75 Years Later, We're Still Staying the Course

From 2001 to 2026

This year, Union Gospel Mission of the Inland Northwest celebrates 75 years of changing lives in our communities. Over the years, we have shared stories about our founders’ vision, our community’s strength, dedicated volunteers, and the many ways God has helped those in need. As we look back on our history, this newsletter highlights the growth and impact of the last 25 years, which have helped make UGM a beacon of hope today.

A Mission Behind Every Dollar

As the needs of both the Mission and the community grew in the 2000s, UGM found new ways to support the ministry. One of these was starting nonprofit enterprises. These businesses are set up specifically to support nonprofit organizations like UGM, with all profits beyond basic expenses reinvested in our mission and programs. This approach allows supporters to help us financially simply by shopping, while also providing our residents with job training and helping us become better known in the community.

Our enterprises provide direct financial support for our rescue and recovery services. When you donate or shop at our stores, you help provide life-changing services here in the Inland Northwest. Everyone in our 18- to 24-month recovery program can participate for free, thanks to generous donors and the funds raised by our enterprises. We do not accept government funding and operate debt-free, which allows us to keep Gospel principles at the heart of everything we do.

UGM Thrift Stores are Born

At first, many people at the Mission were concerned that opening a thrift store might lead to fewer donations for the shelter’s clothing rooms. Some thought that selling donated items would discourage people from giving to those in need. But as the Mission grew, it became clear we needed a new way to reach more people and support our work. After careful consideration of how to steward donations, the Mission received a generous $1 million legacy gift from local businessman Harry Watts. Soon after, we had the opportunity to buy the old evangelical bookstore on Boone Street. We saw that other missions had success with thrift stores, so we decided to move forward, trusting that support would continue. With help from community members like David Hammer, who donated fixtures from his clothing store and suggested the name “Classy Rack” as a nod to Nordstrom Rack, the Mission opened its first thrift store in 2002. Donations started coming in quickly, and the Boone store soon became an important source of funding, giving back over $3 million to the Mission since it opened. Over the years, we added three more stores, each one supporting our work and providing jobs to people in recovery.

“What started as an act of faith and a response to growing needs has turned into a story of divine help, community teamwork, and greater impact. It serves both the public and the Mission’s ongoing work in meaningful ways.”

UGM Motors – A New Venture

With the thrift stores thriving, UGM leaders sought new ways to help people in Spokane and the Inland Northwest. Noticing that other rescue missions ran successful car donation programs, they were inspired to try it themselves. At a local church, UGM CEO Phil Altmeyer shared this vision, prompting Bob McConkey of Spokane’s DAA auction to offer his support. His desire to help those needing reliable transportation aligned with the Mission’s goals. This shared vision launched Union Gospel Mission Motors, with Bob playing a key role in uniting local dealers and resources. The automotive program began in a small shop called “God’s Garage” and soon expanded to car sales at the Valley UGM Thrift Store. Major legacy gifts enabled the UGM Foundation to purchase two former dealerships on Sprague Avenue in Spokane Valley, complete with showrooms and garages for repairs and detailing, all located in “Auto Row.”

UGM Tool & Supply Warehouse: Fundraising Outside the Box

The UGM Warehouse is a social enterprise that gives the community a simple way to support the Mission year-round. By purchasing tools and supplies in bulk, the Warehouse offers new and used items—from hand and power tools to construction and janitorial supplies—at great prices. This model allows the Mission to pass wholesale savings to churches and nonprofits, helping them access the tools and supplies they need. For information on wholesale supplies or buying tools through UGM, call 509.532.3847.

Rebuilding Lives & Expanding the Mission

In the 1990s, the Mission moved from downtown to its current campus on the Spokane River, adding a park, expanding the dining area, and increasing shelter beds and office space. But as community needs grew into the 2000s, it became clear even these improvements wouldn’t be enough.

East of the men’s mission on Trent, UGM purchased part of a nearby business complex with help from Legacy Giving and the UGM Foundation. The city created Martin Luther King Drive and closed Denver Street, opening more space for growth. Milan and Gladys DeRuwe’s generous legacy gift enabled renovations and the creation of a facility focused on education and job training for men in recovery.

“While annual gifts meet today's needs, legacy gifts help make tomorrow's ministry possible.”

– Gwen Schwartz, Director of Legacy and Gift Planning

The Need Grows: Emergency Shelter Expanded

UGM noticed a growing need for emergency shelter for women and children, so the leadership decided to take action. Anna Ogden Hall provided long-term care, but with 85 women waiting, it was obvious that more space was necessary. In 2007, UGM purchased the Budget Saver Hotel on Sprague Avenue and turned it into a safe place for women in crisis.

After the shelter opened, it filled up quickly. More women and children came for help than anyone had expected, and the space soon became too small. Leaders realized this was only a short-term fix
and that the need was growing across the community.

As the Mission looked to expand services for women and children, they found a property near the men’s facility and spent more than two years working with the city and the owner to buy it. However, the deal fell through at the last minute. Soon after, an assisted living building at Hogan and Illinois became available. It was already well set up for shelter use, which saved the Mission millions and proved to be a much better fit than the original plan.

“After years of drug abuse, reckless living, a recent DUI, and almost losing my marriage, I decided I needed to make a real change. This was 2011, and while I waited to start the UGM program at Anna Ogden Hall, I stayed at the Budget Saver Motel, which had recently become a UGM women's rescue shelter. I shared a room with six other women, and we all used one bathroom. Most of the other rooms were crowded with women and children, too. It was a tough time, but I felt safe, and I formed several lasting friendships with women on a similar journey. This experience was a catalyst for my transfer to the program, for focusing on my sobriety, and for starting to build my relationship with Christ.”

- Dionne Varney, UGM Recovery Alumna & Office Manager at UGM Motors

The new shelter provided women and children with private rooms and bathrooms, plus a kitchen, dining area, playground, vocational center, salon, exercise room, and chapel. What started in a small motel became a full-service facility, helping the Mission support women and children in crisis with dignity and hope. Staff and residents moved in just before Christmas 2016, experiencing firsthand that, after years of waiting, God’s timing was perfect.

Casting a Wider Net: UGM of the Inland Northwest is Born

UGM leaders recognized a need to support women and children in North Idaho, beyond Spokane and eastern Washington. In response, 12 couples met to cast a vision for this new expansion across state lines and shared it with others. The Mission officially expanded into Coeur d’Alene in 2012, partnering with local leaders and community partners who quickly joined, bringing hope and support to the region.

This effort became known as the “Miracle on Haycraft Street.” In 2013, our Women’s Recovery Center in Coeur d’Alene opened, demonstrating the power of vision and teamwork. Strong community support helped launch and expand the center. Additionally, the Coeur d’Alene UGM Thrift Store supports the center and offers job training. By the end of 2026, 36 transitional apartments will provide safe housing for graduates of the CDA program. Thanks to ongoing community generosity and a shared mission, UGM’s impact in North Idaho continues to grow.

A Beacon of Light in the LC Valley

After UGM’s success in Coeur d’Alene, we expanded into North Idaho’s Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, about two hours south of Spokane. This began with Richard Copeland, a former UGM board member, who noticed a lack of support for people experiencing homelessness after moving to the LC Valley.

Richard bought land, started a small soup kitchen, and even drove men and women to Spokane to join the UGM program. Hoping to create a full-service mission, he and his team eventually reached out to UGM, offering their land and inviting the Mission to bring its shelter model to the valley. Despite many setbacks, new opportunities arose, and in 2023, UGM secured a prime riverside property for a new emergency shelter.

The UGM LC Valley shelter opened this January with a 98-bed facility—one floor for men, the other for women and children. For the first time, people in Lewiston and Clarkston needing emergency shelter or leaving detox centers have a local option instead of returning to the streets. Within weeks, the shelter was nearly two-thirds full, highlighting the community’s need and the Mission’s readiness to help. The LC Valley Shelter is a testament to growth, teamwork, and God’s faithful support, bringing hope to a new community.

We Are Staying the Course

For 75 years, Spokane and the Inland Northwest have witnessed true faithfulness. The faithfulness of God, the faithfulness of a community, and the faithfulness of biblical leadership that stewarded UGM over the past seven decades. This kind of success does not happen by accident, chance, or luck. It’s a direct testament to the goodness of God and his love and care for the poor, the addicted, and the outcast. We should all have a posture of gratitude—if it weren’t for the grace of God, we too could be in a place of desperation and in need of help, as many in our community are.

Thank you for responding to God’s call to help those in need. Thank you for your support over the years, whether you’ve donated, volunteered, or prayed for UGM. Our team of over 250 employees and 2,000 volunteers couldn’t do this work without you.

As we said at the start of this newsletter,

“Remembering the past protects the future. And we are staying the course.”

With God’s help, support from our community, and strong leadership, we invite you to keep joining us as we carry on Union Gospel Mission’s work as the hands and feet of Christ in the Inland Northwest for years to come.