An $8M rescue. Tri-City mission’s plan for new shelter will change women’s lives

For Diane Alaniz, every day of her time with Tri-City Union Gospel Mission has been filled with small miracles that have helped her rebuild her life.

She’s a client who will soon be moving into an apartment of her own thanks to the shelter’s help. And she’s already started giving back.

Now Tri-City Union Gospel Mission, which runs the area’s only homeless shelters, is taking a major step toward helping more women like Alaniz.

The goal is not just to house people, but to create pathways to recovery and success. Alaniz is one of many in the mission’s orbit telling their story, hoping that the community will hear it and help.

Aging shelter

Union Gospel Mission’s shelter for women and children is nearly always at capacity, limiting their ability to help change the lives of families during the most difficult challenges they can face. Now they’re trying to raise just over $8 million to build a new shelter, but it could be years away.

Executive Director Andrew Porter said that every day counts when a family is struggling to avoid homelessness.

He oversees UGM’s Tri-City operations, which includes both the larger, newer men’s shelter and the aging shelter for women and children.

The current shelter is in a building in downtown Pasco that is more than a century old, and its age is showing in every way.

There is no room for children to play. Volunteer Park and Sylvester Park are more than half a mile away and in an area parents don’t feel safe letting their children walk alone.

The only open space nearby is the lot across the street where the $36 million Lewis Street overpass is being built.

There are no classrooms, no offices for counselors or case managers. No space for volunteers to work with shelter residents to help them find a path out of homelessness.

Often there’s not even space for mothers and children to share a room. That could mean referring families to other services where they might not have access to resources, such as a emergency housing where there would be no access to support services.

Women’s shelter manager April Biondolillo said the current rooms sleep four people each in bunk-beds, with a capacity of just 32. They can bring in cots or beds for toddlers, but mothers and their children still often share a room with strangers, which can be scary for kids.

The aging facility also has only one water heater, making laundry, showering and other mundane tasks more difficult than they should be.

The space for residents to store their belongings while in the shelter is also extremely limited.

The old building also has accessibility issues.

Some people can’t climb onto the top bunks or have to eat their meals upstairs in the rooms because of they have trouble going up and down the steep staircase.

“They shouldn’t have to feel like you’re eating in a dungeon or a dingy place,” Biondolillo said. “That sounds terrible, but we are grateful for what we have.”

At a time when women and children need to feel supported and comfortable, this can leave them felling isolated and stressed.

Biondolillo said the key to success is creating an environment where they feel safe and supported.

“These women are coming here from experiences that even I will never fully be able to understand, so the one thing we want to get them is an environment that feels safe,” she said.

“It’s so important that we unteach bad habits and bad communications and help them relearn the truth of who Jesus is and his importance in their life. We’re here to create a place for them to do that,” she said.

Alaniz said that support has worked wonders in her life, but it took a while to find a place where she was comfortable enough to start making big changes because it’s hard to trust when you’re vulnerable and in need.

“I feel like I’ve been transformed. I’ve been so supported that I feel like I could do anything right now,” Alaniz said. “I want the community to help with our needs because we’re needy when we come here. I feel like I’ve been rescued, recovered and restored.”

Between counseling, prayer and guidance, she’s never felt more empowered.

Because the shelter doesn’t have full staffing around the clock, Alaniz has found that she can contribute in meaningful ways by interpreting in Spanish for the staff. She’s also eager to do whatever she can to help UGM build a new home for other women in need.

Rescued, recovered, restored

That phrase, “rescued, recovered and restored” is a key tenet of Union Gospel Mission’s outreach.

UGM’s mission goes beyond just helping get people off the street. Their goal is to help clients rebuild their lives.

They do that by connecting people to services, providing counseling and recovery services and teaching life skills to help them find work.

Caseworkers also continue to follow up with clients long after they’ve left the shelter.

Their vision for the new shelter is to create a space that is similar to the men’s shelter with classroom spaces, outdoor areas and more.

The men’s shelter opened at the end of 2018. Previously it had been in the building next to the women’s shelter, now occupied by Grace Kitchen.

The nonprofit already has the land for it, 3.5 acres near Vista Field in Kennewick. They hope that by putting it in the center of one of the largest shopping and hospitality areas in the region, it will provide much needed employment opportunities.

The new men’s shelter came with an $11.5 million price tag. Porter said it took years of work and prayer to see to fruition, and he’s confident the community will help provide the same opportunity for women and children facing homelessness.

The new space would feature safe indoor and outdoor play space for kids, apartments big enough to keep women and their children together, office space for counseling and caseworkers and plenty of classroom space for programs and training.

Biondolillo said there is a Bible verse she thinks of often when working with their volunteers and clients.

“’To whom much is given, much is required,’” she said. “What that means is, for those who have much, you should share it. It’s not just abundance in finances. You can be abundant in joy, abundant in wisdom. You can help in advocating and getting the word out, because you never know how the Lord will use that to make a huge difference in the transformation of a woman’s life.”

How to help

Donations toward the new shelter for women and children can be made at TCUGM.org.

Interested donors who want to learn more can also email info@tcugm.org to set up a phone call or tour with the executive director.

The organization also accepts general gifts, donated goods and items for “survival packs” for people who are experiencing homelessness, but might not be ready to enter recovery.

Biondolillo also said they’re always in need of volunteers.

“A Bible verse that comes to mind is, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few,’” she said. “I didn’t understand the need before I came here. It can almost be a little intimidating, a little out of our comfort zone. Then you see how important this ministry, this opportunity is.”

Porter said reaching the goal for a fundraiser this large might take years to achieve, but they’re confident Tri-Citians are ready to help.

Biondolillo said that no matter how people feel called to help, it will make a difference in someone’s life.

“Rescue, Recovery and Restoration. We can’t do that just by words, we need to be the hands and feet of Jesus every day,” Biondolillo said. “It’s a huge need, but we have the people to do it if we are feeling called.”

This story was originally published April 2, 2023 at 5:00 AM.

Cory McCoy

Tri-City Herald

Cory is an award-winning investigative reporter. He joined the Tri-City Herald in Dec. 2021 as an Editor/Reporter covering social accountability issues. His past work can be found in the Tyler Morning Telegraph and other Texas newspapers. He was a 2019-20 Education Writers Association Fellow, and has been featured on The Murder Tapes, Grave Mysteries and Crime Watch Daily with Chris Hansen.