Helping Men and Families in the Nation’s Capital Region Achieve Independence

Helping Men and Families in the Nation's Capital Region Achieve Independence

Central Union Mission was founded in 1884 to care for veterans of the Civil War and today is Washington, D.C.'s longest operating private social services organization.

Founded in 1884 to care for Civil War veterans experiencing homelessness in the nation's capital, Central Union Mission is Washington, D.C.'s longest operating private social services organization. A faith-based organization motivated by a Christian call to service, Central Union Mission addresses the "physical, emotional, vocational, educational, and spiritual needs" of the men and families it serves. Their suite of services includes emergency shelter; case management; medical and mental health care; education, including General Educational Development (GED) test preparation and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes; workplace development; and family services, among others. The organization's independence — it is funded entirely through private donations — allows it to operate in accordance with its chosen model of care, emphasizing the importance of spiritual development, vocational training, and sobriety in achieving self-sufficiency and stability for clients. 

Men's Ministry

From its founding, Central Union Mission has served men experiencing homelessness, and this group remains a prominent, although not exclusive, focus of the organization today. Central Union Mission's Men's Ministry efforts begin by ensuring that new clients' basic needs, such as clothing and food, are met. Over time, as the relationships between staff and clients deepen, the work shifts toward an examination of the deeper causes of a client's poverty and homelessness, says Central Union Mission president and chief executive officer Joseph Mettimano. 

Shelter

The initial staff-client relationship develops at Central Union Ministry's shelter, a 160-bed facility at its main location in Washington, D.C. The shelter serves chef-prepared meals three times daily and offers clients clothing, hygiene kits, and case management as well as medical, dental, and psychiatric care. Mettimano reports that many men's shelter clients also attend optional religious services, finding solace in spiritual healing in addition to mental, emotional, and psychological healing. In 2024, Central Union Mission served more than 166,000 meals and provided more than 55,000 nights of shelter as part of the Men's Ministry.  

Central to the life changes that Central Union Mission works with clients to effect is sobriety. Anyone coming to the shelter who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be asked to return when they are sober, which can be as soon as the following day, says Mettimano. In the experience of the organization, people who are under the influence are the most significant cause of fights and disruption in the shelter environment, endangering the peace that is needed for all clients to progress. People who arrive at Central Union Mission with significant addiction issues, such as addiction to heroin or opioids, receive referrals to partner organizations that are better suited to provide treatment.

Workforce Development

Once staff determine that a client is ready for Central Union Mission's workforce development programming, staff work with the client to evaluate their goals and abilities and devise an individualized plan to eventually gain regular employment. This programming spans a range of activities and includes ESL classes and GED test preparation as well as life skills development designed to enhance budgeting, professionalism, communication, and decisionmaking skills.

Central Union Mission offers hands-on job training to develop both the hard and soft skills needed for successful employment. The Ready2Succeed Work Therapy program, for example, provides clients with paid work experience to establish a work history while honing soft skills. Often, Mettimano says, soft skills can be more difficult to learn than hard skills, because soft skills generally involve a person's psychology and ego. Soft skills can include being accountable, showing up to a shift on time, or responding constructively to correction from a supervisor. 

Hard skill development happens through more focused vocational training programs in maintenance, office skills, and the culinary arts. For example, Central Union Mission runs a bakery called Mission Muffins where clients learn baking, retail, customer service, and business operations. Clients sell muffins out of Central Union Mission's food truck to the public, although Mission Muffins frequently fills large orders from churches or local corporations. 

According to Central Union Mission's 2024 annual report, 310 clients participated in its job programs; its first-ever job fair welcomed 217 attendees; and clients collectively secured 85 employment opportunities, including 25 full-time and 60 part-time positions.

Restoration and Transformation

Although Mettimano acknowledged that not every client will succeed in becoming self-sufficient, whether because of insurmountable mental health challenges or an inability to overcome addiction or a lifetime of dysfunctional decisionmaking, Central Union Mission's goal is to durably transform lives whenever possible. That ambition is embodied in the organization's Restoration & Transformation Program, a voluntary 16-month program in which Central Union Mission staff work with participants to clearly identify and overcome challenges and set and achieve goals. Although participants are assessed for readiness, the program is challenging, with approximately half of the enrollees in a given cohort successfully completing the program. However, even those who only partially complete the program, Mettimano says, emerge in a better place than where they started.

The Restoration & Transformation Program, unlike the shelter and related services, is religiously based. The program seeks to restore clients' family relationships and facilitate a return to productive, independent living by centering study of the Bible and the practical application of its teachings. Individualized service programs help tailor the experience to the needs of each client, although Central Union Mission runs the program in cohorts, with two cohorts running at any given time representing roughly 15 to 25 total participants. This structure helps create a shared experience, Mettimano says, with participants able to support one another through their journeys. Frequent, random drug testing also helps ensure that participants maintain their commitment to sobriety. Central Union Mission offers an à la carte version of the Restoration & Transformation Program called Fresh Start to clients who might benefit from a less intensive program.

After leaving one of Central Union Mission's programs, clients may be given accommodation at Lambert House, a 24-bedroom transitional facility that Central Union Mission operates. Lambert House residents are approaching self-sufficiency, and all residents work at least part-time jobs and manage their own grocery shopping and cooking as part of their transition toward independence, Mettimano says. In 2025, 47 clients secured permanent housing, which is more than double the amount from 2024.

Family Services

In addition to the men's shelter, Central Union Mission operates two Comprehensive Family Resource Centers, one in Washington and the other in nearby Arlington, Virginia. Families at the centers have access to meals; clothing and other essentials; and life skills support, including parenting classes and budgeting help. The family centers also help clients build their skills, offering GED test preparation, ESL courses, and training to develop computer skills and improve job readiness. Consistent with the organization's philosophy of care, Central Union Mission also attends to the nonmaterial needs of families through programs that include a monthly fellowship for seniors, family Bible study, church services, prayer groups, and baptism.

During the summer months, Central Union Mission runs Camp Bennett, an overnight camp serving children from low-income families held at a 220-acre campus near Washington, D.C. Each session runs for 1 week, offering a Christian summer camp experience with activities such as games, ropes courses, swimming, crafts, outdoor adventures, and ministry. The program is free for families with financial hardship; the cost of attendance is $375 for a single session. For many campers, Mettimano says, visiting Camp Bennett may be their first significant trip outside of the city and their first opportunity to see the night sky without urban light pollution.

Numbers speak to the successes of Central Union Mission's family services. The organization's annual report showed that, in 2024, Central Union Mission distributed more than 300,000 bags of groceries; provided 277 school backpacks; donated more than 87,000 household goods, including small appliances; supported 131 people with Christian legal aid, and presented 800 Christmas gift bags to children.

Over its more than 140-year history, Central Union Mission has developed deep expertise in transforming people's lives through Christian service, helping families and men experiencing homelessness in the nation's capital address their material and spiritual challenges and move toward self-sufficiency.