Denver Rescue Mission Helps Families Become Self-Sufficient
DENVER (CBS4) – As temperatures drop outside, the need increases among people experiencing homelessness. CBS4 is Spreading the Warmth this winter by raising money and awareness for the Denver Rescue Mission, whose programs go a long way to getting families back on their feet.
"My life is pretty dog gone good right now," said Natalie, a client at The Crossing, a facility run by the Denver Rescue Mission.
Natalie and her family have come a long way. She has access to computers, a roof over her head, and three meals a day. Just one year ago, she, her husband and their pre-teen daughter were homeless.
"We had times when we were sleeping outside, when I had someone pull a knife on me. In the middle of the night, a woman tried to snatch my daughter in her sleep," Natalie recalled. "When you are so down, and when you are so lost, and you feel like you can't even be a proper parent, you feel like a failure to your child."
Now, Natalie is on the road to recovery in the Denver Rescue Mission's transitional housing program.
"If it wasn't for the STAR Program, I wouldn't have gotten to the point where I was stable enough to get the job with On Deck (Capital)," Natalie explained.
She has a good paying job as a Fraud Alert Verification Specialist and her family is becoming self-sufficient.
"My family's not on food stamps anymore. We're not on Medicaid anymore. We have a 401K now. I never thought I would be a person who would say I had that," Natalie told CBS4.
It's one of many firsts for Natalie and her family that get them closer to the American dream.
CBS4 has partnered with the Denver Rescue Mission to Spread the Warmth this winter. We're bringing the community together for Coloradans experiencing homelessness. Find out how to help at CBSDenver.com/SpreadtheWarmth.
