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LIFE
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Jim and Ken

employment

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...

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4 min read

Reselling Goods, Rebuilding Lives: UGM Thrift Stores offer life change

Whether you’re outfitting a new college dorm or stocking up on cozy sweaters, if you’re shopping at a thrift store, chances are you’re after a good...

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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...

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6 min read

Working For Eternal Rewards

Feeding the hungry, sheltering the vulnerable and restoring people into the community through the gospel sounds like very admirable, spiritual work....

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jolene

2 min read

How UGM Does On-the-Job Training

Work is a huge piece of recovery. Just participating in constructive activities in a team is a valuable growth opportunity, especially for people who...

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sign

8 min read

How UGM has changed me

"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...

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Dean Whisler.jpg

6 min read

Lessons from 10 Years Working With Homeless Men

The inimitable Dean Whisler just marked 10 years working at the UGM Men’s Shelter, where he’s now the Social Services Manager. We asked him a few...

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Phil speaking on work

3 min read

Working from the heart

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...

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AdobeStock_45813870.jpeg

3 min read

Employment Helps the Homeless

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...

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Dean-Lynch

3 min read

I Didn't Have a Job

Poor work history. Felony record. Long periods of unemployment. Addiction issues. Lack of education. No transportation. No appropriate work attire....

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2 min read

A Cook in the Kitchen: Joe Wilson Lands a Job

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...

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1-7-14-Tim_Whitman

2 min read

Rescue: From Homeless to Housed and Employed

Not everyone who walks through the doors of one of UGM’s shelters needs the same kind of help. Case in point: Tim Whitman. Tim had been sober for two...

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2 min read

Notes of Thanks and Amazement

Below are two letters of gratitude from individuals experiencing radical life change through UGM’s LIFE Recovery programs. We were encouraged to read...

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1 min read

Business Practicum: Hospitality

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...

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2 min read

Binding up the Brokenhearted

“I believe what drives people to bad behavior, whether it’s addiction or abusive relationships or being abusers, is brokenness of heart. They harden...

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3 min read

Making Old Things New

“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...

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3 min read

Contributing Members of Society

Since the implementation of the new grace-based recovery model at the Union Gospel Mission, 74% of graduates remain actively engaged in ongoing...

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2 min read

Me-Dependent vs. God-Dependent

In the waiting room of the law office where she now works, Gigi Leger described her old approach to life: “What I struggled with and what sent me...

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1 min read

UGM Idaho Hires Key Staff

The Union Gospel Mission is pleased to announce the hiring of JoAnn Zajicek (ZI-check) as Director and Debi Pauletto as Community Relations Director...

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john-willoughby-article

1 min read

John Goes to Work

John Willoughby was surprised when Vocational Director Tiffany Riddle suggested an office job for his practicum experience. “I’ve never been an...

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1 min read

Trish at Work

Trish's Direct Supervisor, Angela, guides her through tasks on the computer.

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1 min read

Christie at Life Center

Christie Buckley had a lot of fear around going back to work. Primarily, she worried whether she could be a whole, complete person and be a good...

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