Men’s recovery center STEP Springs to open Tuesday in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – There will soon be a new resource for men battling addiction and homelessness in the Pikes Peak region. STEP Springs is set to open at its new Colorado Springs facility on Tuesday.

This program is a new branch of one already established in Denver, and many of the employees in the Springs said they have gone through it themselves.

Andre Podpolucha is acting as the director of operations for the facility, and he, himself, said he got help from the program in Denver.

“Prior to all this, I was living under a bridge in Englewood. I was homeless for about a year and a half. And I burnt every bridge that I had,” Podpolucha said, “so I had nowhere else to turn.”

When Podpolucha first arrived to STEP, he said he was worried he was going to have the same experience he did at 18 other programs he used to try and get clean, but he said he was pleasantly surprised.

“They’re treating me like I’m a human,” Podpolucha said.

Through the program, which has been in Denver for 42 years, many of the men leaving the facility find lasting sobriety and full-time, tax-paying jobs.

Podpolucha said some, like himself, are even able to rebuild relationships that were once lost.

“All the family that didn’t want to talk to me or didn’t want a relationship because of my actions,” Podpolucha said, “they all wanted a relationship with me.”

City officials recently said nearly 600 more people are homeless in Colorado Springs in 2025 compared to 2024.

Executive Director Meghan Shay told 11 News she hopes to help those numbers go down.

“For years, we’ve been hearing from the leaders of the community, various private foundations, the mayor and other elected officials, that there is a substantial need for a step program in Colorado Springs,” Shay said.

Men who are seeking recovery can apply and be admitted into the program the same day they walk in. For more information, click here.

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