Regeneration With Teacher’s Gift The Union Gospel Mission Transforms Space So It Can Change More Lives

Thanks to the generosity of a retired schoolteacher who willed the Union Gospel Mission his entire estate, great things are in store for the men who depend on the mission for survival.

John J. Schuler’s gift will pay for the mission’s remodeling job that began in November and is nearly complete, merely undergoing a few finishing touches such as painting. It’s estimated to cost between $70,000 and $80,000.

The mission will hold an open house today to unveil its improvements.

The multipurpose room is being changed to a two-story complex, with part of the extra space set aside for a computer classroom where men can gain computer skills and perhaps work toward their G.E.D.

Mission staff members thought their benefactor would appreciate his funds being used for education, said Phil Altmeyer, executive director.

The remaining space will become waiting areas for the mission’s medical and eye clinics, meeting rooms, and seven offices for 1-on-1 counseling.

The remodeling will allow the mission to expand its Five Phase Regeneration Program. The program, which recently completed its first year, focuses on preparing men for self-sufficiency and employment so they can move off the streets.

“We’ve got a program here for men who want to change, men who want to deal with their alcohol and drug problems, the problems that made them homeless,” said Altmeyer.

Each program phase addresses the social, physical, spiritual, mental/emotional and vocational aspects of recovery.

Once enrolled in the program, the men are required to attend counseling, establish an exercise program, attend church and learn job skills. Each aspect of each phase has its own set of goals that must be reached before advancing to the next phase.

The program’s eventual goal is for the men to demonstrate interpersonal skills, integrate into the community, remain drug and alcohol free, move out of the mission, find a job, and open their own checking and savings accounts.

Altmeyer has seen a change in program participants. They don’t want to find just any job to survive, he said, and some begin to think about establishing careers.

“To me, that’s a sign that these men are growing and becoming healthy,” the director said.

Much of the men’s success has to do with the mission’s unique drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, Altmeyer said.

The Union Gospel program adds a crucial ingredient that sets it apart from other similar programs, Altmeyer said.

“We have the spiritual dimension,” he said. “It’s those people who connect in the spiritual realm that see lasting results.”

Altmeyer expects the number of men participating in the program to increase from 30 to 50 once the remodeled space is open for business.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: OPEN HOUSE The Union Gospel Mission, 1224 E. Trent, will hold an open house today from 1 to 4 p.m.