Skip to the main content.
Donate Need help?
Donate Need help?

LIFE
at the
Mission

Inside stories of hope,
courage, and recovery



Sign Up Today

Jim and Ken
prayer circle

5 min read

The Blog Post You Don’t Want to Read

By Barbara Comito, UGM Marketing Director Who would ever read a blog post on Total Accountability? My staff said they wouldn’t. (So I changed the title. Tricky me.) Being held accountable is like lima beans or dental floss or stomach crunches…You...

Read More

1 min read

God worked through you in 2016

2016. No matter how tumultuous it seemed for the U.S. and the world, God was at work. We could see it every day at the Union Gospel Mission. Nothing...

Read More
Melissa 1.jpg

3 min read

Melissa: Building Trust, Breaking a Cycle

“All I knew how to do is just yell at her, and that stems from how I was raised. I didn’t know any better.” – Melissa Time was running out on any...

Read More
Jenna-no-quote.jpg

3 min read

Who Are the Poor?

This is the third part of a series by UGM Marketing Director Barbara Comito. So far in this series, we’ve pretty well established that God does...

Read More

2 min read

Katie: One Mom's Journey of Restoration

The December Mission News focused on one of the happiest by-products of recovery: children being reunited with their moms, and not merely being...

Read More

2 min read

A Broken Hallelujah: What has Christmas to do with Suffering?

Love is not a victory march. It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah. -Leonard Cohen By Barbara Comito, Director of Marketing A young friend asked...

Read More
LOVE word_462-1

5 min read

What Does it Mean to Love the Poor?

In her last post, Barbara revisited what the Bible says about God's instruction for us to "love the poor." Here, she digs deeper into what that...

Read More
Jessie.blog.jpg

2 min read

Jessie: A Fully Present Parent

Jessie’s 23-year drug and alcohol addiction had already cost her a son and a daughter, taken from her as babies. But she had managed to hang on to...

Read More
Charlie-by-river.jpg

3 min read

UGM's Role in Caring for the Poor

From its inception in 1951, Union Gospel Mission’s purpose has been to break – not perpetuate – the cycle of homelessness.

Read More

4 min read

Does God Call You to Love the Poor?

Editor's note: This is Part 1 in a three-part series about loving the poor. Part 2 explores the meaning of the word "love"in this context, and Part 3...

Read More
Elizabeth.comp.jpg

2 min read

Elizabeth: Conformity vs. Transformation

If you hang around UGM for any time at all, you’ll hear talk of the difference between “checking the boxes” and pursuing real life change. Even when...

Read More

1 min read

Legacy Partner: Geraldine Fait

Geraldine Fait’s connection to UGM goes all the way back to the Mission’s earliest days. Her husband, Fred, was a policeman assigned to the “skid...

Read More
Helen_Before_and_After.jpg

1 min read

Helen: From Homeless to Grateful

(Editor's note: The following article appeared in the Coeur d'Alene Press on November 26, 2016) Three years ago, Helen Webster, 60, was living on the...

Read More
dylan-gillis-533818-unsplash

3 min read

UGM Core Value: Pursuing Excellence

By Brad Crockett, UGM board member The value of Pursuing Excellence is an essential recognition that while we cannot attain perfection on this side...

Read More
Merrily.sm.jpg

2 min read

Learning about Grace and Truth

Almost exactly two years ago, I came to Union Gospel Mission at a time when I was learning what felt like extremely hard (but extravagantly...

Read More
Crazy campout 2016.sm.jpg

2 min read

4 Ways Your Business Can Partner with UGM

By Barbara Comito, Director of Marketing and Communications (Edited from a Spokane MarCom blog post) Some of UGM’s most prolific partners are...

Read More

3 min read

Truly Loving Relationships

In UGM Recovery, the men and women learn that setting boundaries is part of having truly loving relationships. In fact, what seems like a loving...

Read More
Ben Riggs 2.sm.jpg

3 min read

One Veteran's Journey to a Homeless Shelter

Military service ran in Ben’s family. Growing up, he planned to follow suit. But first, he wanted to let loose. “I moved to Arizona and I started...

Read More
2L7A5375.jpg

3 min read

Providing Medical Care to the Homeless

Annie Crain thought her medical career was behind her when the former RN and her husband moved back to her native Spokane area last year after...

Read More

2 min read

Lose the Label: Performer

He had the jobs, made the money, wore the nice clothes, had the stuff, but Eric Samuels never quite felt good enough. “I was striving to do good all...

Read More
foot washing

4 min read

UGM Core Value: Christlikeness

By Sonny Westbrook, UGM Director of Ministries One of the core values we hold dear here within UGM is Christ-likeness. Christ-likeness is the...

Read More
Zachariah and Elexis.sm.jpg

4 min read

Stories within a Story

My title is Director of Marketing & Communications, but my job is telling stories. For almost nine years, in one way or another, I’ve been...

Read More

1 min read

The Faithful Team

Roberta, Kathi, and Ginger - lovingly referred to by the Center staff as the "faithful team" - earned their nickname because of their dedication to...

Read More

2 min read

Heart to Heart: Compassion and Accountability

After 30 years in homeless ministry, you'd think I would have it all figured out, that I could coast along to retirement. I'm chuckling at the...

Read More
AdobeStock_117209267.jpeg

4 min read

Terminal Uniqueness

By Mike Doggett, UGM Aftercare Manager In 1994, I white knuckled it! I was told that I had a drinking problem, and rather than accept this prognosis,...

Read More