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LIFE
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Inside stories of hope,
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Jim and Ken

1 min read

Whatever You Do, Don't Give Up: A message from UGM shelter guests

If you’ve never experienced homelessness, abuse, or addiction or walked closely alongside someone facing those challenges, chances are you're never sure what to say to someone panhandling on a street corner or battling an addiction. Will an...

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2 min read

Go and Do Likewise: a heart-to-heart message from Phil Altmeyer

“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.” (Luke 10:33) Although the paths that brought...

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2 min read

Everybody Has a Story: Meet UGM volunteers Bob and Sharon

As a case manager at the Men's Shelter, Bob McLellan says he’s become a better listener. “I used to be afraid to talk to homeless people on the...

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4 min read

“There is always a way out”: Words of hope from Debra, Bennie, and Sabra

For our neighbors caught in cycles of homelessness, abuse, and addiction, we want to share the message that there is a way out. There is hope for a...

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4 min read

Beyond UGM Camp: Local Churches Serve as Bridges from Camp to Home

Throughout Spokane's low-income neighborhoods, churches are partnering with UGM Youth Outreach to reach kids growing up in challenging circumstances,...

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2 min read

“What I loved about UGM Camp”: Hear from the kids you sponsored

The 2023 UGM Camp season has just wrapped up, and we have loads of messages from this summer's campers to share with you. Each week, on the fourth...

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4 min read

Reselling Goods, Rebuilding Lives: UGM Thrift Stores offer life change

Whether you’re outfitting a new college dorm or stocking up on cozy sweaters, if you’re shopping at a thrift store, chances are you’re after a good...

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3 min read

What is a UGM Business Practicum?

At Union Gospel Mission, we want more for our neighbors experiencing homelessness than just a job, free meals, or temporary respite from extreme...

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1 min read

Clean-and-Sober Summer Fun in UGM LIFE Recovery

You’ve heard us say it before: part of Recovery is having fun, sober! Men and women who come to UGM for help breaking self-destructive patterns such...

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3 min read

All About UGM Camp: A free gift to low-income kids

As camp season 2023 enters another fun-filled week, we wanted to take a step back and recognize the phenomenal community achievement that is UGM Camp.

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8 min read

Tristan’s Pathway to Recovery, Phase by Phase

Tristan was living on a front porch. Over the course of eight years, his life had progressed from one devastation to another. “It started back when I...

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3 min read

A Place to Move on From

Sometimes Joe stops by my office to check in on me with a routine, “Hey, sister, how’s the family?” He’s not fazed by anything thrown at him—whether...

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3 min read

“Today, I’m Free”: UGM alumni discuss the road to recovery

For individuals dealing with overwhelming personal issues such as addiction, domestic violence, or a criminal record, UGM LIFE Recovery can be the...

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1 min read

A New Course for Life: A heart-to-heart message from Phil Altmeyer

“Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.” (Proverbs 4:13) It’s hard to think long term. In today’s culture of...

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1 min read

Holistic Recovery Includes Quality Healthcare: A UGM partner feature

Fionnuala Brown and her husband are both experienced medical professionals who’ve committed to serving the Inland Northwest community in a variety of...

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4 min read

The Path to Lifelong Recovery

When UGM Spokane expanded to Coeur d’Alene in 2012, there were no other long-term recovery programs available for women and children in North Idaho....

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6 min read

Love the Valley: Reaching the unreached in the LC Valley

Does the LC Valley have a homeless problem? This is the question we asked Carly Klappenbach, Director of Engagement and Missions at CrossPoint...

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4 min read

Leor's Pathway Out of Homelessness

“I was sitting on a bench crying because I didn't know where we were going to go that night.” Leor lost her home when her husband passed away last...

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2 min read

"When I think of UGM Camp": Hear from Phil Altmeyer

Every summer, about 500 children from Spokane’s low-income neighborhoods are invited by their local church to spend a week at UGM Camp. While UGM...

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6 min read

The Dan Mader Story: Investing in the LC Valley

“The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord.” (Psalm 24:1) Fresh out of university, Lewiston-area native, Dan...

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2 min read

“In my first hit, my soul was celled”: A poem by Alora

UGM's 18-month-long residential recovery program, LIFE Recovery, is designed to help residents find freedom from addiction and other destructive...

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7 min read

Safety, a Solid Plan, and Time: Joel’s path to recovery

Union Gospel Mission’s LIFE Recovery program is more than a treatment program; it’s an in-depth approach to whole-person healing. It acknowledges...

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4 min read

A Conduit of God's Excellence: Letting ministry flow from the heart

UGM is not just shaped by knowledge, experience, and skill, but by the true condition of our hearts - collectively. Excellence in ministry flows from...

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3 min read

“He directs my steps”: Glenda’s path to restoration

Glenda is currently staying at the Crisis Shelter for Women and Children as a Resident Volunteer. Last winter, her life went quickly from bad to...

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4 min read

Easter Devotional: Fixing our eyes on Jesus

A favorite athletic event for me has been the relay race. The athletes not only run their leg of the race but also receive, carry, and then hand off...

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