Skip to the main content.
Donate Need help?
Donate Need help?

LIFE
at the
Mission

Inside stories of hope,
courage, and recovery



Sign Up Today

Jim and Ken

addiction recovery

7 min read

From Isolation to Community: Feeling alive again

Joseph is a welcoming presence at the UGM Men’s Shelter, cherished by staff, residents, and volunteers alike. However, beneath Joseph’s kind exterior...

Read More

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

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...

Read More

2 min read

Christmas at UGM: A warm welcome into a community that cares

The snow has come, the days are nearly at their shortest, and Christmas is right around the corner. But what is Christmas if you’re homeless? Is...

Read More

5 min read

UGM Careers: How Nick and Kristen Became Part of the UGM Family

For years now, we’ve signed our emails from “The UGM Family.” But what do we mean by that? Who is in this family, and how does an organization with a...

Read More

5 min read

Is Housing the Answer to Homelessness?

Has America misdiagnosed the problem of homelessness? In her article “Does Poverty Cause Homelessness?” Marchauna Rodgers argues that we have. She...

Read More

6 min read

Breaking the Generational Cycle TOGETHER

Stories of family dysfunction, neglect and abuse come to our doors every day. Many people are caught in generational cycles of sin and suffering,...

Read More

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”...

Read More

5 min read

Jessie: Hatred Fueled by Trauma & Neglect

Jessie hated homeless people. “I despised anyone who was living off the system. I blamed them for my life being hard. In a drunken rage, I threw beer...

Read More
nick-fewings-1155069-unsplash

5 min read

Is Housing the Answer to Homelessness?

In her article “Does Poverty Cause Homelessness?” Marchauna Rodgers argued that the United States has misdiagnosed the problem of homelessness,...

Read More
Mike Doggett, UGM Aftercare manager, knows what his clients are going through because he is two decades into his own recovery.

4 min read

Long-Term Recovery: The Right Kind of Hungry

Having recently celebrated the 2018 LIFE Recovery Commencement, we know the story is just beginning for the honorees. Their time at UGM was a time of...

Read More
Trevor Ernie John.jpg

3 min read

Three Portraits of Recovery

Each person who comes into UGM recovery comes in broken. The program extends the love of Christ and brings his truth to bear on their brokenness. As...

Read More

1 min read

Partner Profile: The Beldens

Serving meals at a California rescue mission several years ago made a lasting impression on Jerry and Stephanie Belden. So much so that, when they...

Read More

3 min read

We Were Alone

You came alongside us. People with strong support systems don’t usually end up in homeless shelters.

Read More
Bilbo chooses adventure over comfort

2 min read

Recovery: a story of brokenness and healing

Editor's note: This is the third post in a special Advent devotional series, focusing on Isaiah 61:1-3. You may also want to read the introduction,...

Read More