COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Kim Rutherford remembers the fear she felt when she first arrived at Springs Rescue Mission.
"I was afraid I had never been in an environment like this," Rutherford said.
Rutherford chose homelessness and made the decision to come to Colorado Springs with almost nothing. She was leaving a dangerous situation in her home state.
"Have you ever been to Colorado before that?" I asked.
"No."
"So was that a hard decision?"
"It was extremely hard. The only thing I took was 5 days worth of clothes and just came," Rutherford said.
Despite the fear, she says it was the best decision she could have made.
WATCH: Springs Rescue Mission launches Pathway Partner giving program
"I remember being here being afraid and then all of a sudden it start easing up going away and I start actually communicating with other people in this building because at first I was just all to myself," Rutherford said.
Now, Springs Rescue Mission is hoping to give others the same chance to get out of homelessness — with help from the community.
The organization has launched a monthly giving program called Pathway Partner, which allows residents to provide ongoing support to people struggling with homelessness in Colorado Springs.
"People can actually walk alongside a neighbor who is struggling with homelessness, poverty, and addiction and know that they're providing support every month," Travis Williams, CEO of Springs Rescue Mission, said.
With the holiday season approaching, Williams says the program comes at a critical time.
"This is one of those ways that neighbors in this community can come alongside others and say we see you, we believe in you," Williams said.
With every donation for the next three months, an anonymous donor will be matching the amount. Williams said it is a massive deal.
"We really believe that community challenges take a community response and so getting the community excited about caring for neighbors may be one of the best strategies that we have to see people find health and wholeness and reintegrated back in this community," Williams said.
Rutherford says taking the leap to seek help can be daunting, but she is now focused on giving back.
"I'm reaching out because I would look, even though I'm 60, I would like a part-time job. I want to get out and actually give something back to the community," Rutherford said.
She said she also wants to one day go to the top of Pikes Peak — a goal that was a long time in the making.
She hopes her story shows others that there is a way forward.
"Lucky for me I've never had any negative connotations behind anything I've done here in this program or even out in the streets. They tend to watch over me. I don't know if they call me Ms. Kim or Mama. I'm everybody's mom," Rutherford said.
She said she was able to get housing through Springs Rescue Mission. The organization checks in on her every day. She said it is a gift for which she is extremely grateful.
"We have our own apartments and they check on us to make sure if we want anything, how we're getting along, and if we are lonely up there? They still check on us. It is a breath of fresh air to not have to share a bathroom with 42 other women," she said.
