Robin Ritter remembers a young woman who sought services from Uniquely Yours Stability Support (UYSS).
Ritter is chief executive officer of UYSS, a local, faith-based agency that works to prevent and to help people move out of homelessness.
As a privately funded agency, UYSS can help connect clients with local churches, which can provided support.
Ritter asked the young woman if she had a church affiliation. The woman said she’d like to have one and wanted to become involved in a prayer circle. Ritter knew of one what would fit the client’s needs and went to the church three times with the woman, who quickly grew in fellowship and friendships there.
“Her life turned around,” Ritter said. “She — later on — came back to UYSS to volunteer for events.”
Now, UYSS is making another church connection as it moves from its Main Street location to St. Timothy Lutheran Church, 538 W. 16th St., in Fremont. Volunteers helped with the first phase of the move on Saturday, April 29.
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Volunteers from Fremont Church of the Nazarene will help move remaining parts of the UYSS Unique Boutique over to the church on Tuesday, May 9.
“We’re excited about this new space,” Ritter said in a prepared statement. “It will provide our community a much larger free thrift shop. Folks can shop for free and save their resources to apply toward housing costs.”
UYSS will continue to provide various services at its current location at 240 N. Main St., in downtown Fremont through June and in its new location in the church in July.
Services and programs that will move with UYSS are: financial support, Unique Boutique Shop and employability services. The employability services can include: needed car repairs, gas vouchers, work and interview clothing, bicycles and other items.
The nonprofit’s phone number — 402-727-UYSS (8977) — will remain the same. The agency also can be reached via info@UYSS.org.
Since 2007, UYSS has worked behind the scenes to address gaps in services.
“When another agency is working with a family or individual and a housing stability obstacle comes up that they are unable to address — usually because of funding, services or guidelines — they can make a referral to UYSS on behalf of that customer,” Ritter said.
UYSS will attempt to use its granted funds to help a family or individual either remain in or gain housing. It has addressed obstacles to housing stability such as rent, a deposit, utilities, vehicle repairs, medications, ID, work tools or steel-toed boots.
Ritter said people need to come to UYSS as a referral for the financial support.
“This ensures that they have a support system, that we are addressing gaps in services,” she said. “Everyone else can also call us and we will help them with the process.”
Many service needs were identified in the community in 2014, Ritter said.
UYSS created a community support program to meet immediate needs and to connect needs to community services. This also led to a large variety of Life Skills opportunities, support groups, community outreach and activities, counseling, community computer lab, Community Resource Navigation, a free thrift shop — and care packages with hygiene, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies and toilet paper.
With 2023 came another opportunity for UYSS to evaluate its services and community need.
“UYSS is incredibly proud at how much our community has grown,” Ritter said. “There are many more services within our strong, agency partners.”
Ritter said UYSS strives to enhance — not duplicate — services of other agencies.
So because other agencies have more services, UYSS has been able to remove several services.
“While in the middle of working on these new updates, a blessed opportunity to operate out of St. Timothy Lutheran Church came about,” Ritter said.
As UYSS relocates to the church, the agency is downsizing from its large, downtown location.
“We gave out a few computers and desks to those in need, shared our life skills curriculum and inspirational wall art with our agency partners,” she said.
UYSS is also planning for an online auction with a local auction house.
The free thrift shop and other items will be moved to the new location.
Barb Parks, board member, believes the move is a good one and money UYSS saves due to it can be used in other ways. She also believes the church will see, even more, all the good that is happening.
“I think they’ll see that and maybe some of them will want to get more involved and I think it’s a good way to get outreach,” Parks said. “We give a huge ‘thank you’ to the church for blessing UYSS.”
While May 9 is the day when volunteers help Uniquely Yours move more items to the church, it’s also a time when UYSS and many other nonprofit agencies participate in the Fremont Area Big Give, a 24-hour, online giving event.
“With the move, we could certainly use the extra support to help families and individuals in need,” Ritter said.
Anyone interested in helping UYSS or other nonprofits can visit: fremontareabiggive.org