Lloyd, UGM Mobile Mission Guest
Others, Addictions , StoriesContributed by: Union Gospel Mission
“I lived under the Knight Street Bridge, collecting scrap metal and bottles… One of the hardest things was keeping my head up high. But one thing that offered relief was UGM’s Mobile Mission. For 8 or 9 years, every week, they’d come with socks and sandwiches. And when we were forced to move, they’d drive around and look for us. They never forgot us down there.
Without the people on the Mobile Mission taking the time to get to know me all those years, I might’ve never left living under the Knight Street Bridge. The fact that they always came out to visit made me feel like there was somebody in this world that cared. They planted a seed and watered it. There are still so many people out there who have nothing, but the Mobile Mission makes them feel loved, and that they’re worth something.
After 12 years of being homeless, I finally had enough. All of a sudden, it hit me: ‘Am I going to die of loneliness out here?’ I was crying out to God, ‘I need You man, I don’t know what to do.’ I wondered where to go, suddenly remembering UGM – the place where the guys from the Mobile Mission were from. I left my tarps behind, got on a bus toward UGM, and started Alcohol & Drug Recovery. That’s when my new life began.” – Lloyd, UGM Mobile Mission Guest
UGM’s brand-new Mobile Mission is rolling into the Fraser Valley this week. It’s a new rescue vehicle stocked with emergency survival gear like food, clothes, and sleeping bags – connecting new people to services like shelter, housing, and recovery.
The new Mobile Mission will expand UGM’s outreach further than ever before, impacting more people like Lloyd. After more than 10 years of homelessness, the van’s visits gave Lloyd hope for a life beyond homelessness and addiction – and today, he’s sober, housed, and back in school! Across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, UGM’s Mobile Missions will care for hundreds of people each week – working to put a brake on rising homelessness.