Capital Campaign
Building the Walls that Rebuild Lives
NOTE: If you are interested in learning more about City Union Mission's capital campaign "Building the Walls that Rebuild Lives", contact the Development Office at (816) 329-1475 or send an e-mail to Give@cumission.org.
Please consider partnering with us in our capital campaign, "Building the Walls That Rebuild Lives." With recent increases in demand for services, we have found that we, at times, come very close to not having the facility space to provide shelter to all that request it.
An astounding 40% of our guests this past winter were first time homeless and we were pressed to accommodate the tremendous need. In the 12 months from January through December, 2006, the Hotline for the Homeless turned away 2,299 individuals who needed safe shelter for the night, sometimes many nights in a row.
Our Women and Families Shelter, which was renovated and expanded in 1999, maintains a full or nearly full census the entire year, providing 10 beds for single women and 22 rooms for families each night. The Family Center, also home to our summer and after school youth programs, is in need of adequate classroom space with upgraded computers and software to keep up with the educational demands.
At the same time, we have seen tremendous progress in our recovery and re-entry programs. Established in the mid-1950s, City Union Mission's men's long-term recovery program has experienced a 100 percent increase in graduates from 1993 to 2004. Dozens of men and women graduate from City Union Mission long-term recovery programs each year, with a high rate of permanent success.
In addition, City Union Mission provides summer camp to hundreds of inner city youth and a satellite program for men in Warsaw, Missouri. To continue to provide a safe healthy environment for our campers, we must upgrade our water delivery and waste treatment system at the camp. Our hope and prayer for our capital campaign is to provide for the immediate needs of our guests now and in the future. This project will:
- Renovate the existing Men’s Shelter to double the capacity for Emergency Men’s Shelter services from 150 to 300. The kitchen will be moved and expanded to accommodate greater demand on meal service and to free up the elevator bank to allow full access for men in wheelchairs and who cannot climb the three flights of stairs to the shelter’s sleeping dorms. The renovated shelter will include space for a learning center for short-term guests, extending some of the benefits of our long-term recovery program by providing overnight guests with remedial reading and writing assistance, job skills training, computer training, and job-search and resume assistance. The shelter will include more day room, locker space and showers to accommodate increased demand.
- Construct a new 35,000-square-foot facility for our long-term recovery program to double our capacity from 50 to 100 men. The new shelter will be located on City Union Mission’s existing campus, on the northeast edge of the lot between the existing Men’s Shelter and the Mission’s administrative offices and will include dignified sleeping rooms, more class and small-group meeting space and adequate facilities for learning and job training. Ample green space will be available for use by both long-term recovery and Emergency Men’s Shelter guests.
- Provide adequate, secure parking for City Union Mission volunteers and staff with a new parking lot adjacent to the new Christian Life program building on the campus. Our volunteers are an integral part of our service to the community. In 2004, they provided 48,781 hours of service to City Union Mission and our clients, allowing us to stretch our budget to better meet community needs. More than 185 “high impact” volunteers act as “volunteer staff,” holding key program positions within the Mission. In addition, donor come to our facilities to drop off donations of important basic need items such as food, clothing and supplies. With expansion of our Men’s Shelter, we will face greater need for staff parking, which already is inadequate to accommodate all-staff meetings for our 135 year-round staff.
- Renovate and upgrade restrooms and classroom space at the Women and Families Shelter, including learning and technology support for our classrooms.
- Upgrade water delivery and waste treatment systems at Camp CUMCITO, ensuring a safe, healthy living environment for our campers and the men in the long-term recovery program at Opportunity Farm in Warsaw. The project will also provide funds to construct a new camp multipurpose building that will provide adequate space for all-camper meals and gatherings.
NOTE: If you are interested in learning more about City Union Mission's capital campaign "Building the Walls that Rebuild Lives", contact the Development Office at (816) 329-1475 or send an e-mail to Give@cumission.org.
