At Denver Rescue Mission, we believe in coming alongside people experiencing poverty and homelessness, empathizing with their situation and speaking truth into their lives—You are worthy. You are valued. You are created in the image of God. This is what we do. It’s our passion, our calling. And we’ve been doing it, thanks to partners like you, since 1892.
This is the story of how you helped us change lives in 2018. Thank you for being our loyal partners.
Or keep scrolling to see the highlights now!
Who We Serve
In 2018, the number one reason the people in our programs said they were experiencing homelessness was because they lost their job. The number two reason was addiction. They are defined by so much more than their situation. Meet some of the people we serve:
“…the Mission has been kind of a sanctuary for me.”
Impact in 2018
907,125
Meals Provided
400,550
Nights of Shelter
84
New Life Programs
22 children matched with a mentor
152 children completed 3,720
hours of reading and writing club
98
Vehicles Gifted to successful graduates
4,966
Clinic Services
185
Tons of Clothing distributed
76 interns experienced hands-on work at the Mission
162 households moved into permanent housing
Stories of Us
Emergency Services
Rehabilitation
Transitional Programs
Community Outreach
Our Supporters
70,374
Donors in 2018
$121.86
Average Donation
17,822 total volunteers
118,858 volunteer hours
Financials
Denver Rescue Mission is a member of the Better Business Bureau and the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance recommends giving to organizations who spend at least 65% of their total expenses on program activities. In fiscal year 2017- 2018, 80% of our expenses were in programs.
Download our audited financial statement at DenverRescueMission.org/Financial-Accountability.
What’s Next
It’s a new day at the Mission, a new time with different challenges, and we are changing to more effectively and compassionately serve Denver’s homeless.
In 2018, Denver Rescue Mission engaged in a strategic planning process with the goal of improving our programs and services. As part of that process, below are three of 16 initiatives that support our goal to continue meeting the ever-changing needs of the people who come to us for help.
Update New Life Program Best Practices
Already in progress, this initiative is seeking to ensure that the men in our New Life Program are being provided with the best avenues to develop life skills, find a sustainable job, form positive relationships, and ultimately, move into permanent, sustainable housing.
Prioritize Clients’ Next Steps Out of Shelter
Also in progress, this initiative aims to help men who utilize our emergency shelters, encouraging them to join our Next Step service, informing them of long-term programs, job opportunities and housing services, and providing resources that will help them get off the street.
Restructure Family Programs
The most vulnerable demographic we serve is families. And because of that, we’re equipping our staff to serve families and individuals in more dynamic ways. We’ll focus our efforts on providing a path home for families experiencing homelessness. To do this, we’ve begun to restructure our Family Programs, which consist of the STAR Transitional Program, Family Rescue Ministry and Family Refugee Services.
Thank You
Our supporters mean the world to us.
Many have been with us for years and others just learned of our work in 2018.
We’re thankful for all of you, because without you, we wouldn’t exist.
Dear Friends,
This year marks our 127th year of serving people (that’s a lot of years!). In my time as the President/CEO, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that God is in control, and I pray that He uses us as a vehicle for His grace and mercy upon the people we serve. As an organization, we’ve learned that people experiencing homelessness have needs that are ever-changing. Of course, there are some basics needs that will forever remain the same—food, shelter and safety. But as factors such as Denver’s housing market, the nationwide opioid epidemic and family homelessness become more complex, the faces of homelessness are beginning to change, and so too do the needs.
That’s why, in 2018, we invested a lot of prayer and collaboration to better evaluate and improve our Mission programs and services. We are calling it our strategic planning process, and this year, we started implementing our plan!
It’s a new and exciting day at Denver Rescue Mission. Whether it be the men who sleep at our three emergency shelters, the people who use the Lawrence Street Community Center every day, or the men, women and families who live at The Crossing, your gifts are providing a path home for the people we serve.
More than anything, this annual report tells our story in 2018, and that story has been written because you took the time to give, volunteer, pray, and share the work that we do. And that work is not possible without you.
Thank you for being a part of our story and for making it possible for the people we serve to find a path home. Thank you for supporting our mission in 2018!
God Bless,
Brad Meuli
President/CEO