“It was winter, and I had no place to go,” Scott recalls. He’d been staying with his mother after losing his home, his career—and the woman he loved—because of his addiction to alcohol and drugs. But his mom was on a fixed income, and he could no longer watch her suffer as she sacrificed her own needs for his.

The temperature here in Connecticut can plunge to below zero! In Bridgeport, the average high for the winter months barely reaches above freezing. For the homeless who are exposed to these extremes without the right kinds of clothing, the weather isn’t simply uncomfortable; it can be brutal and even deadly.

Scott began using drugs and alcohol as a teenager. Now, in his early 40s, he’d done his share of sleeping in parked cars and under bridges. It’s not hard to imagine some nights were so cold that he thought—even wished—they were his last. But God had other plans . . . and led Scott to Bridgeport Rescue Mission.

“I’ve been in and out of treatment programs for years, but I’ve never been at a place that encouraged me to use my faith in God to overcome my addiction until I came to Bridgeport Rescue Mission. After talking with the folks here, I knew the New Life Discipleship Program was what I needed.”

Through daily counseling, Christian guidance and Bible study—along with adult education and life-skills training—students in our New Life Discipleship Program learn how to depend on God for resolution of their harmful habits and destructive behaviors. When Scott graduates from the program, he plans to find a job and get a place of his own—and renew his relationship with the people who mean the most to him.

If God hadn’t led him to the Mission, Scott says, “I’d be in jail, institutionalized . . . or even dead.”

You see, the homeless are especially susceptible to cold-weather conditions like frostbite and hypothermia because their clothes may be wet or they may be exposed to the wind, both of which cause the body to lose heat very quickly. And alcohol consumption—because it feels like it’s warming the body—can have even more tragic consequences in frigid temperatures. That’s why we typically see a rise in the number of people seeking shelter and cold-weather assistance this time of year.

As we head into the most dangerous season for homeless neighbors like Scott, Bridgeport Rescue Mission is grateful for your generous support, which enables us to provide life-saving shelter from the elements—and to warm cold hearts with Christ’s love—here in Fairfield County.