United Ministries is a direct services organization that serves individuals and families experiencing scarcity by providing basic needs for stability and supportive services to achieve self-sufficiency.
FAQs
We provide compassionate care for those who are in crisis, and offer opportunities for our participants to achieve upward mobility and long-term stability. We unite the people and resources necessary to transform the lives of those in Greenville, and commit to creating spaces where everyone belongs and is welcomed…because our vision is a Greenville Community working together to ensure that everyone has access to the resources and the opportunities to thrive.
Through three key focus areas:
- Economic Mobility – Our Striving to Thrive program helps people assess, define, and achieve goals to gain self-sufficiency and achieve upward economic mobility. Participants meet with an Economic Mobility Partner who assists in areas such as: finding and keeping quality employment by providing soft skills and technical job training; assistance with earning certifications; help with resume writing, interview skills, the job search and removing barriers to employability; navigating credit goals and financial independence.
- Emergency Services – We offer financial assistance with rent, utilities, food and life-sustaining medications through our Emergency Assistance Program. Families receiving assistance meet with volunteers to discuss their needs and identify solutions. The Place of Hope day shelter provides basic services such as showers and laundry for adults experiencing homelessness, as well as offering case management through which the root causes of homelessness are addressed.
- Housing Services – Our Housing program offers interim housing for families with children who are ready to work towards self-sufficiency.
In our fiscal year ending in 2022, 4,000 clients benefited from our important work. We had 40 students earn their GED and 251 new students enrolled in our Adult Education program. In Striving to Thrive, 273 individuals received financial coaching while 110 obtained new jobs. 89 individuals completed our Matched Savings program. Emergency Assistance stabilized 1,171 families with food and 494 received financial assistance with rent or utilities. Place of Hope day shelter saw 894 unique individuals, of which 262 received personalized case management and 11 were permanently housed. Our Housing program provided shelter to 117 individuals and 16 families entered into interim housing.
No. United Ministries does not receive funds through the state of South Carolina. We depend on the support of generous community members, corporations and organizations as well as the United Way, foundation grants and fundraising events and activities to fund our valuable programs.
In addition to transforming the lives of those we serve, our work also results in a significant return for the community through reduced use of public benefits, reduced unemployment, and increased participation in the community’s life and economy. We are also proud to have recently received the highest possible four-star rating from Charity Navigator (CN). This exceptional rating is awarded to organizations that CN deems to be financially healthy, accountable, and transparent based on their extensive rating system.
The icon represents our three focus areas of Education and Employment, Crisis Assistance and Homeless Services. The integrated and relationship-oriented nature of these services and our role as a catalyst to help people move forward are vividly depicted in our new brand, introduced in September 2016. The connectedness of the logo’s elements conveys how as a leading Greenville nonprofit we unite people, resources and organizations to affect positive change in the lives of others. It also symbolizes how our programs feed into each other, forming a seamless connection through which participants can conveniently access United Ministries’ many essential services.
Our tagline, “Transforming Lives Together,” emphasizes that we cannot make changes for our clients, and perhaps they alone cannot achieve their goals, but that working together, their lives can be transformed.
Yes! We believe the best way to understand our work at United Ministries is to see it for yourself. We invite you to tour our agency to learn more about our programs, meet some very dedicated staff members and volunteers and learn about the needs of our program participants. To arrange a tour, contact the Mission Advancement team at development@united-ministries.org
In 1970, the South Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church founded Greenville Urban Ministry (GUM) to coordinate existing inner-city ministries and assist unemployed church members in Greenville’s mill villages. In 1982, our name was changed to United Ministries (UM) to better convey the organization’s ecumenism. Although the organization had previously operated in several locations, in 1984 it settled at Pendleton Street in Greenville’s West End where we continue to serve participants today.
All gifts are welcome and each is important! We receive donations through several avenues:
- Online at www.united-ministries.org/donate
- By phone at 864.335.2615
- Make checks payable to United Ministries and mail to:
- ATTN: Mission Advancement 606 Pendleton Street Greenville, SC 29601
- Drop off non-perishable food items for our pantry to 606 Pendleton St., Greenville, SC 29601. Visit our website for a list of items that we place in all food bags provided to our clients.
Community support is vital to our work. If you want to help us ensure that all families have the opportunity to participate in Greenville’s prosperity, we invite you to invest in our work by giving or consider becoming a volunteer. For more information visit www.united-ministries.org or contact us at 864-232-6463 or info@united-ministries.org.
Yes! You may download the most recent 990 by clicking this link.
View our free list of resources and service providers in our Greenville community