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LIFE
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Inside stories of hope,
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Jim and Ken

Men's Shelter

3 min read

Provision and Purpose: the gift of a meal

Offering someone a warm meal can bring about the unexpected. There’s something healing about the gift of food that kindles human connection and...

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4 min read

Safe Shelter and Opportunity: Meet Tyler, UGM Lead Resident Assistant

With the turn of the season, our attention shifts towards staying warm and preparing for the onset of frigid weather. Simmering soups in the kitchen,...

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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...

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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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His Song

1 min read

The Gift of Song: How a UGM chapel provider offers more than a church service

“We tell people we’re not here to perform; we’re here to worship,” says His Song president Joel DeVries. His Song is a men’s gospel singing group...

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5 min read

We Asked Homeless Men to Talk About Sin

Sin. What is it and why would a homeless shelter insist on talking about it? Sin is the divergence from the rules and order designed by God....

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5 min read

How the Gospel Brings Us Home

Guest post by UGM Aftercare Coordinator Dennis Roach A mythical story contains elements of fantasy and reality, a blend that sometimes pushes us to...

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6 min read

The End of Striving: How the Gospel Brings Rest to the Weary

Since its foundation, Union Gospel Mission has existed to offer rest and nourishment to people coming in off the streets. A hot meal, a warm shower,...

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4 min read

Labels and Life Change: A Business Partner Feature

Art and Kaleen Coffey are members of the community who have made the most of their position as leaders in business and faith. Through their...

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5 min read

The Best Sermon I Ever Preached: One Homeless Man's Impact on a Local Pastor

Guest post by pastor Eric Blauer of Jacob's Well Church. My name is Eric Blauer and I met a man named James at Union Gospel Mission.

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3 min read

It’s Always Somebody’s Family Member: An Impact Partner Feature

Matt and Nicole Hendrickson are Impact Partners (UGM monthly giving program) who’ve been quietly investing in the lives of homeless men and women for...

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5 min read

Young Fatherhood, Pain and Recovery: Eric’s Story

Eric Blackman was trying to live the party life. Alcohol, drugs and carefree days shaped his mid-twenties through early-thirties.

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3 min read

One Man’s Impact: A Tribute to Ken Richter

Executive Director Phil Altmeyer frequently tells our partners that only in eternity will they know the extent of their influence in people’s lives....

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6 min read

Robert’s Recovery: Phase by Phase

Author’s Note: From my earliest days at UGM, I have wanted to follow someone all the way through the LIFE Recovery Program, interviewing him or her...

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3 min read

From Mere Survival to Chasing Dreams: Tyler’s Story

“Meth makes you really fidgety, hyper-focused on the smallest things. So, I picked at my face when I was using...and I gave myself sepsis.” Tyler was...

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5 min read

Recovery: Reversing a Lifetime of Distrust

James Bureau’s childhood did not prepare him for life.Or, it might be more accurate to say, James’ childhood prepared him perfectly for the life he...

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5 min read

Easter Series: What Does Sin Have to do with Homelessness?

As we mentioned in last week’s post, acknowledging the existence of sin implies a particular worldview – one in which God created the world and has...

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3 min read

Winning Essay: What I Wish People Knew About Homelessness

"Being homeless doesn't make you less of a person." UGM Men's Shelter resident

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4 min read

Addiction Recovery: A Healing of the Heart

Mike is moving into the role of Director of Men’s Recovery as Jerry Reese retires.

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5 min read

Honoring Jerry Reese: An Authentic Man

Jerry Reese, Men’s Recovery Director at UGM, has a large stick mounted on his office wall. Underneath, there’s a plaque in Latin: “Lignum unum deum”...

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steve-palmer

3 min read

A Look Inside Men’s Recovery

By Christy Zapata, UGM volunteer - A key component of the UGM’s approach to fighting homelessness is addiction recovery. The 20-month residential...

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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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Matt Lewis helps the homeless at UGM, sharing the passionate love of a good God at the Men's Shelter.

8 min read

Pursued and Loved by a Good God

Matt Lewis has worked with the guests at the Men’s Shelter a little more than a year – first as a resident advisor and now as day desk supervisor....

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The Pacific Coast Mission held chapel services and served meals to homeless men.

3 min read

A Brief History of UGM, Part 1: 1951 to 1987

In the autumn of 1951, a group of businessmen from Spokane attended a dinner hosted by Albert Arend, where they heard testimony from a former...

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