Update on the Gateway Program at Union Rescue Mission

Below is the original writeup from Union Rescue Mission along with the update from today on the progress of the program.  This is from Andy Bales, CEO of Union Rescue Mission.

A few weeks ago on this blog I explored the options of having people experiencing homelessness pay part of their own way when they come into a Mission or agency for assistance.

I am going to reprint the former blog, share the comments, and after that, I am going to share how you all helped us arrive at what I believe and hope is an excellent path! Thank you!

There has been some controversy over guests paying a fee for services, both nearby on Skid Row and in New York City. The controversy arose when a local group in LA bought a building, and after a few months began offering a cot and a place to sleep for $125.00 per month. Some advocates for people experiencing homelessness cried out about the fee, but also in regards to the fact that only the cot and case management was offered, and that there were no shower services or regular food program to go along with the cot.

In New York City a bigger storm arose over the City of New York carrying out a Client Contribution Program, a pilot program to charge guests with an adequate income a gradually growing fee to both sustain the shelter program and to develop responsible choices among the guests. I have posted the link below:

http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-08-21/news/bloomberg-charges-the-homeless-rent/

“Dusting off an idea dating back to the Giuliani era, the Bloomberg administration has quietly started charging rent to homeless people who stay in emergency city shelters, theVoice has learned.

With no fanfare, Bloomberg officials in June began charging residents of at least four Brooklyn shelters up to 30 percent of their income, records obtained by theVoice show. People who don’t pay could be kicked out of the shelter, the documents show.

Eric Deutsch, a spokesman for the Department of Homeless Services, tells theVoice that the so-called Client Contribution Program is a “very small” pilot program for people with a significant amount of income in the shelter. “We’re trying a variety of new strategies to help families and individuals move towards permanency and into their own homes,” he said.

According to Deutsch, the first month at the shelter is free, with fees rising from 10 percent in the second month to 30 percent in the fourth month. Deutsch said the money goes into a pool that “clients” can draw from when they leave the shelter. But shelter residents say a number of people have already refused to pay the rent fee because they can’t afford it, and because the city hasn’t offered any additional rights or benefits in return.”

At the Rescue Mission I ran from 1986 to 1990 in Des Moines, Iowa, we had a similar practice. The Door of Faith Mission was established by George Holloway, a man who had a 3rd grade education, spent 37 years on the road without a home, going from shelter to shelter, until he had his life transformed right here at Union Rescue Mission, I believe. He returned to Des Moines, Iowa, with a philosophy of running mission’s differently:

■He made it welcoming for the entire day, instead of making people line up at night to come in for a meal and a bed

■He fed the men well so they could feel good, go out and work, and get help avoiding the temptations of drugs and alcohol

■He required sobriety from those who lived at the Mission because it is difficult to stay sober when surrounded by the site and smell of alcohol

■He required the men to work and pay their own way, because people feel better about themselves when they work, and pay their own way. It affirms their dignity, teaches responsibility, prepares them for paying rent when they move, and it provided 1/3 of the needed income for operating the shelter. The rest of the income came from churches and individuals. The first 3 days were free of charge or paid by the County, subsequently the next 30 day fee was $6.00 per day, then $7.00 per day, and finally $8.00 per day to prepare the men to pay rent.

In effect, I learned everything I know about properly running a Rescue Mission not from my more than 15 years in colleges, universities and seminaries, but almost entirely from a man with a 3rdgrade education.

I came to Union Rescue Mission with this philosophy intact, but I have not implemented all of the components of this philosophy as of yet. I was reminded of George Holloway’s teachings the other day, when a front line staff mention that some guests residing free at Union Rescue Mission have an income of $1,000 and some an income of $2,000 and that it is difficult to watch someone stay free, eat free, and irresponsibly fritter away huge sums of money in the first few days only to be completely broke the rest of the month, while our worker has suffered 2 pay decreases and responsibly struggles to make ends meet.

I’d like to start a dialogue and get your thoughts on this dilemma. What do you think? Should Mission guests pay a fee to learn responsibility, prepare for paying rent, and help sustain the Mission’s operating costs during such a challenging time? Thanks for weighing in!

There were many responses to the initial announcement.  Rather than post all of the great responses I will let those who are interested head to the URM site where the full content post can be seen:

http://www.urmblog.org/category/rev-andys-blog/

Update:

First, let me say a huge “Thank You!” to all who read this blog and had the courage and took the time to weigh in! You really helped us. Everyone’s opinions helped shape a new policy for us, especially former guests’ opinions. We met with Myles, General Jeff, and Don Garza as well, and that was an amazing and enlightening meeting. We also spoke to our guests here.

I have to admit that one of the comments above that really spoke to my heart was Mary’s, “Hi Rev Andy. Perhaps the naming of the program is critical as it should reflect a covenant perspective rather than ‘taking from’?”

This, as well as the meeting with General Jeff, Don Garza, Myles Rose, and my past experience at the Door of Faith in Des Moines, Iowa, and our staffs and guests’ collective wisdom and experience, helped us develop a new program, all voluntary rather than mandated, called Gateway Transitional Program.

Initially limited to 25 men and 25 women, our Gateway Transitional Program is designed to bridge the gap between our Emergency Guest Program and our 12-18 month Life Transformation Programs. Features and benefits include:

■A 6-month covenant relationship with a commitment to sobriety.

■Attendance of classes in money management, job interviewing and job preparation, conflict resolution, assertiveness and time management.

■Group activities and motivational rallies specifically for Gateway Program participants.

■A dedicated bed in our men’s or women’s dorm complete with a footlocker for valuables.

■Hours/curfew will be tailored to the specific needs of each participant, and their bunk area will be considered their space and they will be allowed to rest or study as they can.

■Participants will contribute $210 per month to Union Rescue Mission. $60.00 of this contribution will be placed in their own personal savings account. The remaining $150 fee will be used to offset the cost of the Gateway Transitional Program.

Our guests are excited about this new opportunity to move out of the cycle of homelessness, and we are launching this month! Thanks for taking time to consider, for weighing in, and for truly helping us shape a program that really is a mutual covenant to help our guests and our Mission. Bless you! Andy B.

Chicken or Fish? Just an observation on quitters in relationships.

In the last few weeks I have had a number of friends approach me on this same subject.  Is the divorce rate higher than ever?  Is it the stress of the economy?  Do people think that things will be less stressful if they change some aspect of their life such as get rid of somebody in their life?  Is it a sense of entitlement that tells somebody it is acceptable to leave somebody that is a part of their life because their own happiness is what is truly important even over the hurt of others?  I don't know but I do ask myself questions and make my own observations.

Feel free to copy and paste this and send it along to quitters and folks you probably know that this may be a perfect fit for this topic. Lord knows there are a lot of them out there that fit this quite well.

Maybe it is because I have gone though a few divorces and some folks feel that I can help them make sense of things? People come to me for advice or to just unload on me. I am happy to try to help but hell ... I don't have the answers either.

Today I was talking to somebody who was leaving their partner for another. They were trying to explain to me why their new partner was just right for them. Maybe they wanted me to give them some sort of OK? I have no idea but this did touch a nerve ... actually a lot of them.

Chicken or Fish ?

I suppose that the downside of having a workable level of intelligence with an engineering mindset may cause one to have a proclivity toward over analyzing things. Add the trait of being observant and the downside is magnified.

I have many friends that have left their partner or who have been left by their partner. Many of you are in my friends on facebook. I have had long phone conversations with many of you as well when you were trying to make sense of it all.  Bottom line ... don't try to make sense as it makes no sense, follows no logic and generally one of the people in the couple who are having the problems is close minded, insane, blind to logic and reason because they have a number of problems and I will try to point out just one of them now.

In almost every case of one person leaving another, the one who had left found some sort of perfect being walking the planet. This person can do no wrong. They are everything their past partner was not. In some cases the companion WAS the reason one person left the other. The new person does not have the faults or bad traits of the prior partner. What a load of crap. They say marriage and relationships are work. I realize that in many cases the work is not worth the effort for many folks.   Being one of two people in a part time relationship is not much work.  It is easy.  There is little confrontation.

Perhaps I am just observant and perhaps I question things such as what one of my friends once said as he was leaving his wife .... "she does not climb mountains with me". Uhhh ... maybe because you were working 75 hours a week building a business and the rest of your free time you were off bicycle racing? When you did come home and she asked you to do something you felt she was nagging you or she did not understand you. You fucking jerk.

I know more than a few more folks who found this wonderful person out there...  the person who was all that their partner never was. Well people ... think about this....

It is really quite easy to be charming when there is nothing on the line as far as confrontational or difficult decisions. Hang out with your sweetheart and try to really see what is actually going on:

"I cannot decide whether to have the chicken or fish. It both looks so good" says Mary. Ed replies; "why don't we get both and share?" "Oh Ed, you are so wonderful". Fuck you Ed. Fuck you Mary. I hope you both choke on fish bones.

Only in a dream or drug induced haze.  Perhaps vast quantities of alcohol?

Ed is playing the game here and not showing his true colors. He may have wanted ribs but he was just walking that safe path in hope of getting to the next question later in the evening .... Ed to Mary; "do you want to be on top"? Mary in her own mind ... "I love how caring and sensitive Ed when it comes to my feelings". To both of you dumb asses ... there is NO wrong answer here.  Ed will always shine in Mary's eyes. 

Paul asks Rhonda; "Which of those two movies do you want to see? It seems they are both playing at the same theater at the same time" Ronda; "Oh Paul, you always know the best places to go to make me happy".

Dianne and Jay just had a wonderful week touring the wine country. The vacation was shear perfection. .... Because .... they were both interested in the wine country, they both wanted to go there and they only see each other on occasion. They do not live together or solve problems ... real problems together.

Matt and Carol are a real couple. They make choices like what should they do now that one of them has lost their job? How do they come up with money for property tax? How do we pay the electric bill? Susie has to go to the doctor but we no longer have insurance. What should we cut out when we go to the market next week? Not a life of glamour. Not a life even worthy of a bad reality TV series.

The weak crack. The self absorbed crack. The selfish crack. They all run. They all quit. They come up with reasons why they left which when examined, even at a distance are flawed. Their reason for their current bliss is rooted in how another understands them so much better than their partner. More bullshit.

Try doing something such as the following with that wonderful person that understands you, that person that is such a great fit.  Each day for a few months ask them to do something for you.  Pick up dry cleaning.  Pick up something at the market.  Go to work and bring home money to pay bills.  Ask them to pick them up from some location and when you arrive it helps if you show up thirty minutes after they arrive.  If they get upset they must be at fault because somebody so perfect would just let it slide.  No?  Try this for about three months and see if that person is still perfect.  Perhaps she or he is but I think that you would either have had some differences or one of the two of you has honed their ability of apathy to a fine new level.   Stop comparing somebody you left to somebody you spend the good times of your life with but never the hard times or the times that are part of everyday real life.

It is hard for me to comprehend how easily people can accept this self generated narrow vision and buy into this nonsense. I suppose that there are a lot of people out there who do not have simple powers of the most basic observation. These people let their internal protective mechanisms lead their lives, make their decisions and use these things to justify hurting others who were once so important in their lives.

Feel free to pass this along to somebody you know. I would bet that you all know at least one person that is may fit.  I bet many of you have a specific face come to mind?

Intense June 2010 but perhaps my best birthday ever.

I will say that my 21st birthday was spent in London England and was one of my best birthdays but this last one pretty darn terrific in a very special way.   June 25th ... Custer's Last Stand, the start of the Korean War, the death of Michael Jackson.  All tragic events associated with death even if you are an American Indian and liked the Custer event people still lost their lives.  This June 25th was great though as the money goal needed to keep Hope Gardens open was reached.

My last update to the blog was June 6th, almost a month ago.  The month has been very busy and I continually posted a lot on facebook; links, writing, photos, videos.  I will now hit some of the highpoints here.

In late May it looked as if Hope Gardens would be closing.  Unless they could raise $2.8 million dollars by June 30 the women and children would be relocated back to Skid Row.

The below was taken off one of the pages at http://www.urm.org/ the page of Union Rescue Mission.

June 25, 2010

2:40 pm

Officials at Union Rescue Mission said Friday that they had raised sufficient funds to keep open Hope Gardens, a transitional housing center for women and children in the foothills of the San Fernando Valley.

“I’m feeling great relief,” said Andy Bales, chief executive of Union Rescue Mission. “We’re planning a celebration next month at Hope Gardens.”

Like many nonprofits, Union Rescue Mission has been hard-hit by the recession. Demand for the organization’s services, which include a downtown shelter, has increased 45% in the last two years, Bales said. But by late May, donations were down 21% from last year.

Unless the organization could raise $2.8 million by June 30, the end of the fiscal year, officials feared they would have to close Hope Gardens, which offers homeless women and children a tranquil atmosphere in which to rebuild their lives.

On May 24, Bales issued an emergency appeal for donations through his blog, Twitter, Facebook, text messages and snail mail.

He said key support came from individuals such as Scott Minerd, a managing partner at Guggenheim Partners, who provided $1 million in matching contributions.

“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures and he’s really stepped up,” Bales said. “But it’s not just been the big gifts. It’s been other people stepping forward with what they can that has helped get the matching funds.”

The target was reached Friday morning with a $250,000 gift from the Louis & Gladyce Foster Family Foundation, he said.

Bales sent out a celebratory Tweet: “Thanks 2 you http://urm.org has received $2.9 Million towards $2.8 Million goal 2 Save Hope Gardens!”

The next step is to develop a plan to ensure the center remains financially viable, Bales said. All employees have already accepted two 5% pay cuts, and eight people were laid off, Bales said. The organization is also appealing for long-term support from Los Angeles County, which pays for security, counseling and other services at the site.

– Alexandra Zavis

This was the news story last week as you, our donors put us over the top in our fundraising efforts to save Hope Gardens Family Center and keep precious moms and children from returning to the mean streets of Skid Row. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!!

31 days ago I feared for the worst as I drove home late one night after a Board of Directors meeting at Union Rescue Mission downtown. I contemplated the fate of not finishing well, retiring in disappointment and disgrace, believing that I might be viewed as a fellow who tried hard, but failed. It was not a new feeling to me. 6 years after I handed off the reins of Good Samaritan Urban Ministries in Des Moines, Iowa to a capable new leader and committed Board of Directors, this coalition of 120 churches that I had helped form from ground up and nourished for 10 years closed the ministry and sold the property that we had not only renovated for over 140 previously homeless families, but also battled gangs and crime to provide a peaceful helpful setting for those families. When I left, I underestimated the continued need for building relationships and the heavy weight of debt that eventually did the ministry in. That decision that was made to close haunts me to this day, and during our battle to win Hope Gardens, opponents of Hope Gardens brought it up and stuck it in my face and it felt like a knife in the back.

So here I was again. Our services at URM were up 45% over the last 2 years, and giving had fallen off by over 21%. We were looking at a $4.4 Million shortfall for the budget year that ends June 30th, and there was talk of selling this beautiful place that we had fought so hard for in a 21 month, $1.9 Million dollar legal battle, including 34 neighborhood meetings (beatings), that culminated in a remarkable 6 hour Planning and Zoning Hearing victory!

The worst part of all, I knew that if we closed Hope Gardens, before I could retire in disgrace I would have to have to be the one to tell the moms and children now living in peace and safety, that they would have to find other housing or return to URM surrounded by Skid Row and some of the meanest streets in our country. I was not sure my heart could take it, but I knew that I would have to carry it out.

We reached out to the County Board of Supervisors for help and shared that without their help, not only would we be unable to move 24 more single moms and their children to Hope Gardens, but we would indeed have to vacate the 34 families now residing at Hope Gardens. We are still waiting and hoping for continued support.

I wrote a plea letter that I promised would be a once in a lifetime request, and based on my health, I truly meant that. We sent the letter to our donors, posted it on my blog and shared our need through texts, emails, twitter and Facebook.

A kind donor and KKLA Radio Hosts Frank Pastore and Reba Toney provided a powerful radio thon that helped us passionately get out the word and we raised close to $70,000.

I drove to Santa Monica on May 24th a tired, broken, fearful yet hopeful man and met with our friend Scott Minerd. He had called and asked me what we needed to save Hope Gardens, and I shocked him by saying that we needed $2.8 Million by June 30th to have any hope of saving Hope Gardens. He told me a sweet story of how he wanted to bring his friends dog for a walk around Hope Gardens, but the dog had died of cancer. Tears welled up in his eyes as he told me that his friend had gone to the pound to find another dog, but the dog he picked out was mean, and he left the dog at the pound. Later that day the pound called his friend and said that the mean dog would be disposed of in a few hours since he was not adopted. Before he finished I knew what this huge hearted man was going to tell me. Scott was now owner of that once hurt and aggressive dog, and he had named her grace, because she was saved by grace!

I asked Scott, no I begged Scott to allow us to honor him as our 2010 Hero 4 Hope. He was not keen on the idea, but said he would consider being the Hero 4 Hope if it would help. Before I left, this giant of a man with an even bigger heart told me that he would provide a gift of $250,000 that would be a challenge gift asking for others to match. He gave me a hug, and assured me that we had to do everything possible because, “we cannot let Hope Gardens close!” I began to feel hopeful that a miracle was coming!

When we honored Scott as the Hero 4 Hope, we surprised him by having a partner of his who had flown in from Chicago say a few words. Scott was surprised, but he had a bigger surprise for me. He said, “I had a dream last night. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and in the dream I matched up to $500,000 of whatever was given at this event today!” I was amazed, but Scott was not done. “Beyond that, I dreamed I would match any single gift of $250,000!” I really began to have hope! When that gift was matched by wonderful friends of the Mission, Scott said, “I did not tell you the rest of the dream. I dreamed the 1st $250,000 was matched and I offered a second match of $250,000.” Not only did my faith grow at that moment, but I knew that indeed we were experiencing a miracle of love and that there was great hope for the moms and kids at Hope Gardens Family Center.

Like Scott, thousands have responded in their own special way. A formerly homeless friend named Don who now has a home and has completely rebuilt his life became a monthly donor; a colorful builder of amps and guitars for premiere artists around the country, Myles, reached out to his network of friends, and you all gave what you could. Pastor Steve Faubion of Calvary Church Pacific Palisades presented us with a check for $25,000 from the church and shared that when the mission was hurting, they were hurting. In addition the children at Calvary Christian school raised over $5000 when they were told they could wear jeans to school for a $10 donation! Early last week we were getting close when Pauley Perette, star of the top show on TV, NCIS, and a volunteer at Hope Gardens contacted me and said she wanted to help save Hope Gardens! She joined twitter, something she had opposed for a long time, and with the help of a friend she posted a Youtube video asking her friends to join her in saving the most beautiful place on earth, a place where previously homeless moms and kids live a life of peace and hope. We gained a huge amount of momentum from Pauley. It was remarkable. Friday morning, June 25th, just 31 days after launching what seemed like an impossible attempt to raise $2.8 Million, a check for $250,000 came in from the Louis and Gladyce Foster Foundation, 1 week after the Foster family lost their wonderful matriarch, Gladyce at the age of 90. She and her husband had given the cornerstone gift for our URM downtown building, the largest Mission in the US. Amidst their sorrow, they took the time and shared what they had putting us over the top, to $2.9 plus and counting!

Instead of having the dreadful task of relocating families, we are planning a celebration in the near future to praise God and thank each and every one of you who took part in this miracle!

I am trying, but I can not possibly put into words how thankful I am for this miracle that has transpired through you and friends like Scott who had faith, and more than that, had love for precious moms and kids. I broke into tears as I shared my joy with the Chairman of our Board of Directors that I don’t have to finish my career of ministry as a failure, and much more than that, hopeful moms like Angel, one of my Facebook friends, and her children do not have to leave the peace, safety and hope of Hope Gardens Family Center. Here’s what she wrote to me last night on Facebook:

“Thank you guys and thank our Heavenly Father – i will be giving prayers of thanks until the day i have to leave hope gardens! God bless and keep you all that created, support, and run these programs for us and our kids!”

_________________

I felt pretty terrific that the goal was reached on my birthday and it was terrific that Andy Bales and his staff thanked my friends and I directly and indirectly.

There was a little bit of dialogue on the page:

Myles Rose says:


June 26, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Andy & URM staff … I am ready for the next challenge. The effort and energy was more than worth the end result. One of the most worthwhile actions in over a half a century walking this earth. My deepest regards and respect to all of you who work each day at URM and those who helped keep Hope Gardens open.

Andy Bales says:
June 26, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Thank you, Myles, for having a big part in this! Bless you!

The original page can be seen at http://www.urmblog.org/2010/06/26/saved-by-grace/

The Los Angeles Times ran a story on this event as well - http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/06/union-rescue-mission-reaches-fundraising-goal-to-keep-transitional-housing-center-hope-gardens-open.html



The folks from NCIS were also part of the battle.

In the end the battle was won.

Back at Union Rescue Misson other activities continue.  Thursday nights are now the six nights of Starwars.  On the roof of Union Rescue Mission children who have very little in life are given a few hours of fun and diverson from their difficult life.

On the roof at Union Rescue Mission. Just one of a million activities, services, meals and things they provide 24x7 365 days a week. Can't beat this view while watching "Starwars"

A great street level perspective was written up on the URM website at http://www.urmblog.org/2010/06/24/the-mission-june-2010/  I will also copy and paste the piece below

My Terrifying Night on the Streets of Skid Row


I thought I knew how bad Skid Row was. It took a sleepless night on the sidewalk to experience the terrifying reality.

When I recently had the chance to spend a single night outside in front of Union Rescue Mission, I thought I knew how bad it would be. But I didn’t. It was the most terrifying night of my life.

I had planned to spend the night sleeping in an EDAR, a kind of folding tent on wheels. But the smell of trash and human waste, the constant yelling, fighting, and drug use, and the squeaking of giant rats the size of cats – which I saw crawling over people all night – kept me awake.

The sidewalk in front of URM was crowded with dozens of people: an old man sleeping in a wheelchair, a frightened middle-aged man and woman huddled in a dark corner, an elderly man suffering from Alzheimer’s wandering lost, a wheelchair-bound prostitute plying her trade in the pay toilet across the street.

Then there were the drug-crazed predators; the man who attacked a woman across the street, another man who attacked a woman in a nearby alley, the thug who assaulted everyone who crossed his path, and who even threatened me. Risking my own life, I broke up at least five or six fights that night.

That’s how it was all night long. There was never any let up in the noise, fear, screaming, fighting, drug use, prostitution, and rats. It was just relentless.

I spent just one night on those streets. That night scarred me. If I had to spend one more night out there, I’m not sure I would have recovered. But what happens to the hearts and souls of the thousands of precious people who have spent weeks, months, or years on Skid Row? Men and women who’ve given up on life and hit bottom here?

That’s a thought I can’t tolerate. No one – not one single human being – should ever be left on the street and forced to live in terror.

Today I’m more grateful than ever for all our generous donors. We’re able to serve almost 5,000 precious souls a day. Every night more than 1,000 men and women sleep in a safe bed. And best of all, more than 600 people have decided to give life another try and escape these streets for good.

This was BBQ Friday lunch on the roof of Union Rescue Mission on July 2.  I wrote a bit about this on facebook as some of the dialogue at lunch was on the same subject as the above street view perspective.

BBQ Friday lunch is just about over but I had lunch here with a few of the URM staff folks. BBQ burgers, hot dogs, beans, chips, drinks.

As a side note ... during lunch part of the conversation was my six paramedic release tags after being injured. One of the URM folks was a bit taken aback that I "had been to the hospital" six times since December. To correct things ... only one visit to the hospital was necessary, the rest of the times it was paramedics who later released me and in most of those cases the paramedics were there for other people also involved.

To also set the proper picture ... It is not a given that when walking down the street in skid row you will get attacked.  Likely at times?  Perhaps.  In my case it was generally my fault as I tend to step in the middle of altercations between others and stop them.  This can happen maybe a half a dozen times per night. In six or seven months I have only been injured about six times or a bit more when medical attention was not required, it looks like my percentage of win versus loss is quite high :-)

I was talking about a story that Andy Bales of Union Rescue Mission posted at

http://www.urmblog.org/2010/06/24/the-mission-june-2010/

with a friend who was more taken aback by Andy's mention of rats than some of the other material. I explained there is a lot of trash and filth on the street. Today as I was walking (7/2/10) to URM down 5th I took a shot of some of the trash as this was a very clean day on the street compared to most days.

I posted many stories on the economy on facebook.  Bottom line ... things are not getting better and I see the number of residents on the street increase each week.  Unemployment benefits have run out for the first wave of folks and the future does not look bright ... or even dimly lit at this point.  I seem to have a pretty good track record in speaking my viewpoint on the state of the economy.




The bottom line here ....  Please think a bit about trying to help.  Look at the website at http://www.urm.org/ and send the link to your friends.  Ask them to help.  The battle is ongoing and Los Angeles has the highest homeless population in the USA.  The homeless population in Los Angeles is higher than the population of Santa Barbara.  If you don't think you can make a difference you are mistaken ... you can.  I spent five weeks posting on facebook, twitter, emailing my friends and associates in the music industry asking them to help and they did.  My deepest thank you to all of my friends that stepped up and helped in many ways - donations and spreading the word themselves.

URM provides thousands of meals a day.  365 days a year.  They provide shelter, medical, dental, legal, educational services and more.  This is an ongoing expense so please consider helping and passing on the word and website link.

To my country music folks that are looking to get into the running for the Home Depot Humanitarian Award ... just do something for URM.  Nobody could beat that as they are the largest mission, the oldest and Los Angeles has the largest homeless population.  Pretty hard to top helping Union Rescue Mission.  Lots of you thank God when you accept your rewards from the ACM,  CMA, CMT, Grammy etc.  Well, I think that Pastor Andy Bales who heads URM might have some great thoughts about any of you that help and heck, that can't hurt. 

I am also trying to organize a summer concert series.  Not anything huge or complex.  Maybe 250 folks on the roof of Union Rescue Mission for a fun concert.  The ticket proceeds would go to URM.  If some of you folks are in town to do a gig for the late night TV shows like The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel, or day shows like Ellen and want to make a difference, a big difference and perhaps end up in the L.A. Times and other publications as well as on the news drop me a note about spending a few hours playing (acoustic or electric is fine) and I will put you in direct contact with the right folks.  Keep in mind that you can probably write all this off anyway as URM contributions are a tax writeoff.  So what are you waiting for :)

In closing, thank you to all my friends that stepped up to the plate and helped keep Hope Gardens open.  Thank you to the staff at Untion Rescue Mission for all your hard work, long hours and support.  Thank you URM for your continued encouragement and a heartfelt thank you for being there for me above and beyond to Alex, Jacqui, Ginger and Andy Bales.  You are all an inspiration to me every day.

Myles S. Rose

How many people can I feed?

Today on Facebook one of my friends asked me, "how many people can you feed".  I post things to facebook and at times on twitter when I am down on skid row trying to assist the residents of the area.  I also take photos and videos at times which are posted, many times posted in real time thanks to technology of today.

Here is my response to the question.

How many people can you feed?

It varies. I look at my situation as not feeding people as much as it is giving them a snack, usually a healthy one such as oatmeal bars, bananas, nuts, dried fruit. In those cases I can pass out these snacks to half a dozen to two dozen or so folks. These folks are the people that do not go to the missions or shelters for reasons of their own. They are the ones you see on the streets in the entry of some buildings, along the street on 5th, 6th near San Julian, San Pedro etc.

I have access to a place on Wall Street where I can leave food items so I do not have to try to transport it on the subway. Some evenings during the week I can take up to a dozen or so folks to the Central Market where one of the vendors of Chinese food gives what is left from the day to the people I bring there about 20 minutes prior to close of business. Rather than toss it, he just donates it. Last night I had hot dogs, buns, mustard and relish that were purchased at Smart and Final. The butane stove was borrowed as was the pot for the boiling water.

The hot dogs that folks had last night and the snacks that I pass out at night are all financed by some of my friends. My L.A. blog on the homeless, economy and architecture of L.A. has a list of people on the right hand side of the page who are the folks that pay for all this. Some of the folks listed send money quite often and I could not pull this off without their help. If any of you folks are reading this .... thanks again! Some folks I met through my blog when they hit the donate button to access my paypal account. I then was able to start a dialogue with them.

I try to get folks to go to the missions. They have long term solutions, long term help and full healthy meals. Sometimes I can pull it off but most times it is very difficult. The people that live on the street have their reasons and their reasons are as varied as the reasons they have for living there. I have not been able to come up with a handful of reasons they prefer the street to a shelter. Maybe my friend Don Garza would have an explanation from a viewpoint of somebody who has lived on the street. I am sure the folks at Union Rescue Mission, The Midnight Mission, Los Angeles Mission or one of the other missions have information on why some people prefer the street. In the end, the best place to try to get these folks to go to are the missions with their longer term programs.

Well, that turned into a pretty long answer to a direct and to the point question! Hope I answered the question somewhere in there! I am probably going to copy and paste this into a blog entry.

This is a common sleeping spot on Skid Row.  The foundation is cardboard with a covering of discarded carpet backing felt.  Sometimes there is a blue plastic tarp if the weather is wet. 

Some folks are mobile.  I suppose this is something of a large motorhome in the big picture for some folks.  The scale of being homeless is a very wide scale that extends from cardboard beds on the cement to people living out of their cars.  There are some areas of the city where old motorhomes and campers are parked on the streets and are residences for a number of people.   I have seen some larger motorhomes which are quite modern parked in long term airport parking or at Wal-Mart where they allow parking of RVs at night.  Many of those folks lost their homes due to the current economic conditions and this is their first step down the road of being homeless.  If they do not find work or if things do not turn around they continue down the road to Skid Row.  At some point they sell their RV to be able to continue to eat.

During the day many of these folks just sit and wait for night.  The cycle continues until it is broken by something which in many cases is a violent act either close to their space, act upon them or act by them on others.  Many people believe that homeless people are all drunks, drug users or just plain crazy.  If you spend a few weeks on the street you will also become somewhat crazy yourself.  There is a growing segment of the population who were affluent in their own recent past.  They lost their jobs, lost their home and are now on the the streets themselves.  Maybe you noticed the nice shoes above?  One of the biggest problems facing the homeless who wander the streets are foot problems when they cannot keep clean and do not have decent footwear.  These shoes are one of the things that are supplied by some of the missions.  I know that the folks at Untion Rescue Mission ( www.urm.org ) supplies shoes, clothes, showers, laundry facilities, medical and dental clinics, legal assistance for various problems, and a host of programs for long term help.  They do not just supply a place to lie down for the night and a meal.  Think about hitting one of the mission websites and seek their donate page if you want to help. 

When I took this picture I did not think all that much about it.  The scene and situation is all too common.  Later I looked a for a few seconds.  "Please reuse or recycle ... "  Talk about taking that phrase to the limit!  The slogan of "Kohl's, expect great things".  I cannot begin to think about the contrast of the slogan and the situation here.

Some people have no cardboard or felt to sleep on.

Most people find it easier to just ignore the issue.

I have posted a number of terrific videos from many other folks in my blog and in other places.  This is one of my own and shows what is almost the lowest level on the homeless ladder.  No cardboard or felt bed, no plastic tarp or trash bag.  It is cold and wet outside.  The sheters are filled to capacity.  This person had no where to go so he went to the subway for shelter.  Some folks go there where they intend to be picked up by law enforcement so they may be able to receive a night in jail with a roof over their head.

The line along the building across the street are people in line for a meal at The Midnight Mission.  The line wraps around the building.  These lines can also be seen at Union Rescue Mission, Los Angeles Mission and other missions.  As a side note, these lines are here three meals a day, 365 days a week.

The number of homeless vets continues to be a very large segment of the population.  The V.A. may have supplied the wheelchair but sometimes the chair has more value to carry your house and all of the contents of your house if you are able to walk at all.

Sometimes I cannot figure out how some of these people can remain mobile.  Here is a method of life centered around a backpack rather than a shopping cart.

Social life outside of the missions and shelters.

There are warnings .....

.... which some people ignore.

- the end -

Union Rescue Mission - Hope Gardens

Over on my facebook page I have posted many links on this subject.  I am now posting things here as well.

Bottom line ....  if Union Rescue Mission cannot raise $2.8M by the end of June it may be necessary to shut down Hope Gardens.  So far they have raised about $500k.

A good initial view on some fact can be seen at - http://www.urmblog.org/2010/05/24/critical-news-regarding-hope-gardens/

A new story was done by Channel 7 news.  The video can be seen here - http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news%2Flocal%2Flos_angeles&id=7459872

There are four ways YOU can help.  Pick any one of them, any combination of them or all of them but please, do something - http://www.urmblog.org/critical-news/

Become a fan of the URM fan page on facebook if you are on facebook.  Pass the link here to everybody on facebook you know.  For each fan on the URM fan page there will be $1 donated to URM.  It costs nothing and takes a few seconds.  -  http://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=394626408250&id=12784656483&ref=mf

This is Hope Gardens - http://www.flickr.com/photos/urmmedia/sets/72157624003790393/show/

This is where young children will find themselves if there is NO Hope Gardens - http://www.flickr.com/photos/myles111us/sets/72157622962099627/show/

Random rambling as I think back over the last week or so

The order of these points in this blog entry have no meaning.  I just wanted to get down some of what happened in the last week.  I am starting with the light hearted stuff and as you get further down into my writing it gets more serious.

My friend Jared Scharff was part of the band for Sting's Rainforest concert which is very cool.  Jared tagged me on some of his photos.  Some of you might have seen Jared if you watch Saturday Night Live as he is the guitarist in the SNL Band. 

Jared's station at Carnigie Hall for the concert below.

Lots more cool photos that Jared has at http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=174804&id=529801052  If you are not on facebook the link may not work for you but I did post a few of the shots here along with the two that Jared tagged me on.

Jared is behind Sting and Debbie Harry.  Under the head of his guitar is some of his 65 Amps stuff.

OK ... this is just a cool photo of Jared and "The Boss"

And I posted the above photo just because I think it is a great candid photo.

Jared plays a 65 Amps Monterey and Tupelo.  There is a cool video on the Tupelo that I pasted here.




It was a busy week at 65 Amps.  Wylclef's guitar player bought an Elvis and a Tupelo on Friday, guess he could not decide.  Michael McDonald was at The Greek and their bass player Grabbed an Apollo bass amp, Sheryl Crow was on Late Nite with Jimmy Fallon with her own London if I recall, and Katy Perry's guitarist grabbed a Stone Pony to take on tour.  Yes, busy week at 65 Amps and that does not even take into account the normal stuff that goes out the door.

Continuing on the musician front, Carl Verheyen made the official announcement that the Supertramp Tour will be in Europe later this year.  Info and dates at http://www.supertramp.com/  Many of you folks know that Carl is perhaps my favorite guitarist and I could care less whether he is doing his Supertramp gig or touring with his own band.  I just like listening to the guy play.  Lots more info on his website at http://www.carlverheyen.com/

I know a number of amazing country players and the name Carl Verheyen may not come to many people's minds as a country picker but ....



On June 3 the Carl Verheyen Band will be at Musicians Institute in Hollywood from 4pm until about 7pm.   A DVD may be shot at this show.  I will be there as I was for the DVD shoot for Rumor Mill.

Here is a bit more on Carl that looks into some of his other work.



News of Homeboy Industries - lays off most employees as financial woes worsen.  The economy takes another organization away.

Homeboy Industries, the venerable L.A. institution designed to provide jobs and counseling to former gang members, laid off most of its employees Thursday amid worsening financial problems.

Father Gregory Boyle, who started Homeboy Industries more than two decades ago, said 300 people were laid off, including all senior administrators. Boyle said he has stopped taking a paycheck as well.

"We cobbled together payroll since November," he said. "But it was not enough to save us or rescue us."

Officials said about 100 people will continue to work at Homeboy, including at the organization's cafe near Chinatown, which will remain open. Homeboy will continue to offer tattoo removal and counseling services.

The Times reported last year that Homeboy had an annual budget of $9.8 million. Its businesses -- including a bakery and cafe staffed in part by ex-gang members -- made about $2.5 million a year. The group needed donations and other sources of income to make up the difference.

Homeboy has also employed its clients in silk-screening, landscaping, solar power and other industries.

-- Hector Becerra

Another story last week - In a Job Market Realignment, Some Left Behind
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/In-a-Job-Market-Realignment-nytimes-3478891081.html?x=0
The last part of the story caught my attention - “Sometimes I think I’d be better off in jail,” she says, only half joking. “I’d have three meals a day and structure in my life. I’d be able to go to school. I’d have more opportunities if I were an inmate than I do here trying to be a contributing member of society.”

More misleading information. Read the last two of the last three paragraphs. One reason the numbers are looking better is because many people have had their benefits come to and end. I also mistrust phrases such as "adjusted for seasonally ..... " Bottom line, more people than ever in the food lines at all the missions downtown and a population increase of homeless who had homes only a few months ago. - http://finance.yahoo.com/news/New-claims-for-unemployment-apf-1468613804.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=9&asset=&ccode=

Over at Union Rescue Misson the activity never slows down.  The crew from The Sportsman Channel came in and served a meal based on their own thinking.  On Monday night's dinner menu at the Union Rescue Mission: tacos made from elk, deer, sheep, wild pig, black bear and antelope. For pescatarians, there were yellow tail, tilapia and tuna tacos. Vegetarians were out of luck. About 250 pounds of fresh game meat was donated for the feast, sponsored by the Sportsman Channel as a part of its national "Hunt. Fish. Feed." initiative.  More on this in a story in the L.A. Times at http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/topofthetimes/topstories/la-me-0511-game-meat-20100511,0,967757.story

Here is a behind the scenes look

There was a lot of support in email and on telephone calls for the folks in Nashville who lost so much music equipment, touring equipment, homes, property and the list goes on and on.  I expect to be spending a lot of time in the near future in a support role with a lot of these folks.  Some of my friends (many of them are in my friends list on facebook) were called in to help and many photos have been posted.

I spent a number of evenings in the skid row area of Los Angeles.  No matter what the news reports about things getting better I see the number of folks on the street and in line at the shelters and mission increasing.  More people are loosing their homes.  As people run out their unemployment benefits they are dropped off the lists of the unemployed.  This drops the reported figures.  The first wave of folks whose benefits are over are falling off the roles of the folks counted.  This makes things look better on paper if you believe what you read rather that what can be seen in front of your own eyes.

Below is a video from Union Rescue Mission about a cool fellow named Austin.  He is an Eagle Scout who took matters into his own hands, came up with a plan and ran with his idea.



Roof BBQ at http://www.urm.org/ with a lot of help from the folks from Wells Fargo.  Sort of makes me a bit more happy that they are the bank I use.

Wells Fargo Acts of Kindness Day on http://urm.org/ rooftop

It has been a busy week and there was a lot I did not cover.  On facebook I followed an amp through the final stages of assembly and test via photos and low res videos.  I talked about the stereo system at the shop over at 65 Amps on facebook, talked to a noted food critic on his quest for the perfect Won Ton Soup and we have plans to go to a place together to check out a few things.  I will stop now even though there is a lot more than went on last week.

It has been a hard week for a lot of people.

Well, the market is down a bunch this week. I got a twitter update from the EDD that I follow with a link to a story about better unemployment numbers. I posted that story with the comment.


More nonsense! Maybe look at the number of folks who are at the end of their 99 weeks as extensions have run out on them. Now they are dropped off the roles of the unemployed and hung out to dry. Bailouts for big corporations yet let the person who has lost everything go hungry or loose their home. This sort of BS makes me sick. The story can be seen at http://m.sfgate.com/sfchron/pm_21448/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=CbQiaA0q

There is flooding in Nashville where the photos look like a reinactment of Hurricane Katrina. Many of my good friends are scrambling to recover their instruments and equipment that is underwater. Most folks focus on the instruments and amplifiers and overlook things like computers, FOH consoles, monotor consoles, lighting computers, wireless systems and other boxes filled with software which has been dialed in over years on the road in some cases.

The economy continues to decline no matter what seems to be reported on Wall Street. I watch the population grow in the area known as skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, the city with the largest homeless population in the USA. More homeless folks in Los Angeles than the population count of Santa Barbara.

Today I spent the day at 65 Amps and spent a bit of time posting photos from my collections to help lift the mood out there in the world.

In an attempt to help some folks, and try to help the perspective for those folks that live in Nashville, those who are watching their fishing business and life work be threatened by an approaching oil slick, the families of the mine workers who have recently died, the families and loved ones of our military overseas far from home, the homeless, the hungry, those dropped off the ranks of the unemployed because their benefits ran out ... well ....

I am not an optimist or pessimist. I am a realist and I observe what goes on around me. So ... all you folks that can identify with some of what I have said above take comfort in this thought. Many of you do not live in Los Angeles. The worst traffic in the USA? The highest homeless population. And here is a bit of what has transpired in the last week or so when it comes to drug deals gone bad, gang activity, crime and drive by shootings.

Lets take a moment to look at the last week or two. The race of folks is noted in police reports for statistics as a side note.

5 shot, 2 dead in Hawaiian Gardens rampage [Updated]: A man carrying an AK-47 rifle and a can of gasoline....

Slain pregnant woman apparently in "wrong place at the wrong time," LAPD says: Jana Collins was a newlywed. Unborn baby of pregnant woman fatally shot in West L.A. dies: A pregnant woman and her baby died Wednesday

Erwin Ramirez, a 19-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Sunday, May 2, in the 300 block of S. Harris Ave. in Compton

Olga Martinez, a 33-year-old Latina, was stabbed to death Sat., May 1, in the 11000 block of Glenoaks Blvd. in Pacoima

Joel Leach, a 28-year-old white man, was shot to death May 1 in the 1100 block of N. Alexandria St. in East Hollywood

Rita Morales, an 87-year-old Latina, was killed Friday, April 30, in the 7000 block of Eton Ave. in Canoga Park

Manuel Reyes, an 85-year-old Latino, was beaten to death Fri., April 30, in the 7000 block of Eton Ave. in Canoga Park

Vincent Ramos, a 31-year-old Latino, died Friday, April 30, several hours after he was shot in Long Beach

Allen Alexander, a 48-year-old black man, was fatally shot April 29 in the 1000 block of E. Mission Blvd. in Pomona

Michael McCall, a 44-year-old black man, was shot and killed April 29 in the 1000 block of E. Mission Blvd. in Pomona

Dante Willis, a 24-year-old black man, was shot and killed Thursday, April 29, at Exton and Hazel streets in Inglewood

Jonathan Val, a 17-year-old Latino, was shot to death April 28 in the 300 block of North Avenue 57 in Highland Park

Bahati Dunbar, a 40-year-old black man, was killed Weds., April 28, in the 12000 block of S. Main St. in Willowbrook

I will stop for now. I think I made a point. It has not been a good week for a lot of folks.

What kind of business has their objective to end their business? Union Rescue Mission

Today I spent the day downtown at Union Rescue Mission.  My head is filled with new knowledge and information but I walked away with a few heavy questions with no answer.  I also learned there are apects of what people think they know about URM which are not factual.

Before I continue, please excuse spelling and typing errors as well as the basic flow of this bit or writing.  I have a thousand thoughts in my head from the day.  I could have broken this down into many blog entries and perhaps should have done just that but don't worry, I have not even begun to start on this subject.

I cannot figure out how to wrap my head around a business model that makes no sense to me.  What I have been taught over the years does not seem to be applicable in this sort of business.  The business model of Union Rescue Mission is a 180 degree departure to any conventional business.  If one wants to get directly to the bottom line or cut to the chase so to speak, they seem to be in the business of putting themselves out of business.

Some forms of business such as police and fire services loves when business is slow.  Most forms of business do their best to grow and expand. 

Union Rescue Mission supplies food and shelter.  That is what most people think the downtown missions do.  It is a very small part of the picture.  URM supplies food, shelter, medical, dental, legal, training programs, guidance and the list goes on and on. They take people in who have nothing, who have lost their life, their way, their home, their job and more.  People that have nowhere to go.  They have many sub-objectives and all of these leads to one major objective, help people to become self reliant and productive.

URM puts as many people as they can on a road to being productive using various programs.  Get folks on their feet, get them help in a number of areas, get them trained, get them organized or back on track, get them out the door and hope they never see them again unless it is when they visit the many friends they made during the time spent at the mission.

If there were not a steady inflow of people in need they would put themself out of business and that would be just fine with them.

Unfortunately, there is not a steady inflow of people.  The inflow is not consistent, it has increased.  The economy is taking its toll on the resources and finances of Union Rescue Mission.

I am posting a video from URM where Andy Bales gives some figures about how donations have gone down while the necessary services required have gone up.  Not a comforting thought.  On the surface these figures look a bit scary.  It is considerably more critical than the video might indicate initially.  I am just starting to grasp how critical the situation is after learning a bit more today.

Here are a few facts or observations that I learned first hand:

Union Rescue Mission has stockpiles of cash and generate a substantial income?  Nonsense.  The have had to reduce staff and the remaining staff have taken deep pay cuts.  These folks were not in what most would define as a high income braket even before the cuts.  As a personal observation, one of the members of the executive staff takes public transportation to work each day and rides the URM shuttle from the bus stop to the mission.  What about the head guy, the man in charge, the head cheese.  Andy Bales.  The guy drives a Honda.  Not a Mercedes or BMW. 

"The Church" donates big money to the mission.  Uhhh, well ... more nonsence.  Churches take care of their own property and their own people.  Just because some of the missions follow religious doctrine don't believe for one second that the big Church in Rome or anywhere else is sending money to Union Rescue Mission.

So where do they get their money?  Many of you know the answer to this.  Donations.  Donations from big corporations, small business and individuals.  Sounds workable, right?  Everybody repeat after me, the new word of the moment .... NONSENSE.  The economy has taken a toll and continues to take deeper cuts each month.  The data is all around us.  Increasing unemployment and rising foreclosures on homes are only two of many indicators.  Business is changing.  Companies are trying to be viable again by reducing operating expenses and increasing profits.  This is most easily accomplished by reducing staff and reducing compensation to staff who remain employed.  As things improve these companies post profit on Wall Street in many cases but their remaining workforce who are employed have been transformed or educated.  Simply, they are thankful they are employed.  The lost jobs for those gone will probably never be replaced.  Money will be spent on less costly automated systems that do not require salary, benefits or retirement considerations.

What we have now is big companies cutting back on contributions, small and mid size companies just trying to stay in business and many individuals out of work.  The operating cash flow has dried up.  In California we have a water shortage, shortage of jobs and shortage of resources to folks like Union Rescue Mission.  I don't want to scare folks but URM is something of the lifeboat on a ship in trouble at sea.  The lifeboat may or may not be usable if and when it is needed by you.  You don't think it can happen to you?  I have heard this every day for months as I meet one new unemployed person after another, or somebody who has lost their home after loss of employment or financial difficulty.

Bottom line econonomics - Income is down and services needed are up.  The lifeboat needs attention in the form of paint, caluking and routine service but there are not enough funds to do this.  Don't look up though as you may become a bit concerned at the increasing clouds, wind, darkness in the sky and the waves are growing larger as well.

I have met many folks in the area known as Skid Row and have learned more than I could attempt to articulate in any media let alone writing.  I am not a writer.  I was never on the school newspaper.  I never took any classes other than basic composition stuff long long ago in some school somewhere.  I write technical material and can get those ideas and lessons across to many but I am weak when it comes to trying to express things I see every week.

People on Skid Row are not all crazy.  They are not all drug addicts.  Then again, spend a month or two sleeping on the street and being without a safe place twenty four hours a day and you will probably become a little crazy yourself.  There are a lot of great people that just need help or a helping hand.  Some need a safe place for a new start.  Many crave a chance for a better life.  I will post a few videos at the end of this blog.  One I have posted before on a student named Kenneth.  Spend a bit of time talking to some of the folks who are homeless and you may learn how full of dreams and strength some of them happen to be.

People on Skid Row don't work, do not want to work and just want to panhandle.  Not total nonsense but again, NONSENSE in most cases.  There are jerks and lazy people everywhere.  I was in the corporate world for decades and there were countless jerks and lazy people all around me every day.  Look at the news.  Some of the biggest names in the business world are now spending their time in prison.   By the way, most of the folks on the streets do have forms of income and many do have regular jobs.  Unfortunately the compensation may not be adequate to have a home and raise a family.

What is my point here?  I don't know.  There is just too much to think about.  When life gets a bit too complex for me I step back and try to simplify things into fewer objectives.  I will try to do that here.

1.    Go here and donate something to URM - https://secure3.convio.net/urm/site/Donation2?idb=606437098&df_id=1320&1320.donation=form1

A few dollars on a regular basis will go a very long way.  These folks need income they can depend upon.  URM does not have a stockpile of cash and the situation is critical.

2.  Go here and read a bit about Hope Gardens.  Some of this information is a little older but it is still quite important and current in the scope of the message.  The video I will post was done almost two years ago but is filled with good information.  Hope Gardens is run by Union Rescue Mission and without your help it may not have a stable future.  You can help.  Take a stand and make it personal.  Too many of us just leave these sorts of things to others.     http://campaignforhopegardens.org/

I am sure many of you saw the recent news stories about a person that went to the aid of another who was being stabbed.  The person was able to save the person under attack but was stabbed himself.  Security cameras showed people walking past the bleeding individual for an hour, doing nothing.  Psycologists on the news said it was human nature in society where we shut down and ignore situations like this one.  Self protection.  Feeling that somebody else will help or somebody has already made a call for help.  Well call me crazy as I have a very difficult time letting those shut down mechanisms blind me to these things.  Bottom line here .... I am telling you....  your eyes are open, look at what is going on, do something, others are not doing anything, YOU can make a difference.




Hope Gardens from Union Rescue Mission on Vimeo.


Kenneth | Stories from Skid Row from Union Rescue Mission on Vimeo.

For something good to be accomplished one has to actually do something.