Recovering Together
Purple Mountain Recovery Inc. was founded in July 2022 with a core focus and devoted purpose. The non-profit is on a mission to create a safer, more inclusive world for LGBTQIA+ individuals navigating addiction, mental health challenges, and the complex, often non-linear, journey of recovery. The organization’s story unites a powerful blend of lived experience, peer‑led advocacy, and community‑based healing. Here we explore Purple Mountain Recovery’s offerings as it is bestowed with its esteemed title in our Mental Health Awards this year.
Purple Mountain Recovery was founded in July 2022 with the mission of providing safe, affirming support to LGBTQIA+ individuals recovering from mental health and addiction issues. The website emphasizes the foundational importance of peer coaching, one of the organization’s core services, which pairs individuals with trained members of the LGBTQIA+ community who have lived experience in long‑term recovery.
The organization’s rapidly growing recognition is a testament to the real need it fills in the local community. As a registered 501(c)(3) non‑profit, Purple Mountain Recovery has quickly become one of Colorado’s most trusted LGBTQIA+ support organizations, offering an identity‑affirming environment where individuals can rebuild their lives without judgement or stigma. More than a provider of recovery services, it is a community movement built on compassion, visibility, and shared lived experience.
The organization’s model intentionally focuses on connection rather than isolation, a philosophy reflected throughout its programming. Its mission statement, prominently featured on its website, emphasizes fostering connections, securing support, and promoting healing among LGBTQIA+ individuals, an ethos that guides everything the team does.
The name Purple Mountain is a heartfelt tribute to the founder’s mother, whose steady presence and unconditional support shaped his recovery. She stood beside him through addiction and mental health struggles, inspiring a vision of a world in which LGBTQIA+ individuals have access to the same safety and understanding he received at home. This story truly forms the emotional foundation of Purple Mountain Recovery’s mission.
Her belief in compassionate, identity‑affirming care grew into a community service dedicated to offering others what the founder once needed himself; Purple Mountain Recovery has created a place where people can show up exactly as they are and feel they have a safe space.
Under the leadership of founder Scott Mosher‑Ramírez, Purple Mountain Recovery has rapidly expanded into a robust, multi‑service support organization. Scott’s lived experience within the LGBTQIA+ community is woven through the organization’s culture, ensuring that every programme reflects authenticity, inclusivity, and the understanding that healing requires a space where identity is honored not hidden or kept a secret.
The organization’s team is composed of LGBTQIA+ members and allies with lived experience in mental health and substance use disorder, further reinforcing the authenticity of their work. Purple Mountain Recovery is staffed by individuals who know first‑hand the barriers and unfair treatment LGBTQIA+ people face in accessing support, from discrimination to lack of cultural competency in mainstream recovery programmes. The organization’s core philosophy includes ensuring equal access to resources; eliminating stigma; meeting people where they are; and providing peer‑led, trauma‑informed support.
Purple Mountain Recovery understands that from addiction is difficult and a deeply personal process for anyone, but LGBTQIA+ individuals often face additional layers of complexity rooted in stigma, discrimination, and social exclusion. Purple Mountain Recovery’s services are specifically designed for LGBTQIA+ individuals to deliver identity‑affirming, culturally competent recovery environments, and meaningful outcomes for LGBTQIA+ people.
The organization’s positive impact is further strengthened by its partnerships with Diversus Health and Skin Perfect Aesthetics & Wellness; its partnerships broaden the support available to clients and demonstrate the wider community’s investment in LGBTQIA+ people’s overall health and wellbeing.
Compared to others, LGBTQ+ people have significantly higher rates of issues frequently linked to discrimination, family rejection, minority stresses, and mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and trauma responses such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Within the very beating heart of inclusive recovery is the understanding that LGBTQ+ individuals experience unique stressors that shape their journey toward healing. Traditional treatment programs often overlook people’s realities, forming barriers that discourage individuals from seeking help or fully being able to engage in transformative, compassionate, and respectful care.
Inclusive recovery programs intentionally address these inequalities by creating spaces for any and every sexual orientation, gender identity, and diverse lived experiences. These outstanding programs go beyond basic clinical treatment: they integrate identity‑affirming practices and culturally competent support that allow clients to truly engage as who they are, and interact authentically, without fear of judgment or negative consequences.
Key award-winning elements of Purple Mountain Recovery include staff trained in LGBTQIA+ cultural competency, their support groups specifically designed for LGBTQIA+ participants, unwavering policies respecting chosen names and pronouns, and mental health services that openly address issues such as trauma based on discernment.
By offering these features, inclusive recovery programs ensure participants feel seen, validated, and safe, conditions that are critical for genuine healing. Purple Mountain Recovery emphasizes that something as simple as using correct pronouns or acknowledging diverse identities in treatment plans can dramatically improve trust and emotional comfort, strengthening outcomes.
The need for such approaches becomes clear when considering the challenges LGBTQIA+ individuals disproportionately encounter throughout their recovery journeys. Many people may face rejection from families, faith communities, or peers, leading to profound loneliness that can fuel ill mental health or even substance misuse. However, with inclusive, respectful, and empathetic recovery programs results in recovery that is not only more accessible but more effective, empowering individuals to flourish as their authentic, and healthy, selves.
“At Purple Mountain Recovery Inc. we are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for ALL individuals who are dealing with mental health and addiction issues to discover and navigate their recovery journey.”
The Purple Mountain Recovery team’s commitment is visible across all of their services, which emphasize the organization’s aim to erase stigma surrounding addiction, harm reduction, mental health, and recovery both within and beyond the LGBTQIA+ community. Purple Mountain Recovery is home to an excellent and expanding portfolio of services, including Sober Living Homes (CARR‑Certified Levels 1 to 4) which are well-structured, LGBTQIA+‑affirming spaces crafted to support individuals during their early and long‑term recovery.
From support from peers and coaching for recovery to group support and drop‑in services, peer academy and scholarships to partial hospitalization program (launched 2026), and more, Purple Mountain Recovery is well-equipped to offer community gatherings, workshops, and support groups form the social backbone of the organization, providing connection and accountability; training for individuals to become recovery coaches themselves, creating a self‑sustaining cycle of community empowerment; and a new programme presenting intensive support for mental health, substance use, and co‑occurring disorders, open to clients regardless of ability to pay.
These services reflect a holistic understanding of recovery, grounded firmly in community care and LGBTQIA+ identity affirmation. Delivered by trained coaches with personal recovery experience, this service ensures clients have relatable and experienced mentors supporting their journey every step of the way.
The impact extends beyond individual transformation, such as reducing stigma through education and advocacy; increasing access to culturally competent recovery care; breaking isolation by creating sober, identity‑affirming social spaces; supporting legal system navigation, as several testimonials describe improved outcomes when clients receive guidance from peer coaches; and expanding mental health training for professionals, such as sponsorship of group facilitation workshops for therapists and SUD counselors in Colorado Springs.
From its peer‑led services to its expanding housing support, Purple Mountain Recovery is shaping a more inclusive recovery landscape across Colorado.
As Purple Mountain Recovery looks toward the future, its focus remains clear. It is expanding safe spaces, increasing access to care, and continuing to nurture a recovery community where every LGBTQIA+ individual is treated with dignity, respect, and compassion.
The organization’s growth, from sober living services to expanded clinical programmes, reflects a deep commitment to meeting evolving community needs. Its recognition in the Mental Health Awards 2026 is not only well‑deserved, it is a celebration of what happens when compassion, lived experience, and community advocacy truly unite to create something bigger and better than ever before. Purple Mountain Recovery is more than a service; Purple Mountain Recovery is a lifeline, a community, and, for many, it is the first, or perhaps only, place where recovery feels truly possible.
“A strong support system makes things happen!”
With just a few examples, some individuals shared: “I could not be happier with all the help I have received at PMR. My coach is amazing, and I always feel safe and welcome when I come to the office or groups!”
“PMR’s sober living has given me a chance to be in a sober living home where I cannot be afraid to be myself. All the support at the house and office has really helped me in my recovery! I finally feel safe!”
“Navigating the court system and probation has been so much easier this time with the help of my coach. The knowledge they have of the justice system has helped me tremendously. I am thankful for having someone to walk beside me this time.”
“Purple Mountain Recovery fosters connections, secures support, and promotes healing in our LGBTQIA+ community, always #BreakingDownSilos.”
Bestowed with the prestigious title of Best LGBTQIA+ Community Support Service 2026 in Colorado, Purple Mountain Recovery continues to establish itself as a reliable, committed, and passionate source of help and support for individuals across the area and beyond.
You can visit Purple Mountain Recovery’s website, listed below, for more information on sober living, interesting blog posts, and to donate to this pivotal cause.
Contact Details
Contact: Scott Mosher-Ramírez
Company: Purple Mountain Recovery Inc.
