Union Mission's Raising Hope event to honor former Savannah city manager for volunteer work

Historically, barn raisings were when people in a farming community came together to collectively build a barn for one of its members. Tonight, that same spirit will be at play when members of the greater Savannah community gather to raise hope for Union Mission at its ninth annual gala.

The event represents one of the most critical fundraisers for Union Mission to fulfill its purpose of partnering with people to end their homelessness by meeting their emergent housing needs. Union Mission’s President and CEO Mike Traynor said the organization raises approximately $2 million annually through private donations to support its programs and 25%, or $500,000, of that amount comes through the Raising Hope event alone.

“We hope people walk out with an understanding of what we’ve done over the last year, holding ourselves accountable for what we’re spending money on, what our results are,” said Traynor. “We’re helping people into stable housing, into situations where they can be successful again.”

This year’s program is slightly different in that in addition to an inspiring message from keynote speaker, Navy veteran and author Jason Howe, who recounted his own struggle through homelessness in “Unleashed: The Powerfully Simple Path to Overcome Trauma, Addiction and the Silent Battle with Mental Illness,” Union Mission will honor an inspiring member of the community.

Former assistant Chatham County manager and interim City of Savannah manager Patrick Monahan will be recognized for his long-time and often under-the-radar volunteer efforts to help end homelessness.

“He’s probably one of the most humble people you’ll ever meet,” said Traynor, who described Monahan as a “godsend.”

“He helped with the tiny house project at the Cove at Dundee. He’s helped Family Promise in their housing over on Cummings Street. He worked with his church to help people that need to work on their houses. He’s gone on mission trips with his church…He was asked to be the interim president of Union Mission after he left his position at the county. He wholeheartedly said yes and did that as a volunteer at a very critical time for Union Mission.

“He cares about this community, and he puts sweat equity into this community.”

This year’s presenting sponsors include long-time supporters Oliver Maner LLP and newcomer, the Georgia Ports Authority.

Amelia Stevens, an associate in Oliver Maner’s litigation department, explained the law firm’s longtime commitment to Union Mission. “We want to more than just practice law. We want to support the community that we’re in. We’ve been in Savannah since 1897. All of our employees pretty much call Savannah home, and we want it to thrive, and we want everyone who lives here to thrive and have safe and supportive housing.”

During Homelessness Awareness Month in November, Oliver Maner holds a donation drive to gather toiletries, laundry supplies and other items for Parker’s House, which is the only 90-day emergency housing facility for unaccompanied women along the I-95 corridor between Florida and South Carolina.

Stevens said that she and her associates did not know what to expect the first time they held the donation drive. They were “overwhelmed” by the community’s support. “We have a mail room in the office and it became like impassable.”

Where does the money raised go?

Raising Hope will also feature a raffle where someone can win a trip to Croatia. The Fund the Mission auction, which is open on the organization’s website and has raised more than $40,000, thus far, encourages individuals and organizations to give at life-changing levels, from $100 up to $10,000. To get an idea of what those levels help support:

• $75 can provide three counseling sessions for an individual.

• $500 provides free laundry and clothes for people coming off the street for a month.

• $1,000 shelters and feeds 10 women and their children at Magdalene House for one month.

Through its emergency, transitional and rapid rehousing programs, day center, returning citizens programs and support services, Union Mission assisted 1,250 individuals with 180,800 nights of housing and served 260,337 meals in 2023. Through these efforts, more than 770 men, women and children transitioned from Savannah’s streets to safe, stable housing.

“The reason why Union Mission is successful is because we have holistic services,” said Traynor. “We’re more than just a shelter. We have mental health counseling. We do job placement, job assistance. We work with folks to get the food, the transportation and all the other things, the clothing, they need. Mazlow’s Hierarchy of Needs — those first two levels [physiological and security] are extremely important to getting people back on their feet.”

Union Mission partners with other organizations and nonprofits throughout the coastal Georgia region to build on its core competencies. But Traynor said the “secret sauce” to Union Mission’s success is the organization’s focus on mental health counseling. Whether its an unaccompanied woman seeking assistance after leaving an abusive situation at Parker’s House or a formerly incarcerated individual getting back on his feet at Grace House, Union Mission clients can access psychiatrists, licensed therapists and counselors for mental health diagnoses and treatments as well as address emotional and behavioral issues, such as drug addiction and  post-traumatic stress disorder.

“We have people here [who] can talk to them and… maybe help them think of things differently, or let them express what's on their minds,” said Traynor.

Another reason for Union Mission's impact?

According to Traynor, accountability. "I came from the [Savannah Morning News], so accountability is gonna be there, right? And telling the story is gonna be there. We bring business principle to the nonprofit. We have a great team of social service people here, but you also have to run it like a business to be successful, and that's what we do."

Amy Paige Condon is a content coach and editor with Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah's Union Mission Raising Hope gala to raise funds to end homelessness