Union Gospel Mission

What Union Gospel Mission does

Union Gospel Mission (UGM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Spokane, Washington, founded in 1951 and operating exclusively in the Inland Northwest (Eastern Washington and North Idaho). It provides emergency shelter, long-term residential recovery, youth outreach, and social enterprise services through four shelter facilities (Spokane, Coeur d'Alene, Lewiston), three 18–24-month LIFE Recovery programs, a 125-acre summer camp, and youth programs targeting K-12 homelessness. The organization operates with 247 employees and 1,870 volunteers, and serves 2,000+ individuals annually through its core programs.

UGM runs social enterprises — three thrift stores, UGM Motors (used car dealership), UGM Warehouse (tool/supply outlet), UGM Upholstery, and Estate Services — that monetize donated goods while providing job training to recovery-program participants. All services are delivered at no cost to recipients. The organization is explicitly 100% free of government funding, supported instead by individual contributions (48% of 2022 revenue), contributed goods (46%), enterprise revenue (4%), and other sources (2%). In 2025 UGM reported 19,671 active financial partners and 1,104 monthly givers.

Governance rests with a Board of Trustees; leadership has been continuous under the Altmeyer family since 1977, with Phil Altmeyer serving as CEO since 1987. UGM holds Candid Transparency, Charity Navigator, BBB, and NCPG Model Standards certifications, and channels 88% of expenses to program services versus 6% each to administration and fundraising.

Name

Union Gospel Mission

Legal name

Union Gospel Mission Association of Spokane

Website

https://uniongospelmission.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Union Gospel Mission is a Spokane-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1951 that delivers emergency shelter, 18–24-month residential recovery programs, youth outreach, and social enterprises across the Inland Northwest, funded entirely without government support by individual donors, contributed goods, and thrift/auto/warehouse enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homeless and Social Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Homeless shelter services
• Addiction recovery programs
• Faith-based nonprofit
• Social enterprise retail
• Youth outreach services

Headquarters

HQ city

Spokane

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual Contributions: Individual donations including monthly giving programs, one-time gifts, and legacy/planned giving. In 2025, UGM had 1,104 monthly givers and 19,671 active financial partners.
2. UGM Enterprises: Revenue from thrift stores, used car dealership (UGM Motors), warehouse sales, upholstery services, and estate services. Proceeds fund shelter and recovery programs.
3. Contributed Goods: In-kind donations of goods, clothing, vehicles, and household items that are either sold through UGM enterprises or used directly in operations. 46% of revenue (2022 data).
4. No Government Funding: UGM explicitly operates 100% free of government funding. All services are provided at no cost to recipients, funded entirely through private donations and enterprise revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Union Gospel Mission provides emergency shelter, meals, 18-24 month residential recovery programming, youth outreach and camp services, and supportive case management to homeless and at-risk men, women, and children in the Inland Northwest — all delivered at no cost to recipients. Funding comes from individual donations, in-kind contributed goods, planned/legacy gifts, and earned revenue from wholly-owned social enterprises (thrift stores, used car dealership, warehouse/retail outlet, and upholstery service) that double as job-training sites for recovery participants.

Product overview

Union Gospel Mission operates a portfolio of homeless services and social enterprises across the Inland Northwest. The organization provides emergency shelter through four facilities (Men's Shelter & Recovery, Women's & Children's Shelter, Women's Recovery in Coeur d'Alene, and LC Valley Shelter) and operates a 18-24 month LIFE Recovery residential program for those seeking long-term change. Youth development offerings include UGM Camp (summer programming for ages 8-12) and year-round Youth Outreach with school partnerships, juvenile detention ministry, and leadership programs. To fund operations independently of government funding, UGM runs social enterprises including three Thrift Stores, UGM Motors (used car dealership), UGM Warehouse (tool and supply store), and UGM Upholstery. Additional services include legacy giving/planned giving programs and volunteer coordination.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UGM Thrift Stores: Three retail locations selling donated goods, with proceeds funding shelter and recovery programs
• UGM Motors
• UGM Camp White
• UGM LIFE Recovery
• UGM Upholstery
• UGM Warehouse

Products and services

• Men's Shelter & Recovery (Spokane) Emergency shelter and on-site long-term residential recovery program for men, providing clean-and-sober housing, case management, addiction recovery, and job training services. Public meals served daily (Lunch 12pm, Dinner 6pm); open 7am-7pm with 24-hour winter contingency when temperature falls below 35°F.
• Women's & Children's Shelter (Spokane) Emergency shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence and homelessness at 1515 E Illinois Ave, Spokane. Open 6am-9pm with 24-hour emergency intake for women with children fleeing domestic violence. Provides case management, programming, and connections to additional resources; serves as the entry point into Women's Recovery (First Steps).
• LC Valley Shelter (Lewiston, ID) High-barrier shelter serving men, women, and children in Lewiston, Idaho, providing safe shelter, meals, and resources to overcome homelessness. Open 7am-7pm with 24/7 year-round intake for women with children.
• Women's Recovery Coeur d'Alene

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% chance of continuing sobriety after 5 years for those who complete recovery
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• State Bank NorthwestcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Diamond/heritage sponsor for UGM's 75th Anniversary Celebration. Financial and marketing support for anniversary events and ongoing mission work.
• PellacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Dignity sponsor for UGM's 75th Anniversary Celebration. Local business providing financial sponsorship.
• POE (POE Asphalt)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Diamond sponsor for UGM's 75th Anniversary Celebration. Financial sponsorship and community support.
• AvistacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Dignity sponsor for UGM's 75th Anniversary Celebration. Local utility company partnership.
• NorthtownminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Dignity sponsor for UGM's 75th Anniversary Celebration. Insurance company partnership.
• Able LabelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness partner hosting business practicum students. Owners Art and Kaleen Coffey provide employment opportunities for recovery program participants.
• North ChurchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChurch partner supporting UGM's mission, providing volunteers, financial support, and community engagement. Pastor Olyvia Babinski leads congregation partnership.
• Confluence Community ChurchminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLC Valley church led by Pastor Jeff Pernsteiner, actively supporting homeless outreach in the Lewis-Clark Valley area.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Salvation Army: The largest faith-based shelter, recovery, and social-services operator in the U.S., with emergency shelters, adult rehabilitation centers, thrift stores, and a broad chaplaincy model. Overlaps heavily with UGM but is multi-national, denominationally distinct, and serves a much broader service portfolio.
• Goodwill Industries International: Nonprofit retail-and-mission operator whose thrift/enterprise stores fund job training and community programs for disadvantaged populations. Comparable in the social-enterprise funding model and the use of donated goods to underwrite mission services, despite a workforce-development rather than shelter focus.
• Volunteers of America: National nonprofit operating housing, recovery, and veteran/family services across hundreds of U.S. locations with significant government contracts. Comparable on shelter and recovery programming, but diversified nationally and more secular in orientation than UGM.

Regional players

• Catholic Charities of Spokane: Regional faith-affiliated social services nonprofit operating in Spokane with homelessness prevention, housing, case management, and food assistance programs. Direct local peer serving overlapping homeless populations through a more case-management-driven model.

Direct peers

• Tacoma Rescue Mission: Pacific Northwest faith-based nonprofit providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, addiction recovery, and family services, with an enterprise-revenue (thrift) component. Directly comparable service scope including long-term recovery and family shelter options.
• Portland Rescue Mission: Pacific Northwest faith-based nonprofit operating emergency shelters, a long-term recovery program (Recovery), outreach services, and a thrift/furniture enterprise. Direct counterpart in a comparable regional market with very similar service mix, including men/women/children tiers and a 12+ month recovery curriculum.
• Denver Rescue Mission: Faith-based shelter and long-term recovery nonprofit offering emergency services, the New Life Program, family ministries, a thrift store and a camp. Comparable in mission, multi-site shelter/recovery model, and faith-based ethos, albeit at a larger metropolitan scale.
• Boise Rescue Mission: Faith-based shelter and long-term recovery nonprofit serving Idaho with men's, women's and family shelters, a New Life Recovery program, and community outreach. Closely matches UGM's faith-based, high-barrier recovery approach and regional Pacific Northwest operating context.
• San Diego Rescue Mission: Faith-based shelter and recovery operator providing emergency shelter, long-term recovery, meals, and transitional housing. Comparable service stack across men, women, and children with a similar faith-based holistic-recovery framework.
• Seattle's Union Gospel Mission: Independent faith-based shelter, recovery, and outreach nonprofit operating across the Pacific Northwest with men's, women's and children's centers, a long-term recovery program, and similar thrift/enterprise revenue model. Directly comparable mission, programming, and funding approach, differing mainly by larger urban footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ugmspokanecda
• YouTubeyoutube.com/uniongospelmission
• Facebookfacebook.com/ugmspokane
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/union-gospel-mission-of-spokane
• Instagraminstagram.com/uniongospelmission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Union Gospel Mission