Non-Profit of the Month Union Mission

Through their many services and human service partnerships, The Union Mission is well deserving of the Westmoreland Chamber’s title of “Non-Profit” of the month for July.

The Union Mission is a faith-based organization providing resources that lead to safe, affordable, and sustained housing. Since admitting the first Emergency Shelter resident in 1987, Union Mission has evolved into providing a continuum of care to assistant individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness and other crises. Through comprehensive and directed programming, they help people weather crises, provide emergency support and stabilization, and create a bridge for economic mobility, independence, and self-sufficiency over the long term.

Union Mission is a leading agency addressing homelessness in Westmoreland County. They serve the southwestern Pennsylvania region, primarily Westmoreland County (73.2%) and the surrounding counties of Allegheny, Fayette, Washington, Indiana, Somerset, Armstrong, Butler, and Cambria. Because they provide the only men’s shelter in the county, 88% of those they serve are men. They support women and families through our comprehensive delivery model to meet emergency shelter and housing needs. Their clients not only face housing and/or other economic issues but often battle behavioral health issues including addiction, mental health, habilitation, and other challenging issues. Currently, Union Mission serves over 2,500 individuals and families each year, providing direct housing assistance, meals, shelter, counseling, and more.

Current Programs and Activities

As a Coordinated Entry Site for Westmoreland County, Union Mission is often the first organization people look to for assistance. Our Housing Crisis Response System includes:

• Outreach and Coordinated Entry

• Prevention and Diversion

• Emergency Shelter

• Rapid Rehousing

• Permanent Supportive Housing

Outreach and Coordinated Entry ensures all experiencing a housing crisis have fair and equal access to services and are quickly identified, assessed, referred, and connected to appropriate assistance. Union Mission leverages natural supports by engaging friends, family, and community connections to determine if homelessness can be prevented or diverted. They provide resources to aid with needs and linkages to emergency and permanent housing.

When homelessness cannot be prevented or diverted through engagement of natural resources, Union Mission provides Emergency Shelter. Union Mission operates the only shelter program for single men in Westmoreland County. In 2019, they partnered with another nonprofit and expanded (71% increase) the only shelter facility for homeless men in the county. The men’s shelter program in Latrobe includes supportive services such as case management, life skills training, spiritual development, and education. As shelter guests transition back into the community, they help them establish appropriate supportive links, acquire needed apartment or housing furnishing and goods, and plan for the future which involves goal setting, budgeting, continued support, and more.

For families and single women, Union Mission currently connects them to a community partner.Their services for women and families will expand this year as they are breaking ground on a new building in February 2023 to be complete in the summer of 2023.This facility will provide a long-term transitional shelter for men, women, and families needing additional time for housing stabilization.They anticipate being able to add 12 regularly occupied units, an increase of 25 percent in homeless interventions on our campus.

Accomplishments:

Recent key accomplishments include:

Partnering with Homes Build Hope, Union Mission recently constructed a new, expanded (a 71% increase in capacity) shelter facility for homeless men in Westmoreland County.

Union Mission spearheaded extensive engagement across the 20-County Continuum of Care to connect households experiencing domestic violence to the Coordinated Entry System in partnership with the representative Domestic Violence Assessment Centers in each community.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Union Mission developed a county-wide response, bringing a deeper level of collaboration to housing providers. They led efforts to increase funding streams and new programs such as Rent Relief programs.

As the leading agency addressing homelessness in Westmoreland County, Union Mission has been charged with reorganizing and restructuring the Westmoreland Housing Alliance Team (WHAT). Their role in providing a coordinated and guided approach to connect households to appropriate housing interventions, mainstream benefits, and other needed psychosocial supports is critical to households in crisis.

Organizational Key Accomplishments:

Since inception, Union Mission has impacted the lives of over 10,000 individuals, initially helping men and then broadening our scope to include women, families, and youth.

Annually, we provide:

 direct housing assistance (including rental assistance) to over 2,000 households;

 24,000 meals;

 30,000 nights of housing; and

 between $5,000 - $16,000 of community cost savings per housing unit per year – housing interventions are associated with a reduction in service use.

Over the last 35 years, Union Mission has built a network of partnerships and collaborations with many related human service organizations to improve communication, reduce duplication of services, and eliminate service gaps, all toward ensuring our neighbors in Westmoreland County have access to safe, affordable, and sustained housing opportunities.

The Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce applauds your commitment to reducing homelessness in Westmoreland County and expanding services to aid in employment and other needs.