Who Are the Families Living at Denver Rescue Mission?
Just before it hits 4:30 p.m., you can hear little footsteps running down the halls, giggles echoing off the walls with simple, childlike excitement as the door to The Crossing’s Youth Center opens to welcome them in. While this may sound just like any other group of kids ready to play and connect in after-school activity, these children also all have one thing in common: they know what it’s like to experience homelessness.
MC Crawford, who is the children, youth and family manager at Denver Rescue Mission, describes the Youth Center as a space of respite for the kids.
“When they come home from school, they—unlike most children—come home to one bedroom that they share with their entire family,” she said. “So not a lot of room to play, to express themselves and to develop who they want to be. We want to make sure that they have the space to do that.”
Each of the families who live temporarily at The Crossing are either in the Mission’s Bridge program or the innovative Emergency Family Shelter that launched last year to meet the growing need, serving between 40 to 50 kids at any given time who are transitioning out of homelessness.
The Bridge program offers transitional housing and services that include case management, counseling, budgeting classes, and more, while the Emergency Family Shelter can help up to 10 families at a time who come from living on the street, in their cars or in temporary motel rooms with nowhere else to go. Their time at The Crossing can range from three months to just over a year while they work through their own unique case management plan with specific steps to become stably housed and stay that way.
The Impact of Family Homelessness
What many may not know is that family homelessness in Colorado increased by 134% in 2024.
Let that sink in for a minute.
The Mission sees the effects of this heartbreaking increase first-hand. In fact, last year the number of children who are part of The Crossing doubled in 2024 compared to the previous year. And we were there to help even more because of the increase in rooms dedicated for families in dire need.
These are families with children of all ages who have nowhere else to go.
Imagine that for a minute, too, if you can: nowhere else to go.
Families like Kalina and Danny’s who, as working parents, were doing their best to provide for their four children and still struggling to work high-enough paying jobs to make ends meet.
“We had an eviction note and we had to get out right away from where we were living. We used to live in a hotel or motel or sometimes in our car,” Kalina said. “Sometimes it makes me think, ‘Why is it that families can afford [life] and ours cannot?’ As a mom, sometimes I cry, just cry. It always makes me feel like I’m not doing good, I’m not the best mom.”
It was the Mission’s Youth Center and the classes the parents are taking that gave Kalina hope for her kids’ futures, and her family’s future as well. “I’ve been looking at my kids, and I’m seeing a lot of changes in school,” she shared.
The Crossing’s Youth Center is Making a Difference
In the new Skyline Room, just for teenagers, there are bookshelves filled with young adult books, laptops to borrow and spaces for game-playing and daily tutoring sessions.
Kalina’s son Danley raves about the teen room’s balance between work, learning and play. “The workshops that we recently were doing about money, like what’s investing, what’s the debit card and credit card—it was fun, and it was very interesting for me to learn. It helped me a lot with saving.”
And his brother Daniel was excited to add: “I like the tutoring. They’re really helpful, and my grades are getting better than last year.”
For parents with little ones, the Sunshine Room is a new dedicated space for play for parents and their children ages four and under.
The larger Seven Falls Room is filled with toys, whiteboard tables, a library, and the E.P.I.C. Store where kids can “buy” items with Character Coins, which they earn by displaying exemplary behavior in the areas of self-discipline, perseverance and cooperation. Each room has staff trained in helping them grow, develop and simply be kids in the middle of their family crisis.
The Youth Center has many unique partnerships within the community to help equip families not only while they are at The Crossing, but for when they leave the Mission as well. For example, their relationship with Young Americans Center helps provide financial education to kids through workshops and the opportunity to open their own bank accounts.
Educating and connecting families to resources that can serve them well into their futures is one of the most important things the Mission does for families. The goal is to build up families and give them the confidence through these resources and tools to succeed in the future far beyond the services they receive at the Mission.
And guess what? Our community is what makes this all possible. The need is great, and the impact of our community support shows great promise. Every child matters, which is why every dollar counts.
How You Can Make Big Strides for the Little Footsteps at The Crossing
- Invest in a Child’s Future and Donate. Your financial gifts make a difference for children and families now and impact their futures.
- Donate Toys and Games to Denver Rescue Mission’s EPIC Store. Donated toys and games help kids build character and learn about money management.
- Give a Housewarming Box. When families move into housing, you can help equip them with the basic necessities to live on their own.
- Volunteer in the Youth Center. Provide tutoring, offer encouragement, facilitate Bible studies, and more to connect with the youth at The Crossing.
Denver Rescue Mission is a non-profit that meets the needs of people experiencing homelessness and poverty through emergency services, rehabilitation, transitional programs, and community outreach, last year helping more than 574 households—both individuals and families—get into more stable housing. Donate Today.
Denver Rescue Mission
Empowering Families Through Our Growing Youth Center – Denver Rescue Mission
