CELEBRATING 5 YEARS OF FREEDOM Five years ago this June, we took a leap of faith and opened the new H.S. Lopez Family Foundation Center of Opportunity. Today, we join hands with over 60 organizations and volunteer service groups to provide holistic care for our neighbors experiencing homelessness. As we reflect on these transformative years, we celebrate the stories of all of those who we’ve served and highlight three women whose lives have been changed by their journey with us.

For years, we’ve watched people complete our Recovery Program and then struggle in their new season of life. Though they’ve received the tools to continue living a sober life, some can feel isolated, alone, and scared.

Our biggest outreach of the year will be here soon. For more than three decades, our annual Thanksgiving outreach has been a beacon of hope in our community. Especially when the world is increasingly filled with uncertainties, it’s essential to extend our hands toward those in need, treating everyone like a member of our family—a guest at our table.

This summer has been brutal and dangerous for those caught in the heat. Last month, Tucsonans suffered through 13 days of 110-plus-degree temperatures, breaking records with little relief. Tucson also had one of the latest monsoon storms in recent memory. It didn’t rain until July 17th, 32 days into the season. Yet, much like typical monsoon storms, the dark clouds rolled in swiftly, and the sudden and violent rains caused property damage, blackouts due to downed power lines, stranded motorists, and life-threatening flooding, especially for those experiencing homelessness. (more…)

I NEVER thought I would work with kids, so I am constantly surprised by that… but it’s just a testament to how much God has changed me.” Marissa has her own experiences with addiction, and she empathizes with the emotional struggles of our youngest guests. She understands what the parents are going through in this challenging season of their lives. Because of this, she can walk alongside those parents going through recovery, coaching them in the Nurtured Heart Approach® (NHA) that all of the Children Services Advocates use in the classroom. (more…)

Darwin returned from the Gulf War a different man. Unable to cope with the violence he had seen and been a part of, he fell deep into addiction. He lost his entire family due to his addiction and eventually became homeless. Shame and guilt ridden, suicidal, lost, and severely underweight, Darwin was wasting away. (more…)

Carlo had a turbulent childhood marked by physical and sexual abuse. When he was just 11 years old, his father beat him to the point of hospitalization. Scared and alone, he ran away from his home in Texas to Pensacola, Florida in search of his mother and siblings.

Ken’s heart actually stopped as a result of a heroin overdose in 2002.

GOOD FRIDAY BREAKFAST On April 7th, 2023, Gospel Rescue Mission had the privilege of joining local business and community leaders for the Good Friday Breakfast—an annual tradition since 1999. The breakfast was a time of fellowship and prayer in which we focused on the foundations of our faith—Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection—and our unique response to the grace we received—reminding us to stand firm in our faith during these challenging times. That our hope is in Christ and His victory on the cross.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT • Workforce Development Team “I could have been a statistic.”