3 min read
Employment Readiness: Waking up with purpose
UGM offers hope to those in need of support in various areas of life, including employment and the issues that may hinder it. Individuals in the...
LIFE
at the
Mission
Inside stories of hope,
courage, and recovery
Sign Up Today
Vocational Advancement
2 min read
Writing for Their Lives
Union Gospel Mission: July 6, 2017
Writing is one of the key subjects we work on in our Vocational Education classes. We want to prepare our residents to communicate well in their...
4 min read
Recovery and Vocational Education Go Hand in Hand
Union Gospel Mission: April 6, 2017
When trauma and schoolwork intersect By Joel Brown, UGM Director of Ministries It is 9:25 in the morning and Billy (named changed to protect privacy)...
1 min read
Imparting Skills and Confidence
James Bishop: July 5, 2016
As a volunteer job coach at the Men’s Shelter, Randy Crews recognizes the importance of building confidence and preparing men to re-enter the...
3 min read
Learning to Get Back up
Union Gospel Mission: June 8, 2016
By Joel Brown, Vocational Education Manger Recently, I began teaching my 7-year-old daughter how to ride a two-wheel bike. She was extremely excited...
2 min read
Tim - Not a Meth Head
James Bishop: January 15, 2016
“I was in a constant cycle of me, me, me, and that’s all it consisted of. I didn’t care who I hurt, who I stole from in order to get high.” Tim...
2 min read
Lose the Label: Not Enough
Merrily Roe, former staff writer: December 3, 2015
Growing up, Stefani Martin was bombarded with the message, "you are not enough." Not cool enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough. It didn’t take...
2 min read
A Lasting Legacy of Vocational Education
Union Gospel Mission: October 23, 2015
On Tuesday, October 20, UGM held an open house and dedication for the new DeRuwe Center, an annex to the Men’s Shelter and administration building....
2 min read
Trace - Homeless
Union Gospel Mission: October 5, 2015
Trace spent 15 years intermittently homeless, fluctuating from employed to unemployed, living on the streets or in an RV without heat, running water...
2 min read
Lose the Label: Stupid
Merrily Roe, former staff writer: September 24, 2015
By Merrily Brast, Staff Writer Jeff LeBlanc believed he was stupid. “I just couldn’t get stuff and nobody could tell me why other than that I’m...
4 min read
A Look into Vocational Advancement
Union Gospel Mission: April 24, 2015
Recovery from addiction takes healing the whole person. Joel Brown works in Vocational Advancement helping men heal both mentally and emotionally. He...
3 min read
I Didn't Have a Job
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: April 1, 2015
Poor work history. Felony record. Long periods of unemployment. Addiction issues. Lack of education. No transportation. No appropriate work attire....
2 min read
Business Partnerships
James Bishop: April 1, 2015
Omega Pacific Omega Pacific, a local manufacturer of climbing gear, has hired two men from UGM’s Employment Ready Program. Here, Director of...
4 min read
I Was Angry
Union Gospel Mission: September 1, 2014
“I was a negative, angry, violent, depressed individual.” Dean Lynch, 45, came to the UGM Men’s Shelter on December 27, 2011 after losing his job,...
3 min read
I Was Ashamed
Union Gospel Mission: July 1, 2014
I was ashamed, and you lifted my head. Christian was once interviewed for an article in Salon Magazine entitled, “Nazi Family Values: Chewing the fat...
3 min read
I Was in Denial, and You Showed Me the Truth
Union Gospel Mission: January 1, 2014
Recovery is impossible... if you don’t believe you have a problem if you refuse to look at the problem if you blame someone else for the problem or...
2 min read
Notes of Thanks and Amazement
Union Gospel Mission: January 1, 2014
Below are two letters of gratitude from individuals experiencing radical life change through UGM’s LIFE Recovery programs. We were encouraged to read...
2 min read
College and Career Dreams Restored
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: October 24, 2013
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...
1 min read
Americorps Adventure
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: October 4, 2013
Next week,* Luke Hauflin, 21, will be headed off to Sacramento, California to join Americorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps). For now, he...
1 min read
Business Practicum: Hospitality
Union Gospel Mission: September 1, 2013
As part of her recovery, Dionne Varney needed to find a new career. Before coming to Anna Ogden Hall, she spent 14 years in the adult entertainment...
1 min read
Write it out
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: July 22, 2013
I thought this day would never come. Recently, I interviewed for my business practicum at The Spokesman Review. As I sat in the human resource...
1 min read
Real-world work
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: July 9, 2013
Robert Lewis turned to drugs and alcohol partly in response to frustrations in the work place. “My addiction came from always trying to be a...
1 min read
Back to work
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: February 25, 2013
Robert Miller, medical records at Columbia Medical One in Ten: Odds that a person who has been out of work for more than 27 weeks will find a job...
1 min read
UGM's Working Ambassadors
Union Gospel Mission: October 24, 2012
It's hard to break the cycle of homelessness if you can't get a job. In UGM's Vocational Advancement department, staff work with residents to create...
3 min read
Making Old Things New
Union Gospel Mission: September 1, 2012
“My exterior has nothing to do with my heart.” Zachariah’s story is written in ink all over his body. His mom died when he was 12. The tear drop...