"Change"  is one of UGM's distinctives. It defines our piece of the pie. We are here for people currently living in addiction or homelessness who are ready to change their lives, and we believe that life transformation is possible for everyone. But, make no mistake, it's not just the residents who are changing. Life transformation is happening across the ministry, in the lives of staff members as much as anyone else. Ask any of our employees how UGM has changed their lives, and we’re pretty sure they’ll respond with something along the lines of what our senior leadership and communications team share here.

Yesterday, the Engage! Work Seminar kicked off for the folks in the UGM recovery programs: People in the latter phases of the program preparing to re-enter the workforce.

Also yesterday, technology and server issues cut me off from my email and the network drive where I save 99% of my work. I had hoped to drop in and listen to some of the seminar, and this was a clear sign that there was nothing better I could do with my time!

I was not disappointed.

Stories of overcoming. Stories of hardship redeemed. Stories of people pursuing excellence without requiring recognition. All of them inspired not only the intended audience but also inspired me to do my job wholeheartedly out of gratitude to God.

By Gabe Shippam, Director of Men's Rescue

Work Ends Homelessness

Years ago, I started a ministry in the worst neighborhood in San Diego. Daily, more crimes and arrests occurred in that neighborhood than anywhere else in the city. We were there intentionally to be a light in the darkness, love the poor and homeless, provide for their physical needs, and build relationships in order to proclaim the gospel of Jesus.

By Merrily Brast, Staff Writer

“I felt like a ghost for a minute.”

Without a birth certificate, a license, or a social security card, Joe Robert Wilson IV found it difficult to prove he was who he said he was. The not-so-funny irony was that he couldn’t get any one of those pieces of identification without the other two.