[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 178 (Thursday, December 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2881-E2882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             125TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CENTRAL UNION MISSION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT B. ADERHOLT

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 3, 2009

  Mr. ADERHOLT. Madam Speaker, I would like to bring the House's 
attention to an important milestone taking place in the District of 
Columbia. The Central Union Mission, the longest serving social service 
organization in the District, is celebrating its 125th anniversary of 
helping transform the lives of the least, the lost, and the last in 
Washington.
  Beginning in 1884, the Central Union Mission, a highly effective 
faith-based nonprofit, has provided a compassionate helping hand to 
literally thousands of the District's homeless and addicted men, women 
and children. For some veterans of the Civil War who returned to 
Washington down and out, they turned to the Mission for assistance and 
the Mission faithfully provided it. During the Great Depression, the 
Mission was the nexus of the City for many who were jobless and 
penniless. Veterans of two world wars enlisted the Mission to help them 
fight battles of addiction and homelessness.
  Just a short drive from this magnificent Capitol building, the 
Mission has been in operation continuously throughout 24 presidential 
administrations. The Mission has changed from what we would think of as 
a traditional homeless shelter providing food, clothing, and a safe 
place to sleep for the night, to a sophisticated transitional facility. 
The Mission provides emergency services to the homeless, life skills 
and job training, education and computer programs, group and individual 
therapy, clinical

[[Page E2882]]

services, community work and outreach, and physical, emotional and 
spiritual renewal. Through a variety of programs, the Mission provides 
services to not just the homeless, but to the addicted, at-risk youth, 
gang members, and criminal offenders. The Mission accomplishes this 
important work with the strong support of and partnerships with 
foundations, associations, businesses, churches, other social services, 
and local governments in the District, in Virginia and Maryland.
  The Mission's work to the poor never seems to end. In fact, the 
problems of homelessness, addiction and other related problems continue 
to increase. The demand for programs offered by the Central Union 
Mission is more vital now than ever because of the severe economic 
crisis which hits hardest those who are most vulnerable.
  Today, in Washington, D.C., there are more than 12,000 men, women, 
and children who are living in shelters, transitional housing, or on 
the streets.
  Madam Speaker, the Central Union Mission is on the front lines 
working to meet the needs of those who are in need of its services. 
Last year alone, the Central Union Mission provided 152,275 meals to 
the hungry, more than 50,000 men with shelter through residential 
programs, and 4,408 individuals received counseling, medical, and legal 
assistance. Nearly 1,000 individuals were given the tools for a self-
sufficient life through long-term addictions counseling and literacy 
programs.
  The impact doesn't stop there. Families with children are the fastest 
growing segment of the homeless population. This past year, the Mission 
provided nearly 5,000 families with clothing, food, and household 
goods; more than 3,000 children were given backpacks, supplies for 
school, and gifts around Christmas time; and hundreds of impoverished 
urban children were treated to a real summer camp experience at the 
Mission's Camp Bennett location in Maryland.

  The demand for services provided by the Central Union Mission 
continues to grow. The Central Union Mission is regularly forced to 
turn away people who are hungry, hurting, and in need of vital services 
because of regularly operating to capacity. As we enter the winter 
months, the Mission becomes an even more critical safety net for 
thousands of individuals and families who seek out the warmth and 
shelter it provides.
  The assistance the Central Union Mission has provided since 1884 is 
best told through the stories those whose lives have been transformed. 
One such person, ``Timothy,'' says about the Mission:

       For nine years I had been struggling with drug and alcohol 
     addiction. Going in and out of jails and institutions, 
     wandering, hopelessly waiting for my life to end or a miracle 
     to happen. At some point, I decided I didn't want to live 
     anymore. My wife and children had been gone from my life, and 
     my life was in shambles. I decided, during a deep depression, 
     that I was going to take my own life. Then, the miracle 
     happened.
       I walked to the Central Union Mission, which was only 4 
     blocks away. When I arrived I was embraced by men who were 
     concerned for me. I came into their STP program with barely 
     any hope. But several days into it, I started to feel better. 
     I realized that I have certain responsibilities, and that 
     life is really what you make it. Somehow, I made it through 
     the Mission's program and my life has really turned around.
       Today, my wife and children know me, they're proud to say 
     they have a changed husband and daddy. My relationship with 
     my family has been restored, my sanity has been given back, 
     and I look forward to a better future. All thanks to the 
     Central Union Mission.

  ``Reginald'' had a similar experience:

       I entered Central Union Mission depressed, tired of life, 
     and sick. I needed help.
       I was at the Mission for almost two weeks, which allowed me 
     time to recuperate, think, and spend time with other men who 
     were just like me, when my mind began to clear. I started to 
     focus on the important things in my life--my faith, family 
     and getting better.
       The Mission is just what it says it is--a mission, a place 
     that's there for the people who are in need, and so they can 
     get better. Just watching all these people bring in donated 
     things to help people they don't even know amazed me. 
     Watching men and women who have very little, like me, enjoy 
     working on the food depot, seniors day, birthday 
     celebrations, back to school, and things like that, makes it 
     seem more like a family here. Basically, they really care. It 
     helps me to realize how important I really am.
       I thank God for David Treadwell and his staff. They are 
     wonderful at what they do for people in need. The time they 
     put into helping us is from the heart and that's what God 
     wants from all of us--the best of what's in our hearts.

  Madam Speaker, I hope the House will join me in congratulating the 
Central Union Mission and expressing our gratitude for the vital work 
the Mission is doing here in Washington, D.C. I encourage all Members 
to visit the Mission, which is just a short drive from this chamber to 
witness first-hand the power of compassionate service that has helped 
the Mission transform so many thousands of lives of the least, the 
last, and the lost for 125 years.

                          ____________________