Union Gospel Mission of Salem's Women's & Children's Mission, and the first women's shelter on the West Coast, helping women and children break free from homelessness. Whether seeking immediate relief or long-term support, every woman and child has the same opportunity for life change at Simonka Place. More than two-thirds of the women we care for have suffered from domestic or sexual violence. Such trauma is often a root cause of homelessness, among many other factors including mental illness and unforeseen life events. Through our holistic, person-focused approach, guests are helped and experience healing through clinical case management and trauma-informed care. You can extend a hand to the women and children at Simonka Place through the transformational grace of Jesus Christ and the legacy of June Simonka. June and her husband George Simonka founded Union Gospel Mission of Salem, and she was the inspiration for our women's shelter. Her question that started it all was "George, what about the women?"
This question led to the very first women's shelter on the West Coast in 1968, a little more than 50 years ago. Before the purchase was made, though, 30 different possibilities were considered. We wanted just the right setting. I wanted a place that would be immediately uplifting--emotionally uplifting." The shelter resided on 14th Street. For years, that's where Simonka "House" remained until 2002 when the operation was moved to UGM's present-day Simonka "Place" facility in Keizer.
