6 min read
From Volunteer to Legacy Partner: Leaving a Lasting Impact on the Ministry
UGM operates 100% free from government funding. To effectively serve those in need, we rely on various types of generosity from the community—from...
David, 31, spent half his life homeless. At the age of 14, he was taken from his family home due to a domestic violence incident. After that, he jumped from group homes to shelters to rehab programs to the streets to jail and back to the streets.
Today, David said he is extremely thankful that Jesus never gave up on him. “I tried to hide. I tried to give up. I overdosed.” But somehow God always intervened. “I’d go hide in a corner of an alley somewhere and some lady would tap me on the shoulder. ‘Here, do you want a sandwich? Jesus loves you!’”
Here at UGM, we, too, are grateful that Jesus pursued David, grateful that he came to UGM, that he committed to 18 months in pursuit of life transformation and that he allowed us to walk alongside him.
“I know that I can be more than I was able to be as a teenager,” David said. “I didn’t have support…or motivation, for that matter. I didn’t believe in myself. Now I can see a future. I have a support network. I’ve been clean and sober for 20 months. I’m actually saving money. I quit smoking cigarettes.”
David has a relationship with God, with his son, with his brothers in the program and the people at his church. He’s looking forward to cashing his first paycheck and paying his first month’s rent.
“I was gonna be the next guy they scraped off the sidewalk.”
Instead, David is a God-dependent, contributing member of society, and we are grateful.
6 min read
UGM operates 100% free from government funding. To effectively serve those in need, we rely on various types of generosity from the community—from...
5 min read
Providing Essential Resources UGM relies on the support of the community to offer comprehensive care to individuals in need. One of the lesser-known...
3 min read
Once basic needs are met through UGM shelter services, individuals can face the issues that have perpetuated their unwanted situation. Through case...
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...
As UGM's Women's Lead LIFE Recovery Counselor, Jana Ross helps dozens of women and children every week who are suffering from the effects of trauma,...
Shanena (pronounced Shane-na) completed UGM Women's LIFE Recovery at the Center for Women and Children in Spring 2022 and recently reached out to...