Its a good place but staff needs better training. They are not for women of color. They often put people out for no reason.
We bring in thousands volunteers from all over the country to serve at City Union Mission & elsewhere during the summer. City Union Mission is an incredible organization with amazing people who help residents through the toughest situations in their lives.
We have had nothing but amazing experiences here and will continue to serve with them each and every year.
I came across needing emergency shelter in cold weather the weekend lady working hot booth was one of the sweetest kind women probably only one that works there tho. After being accepted in and speaking with the other young woman with glasses she completely acted towards me a way I would never act towards anyone. I've never asked for help in my life till lately and people are so rude and heartless. I stayed they next night going in late as weather didn't drop till then and said I COULDN'T get a regular bed but was thankful as I am not well and can't handle cold and needed be able to make it out to work that morning. I get off work looking for help or shelter again as it is snowing on this night and lady who sound like young whit Lady with glasses just keep hanging up on me. So blatantly rude and malicious. I wouldn't suggest it if you deal with her. Some people don't need to have the jobs they do. Find a new professional or job if you don't care to help people especially people in need. SAD!!!
At 4:30 am on Fri morn I woke up to wires being slapped in my face. I laid in bed for several min in shock as to what occurred. It was the woman on the lower bunk who hit me, still do not know the reason why. The woman managed to get the ext cord jammed between the bed post and the bed. I attempted to get it loose but had no luck.
I told the woman she didn't need to hit me with the cords. She started slamming locker doors, drawer, etc...
I had already been told by one staff member "one more complaint you will be out the door" and because of this situation I started packing my items. l was written up by staff for yelling which never occurred and for disruption and not going to the office when asked. Although when one staff member came up to the room to get me she said "give us fifteen minutes before you come down"
I've asked staff several times to change rooms. I've informed them of the bullying weeks ago along with personal items being taken from my locker. I don't steal and don't expect others to take from me.
They allowed me to stay until Friday as long as no further incidence, but as expected they have requested I leave the shelter.
Being bullied hurts but my feelings of invalidation by staff members hurts even more.
added:
example of how staff treat residence:
My morning chore is to sweep and mop the hard floor upstairs. In the evening time it's a chore for another person. Who ever had the chore last night filled the commercial sized bucket almost full of water to the point I could not lift it so I took the other bucket and did my chore. I went to staff to let them know about it. They told me to find someone else to help empty the bucket. I stated "that is why I came to them". This is a good ex of how staff treats you. I received a warning this morning because I'm not comfortable going to others for help because of the bullying. I did not need the bucket to do my chore I was just letting them know the situation and that I did not have the capability to empty it, I'm 59 yrs old with arthritis in my hands. It's difficult enough to sweep/mop and empty the bucket I have that I only fill up a few inches. Even with assistance I would not be able to help empty the bucket. I'm a 59 year old woman with arthritis in my hands.
They tried giving me a paper I wouldn't accept it. She said I was being written up for the way I talked to her. Please keep in mind the bucket of water was not mine and yes, I strongly said it but that is so much different then yelling or getting smart with someone.
Unfortunately that is not how Family City Mission sees things. Now I sit outside the hottest day of the year with no where to go inside a tent on the grass in front of the mission. I stayed with the tent people a while ago but was taken advantage of and have no desire to go back there. These are the things homeless people go through. I don't wish it on anyone. But places such as this makes it even harder for the homeless.
People that work at the Family City Mission are there just to collect a check. The food is horrible and so are most of the employees. With an income generating over 18,000,000.00 for 2021 you would think the organization would invest in training for the employees.
Examples of poor management:
One staff member got my meds for me, the employee was mad because she didn't see me take my pills and threatened to write me up. She was standing right in front of me when I swallowed the medication. Turns out she didn't believe I took it because I do not always use water.
Another time I wanted to spend the day with my grandchildren and requested a late chore for that evening and was refused. They have 5:30-6:30 chores to do and I did not feel like I would make it back in .time to do the chore. When you are riding the bus it takes time to get to your destination and you have to be prepared to ride the bus back. I do not feel.staffing/management takes.that into consideration at the shelter..
When I left out of the office, yes, I was a upset and said fine I just won't go, and I did not go. A week later they informed me I should have been put out of the shelter for yelling at the staff member, this never happened. Yes, I was upset but I did not yell, I just wanted to.spend the day with my family. The organization does not appear to have empathy for the people in the shelter and they are good at threatening to write you up or saying they will put you out.
Another incident happened with a woman who bullied another lady and myself. The gal who was initially bullied ended up.leaving the shelter that day and did not return. This same woman bullied me over the same thing.
You can not talk to staff about being bullied when it is comes to one of there minions. I started telling my part of the story and was told by one of the staff, point blank, "I don't believe you" after that all I could do was shut down.
Now after being bullied and going to staff about it I find myself in a bad situation. These same bullies can give staff any complaint they want on.me and I'm out the door. Not only that but now I have a fear of going to staff should anything else occur with these two woman.
No one should have to live under the fear of being removed from a property after being bullied. But this is what I am facing.
Be not silent, O God of my praise!
For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,
speaking against me with lying tongues.
They beset me with words of hate,
and attack me without cause.
In return for my love they accuse me,
even as I make prayer for them.
So they reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love. (Psalms 109:1-5 RSVi
City thrift sent a flyer saying they would be in my neighborhood on friday picking up donations. I spent 2 day getting 10 bags ready. I hauled 10 bags to the curb on Fri. morning in the rain and protected them from the rain. I called city thrift to make sure they would be picking up.They said yes they would be picking up my donation and took my name address and phone number to make sure. the day came and went no pick up. I called city thrift again and was told the drivers were done for the day and would not be back until the following Tues. Why send and flyer and take my info if you don't bother to pick up. Never never again will I donate to this organization. Obviously they have no consideration for people that take the time to donate.
Do not donate to City Union Mission. There is blood on the walls and violence and sexual harrassment is tolerated. The workers seem to thrive off the chaos. At check in a worker clearly said that my 2 year old daughter turned him on. He did this while turning away from me and after rambling about all the problems he has gone through in his life. During the excruciating long check in process my child started crying and he offered to walk around the building with her. I looked at him for a few seconds as to say "are you serious" with my eyes. He said "uh maybe not." The workers in the office made inappropriate jokes after this as well while laughing. I was terrified to leave my child with the workers after this for church so I did not. I locked myself in my room with her. I tried to report this with the head person who runs this place and he would not take my report. The person who made the comments about my child turning him on was MIKE he has white/grey hair and it is in a ponytail. He is an older man.
It was the absolute worst place to be. A daughter that I raised from toddler age had the audacity to drop me off their back in 2019 and the living conditions were atrocious. There was black mold in the sleeping quarters and the staff was not trained for the type of people that were staying there. They had psychiatric patients an ddc obviously social security age people living there, I assume to collect their check. There were babies, adults and real strange people living in close quarters, one of the most dangerous places that I had ever seen. I was hospitalized due to bacterial and lack of cleanliness. If that is what Kansas City has to offer for a lady in my situation, I would have been safer living in the streets. Honestly that is pretty much what everyone there was doing.
I know the city Union mission is to help people in need but these people to not help anyone but theirselves! They say they help with getting people on their feet and giving them a new start in life, well that's a crock of bull crap! The staff at City Union Mission are legalized slave owners because they treat these people like slaves! They make them bust their asses on a daily to move forward and to level up so they can get jobs of their own but when they do, they tell them thats not acceptable, your not ready yet. Christian's? Not in my book! They take these peoples phones away from them, they cant talk to their family because your not a level 3! Well bullshit on that, To the so called Christians that run City Union Mission, your not running a prison, your there to help the unfortunate and to provide these people help to get them on back their feet! Stop the nonsense and let these people move forward in life instead of holding them back to be your slaves!
There’s a guy who works at the shelter that insults me every chance he gets. He tells me and others right in front of me that I didn’t go to a seminary. Just because he has his Bible memorized doesn’t make him a Christian. Our Catholic Bible has more books in it. They’re the ones who broke away from the Catholic Church to form their own religion and removed books from the Holy Bible. God warns against changing His Holy Scripture. While working, the aforementioned guy told me more than once that my last name sounds like scrotum. That’s not appropriate for a “social” worker. That could be construed as sexual harassment and hate speech. So many men still play those same school-kid games. I practice the heart of the law. You know how you’re better at something when you start learning it at a young age like the piano or singing? I attended a Catholic grade school (1st-8th), where we prayed, read the Bible, and studied religion before high school. Then, I went to St. John’s Catholic Seminary here in KC, right off of 72nd and Paseo. (My mother's childhood home was located at Admiral Blvd and Forest where my grandmother took care of me while my parents were at work, so I'm not foreign to this neighborhood.) Nobody can take that away from me, not even some pretend Christian with a fake Bible and a false Religion.
I was blessed and thankful I got to stay for 12 weeks almost 13 weeks. One thing for sure they are not true Christians. The money you donates pays their salaries and retirement plan. An instructor told me this information.
This is what I know and what I have experience. They walk around there always looking for you to do something wrong. If you not cleaning, looking for work, or looking for housing. They are on your back. Terry Megli is the only boss that does not do a thing for his check. He teach classes and that is it. He did not speak to me until about a month ago.
Dan Dickey thinks and acts like he owns the place, and Betty Howard as well. They are the most unprofessional people that I ever met. All the Case Managers act the same way, when they are told by Dan and Betty. Rude, Disrespectful and most of all they do not listen to what a person has to say. They tell you to be quiet like they are talking to a kid.
The place has spiders, silverfish, roaches really big roaches and lots of expired foods and desserts. Something needs to be done about them.
its a cool place filled with more crack heads than real life homeless people. Most people that stay there get fat gov checks and dont want a home so they could spend money on crack and beer. but its a cool place to be if you dont have any money. they should charge people who get over 600$$ and stay there for more than 3 mos.lol
In December of 2011 the City Union Mission terminated all of there employees from the thrift operations. This was over 25 employees. The Mission then hired a management company to take over there thrift store operations. This operation went from a not for profit to a for profit operation. In tough times tough choices have to be made. But questions of honesty have to be raised when the Mission continues to make the public think that donations and money from these operations are going to the Mission. On August 15th the Mission CEO Dan Doty gave an interview to local TV station KSHB about the grand opening of there new thrift store. They have also posted stories on there web site about there new thrift store. This is misleadign they are not operating these thrift stores. The donations to these thrift stores do not go to the Mission. The employees of these stores are not Mission employees. Unlike previously the staff do not even have to be supportive of a faith related belief. The profits of these stores are not going directly to Mission operations. At the worse the Mission and Mr. Doty are lying at best they are misleading the public into thinking this is a mIssion operated business. There is a lack of FULL DISCLOSURE. Shame on you Mr. Doty and your alleged Christian organzation.