Denver, CO
Denver Rescue Mission lifting people up to be productive, self-sufficient
Denver is an expensive city in which to live. Many working people are just one paycheck away from homelessness, despite their best efforts. The Denver Rescue Mission meets people exactly where they’re at physically and spiritually and works with them to create a sustainable life.
Preston works at the front desk in The Crossing, a Denver Rescue Mission facility.
“I absolutely love it. I get to interact with so many people,” Preston explained.
He’s learning office skills and getting customer service experience. The position is part of his work therapy.
“It’s a network of amazing, sincere people that just really matter to each other,” he said of the people he works with every day.
The 32-year-old is finding his purpose in the Rescue Mission’s New Life program.
“My situation was purely financial instability, and honestly, a lack of skills,” he explained.
Like so many low-skilled workers, Preston thought he could get by in Denver with a high school diploma and a management job in retail. Unfortunately, that put him one unexpected event away from homelessness.
“I got into a vehicle accident. I was injured for a couple of months. I depleted my savings,” he said.
Preston ended up at the Rescue Mission’s 48th Street Shelter. For 10 months he lived at the shelter. He was working, however he wasn’t making any headway toward a sustainable life.
“After I lost everything that I had worked so hard for, I was in this mental rut, ‘Why am I going to try again to get everything I once had and then risk losing it again?’” he told CBS News Colorado.
In the New Life program, Preston works with a case manager. Together they work on skills like financial literacy, emotional intelligence and improving job skills.
“I do intend to, once I’m eligible, come to work for Denver Rescue Mission for their hospitality team,” Preston said.
Preston is building a realistic plan for his future. He’s also gaining the confidence he needs to be able to handle any challenges that come up.
“I mean…this place has kind of saved my life.”
LINK: Spread the Warmth
CBS Colorado’s Spread the Warmth campaign supports the work of the Denver Rescue Mission. We are accepting donations of money or warm weather gear that the Denver Rescue Mission can then use to keep people warm this winter.
DENVER (KDVR) — Two Denver police vehicles were hit by separate drivers during a traffic stop last week, according to a social media post from the Denver Police Department.
On May 7, officers responded to a crash on northbound Interstate 25 near the exit for Alameda Avenue.
The officers were parked with their emergency lights on to direct the traffic away from the scene of the crash. Despite the lights being on, two separate vehicles crashed into the officers’ vehicles.
One driver caused minor damage to a Denver police vehicle and was cited for careless driving. The second driver caused extensive damage to a police vehicle and was cited for careless driving, as well as arrested for allegedly driving under the influence during the crash.
Officers were in their vehicles during the incident, with one uninjured and the other taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
“Traffic safety is a shared responsibility! If you come upon flashing lights, emergency vehicles, tow trucks, or disabled vehicles while driving, move over at least one lane or slow down if it’s not safe to move over. And don’t drive under the influence,” said the department in the post.
Denver’s outdoor warning sirens will sound for three minutes on Wednesday morning as officials test the city’s emergency systems.
All 86 outdoor sirens are scheduled to go off at 11 a.m., and at the same time the wireless emergency alert system will send a test text message to all mobile phones in Denver.
People in neighboring counties may also receive the emergency alert message, the Denver Office of Emergency Management said in a statement.
“Speed and clarity are critical in an emergency,” Executive Director Matthew Mueller said in a statement. “This test helps ensure Denver can deliver alerts across multiple platforms, so people know what to do right away.”
Denver officials have mistakenly sent emergency alerts about isolated police activity to the entire city twice in recent months — once in January when a person was barricaded near the University of Denver and once in April when two armed robbery suspects ran into a nearby home in Ruby Hill.
Denver emergency response officials may start using the outdoor sirens more often, including for destructive thunderstorms or flash flooding, instead of just for tornado warnings, city leaders said in a news release.
While Denverites don’t need to take any action during the test on Wednesday, the sirens are usually a sign to seek shelter indoors immediately and check for updates from the city and local news outlets, according to Denver officials.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 5-14. The folks at the YMCA of Metro Denver believe that drowning deaths are completely preventable.
“Drowning is a silent killer, but we can prevent that through education and encouraging parents and adults around to put their phones down and be water watchers,” said Breezy Bolden, President & CEO of YMCA of Metro Denver.
In recognition of the Y’s 150th anniversary and the 5th anniversary of the Aurora YMCA, the Y is offering a free community swim lesson for up to 150 children ages 3-12.
“We are teaching sidewalk CPR and how to apply a life vest, and also what happens if you unexpectedly find yourself in water … you fall in … you want to swim to the side … so we’ll be teaching those water safety skills,” Bolden explained.
YMCA of Metro Denver is working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and the Wheatlands Metro District to fill up that community swim class, but anyone is welcome to register up to 150 participants. For families who aren’t able to get into the free class, the YMCA of Metro Denver offers swim lessons throughout the year. The Y is actually the national provider of swim lessons and created group swim lessons.
“I believe and many of us believe at the Y that swimming is a life skill, just like riding a bike. It gives you an opportunity to be physically active, safe around water, and enjoy the beautiful outdoors of Colorado and all the lakes and reservoirs we have around here,” Bolden said.
LINK: Register for the free Community Swim Lesson
The YMCA of Metro Denver’s free Community Swim Lesson is Saturday, May 16, 2026 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Aurora YMCA at Wheatlands, 6100 Kewaunee Way.
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