Jordahn’s Story of Overcoming Homelessness

By Travis Williams

When Jordahn was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two years ago, he felt physically, emotionally and spiritually broken. He had always considered himself an atheist. But on one lonely, desperate night, Jordahn fell to his knees in prayer.

“I was outside looking up at the stars…and I just started talking to God,” he says. “I got down on my knees, looked up at the sky and threw my hands up.”

Jordahn first began experiencing symptoms of the disease in 2008 when he was working long hours at fast-food restaurants. At the time, the dizzy spells weren’t bad enough to convince him to take time off work to seek medical attention.

“I think I knew for a long time that something was really wrong, but I just didn’t want to be that person,” he says. “I didn’t want to be broken.”

By the time Jordahn was finally diagnosed in 2020, he was experiencing falls and seizures. Legally disabled, he was unable to work and became homeless. That’s when Jordahn came to the Springs Rescue Mission (SRM) for help. He worked to get his life in order, applied for disability benefits, improved his health, and connected with a case manager to apply for housing.

Because Jordahn served in the Air Force, a veterans housing program helped him secure a new apartment in Colorado Springs. He moved in just days before Christmas. It’s the small things that make him happy now: sleeping in his own bed; quietly enjoying a cup of coffee each morning; and watching action movies in his living room.

“All I can do now is enjoy the blessings that the Lord God has given me and try to be thankful,” he says. “Because there are so many blessings.”

Jordahn is just one of many SRM guests who secured permanent housing in 2022. Some are elderly individuals who move into senior living or care facilities. Others rebuild relationships with their families and move in with them. Some find wellpaying jobs that make it possible for them to rent their own apartments.

Many landlords and property managers in the city work with SRM to provide guests with better access to housing. This amazing community is coming together to address some of its greatest needs. Thanks to the support of neighbors like you, lives are being transformed every single day at Springs Rescue Mission.