ABOUT UNION GOSPEL MISSION IN PORTLAND, OR
Union Gospel Mission is a nonprofit organization in Portland, Ore., that provides recovery services for men and women battling addiction. The organization also prepares meals daily for the homeless and operates both a thrift store and an emergency cold weather shelter.
According to its website, Union Gospel Mission is dedicated to “feeding the hungry, restoring the addict and loving our neighbor.”
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Union Gospel Mission’s LifeChange is a Christ-centered recovery program for individuals struggling with addiction. It is designed to “transform lives” and help people break free from addiction. While enrolled, program participants reside in transitional housing at two different locations.
The LifeChange for Men program includes bible studies, mandatory church services, self-evaluations, work therapy, educational classes, and counseling.
The LifeChange for Women and Their Children program occurs in three phases. The first phase offers basic services like safe transitional housing, counseling, and meals. This phase can last up to three months. In the next phase, women choose one of three year-long programs available to enroll in: recovery, domestic violence, and discipleship. In the third and final phase, women can take part in Women of Wisdom (WoW), another discipleship and ministry training program, or the Team Education and Employment Management (TEEM).
Union Gospel Mission’s website indicates the center provides a safe, healing environment for women as well as women with children. It is designed for those struggling with abuse, addiction, and/or homelessness.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
There is currently no information provided by the nonprofit regarding its treatment staff.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
According to Union Gospel Mission’s website, residents of LifeChange stay in gender-specific transitional recovery houses. Women live with their children.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
In the two anonymous Best-rehabs.com survey responses provided by program alumni to date, one simply referred to their experience as “good” while the other wrote: “They treat the whole person & all the issues.”
Union Gospel Mission also fared very well across secondary sites. On Facebook, which the facility has the ability to manage, 57 of the 69 individuals reviewing the organization to date gave a perfect five stars. Alumni, friends, family members, volunteers, and those in the local community applauded the center and its dedicated staff for helping men and women begin their path towards recovery.
In one such report, alum Amber wrote: “10 years ago I was coming off of methamphetamines as I walked through the doors of UNION GOSPEL MISSION… So many blessings in my life that might not be if I had not chosen to turn my life around. Thank you UGM for giving me the opportunity to live again.”
Union Gospel Mission also has an above-average rating of 3.5 out of five stars from eight Google reviewers, though feedback was more mixed. Brian credited the center for helping him, but David “would not recommend this place to anyone.”
WHAT STAFF SAY
The single staff member surveyed by Best-rehabs.com as of this writing awarded the program five out of five stars in indicating how strongly they’d recommend Union Gospel Mission to others. The anonymous employee also left similarly high marks for program affordability and cleanliness. Holistic offerings, however, were given only two stars. In sum, they found the old building a facility weakness but called it a “Great non-profit organization for people who have few options.”
On Glassdoor, Union Gospel Mission has four- and five-star reviews from two employees, one of whom applauded the facility’s efforts for serving individuals from different religions and backgrounds. “Doing work that matters with people that care,” wrote the other.
FINANCING
While there is currently no information provided on the facility’s website regarding its costs, program participants can expect to work at the Union Gospel Mission thrift store as part of the recovery process. Revenue generated supports some of the costs of the LifeChange recovery program.