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LIFE
at the
Mission

Inside stories of hope,
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Jim and Ken

4 min read

The Homeless Life

Editor’s Note: For this newsletter - published in October 2011 - UGM Staff Writer Barbara Comito went outside the Mission’s shelters onto the streets. It is reprinted here as part of our series on Helping the Homeless. A bit of warning: the stories...

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3 min read

Mental Illness and Homelessness

Holly Simons is one of the extraordinarily talented volunteer professionals giving sacrificially of their time and talents to the Union Gospel...

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Broken

Editor's Note: As part of Lisa's journey from broken to whole, she has returned to her love for music. She wrote these lyrics specifically to...

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Phil and Caryl cropped

1 min read

A Christmas Irony

By Phil Altmeyer Executive Director Christmas – what’s not to love? Family and old friends gathered together around a roaring fire. Sledding....

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1 min read

A Heart for Children

Lois used to be a kindergarten teacher. That probably says it all. Lois loves kids. Her husband, Everett, loved children, too. The couple lived life...

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1 min read

Mental Health and Homelessness

Holly Simons, a psychiatric nurse, worked in the prison system for 10 years and first visited UGM while researching safe places for an inmate to go...

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Take Action: Spread the Warmth

UGM is partnering with Burlington Coat Factory again this year for the Warm Coats/Warm Hearts Campaign.

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3 min read

Teaching Children to Serve Others

“Share.” As a parent, how many times do you suppose you’ve said that word? We want our children to be generous, selfless, compassionate, but...

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DSC_9284

4 min read

Why is homelessness higher among veterans?

11% of the adult homeless population are veterans. 20% of the male homeless population are veterans. About 1.4 million other veterans, meanwhile, are...

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2 min read

Dreams that grow into forests

Group gathered on a foggy Saturday to dedicate heart-shaped tree park. This blog post is a little different for UGM. It’s not really about the...

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1 min read

The Towel

Last year, I experienced a significant dream, a visitation from the Lord. In my dream, I walked out onto our patio, and Jesus was seated in one of...

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2 min read

College and Career Dreams Restored

Roxanne and Doreen Roxanne and Doreen are bright, articulate women whose lives got off track. “In high school,” Roxanne said, “I just wanted to be a...

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3 min read

Getting to know you: Dan McLellan

Dan McLellan is a house manager at the UGM Crisis Shelter for Women & Children. Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of interviews with...

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1 min read

A little girl's dream

Amanda & daughter Daisy "I think it's safe to say that when our residents were little girls, they did not dream of growing up to stay at a homeless...

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1 min read

Meet Lenore

Lenore puts together the welcome baskets for new guests at the Center. From my perspective, Lenore McDonald is a volunteer extraordinaire. She says...

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1 min read

Americorps Adventure

Next week,* Luke Hauflin, 21, will be headed off to Sacramento, California to join Americorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps). For now, he...

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PaulCover2

5 min read

The New Paul

Paul folded his lanky frame into one of the red chairs in my small office. I sat in the other, our knees less than a foot apart. He was wearing a...

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3 min read

I Was in Prison

I was in prison and you gave me a second chance. Paul Staley was a self-described “peace-loving man.” A product of the sixties. A flower child. A...

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1 min read

Kids in Lock-Up

Danny Beard has been running UGM’s volunteer ministry at Juvenile Detention since 1985. Every once in a while, he runs into someone around town who...

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1 min read

Chantell: the Choice to Change

“I was in the bottom of a tin can, and I couldn’t claw my way up. It was dark. It was dirty, and I didn’t feel any value. I felt unreachable.” -...

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1 min read

The Need for Change: homeless women and children

THE BIG PICTURE Families make up 34% of the total US homeless population. 87% of homeless families are headed by women. (Single-parent families are...

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2 min read

Dear Beer: A good-bye letter

Editor’s Note: We found this letter in our parking lot. As you can see, it was an assignment – write a good-bye letter to your drug of choice. Dear...

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1 min read

Show me your ways

On September 6, 2012, the UGM Center for Women & Children welcomed its first guests. One year later, the Center is home to 52 women and children and...

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1 min read

Hypocrite

My teenage daughters told me the other day that they grew up thinking “hypocrite” was a bad word, akin to calling someone a curse word. Funny how our...

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1 min read

UGM Motors: Brittany and Brooklyn get new wheels

Reliable transportation critical for single moms Brittany Branch had a car when she started Women’s Recovery at Anna Ogden Hall – a 1988 Dodge...

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