Homelessness has gone off the charts – nearly out of control – as many Americans have found it hard to keep a place of their own.  I recently read of a church in Arroyo Grande, California, opening up their parking lot so that people living in cars could have a place to rest for the night, and the church is asking for partner churches around their area to join them.  People are living in tents, cars, and doubling and tripling up with friends and family.  Thousands of school children in LA and around the country are battling homelessness while the Federal Government, local governments, and foundations have decided to focus only on the chronically homeless and veterans, while leaving many, literally, out in the cold.

However, when the next homeless count comes out again, I expect the numbers to be down, and here is why:

The most simple part of this count (and this count can really only be described as an attempt at an educated guess) has always been a pretty accurate count of how many people are living in shelters and transitional housing.  That number has been steady, pretty accurate, and with the help of shelter leaders and staff has been a reliable number.  This number is much easier to track than the hidden people who are homeless in their tents, in the woods, in cars, or even the uncounted who are doubling and tripling up.  However, this easier to track number is going away.

Resources are moving and moving quickly, away from shelters and transitional housing beds, towards housing first initiatives, which is believed to be the new way to end homelessness.  See my earlier blogs for notes on this.  As the resources move, shelters, transitional housing, and the beds therein are being removed from the scene, and the numbers of precious people on the streets, in tents, and in cars continues to increase, however as the next count rolls out, the easier more accurate part of the count-those in shelter and transitional housing beds-will have dwindled, and the more difficult, nearly impossible part of the count, going out on the streets looking for people, will continue to be difficult, and it will appear, or be made to appear, that homelessness has decreased, when in fact, homelessness has increased.

Whether this future inaccuracy in counts will be determined by an ideology that is bent against shelter, transitional housing, recovery or even if it is done with the best of intentions, I want to assure you now, that I will wearily watch the results of the next count of people experiencing homelessness, and I will compare that to what I see and experience with my own eyes, and I’d advise you to do the same.

Under the supervision of the Program Director, the Family Case Manager (FCM) develops and facilitates the essential case plan components for mothers and/or seniors residing at Hope Gardens. A Family Case Manager is assigned cases, families or seniors, by the Program Director. In cases where children are involved, an FCM will work in conjunction with Youth Case Managers and retains overall oversight of the family case plan.  The position functions as part of the Family/Adult Case Management team. 

For more information or to apply Click Here!

Under the supervision of the Youth/Child Case Management Supervisor, the Youth Case Manager (YCM) develops and facilitates the essential case plan components for children residing with their mothers at Hope Gardens. A Youth Case Manager is assigned to one of three age related areas; infants through pre-school age (0 – 4 years,) elementary school age (5 – 11 years), and middle school through high school (12 – 17 years). The position functions as part of the Youth/Child Case Management team. 

Fore more information or to apply please Click Here!!!

 For more information or to apply Click Here!! 

For more information or to apply Click Here!

This position has dual reporting to both the Chief Operations Officer (COO) and the VP of Human Resources. This position develops plans, investigates, and coordinates facility safety programs, including the implementation of those programs to ensure the safety of the Union Rescue Mission’s physical environment for employees, program participants and visitors, and to ensure compliance with applicable Union Rescue Mission policies and local, state, and federal regulations. This position will interact with management at all levels. The Union Rescue Mission provides all training required by OSHA to ensure employee safety. All duties are carried out both the Downtown and Sylmar locations.

To apply please Click Here!!!

Kat Comes In From the Cold

I had an ideal childhood. With two loving parents, I grew up in a beautiful Simi Valley Leave it to Beaver home. I was a good athlete, a model student, and high school president.

And I hated myself.

Much of my self-loathing grew out of the fact that I was adopted. No matter how ideal my life, I always knew my own birth mother didn’t want me. No matter how much my adoptive parents loved me, someone who should have loved me abandoned me. Nothing could ever take that feeling away.

So in high school, I found solace among the troubled kids and drugs — drugs that gave me energy, masked my sadness, and made me believe they were my friends.

I got married right out of high school and had my first child, and when that marriage failed a couple of years later, I married another man, had another child, and soon left that physically abusive marriage.

But the pattern of my life was set. A constant, vicious cycle of drugs, drug dealing, wrong men, jail, and more kids. By 2004, I was an addict with six kids by six different men. I had never lived anywhere for more than six months. I was hopelessly in debt — and I was sitting in prison.

My one constant was my adoptive mom. She was always there for me, no matter what. She loved me and she was my best friend. And while I was sitting in prison, the one person who truly loved me died.

Her death shook me. I’m a tough survivor, and I always thought I could take care of my own problems. But in prison, I realized I was helpless. And that’s the moment I decided to get the help I needed to change.

In August 2007, I came to Union Rescue Mission’s Hope Gardens Family Center with my new-born daughter, Zoe. God led me there to build a new foundation for my life. They give me a room, offered me classes to manage my money better, taught me better ways of relating to people, helped me pay off my bills, and gave me love and friendship I desperately needed.

I still think about my birth mother. I would do anything to see what she looks like. But I’ve found a new purpose in my life. Hope Gardens has taught me how to be a better parent — the kind of parent my adoptive mother was for me. My 17-year-old daughter, Jasmine, and Zoe still live with me, and I’m determined to raise them right.

God has my life under control. And thanks to Hope Gardens, I’m a better mom and a productive member of society again. Hope Gardens is my safe community.

Mothers By the Numbers

Making Life Possible For More Moms

A couple weeks ago, eight mothers experiencing homelessness — along with all their kids — showed up at Union Rescue Mission with nowhere else to go. Despite news reports of economic recovery, more mothers and kids are falling into homelessness than ever before. In fact, I just read that 1.6 million children, along with their mothers, are now living in cars, hotels, or doubling up with friends — left on their own to try to make it in our increasingly complex society.

So many mothers are seeking Union Rescue Mission’s help, we’ve run out of rooms for them all. We’re forced to “house” increasing numbers of them in special tents in one of our community rooms.

But the good news is, we believe that — with your help — we can help these hurting moms overcome the barriers that cause poverty and live successful lives. Your gifts are providing the safety, financial-management skills, parenting skills, education, and career training single moms need to succeed. Thank you for providing a ladder out of homelessness and poverty for precious moms and their children.

Blessings,

Andy Bales, CEO, Union Rescue Mission

To apply Click Here!!

Clearly scripture tells us to keep an open hand to our brothers and sisters in need.

Deuteronomy 15:11 (ESV)

For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

However, experience has taught me that almost all of the folks standing on corners, sitting at the exit or entrance of freeway ramps, panhandling in public, or even coming to churches to connect with the person in charge of benevolence are not truly homeless or impoverished. My Dad, Carl Bales was part of a news expose on panhandlers in Des Moines, Iowa. The news feature showed that many panhandlers were making as much as $300 per day, which they used to purchase alcohol and drugs. I know more than 400 people experiencing homelessness in Pasadena by name, and over 1000 people by name on the streets of Skid Row, and I can tell you I have never ever seen one of these people, who truly are experiencing homelessness, standing on a corner panhandling.

I do know folks who panhandle all day, earn about $300 per day, then walk to their car and drive to their apartment or home.

As the person in charge of the benevolent fund at a number of churches over the years, I realized no matter how many safe guards I put up in making sure the funds were dispensed to people truly in need, I could have spent $1,000,000 dollars and not even made a dent in addressing the whole need.
People experiencing homelessness and poverty need a caring community and a relationship much more than they need the few bucks you or I can give on a street corner. The scriptural basis I use for this is Acts 3:1-8 (ESV)

1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.
3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”
5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
8 And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

From this I learn people need permanent help in becoming strong, and a connection with Jesus Christ and a faith community.

I advise that giving cash to someone in need is the least helpful, most temporary, and should be given only as a last resort. When someone asks me for cash so they can get something to eat, I invite them into a restaurant with me, buy them something to eat, and if possible, sit with them and hear their story. When someone approaches me and asks for funds to get a place to stay, I connect them with resources, often hand them my card, and ask them to come to our Mission to enroll in a program that will provide not only a roof over their head but possibly a life-transforming experience.

At rare times, giving funds is the last resort and maybe the only option. When an elderly lady on the streets of Shanghai, China asked me for help, I was unaware of services available, and also aware that there is no Social Security for elderly folks without family in China, and I gave her all of the cash I had with me. Now I’ve been asked to come back and help Shanghai establish a Rescue Mission, and I’d say that will be real help!

Blessings,

Andy Bales, CEO,  Union Rescue Mission

To apply please Click Here