Man Finds Purpose & Pay With Denver Rescue Mission
DENVER (CBS4) - Like thousands of Coloradans, Steven Dukes faced unemployment, until he got a new job that's more of a mission.
Dukes spends his days pushing a broom around the temporary shelter for those experiencing homelessness at the National Western Complex.
"Mainly I'm a presence that they can see that staff is there, " Dukes explained.
His presence is a salve to the clients of the Denver Rescue Mission.
"Homelessness is hard," he said.
Dukes struggled with an addiction to crack cocaine for some 30 years.
"I have a real empathy for them because I know how hard it is going to different places to eat, staying at the shelters," Dukes told CBS4.
He spent years living on the street.
"I do not want to have to carry the backpack again. I mean, I carried the backpack for years, and now it's in closet, in my room," he said.
Dukes has his own room now through hard work and determination. He credit the Denver Rescue Mission's New Life Program with helping him when he needed it most. He recently celebrated 18-months clean and sober.
When COVID 19 ended his job at a restaurant, he didn't hesitate to take a new job with the Rescue Mission. He cleans, but mostly, he's a beacon of hope in the middle of a global pandemic.
"And mainly giving back because I was in their shoes, and if I can do it, they can do it."
LINK: Denver Rescue Mission
The Denver Rescue Mission does need volunteers to help serve meals at the National Western Complex.