FAQ
Do you ever turn anyone away?
At one point we were taking in every woman or child that came to our door, but we were violating fire codes and our guests were not comfortable. Therefore, we now limit our intake to only the number for which we can provide beds and appropriate services. Men have other options for shelter in Skid Row and we refer them there when we are full. For women and children, it's more difficult to find emergency shelter, but we have managed to be quite successful in finding referrals to other programs out of the immediate area or providing hotel vouchers until a permanent solution can be found.
When a guest is abusing program rules and boundaries, they will be dismissed. In addition, if they are a danger to anyone else, our security and the police are called to address the situation. For the safety of all guests (particularly the increasing number of children here), individuals with a known history of sexual offense will not receive services at Union Rescue Mission; they may be referred to more appropriate facilities.
