Joining Together in Times of Crisis
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Urban Mission: Focus expands to meet greater needs

Urban Mission has dedicated its service to providing food, shelter, and other services to families of low income. Located in Steubenville, Urban Mission has grown to be the largest charity in the Upper Ohio Valley.

“Mission’s main purpose is to meet the direct/practical needs of people in poverty,” said Bruce Hitchcock, executive director.

Urban Mission helps with programs such as grocery distributions, a soup kitchen, Hutton House Homeless Shelter, Joshua Summer Work Camp, Free Clinic, Neighborhood Community Development Center, Christmas programs, In-Kind Donations, and the Hospitality Room.

Urban Mission is proud to say that it is able to help people in crisis. Emergency food and shelter are available with grocery distributions, the soup kitchen and the Hutton House Homeless Shelter. For example, 909,884 pounds of groceries were distributed, the soup kitchen served 16,719 hot meals and the homeless shelters housed 191 children and adults in their times of need.

With the help of the Joshua Project, Urban Mission is able to respond to home repairs from disasters such as floods and fires. Urban Mission is also able to offer assistance to those with medical needs.

“We want people who do not have access to health care to have access to health care,” Hitchcock said.

One of Hitchcock’s favorite programs is the Hospitality Room. Located at 311 N. Sixth St. in Steubenville, the room offers a place for people to gather for coffee and fellowship.

“The Hospitality Room creates an amazing mix of people who take time to share with each other. They begin to see themselves as people of value,” Hitchock said. “Whenever you add God to the mix, you provide them with a way to deal with their life struggles. There is some amazing power in that.”

Programs likes these are only possible with the help of the community. There are many ways to contribute to Urban Mission, and doors are always open to new volunteers.
“We could not provide the services we do without the many volunteers that help us each week,” Hitchcock said.

The economic crisis has taken its toll on Steubenville’s finest resource, its people. Therefore, Urban Mission has written grants to bring funds for the inventory needed. The programs also accept donations via urbanmission.org.

“There is an attitude that is frightening yet prevalent in our society today. People think that because someone is poor, they somehow chose that lifestyle. Or perhaps they are uneducated and that’s why they are poor. I believe the church has a responsibility to help change that mindset,” Hitchcock said. “The largest groups of people who are homeless are children and the elderly. In a society that is so wealthy, how can we tolerate knowing that our most vulnerable: our children, elderly and the disabled are in such great need?”