“Stay consistent in their lives, even when they’re the hardest to love.”

That, in a nutshell, is the key to caring for the children living with their moms in recovery at Anna Ogden Hall. Children’s Program coordinator Shannon Behrens recognizes that while their moms are the ones who choose to come into the Women’s Recovery Program to deal with their own problems, the children have also suffered and need particular care.

Addressing their needs takes intentional efforts from Shannon and the rest of the staff and volunteers in the Children’s Program. And while the program is highly individualized to match the needs of each child, there are a few common values that apply to healing children who already have been through enough trauma and hardship for a lifetime.

Two years ago, UGM Women’s Recovery at Anna Ogden Hall became a non-smoking program and facility. Lots of discussion, work and ongoing challenges have been involved in that decision, but this post isn’t about that. This post is about the cigarette-butt-filled, slug-ridden "smoking area" that was abandoned when the change was made.

“I remember asking Rich [UGM former staff member], ‘Why is it so much easier for women to make a commitment to guys they hardly know than to make a two-year commitment to better their life?’”

Wendy described herself as a relationship addict before coming to UGM. She wanted more in life but settled for unhealthy relationships instead.

Volunteer Michaelyn Hodges has a heart for sharing Jesus with the children coming to UGM. She recently answered some of our questions and explained why she decided to volunteer and what she enjoys about it. Here's

In this second part of an interview with Debi Pauletto, Debi describes her history at UGM and looks forward to the future. But first, Executive Director Phil Altmeyer shares some thoughts about Debi.

After 16 years of investment, Debi has left her stamp on UGM. 

Editor's Note: Back in October, we met Amanda while she was staying at the Crisis Shelter with her daughter, Daisy. We encourage you to read about the beginning of Amanda's journey with us. She and Daisy have now moved into Anna Ogden Hall where Amanda is pursuing long-term life change through UGM's LIFE recovery program. We recently visited with Amanda about that transition and where she is on her journey today.

This blog post is a little different for UGM. It’s not really about the homeless. Not directly anyway. It’s not about meals or shelter or recovery. It’s not about anything we did. Actually, UGM is a bit player in this story.

This blog post is here because it’s about hope and dreams and how one person can make a difference.

Reliable transportation critical for single moms

Brittany Branch had a car when she started Women’s Recovery at Anna Ogden Hall – a 1988 Dodge Caravan with close to 200,000 miles.  Last winter, another car slid on the ice and smashed into it. Then, this spring, just before she started her new job at the UGM Thrift Store and moved into her own place with two-year-old daughter, Brooklyn, the brakes went out, followed quickly by the transmission. The cost of repairs was prohibitive and exceeded the value of the vehicle. 

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 office, I realized this building could be my future. I started writing at six years of age when my mom gave me my first journal. I wrote about what I did during the day, and by the age of 15, I had collected an abundance of journals filled with my thoughts and activities.

Grace Peterson created a beautiful tapestry with her life, and the people of UGM – staff, residents and volunteers – are oh-so-grateful to have been incorporated into her story.

Grace began volunteering at the Mission in 1985 after working at Sears for many years. She immediately fell in love with the women and children at Anna Ogden Hall, keeping the clothing attic tidy for 15 years.