Washington, DC. --- April 20, 2006 --- Central Union Mission announced Wednesday its plans to sell its current building at 14th and R Streets in Northwest Washington. The sale is the first step in a plan to relocate to a new, state-of-the-art facility on Georgia Avenue in the Petworth neighborhood. The move is seen as an opportunity to improve and increase services to low-income residents throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area.

“We see this as a wonderful opportunity to increase our services to the neediest families and individuals in our area,” said David Treadwell, Executive Director for Central Union Mission. “As a result of this move, we will be able to provide the community with the highest-quality services possible.”

The Mission provides a holistic approach to meeting the needs of families, children, men and women. The new community center will serve as the heart of this service to the community. The Mission’s services to homeless and addicted men through overnight shelter and long-term rehabilitation programs reflect only a portion of its overall work. Other services include English-as-a-Second-Language classes and providing basic necessities to immigrant families. There is also emergency grocery assistance to senior citizens and working single parents, clothing and furniture distribution, and a camp and outreach to children.

These programs will be greatly improved with the construction of a new facility. Currently guests have to eat in shifts or hurry through cramped spaces during their visits to the Mission due to space constraints. There are also plans to open a café at the new location which will serve the community as well as providing job training opportunities for men in the Mission’s rehabilitation program. A new dental clinic will also be opened.

Total costs of the new facility are estimated to be up to $15 million. With the sale of the 14th and R property, nearly half of the needed funds will be in hand. Central Union Mission does not take government funding for its efforts. It relies on donations from supporters in the Washington, DC area for operational funding, and for the remainder of the building costs.

“The Mission’s long-range plan has been for us to expand our services and our facility,” said Treadwell. “We have been planning for this opportunity for more than five years. It is exciting to see this opportunity moving forward in a way that will allow the Mission to serve people desperately in need.”

The Mission currently serves families and individuals from all over the Metropolitan area, including Maryland and Virginia, and the move to Petworth retains a central location supported well by public transportation.

Central Union Mission is a Christian nonprofit organization that has been dedicated to serving D.C.’s hurting and homeless for 122 years with emergency food, lodging, warm clothing, hot meals, and long-term spiritual rehabilitation. The Mission is located at 1350 R St, NW in Washington, DC.
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