PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Deborah Chambers
Senior Director of Strategic
Partnerships and Community Outreach

Cell: 202-534-9965
dchambers@missiondc.org

Honoring Those Who Served

One-Fifth of Homeless Men are Veterans

Washington, DC— November 8, 2018—Central Union Mission welcomes all veterans to our Veteran’s Day commemoration at our men’s shelter (65 Massachusetts Ave., NW) on November 12 at 11:00 am. Join with homeless veterans, veteran volunteers and staff and our neighbors as we gratefully acknowledge their contribution to our nation. A free luncheon and program will include our veteran program participants sharing their experience of homelessness, addiction, PTSD and other concerns this Veteran’s Day. We also welcome volunteers from Holland & Knight for a day of service.

Vietnam vet Jerome Hall graduated from the Mission’s Spiritual Transformation Program.

“Veterans Day is an important date on our calendar,” explains Central Union Mission Executive Director Joe Mettimano. “According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, statistically one in five of our homeless guests has served in the military. We honor their service today in a world that doesn’t always show them respect.” “I didn’t expect that I would be one of the statistics,” commented one veteran guest at Central Union Mission. The Mission offers vets the help they need to return to productive society. Central Union Mission has a long history of serving United States veterans. In fact, the Mission first opened its doors in 1884 to help the thousands of Civil War veterans left broken and homeless in our nation’s capital. Providing food and shelter continued throughout World War I and the Great Depression, and our programs developed even further at the end of World War II as soldiers returned home from overseas.

Later wars brought new concerns for veterans like addictions and PTSD. Today Central Union Mission provides counseling and employment training, as well as helping veterans access the care they are entitled to through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.This Veterans Day, the Mission hopes to encourage the veterans who have fallen through the cracks of society to show we have not forgotten them.

Media is invited to attend, and veterans will be available for interviews. RSVP requested. Please contact Deborah Chambers at 202-534-9965 or dchambers@missiondc.org for information.

About Central Union Mission:

Central Union Mission is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the oldest private social service agency in Washington, DC. In addition to its emergency shelter, which provides over 62,000 bed-nights each year, the Mission operates a holistic, Christ-centered transformation and workforce development program for men, provides benefits for veterans, helps people overcome addictions, operates a food and clothing distribution center which provides food for over 4000 people each month, runs a camp for underprivileged children, and offers a ministry to families and senior citizens.GuideStar awarded Central Union Mission a 2018 Gold Seal for our financial transparency and GreatNonProfits has given Central Union Mission a 2018 Top-Rated award.

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