Stories From Skid Row

Melinda hit rock bottom and had her children taken away due to her drug addiction. She decided to get clean and found her way to Hope Gardens, and that's where her journey to recovery began! 

On this week's podcast, Reverend Andy Bales chats with Frank Sontag, host of the Frank Sontag Show on KKLA!

A few years ago, Ruben lost his job and he fell deep into meth addiction. He ended up on the streets with his girlfriend, and their drug addiction got worse and worse. One day, they realized they needed to do something about their lives and they both entered rehab programs - and that's when Ruben came to Union Rescue Mission.

George was at the top of the world, he was a rising photographer in the LA area and strayed from the faith. Due to a series of events, he ended up at the Mission where he would find his true calling! 

Sista Mary, founder of "Worthy of Love", throws birthdays parties for the children at the Mission every month! Ever since she was in high school she has been performing as a mascot - and now she does it for our kids!

Plainly speaking, without Scott Johnson the Mission would not operate at all. He oversees the kitchen, custodial, maintenance, gift-in-kind, and transportation services at Union Rescue Mission. Listen to his story on what its like to work at the Mission!

Marley has been serving people on Skid Row her entire life, and her passion to help people experiencing homelessness led her to work at URM full-time as our Volunteer Service Coordinator! 

Darren, chef extraordinaire at Union Rescue Mission, is a man of faith first and cook second! His heart for the folks who come through the Mission is readily apparent from the way he interacts with them - always with love and respect! 

Jessica Sutherland, one of the mentors from our Mondays at the Mission teen lifeskills program, gives her story of homelessness and why that pushed her to help those in similar situations! 

Norris was a professional Greyhound driver for 10 years - until his problem with drugs and alcohol derailed his marriage. Now one of the major drivers of the Mission, he recounts his story on how he got a second chance at URM! 

Drinking from an early age, Steve was sent on a destructive spiral after the death of his grandfather. After his passing, Steve lost a lot of who he was - but he was slowly able to rebuild his life here at the Mission!

Peter is one of the Youth Coordinators at the Mission! Not only is he a wonderful father of his two beautiful daughters, but he also fills that role for many of the children who come through the Mission. Listen to his story of redemption and transformation!

James Han entered the Mission needing and wanting hope. Hope for something different, and he found it in relationship - with God, with his Chaplain, and especially his family. Hear his triumphant story of reconciliation and restoration! 

Brandie has been a case manager for the past few years and prior to coming to Union Rescue Mission she felt like she wasn't growing - professionally and spiritually. She came to the Mission where she realized her goal to not just put people into housing as quickly as possible, but to set them up to succeed in the long run! 

Union Rescue Mission is able to do its life-saving work because of all of our faithful donors - and Christine is one of our point people who builds and maintains those relationships! In this episode, she shares her story on why she decided to work for the Mission! 

Next Step Ministries has been involved with the work here at Union Rescue Mission for the past few years - and they are passionate about creating long-term partnerships with every mission field they are involved in. Ashley has been their representative here at the Mission and she shares her testimony and her experiences on Skid Row!

A mainstay in the Mission's kitchen, Ruthie has been faithfully serving URM for the past few years. After losing her family - save her newborn - in a fire, she turned to a life of drugs and the streets. As she entered our doors, she saw our tagline "The Way Home", and she knew this was a place where she would rebuild her life.  

Chef Darren Evans is known to be a man of prayer. At every moment, he praises the Lord for the little things in life as well as the big things - and when he was offered the position at URM to be a cook he couldn't believe that he could minister and cook at the same time! 

After years of planning, the URM Thrift Store is finally open in Covina! Listen to Troy and Jeri, who among others have both worked tirelessly to get this store up and running.  URM Thrift Store280 E. Arrow HighwayCovina, CA