The Door of Faith was an interesting place, because it had been established by a man, George Holloway, who had himself experienced homelessness and missions for 37 years. He did not like what he had experienced, so he established a Mission that welcomed men, fed them extremely well to make them feel good and help avoid addictions, expected and enforced sobriety, allowed them to stay in all day or rest on their bunk when they were not working, and required them to either work or utilize their income to pay a portion of their own way, $6.00 per day back then, because he believed men would feel better about themselves if they paid their own way and carried their own weight.
This allowed for a good working model of a mission, as 1/3 of the operating revenue came from supporting churches, 1/3 came from individual donors, and 1/3 came from the men themselves, contributing to their own recovery. Everything good I learned about running a Mission came from George Holloway, a man with a 3rd grade education, and his successor, Chaplain EE Peters, who taught me how to love someone out of homelessness. My friend and mentor, John Perkins, the grandfather of Christian Community Development, also has reaffirmed to me that people feel better about themselves when they can pay even a portion of their own way and help themselves.
The only good additions that I made to the Door of Faith philosophy, were to invite people to chapel rather than requiring chapel attendance, and to gradually increase the fee from $6.00 the first month, to $7.00 the 2nd month, and $8.00 the 3rd and final months to gently encourage the men to move on to their own apartments as they became ready.
I brought this philosophy with me to Union Rescue Mission, but when I mentioned charging guests or allowing them to invest a portion of their income to empower their recovery, it was met with some skepticism, as it was a new way of thinking. I had just experienced what happens when you bring too many changes too quickly, so I dropped the subject for a few years.
However, during a staff town hall meeting, the idea came up again. A front lines staff person, concerned about long time guests who had a substantial income that they were frivolously spending while residing at URM for free, asked, “Why can’t we ask guests with a substantial income to participate by paying portion of the cost to reside here?” I quickly shared with them that I had thought of that before, and that we would explore it.
Understand, this question comes from a staff person who is not highly paid, who during this recession has, along with the rest of us, had their pay cut twice by 5%, no longer is receiving a match on their 401K, and is contributing a larger portion towards their health care benefits. Remarkably, even with all of this, about 65% of our staff also donate some of their earnings toward the operations of Union Rescue Mission. They not only give their time, talents, and energy, but some of their own income towards this work and the people they love. Why wouldn’t we explore allowing guests with substantial income to participate in their own recovery?
So, we explored the possibility over a number of months. I blogged about it, and we received fantastic feedback on comments to the blogs.
We met with local community activists who formerly experienced homelessness, and gained valuable insight from them. We developed from these discussions a pilot program of 25 beds and 25 beds (10% of our total guest beds) that would consist of a covenant relationship with some benefits in return for participation in what we have described as the Gateway Program. We ask for a commitment to sobriety, ask the guest to pay $7.00 per day – $2.00 to go into their own savings plan, and $5.00 to pay for their specific case management that will assist in empowering them to escape homelessness. In return, the guests are provided a foot locker for their bunk, their bunk is home to them all day long, they can access their bed and rest any time they like during the day, classes are provided, and they receive the more intense empowering case management that they are themselves investing in. All of the meals, health clinic, dental clinic, mental health counseling, legal clinic, utilities, and a host of other services continue to be provided for free because of the support of donors.
I need to say it again for clarity: the fees collected will be for personal savings and the guests’ specific case management. We launched it at first as voluntary, and we have had some volunteer participation, but change does not come easily. So next month we are going to move from 280 free guest beds on the men’s side to 255 free beds and 25 Gateway beds, and from 208 free beds on the womens’ side to 183 free beds and 25 Gateway beds. I personally hope that this program proves so successful that it grows from the inside out.
There is no question that these hard times have contributed to implementing this philosophy. We hope to work through these difficult financial times, and allow our guests to participate by investing in their own recovery so that we all come out better on the other side.
When we implement this plan for our families with an income residing in one of our private rooms, each family will participate by paying 30% of their income in a program fee, 10% will be put towards their savings, and 20% will pay specifically for the case management staff assigned to the families. This quite likely is the only way URM can continue being one of the only resources for housing single moms with kids, single dads with kids, and two parent families with kids including teen-agers and teen-age boys. Would it be wiser to close our 4th and 5th floors down due to a lack of resources or is it better to allow families with an income to participate, pay for their own specific case management, and keep the much needed resources available?
The single moms with children who participate in this program will be the first to have the opportunity to move to our beautiful Hope Gardens Family Center, a fantastic transitional housing facility which also requires participation in a program fee/savings program. I will ask the question again in closing – with the sacrificial giving by our donors and the dedicated selfless work of our staff, why wouldn’t we explore allowing guests with substantial income to participate in their own recovery?
Blessings,
Andy
by Rev. Andy on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog, You Are The Mission | View Comments
Last week during an interview with friend and writer for the LA Daily News, Troy Anderson, I shared that the challenge Union Rescue Mission is facing right now is far greater than the challenge URM faced during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Troy was startled by this statement and asked “Can you provide statistical data to back that up?” I replied, “Yes, I can.”
I quickly asked our URM historian, Liz Mooradian, to assist me in some research and did some checking of my own. We learned that there were 1.2 Million people in Los Angeles in 1933, and in our hall of history on our 2nd floor it states that in 1933, URM was one of few Missions in downtown LA, and we fed 42% of the free meals to hungry people in Los Angeles. That year, we provided 133,145 meals and gave aid (food boxes, job finding assistance, etc.) to 304 families. All of our history books show that we did not house families during the Great Depression, but housed only men. Families appear to have either turned to other family members or stayed in tents like my own father’s family did many times during that difficult time as shown in the picture below.
In 2010, there are 3.6 Million people in Los Angeles, or 3 times the number of people that there were in 1933. Union Rescue Mission served an astounding 1,284,687 meals, or nearly 10 times the number of meals that URM served during that difficult year of 1933 in the midst of the Great Depression. And when you consider that unlike 1933, Union Rescue Mission is not one of the few Missions in downtown LA anymore, but rather the biggest one of many, the fact that nearly 1.3 Million meals came from URM alone, demonstrates how staggering the situation really is.
During the Great Depression, URM provided 42% of free meals available in LA and 2% of available beds. I am unsure as to what percentage of meals we are providing today, but we are providing nearly 10% of the available beds! Along with a 3 times proportionate challenge on meals, in 2010 URM housed several hundred families over the course of the year and as many as 94 families & 190 children on any given night.
Please hear the distress and familiarity of the words in our annals from the Great Depression:
After the depression, as after World War I, the financial situation was such that local churches were hard pressed to meet their own budgets and doors once open to the Mission (URM) for monetary appeals were closing.
Business failures increased the numbers of unemployed and distressed who looked to the Mission for assistance. Many who arrived in California thinking it a glorious land of promise found themselves penniless and alone.
The scope of the Mission’s work in those days was immense; no local church would have dreamed, on such meager resources and with so limited staff, of engaging in such a program.
The final URM note from the Great Depression Days is not necessarily an encouraging one, but one during this great crisis of 2007-2010 that I completely understand:
Mounting financial pressures came to the explosive point in July, 1936. With income insufficient to meet operating expenses and a $19,000 mortgage against the Mission properties, the Board of Directors voted to vacate the position of superintendent (CEO), and with this step Superintendent Eldridge’s services were terminated.
Now, please hear the distress in my words. Union Rescue Mission and our families and precious children living here and throughout the USA have never in history faced a greater challenge than the one we are facing right now. Children under the age of 18 now make up 54% of people experiencing homelessness!
Here are just a few headlines from around the country:
Family homelessness rising in the United States- http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE4AB18I20081112
Shocker! More Families Are Homeless- http://homelessness.change.org/blog/view/shocker_more_families_are_homeless
Increase in family homelessness impact children the most -http://www.examiner.com/x-25447-LA-Unemployment-Examiner~y2009m10d22-Increase-in-family-homelessness-impact-children-the-most
More Families Are Becoming Homeless-http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/11/AR2009071102099.html
Over and above URM’s heroic efforts during the Great Depression, our team at Union Rescue Mission and I, with your help, have boldly stepped up to the challenge of welcoming every family who has come to our doors over the last 3 years. We desperately need your continued support. We are committed to making sure no child is left on the streets of our city. No child should ever suffer from the devastation of homelessness. My father did, and the pain of that experience stayed with him and he shared it with me in his final days while he was on his death bed. He told me that at the age of 4 he hung onto his Dad’s neck for his life as his Dad jumped on a freight car to move to California. He had several homeless experiences when he was 4, 9 and 14. He is pictured below, at age 14, standing outside of his “home”, a tent in Azusa Canyon, California. He lived in tents, garages, sheds, even cars and freight cars at times.
My dad’s eyes welled up with tears every time he discussed the pain and embarrassment of being homeless. I believe his pain is a part of what drives me. I see my Dad in each and every one of the precious kids who we are honored to serve here at URM. Please continue to support us so that we can continue to step up to the need and welcome each person who comes to us.
Much love, Andy B.
by Rev. Andy on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog, You Are The Mission | View Comments
I have to admit, this is the 1st day in over 5 years when I was not eager to come into work at Union Rescue Mission. My eyes welled up with tears as I drove up to my parking place this morning. Tears streamed as I signed the severance checks and good-bye letters to 11 of our faithful co-workers.
As I write, there is a man on the streets of Skid Row outside, deeply troubled, and yelling at the top of his lungs about the circumstances of his world. This morning, I completely understand his anger.
This is the letter that each of our departing heroic co-workers received this morning:
It is with great sorrow that I let you know that due to necessary budget cuts; Union Rescue Mission has been forced to remove your position and end your time as an employee of Union Rescue Mission.
Our Board of Directors gave us a mandate to present a balanced budget, and after a couple of attempts, we finally did. Although I was thankful that we could save Union Rescue Mission and keep Hope Gardens open while presenting a balanced budget, I was deeply anguished over what this meant for you and other valuable members of our team.
This round of reductions is the one that hurts the very most. We had to go painfully deep in hopes that this will be the final round of lay-offs. We have to release employees who have not only done their job, but employees who have performed their duties very well. We have had to let go of cherished former graduates, grads who we are very proud of, from our very own URM program who have been doing a very good job. This really hurts, and what hurts the most is how this affects you and your family. I personally apologize that this has happened on my watch. I have spent many sleepless nights, including last night, trying to figure out another way. I am so sorry.
Thank you, for your diligent efforts. Thank you, for sharing your time and talent with our guests and staff. Thank you, for your personal sacrifice, taking the pay reductions, losing your 401K match, stepping up to help with your benefits, and still showing up every day to give your best. This decision is not about you or your performance, but is all about the economy and the difficult times.
Your sacrifice and efforts will not be forgotten. Your story and commitment will forever be written on our wall of history, part of the group that stepped up in 2007-2010 to serve even 3 times the need that URM experienced during the Great Depression. Unfortunately, this Great Recession continues to challenge us and has led us to this heart-wrenching decision today.
Union Rescue Mission and I will be praying for you and hoping for nothing but the best. You are always welcome to stop by, visit, and perhaps volunteer. We will always welcome you as an honored guest.
Friends, please keep each one of these, our precious former co-workers in your prayers. Keep URM and our guests in your prayers. One of the ways that I made it through the weekend, barely made it through the weekend, was to not only grieve this loss, but to also thank God that somehow in His grace and goodness he allowed URM and Hope Gardens to continue on, and He allowed you and I to keep our jobs during this difficult time. Know as well, that receiving this letter means that you have done a remarkable job during this difficult time and that you are absolutely essential to the ongoing operations of URM and Hope Gardens Family Center. Please take time to grieve, but take some time to give thanks as well.
We will hold a Town Hall after Chapel today to de-brief about these difficult budget decisions and how to proceed this next fiscal year.
Bless you, Andy B.
