Josh came to the Mission needing stability to turn his life around. With a key in his hand, he now has a place to call home.

Having stability within the instability of homelessness was a game changer for Josh. When he found his way to Fort Collins Rescue Mission, he had already spent years on the streets struggling with drug addiction and six months in a rehabilitation program to get sober.

Yet, Josh still needed a place, and more importantly, people to guide him towards self-sufficiency.

“I can remember walking here, meeting two very good souls,” he said. “I was like, ‘Okay, these guys are gonna help me.’

That was the moment Josh knew he was in the right place. He was working full-time, and having a place to come back to each night helped him keep his job as well as work towards his next steps.

He got connected to a case manager who walked alongside him as he paid off his debt, started saving money, got food stamps, secured necessary documents, and ultimately, moved into housing.

“This place giving me the stability was a massive weight off my shoulders, allowing me to not only get comfortable with a job, but to know that I got a place I can come back to,” he shared. “That’s what makes this place amazing.”

Consistency of a reserved bed

Warm Meals

Caring Staff

Stability to Get Out of Homelessness

Just a consistent meal was a change for Josh. Spending years on the streets, he did what he could to survive. “I have eaten out of garbage cans,” he remembered. “When you’re hungry . . . you do stuff that to this day I’m not proud of and I never will be proud of, to get something in your belly.”

Before he got to the Mission, he couldn’t fathom receiving a hot, delicious meal for free. “I couldn’t wrap my head around a place doing that. It was a weight off in the sense that I didn’t have to go buy my own and it felt good to have people make food for me. It was like, there are people who care.

Josh felt at home at the Mission, not only because he had a roof over his head, but because he felt cared for by the staff.

“From the get-go, [my case manager and I] were applying to places. And most of them, for a while, didn’t work out. That gets disheartening, but she was always upbeat saying, ‘We’re just gonna keep on trying, Josh. You’re gonna be saving more money. You’ll be ready for a better place when it shows up.’ It was that level of optimism that really helped me.”

And she was right. Josh moved into a communal living place where he has been for the past seven months. When he turned the key to walk into his own room, he felt relieved to have his own space.

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men obtained employment last year

“My favorite part of the whole place for the longest time was the fact I could deadbolt my door and have privacy,” he said.

Now Josh continues to work a job he loves and is looking towards other hopes and goals for his future.

“If you’re willing to go the long miles and put in the effort to get better, they’re willing to work right alongside you,” he said.

“The staff here will open every door they can for you, but you have to be willing to walk those steps.”

Josh’s Goals

1. Never experience homelessness again

2. Move into an apartment or studio

3. Give back to the Mission

“That’s the end game, is to make sure this place knows that I’m grateful for what it is, and that I can give back to everything they’ve given for me.”

-Josh