The Christmas story as told by a young girl

living at The Union Rescue Mission. Christmas is a holiday for the Homeless and wandering.

The LAHSA Winter Shelter Guidelines

are fascinating. Much thought and planning has gone into serving the population who uses the shelters and the areas that host them. I am giving you the link to the handbook : it is 54 pages, but here are some highlights: Important Fact #1 – what is provided: Sink, toilet, shower, cot and a clean blanket. […]

Why You Have to Watch The Bold and the Beautiful

#fb @urm @abales @BandB_CBS Union Rescue Mission and CBS’s Bold and the BEautiful show the real skid row.

Life is a Soap Opera

@abales, @urm, @BandB_CBS #fb because homeless people can be Bold & the Beautiful too!

10 Steps to Ending Homelessness – by URM

In a perfect world #5 is my job description : Become a mentor to individuals and families who are out of experiencing homelessness. Most successful people can point back to one or more mentors who modeled positive attitudes and behaviors, believed in them, and encouraged them along the way. But the majority of men and […]

Water in the Waste Land

@urm #fb“I want that ” my daughter used to tell me. In return I would tell her that “The people in Hell want ice water”. I thought I was being smug until she asked “Well, are you going to give them any?” If you would like to visit a real version of smoldering heated Hades […]

Glendale Winter Shelter = Locals Only ?

Not this year, but next year the City of Glendale is looking at hosting the Winter Shelter for residents (Meaning that people spend most of their time there) of Glendale or Burbank only. Last year (winter 2009/2010) over 85% of the people who came to The Winter Shelter were from locations other than Burbank, Pasadena […]

It Came! and who should be a role model?

I am overjoyed to find @abales of @URM in my mail box at work today. It is a little like Christmas and I am super happy to be rewarded for dragging myself into the office today. My happy dance and small shouts of “It came, It Came!” has prompted a somewhat steady stream of onlookers to […]