After Angela and her four children were evicted from their apartment, they were reduced to sleeping in the metro station. An officer noticed and referred them to Union Rescue Mission.LETTER FROM REV ANDY BALES, CEO UNION RESCUE MISSIONIn Los Angeles, women and children make up 40% of all people experiencing homelessness. This is unacceptable.Angela's story is representative of the 215 single mothers and children who currently reside at Hope Gardens. URM also provides emergency shelter to an additional 280 parents and children at our Skid Row location, totaling in over 500 family members in need, each with their own story of pain and perseverance.We are currently the leading provider of emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness in the county. We never turn away a woman or child.This is why your continued support is so important. Together we can continue to restore lives, one family at a time.Listen to Angela's transformative tale of hope now (above).Blessings,Rev. Andy Bales, CEOStories From Skid Row: Homeless in High School
Jazzmine was told she wouldn’t graduate after her family became homeless. Hope Gardens helped her get her life back.BY UNION RESCUE MISSIONSTORIES FROM SKID ROWEditor's Note: Jazzmine's story is part of the Union Rescue Mission's "Stories From Skid Row" videos available on the organization's website, URM.org.
Hope Gardens
We believe no child should be raised on the dangerous, unforgiving streets of Los Angeles. Yet economic circumstances, illness, and abuse are forcing more mothers and children onto the street. The numbers are tragic. Women and children now make up 40% of all people experiencing homelessness.That’s why we created our Hope Gardens Family Center — an oasis of hope on 71 acres in the foothills of Sylmar, California. This transitional housing campus offers sanctuary to single women and children who are experiencing homelessness. In addition, we offer permanent supportive housing for senior women in our Sequoia Lodge.Hope Gardens helps women transition from homelessness to independence within 12 to 36 months by offering long-term rehabilitation programs, services, and spiritual care.Precious women and children have a safe place to live while they receive counseling, training, encouragement, and the real help they need to escape homelessness forever.
Family Program
The Family Program is designed to help single mothers gain the skills, support, and necessary resources to recover from past trauma — while planning for the future and preparing to maintain permanent housing. They receive the following support and services:
Onsite therapy
Life skills education
Financial and job training
Educational and social support
Child care
Three daily meals
Access to medical and dental care
Transportation
Youth Development Program
The Youth Development Program provides a supportive and empowering environment for children who live with their mothers at Hope Gardens. They receive the following support and services:
Onsite tutoring
Social and character education
Mentoring
Leadership development
Family therapy
Planned recreational activities
Infants and preschool-aged children participate in PEEPS, our onsite childcare and early childhood development program.
Senior Care Program
The Senior Care Program offers affordable permanent housing for elderly ladies who have been devastated by homelessness — allowing them to live with dignity in their twilight years. They receive the following support and services:
A single-occupancy room with a personal bathroom
Three meals a day
24/7 security
Transportation
Medical and legal referrals
Access to a library, computers, dining area, kitchen, sewing room, living/community room, atrium chapel, patio, and garden grounds
Our goal is to move every precious senior woman, mother, and child off the streets of Skid Row and into the safety of Hope Gardens Family Center.
Angela's story is representative of the 215 single mothers and children who currently reside at Hope Gardens. URM also provides emergency shelter to an additional 280 parents and children at our Skid Row location, totaling in over 500 family members in need, each with their own story of pain and perseverance.We are currently the leading provider of emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness in the county. We never turn away a woman or child.This is why your continued support is so important. Together we can continue to restore lives, one family at a time.Listen to Angela's transformative tale of hope now (above).Blessings,Rev. Andy Bales, CEOStories From Skid Row: Homeless in High School