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Inside stories of hope,
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Jim and Ken
jolene

2 min read

How UGM Does On-the-Job Training

Work is a huge piece of recovery. Just participating in constructive activities in a team is a valuable growth opportunity, especially for people who have been isolated and disconnected from the workforce for a long time. Plus, of course, there's...

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lamb

4 min read

Who is Jesus?

If you want to learn about a person, ask someone who has known and loved them for many years. We asked UGM’s staff pastor Sonny Westbrook, who has...

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dale

4 min read

Recovery in the Kitchen

“As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another.” – I Peter 4:10 Dale Fruin...

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Trevor and Winston-feature

2 min read

UGM Camp: God Answers Simple Prayers

By Christa Hughes, Youth Outreach - We count the little successes. We hold fast to the hope that God is working in the hearts of children. It can be...

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nick-fewings-1155069-unsplash

5 min read

Is Housing the Answer to Homelessness?

In her article “Does Poverty Cause Homelessness?” Marchauna Rodgers argued that the United States has misdiagnosed the problem of homelessness,...

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seeking human kindness

4 min read

Christianity and the Debate about Homelessness

With homelessness front and center in the public forum of late, Christians have a strong contribution to make. We believe in some radically...

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Aeriell Heather Kelly Amy running

3 min read

Running on the Road to Recovery

What in the world do running and homelessness have to do with each other? You might be surprised.

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Nicholas-Walker-RAW

3 min read

The Real Poverty of Relationships

“I was King of the Park.” From one point of view, Nicholas Walker had everything you might want: Prestige, respect, and power in his community. Not...

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mike-headshot-1

6 min read

It Won’t Be Different This Time

Editor’s note: Mike Doggett, UGM’s Aftercare Manager, addressed the recovery participants at a recent phase-up celebration in UGM Women’s Recovery....

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Christi and kids-cover

3 min read

Lifelong Recovery

Five years. It takes five years actively pursuing recovery for an addict to have a strong chance (about 85%) of lifelong recovery. Five years minus...

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Phil at forum

2 min read

Homelessness: Defining the Problem

In his book “When Helping Hurts,” Dr. Brian Fikkert explains the far-reaching consequences of defining poverty incorrectly. He likens it to a doctor...

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Officer Jake Willard and fellow Officer Dale Wells are only allowed to enforce illegal camping laws when there is shelter space available.

6 min read

Cleaning up Homeless Encampments

The Spokane Police Department is piloting a new approach to dealing with homeless encampments. The idea is to clean up the camps while also offering...

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Dec

5 min read

3 Ways Student Impact Gives Kids a Family

“This is literally our home. And three times a week, we invite 12 to 20 high-schoolers in.” That’s a succinct way to describe Impact Nights at the...

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Marchauna

4 min read

Does Poverty Cause Homelessness?

Editor's note: In addition to being a wife, mother of eight children, a staff member with Cru, and a graduate student, Marchauna Rodgers is a...

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Juvenile-Detention-team

2 min read

Juvenile Detention: Discovering God as Father

This account from Christa Hughes about the UGM Youth Outreach Juvenile Detention ministry shows how powerful the gospel is, in all its wonderful...

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blog-featured

3 min read

Absolutely, Positively the #1 Best Thing at UGM Camp

Looking at pictures of the kids having fun at UGM Camp, you might conclude that the best thing about camp is outdoor games, swimming, river tubing,...

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Patty-bookshelf

4 min read

Silenced by Anxiety, Freed in Recovery

Patty’s a self-described alcoholic. But sobriety isn’t what her recovery is all about. It’s about finding a new way after long-held habits and ways...

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Phillip Reese-1

3 min read

God changed me through UGM.

The following testimony was given by Phil Reese, UGM Recovery resident, on Easter Sunday. In January of 2017, I was nearing the end of a four-month...

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featured-image

5 min read

Union Gospel Mission: Our Doors Are Open

“Partnering with the Inland Northwest to reach the poor with the love and power of the gospel so they may become God-dependent, contributing members...

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brian-feautred-1

6 min read

Authenticity in Recovery

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” – I John 1:8 We don’t talk much about sin on the UGM blog - mostly...

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Kristin

3 min read

Learning Who God Really Is

“As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:34-35...

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Robert loves working at Berg for his business practicum. He hopes his path leads to working there full-time.

3 min read

Make His Path Straight

Robert Kollenborn, 56, walked out of Geiger Correctional Facility on September 17, 2017, and walked straight to the Union Gospel Mission Men’s...

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jeffw-3

4 min read

The Gospel and the Gathering

What does the Gospel have to do with the Gathering? It’s a little harder to answer that question this year than in previous years, when UGM’s annual...

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Charity CTR friends

1 min read

Adopted into a Church Family

The relentless love started the first Sunday Charity’s family came into Christ the Redeemer church: “You can’t even walk out the door without 15...

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nikki1

3 min read

Renewing Her Mind

Before coming to the UGM Center for Women and Children in Coeur d’Alene, Nikki Downs was in jail. Her infant son had been taken by Child Protective...

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