$ 2 SUGGESTED DONATION @DenverVOICE VENDOR PROFILE: LARMARQUES SMITH HOW CHAOS BLOOMED NEW IMPROV THEATRE PROVIDES OUTLET FOR CREATIVITY, ENTERTAINMENT, AND INCLUSION PAGE 6 COMMUNITY IS THE SERVICE NETWORK COFFEEHOUSE REOPENS AFTER BEING SHUT DOWN DUE TO PANDEMIC PAGE 8 LEFT BEHIND AFGHAN EVACUEES FEEL LEFT BEHIND AS COLORADO RESETTLEMENT AGENCIES FACE CHALLENGES PAGE 10 VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY PAGES 3, 5, 11, 12 EVENTS / PUZZLES PAGE 13 RESOURCES PAGE 15 JANUARY 2022 | Vol.27 Issue 1 SINCE 1997, WE HAVE PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO WORK. DONATE TODAY TO ENSURE OUR VENDORS CONTINUE TO HAVE JOBS. (DENVERVOICE.ORG) FROM YOUR VENDOR: ART: GIGI GALEN
EDITOR’S NOTE IN LATE SEPTEMBER I read a tweet reminding folks it was only three months until Christmas. I like the winter holiday season, but I’ve never been a fan when those countdowns start any sooner than mid-November. After the ELISABETH MONAGHAN MANAGING EDITOR emotional windburn these past two years have inflicted, however, I was relieved to be reminded that 2021 was coming to a close. And now that we have said goodbye to 2021, many of us are working diligently to honor our New Year’s resolutions. Instead of including an Ask a Vendor question this month about the changes VOICE vendors planned to make for 2022, we went with our vendor Raelene Johnson’s suggestion to have them share their wishes for 2022. We’ve asked vendors about their resolutions more than once in the past, so I appreciate that Johnson wanted to change it up. I prefer the idea of wishes for a new year versus resolutions. It seems to me that a wish may morph from something simple, like good health, to something significant, like the eradication of COVID-19. A resolution seems much more rigid because it requires focus and dedication, and if going to fulfill it, I need to be committed to it and must take action to make it happen — otherwise, it’s meaningless. I do have a resolution, as well as a wish, for 2022. I resolve to be more hopeful and to make more of an effort to see the best in humanity. I can get there if I make an effort to be kinder, more patient, and demonstrate more empathy. I also have a wish, which is that all of us would show more January CONTRIBUTORS GILES CLASEN is a freelance photographer who regularly contributes his work to the VOICE for editorial projects, fundraisers, and events. He has also served on the VOICE’s Board of Directors. ROBERT DAVIS is an awardwinning freelance reporter for the Denver VOICE. His work has also appeared in Colorado Public Works Journal, Fansided, Colorado Journal, and Medium.com. CAT EVANS is a Colorado native born and raised in the Baker neighborhood of Denver. She is a musician, poet, photographer, cinematographer, and free thought enthusiast. She is focused on translatable activism through visuals and sound. DENVERVOICE.ORG CE.ORG @deeOCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Seybold MANAGING EDITOR Elisabeth Monaghan PROGRAM COORDINATOR Anthony Cornejo GRAPHIC DESIGNER Hannah Bragg VOLUNTEER COPY EDITORS Ashton Brown Haven Enterman Kersten Jaeger Kate Marshall Aaron Sullivan Laura Wing ARTISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Giles Clasen Cat Evans Sarah Ford Gigi Galen WHAT WE DO The Denver VOICE empowers homeless, impoverished, and transient individuals by creating job opportunities through our vendor program. We give our vendors a job and help them tell their stories; this creates a space for them to be part of a community again. Vendors purchase copies of the VOICE for 50 cents each at our distribution center. This money pays for a portion of our production costs. Vendors can buy as many papers as they want; they then sell those papers to the public for a suggested $2 donation. The difference in cost ($1.50) is theirs to keep. WHO WE ARE The Denver VOICE is a nonprofit that publishes a monthly street newspaper. Our vendors are men and women in the Denver metro area experiencing homelessness and poverty. Since 2007, we have put more than 4,600 vendors to work. Our mission is to facilitate a dialogue addressing the roots of homelessness by telling stories of people whose lives are impacted by poverty and homelessness and to offer economic, educational, and empowerment opportunities for the impoverished community. We are an award-winning publication, a member of the International Network of Street Papers and the Colorado Press Association, and we abide by the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics. WRITERS Lando Allen Brian Augustine Osha Bear V. beRt Cat Evans Raelene Johnson Jerry Rosen Larmarques Smith BOARD OF DIRECTORS Nikki Lawson, President Michelle Stapleton, Vice President Jeff Cuneo, Treasurer Zephyr Wilkins, Secretary Chris Boulanger Donovan Cordova Raelene Johnson Julia Watson Cabal Yarne compassion, patience, and love for one another. Surely, that’s not too lofty. Whether you have made resolutions, wishes for the New Year, or chose not to do either, here’s to 2022 and the promise this new year holds. ■ With the money they make selling the VOICE, vendors are able to pay for their basic needs. Our program provides vendors with an immediate income and a support group of dedicated staff members and volunteers. Vendors are independent contractors who receive no base pay. EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT editor@denvervoice.org VENDOR PROGRAM program@denvervoice.org • (720) 320-2155 ADVERTISING ads@denvervoice.org MAILING ADDRESS PO Box 1931, Denver CO 80201 VENDOR OFFICE 989 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204 OFFICE HOURS: Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. Orientation is held every day we are open, but prospective vendors must arrive by 10:00 a.m. 2 DENVER VOICE January 2022 STAFF CONTRIBUTORS BOARD CONTACT US
VENDOR PROFILE my natural tardiness VOICE Vendor Profi le: LARMARQUES SMITH BY LARMARQUES SMITH, DENVER VOICE VENDOR THE PAST TWO YEARS HAVE BEEN THE LONGEST I care to remember. With a worldwide pandemic in effect, it can be hard to recollect notable events of the past two years — like the fact that I LARMARQUES SMITH. CREDIT: SARAH FORD accomplished one of my lifelong dreams: becoming a barista and working in a coffee shop. In the midst of the pandemic, I landed a job working with the Denver VOICE in partnership with a coffee bar in Uptown to give vendors an employment opportunity for those who have been out of the workforce for a minute. The discussions about the partnership started around the time the City of Denver decided to do something about the homeless population during the pandemic. Some of those staying at shelters that had been shut down because of the pandemic were moved to the Western Stock Show Complex to accommodate the social distancing mandate. Despite the shutdown, I began working and started to feel like a regular member of society (whatever that means). It was difficult at first to get into the groove of having a job while staying at the Western Stock Show Complex. No alarm clock, no early morning showers before work, etcetera, coupled with (it’s a flaw I try to combat every day - LOL) made it difficult for me to make it on time to the coffee shop. I managed to pull it together, and with the help of another community organization, Reciprocity, I was able to secure a bike, which ultimately saved my job. It was the week before Independence Day when a good friend of mine and I decided to look into a program that took people who — for whatever reason — were more susceptible to contract COVID-19. The location was a hotel, where everyone was COVID-free in a very controlled environment, provided we take a test and the results were negative. Because my friend and I both are immunocompromised, we thought the test was a good idea and signed up for it just in time for the upcoming holiday. I moved into the hotel later that day after taking the test and worked the coffee shop on the Fourth of July weekend. On Monday morning, my phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Trying to be a responsible employee, I was reluctant to answer. Turns out it was the nurse from the Western Stock Show Complex calling to inform me that I had tested positive for COVID-19. She told me that I needed to stay put, and someone would be there shortly to take me to another quarantine site. Scary! I had to inform my boss as well as fellow employees that I was positive for COVID-19 and would not be at work for a couple of weeks. The most frightening part of this is that I had no signs or symptoms of the virus. I was sent away to another hotel that was designated as a quarantine site for active COVID cases and was told I had to stay on-site at all times. I mean. I couldn’t even go to 7-Eleven, which was right next door. No visitors were allowed at the hotel, and no one was allowed in anyone else’s room at any time for any reason. This lasted about 10 days. During my quarantine, the only symptom I can recall was extreme fatigue which, was odd for me. For being immunocompromised, my immune system was and continues to be in good shape. I’ve been undetectable for several years, and I stay extremely active, but this time, I really felt so tired. One good thing out of my stay at “Chateau COVID Quarantine” is that I got to reconnect with a friend I’d lost contact with over the previous year. He learned he had contracted COVID after being left for dead in a hotel room by his friends. After about 10 days, I received notice that I would be discharged in the next day or two. Relieved I would be able to get back to work, see my friends, and get back to a somewhat normal existence. In the meantime, the coffee shop was shut down for a week and had to be cleaned. All the employees had to take a COVID-19 test, and they had to negative before they could come back to work, myself included. After taking another COVID test, I was able to return to work. I was also able to move back to the hotel for the high-risk group for contracting Coronavirus. Shortly after my quarantine, I made an appointment with my infectious disease doctor, who also happens to be my primary care physician. She wanted to be sure I was well and stayed healthy after surviving Coronavirus. Throughout the past year, working with my medical caseworker, my doctor was able to secure a Section 8 Housing Voucher in an effort to keep me healthy by way of a stable living environment. I can’t say it would have been possible for me to have found safe and stable housing without the coronavirus; Although I still have concerns about the long-lasting effects COVID may have, I’m happy to be housed and healthy. I’m also very thankful for all of the community organizations and partners that made it possible. ■ HOW TO HELP The money we take in from vendors helps us cover a portion of our printing costs, but we depend largely on donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations to help us pay our rent and keep the lights on. 1 4 GET THE WORD OUT We rely on grassroots marketing to get the word out about what we do. Talk to people about our organization and share us with your network. Support us on DONATE Donations to the Denver VOICE are tax-deductable. Go to denvervoice.org to give a one-time or recurring donation. You can also mail a check to: Denver VOICE | P.O. Box 193 | Denver, CO 80201 3 VOLUNTEER We need volunteers to help with everything from newspaper distribution to event planning and management. Contact program@denvervoice.org for volunteering information. 5 SUBSCRIBE If you are unable to regularly purchase a newspaper from our vendors, please consider a subscription. We ask subscribers to support our program with a 12-month pledge to give $10 a month, or a one-time donation of $120. Subscriptions help us cover our costs AND provide an amazing opportunity to those who need it most. Go to denvervoice.org/subscriptions for more information. @denverVOICE 2 ADVERTISE Our readership is loyal, well-educated, and socially concerned. Readers view purchasing the paper as a way to immediately help a person who is poor or homeless while supporting long-term solutions to end poverty. If you are interested in placing an ad or sponsoring a section of the paper, please contact us about rates at ads@denvervoice.org. January 2022 DENVER VOICE 3
NATIONAL STORY KC TENANTS An activist group experiencing the harms of the affordable housing and eviction crisis first-hand offers a model of possibility for fed up tenants worldwide BY ANN-DERRICK GAILLOT Kansas City, smack dab in the US Midwest in a Republican-led state, is often overlooked in the national conversation about the country’s housing crisis. KC Tenants – an organization made up of members of Kansas City’s communities of renters – fights for cooperative housing, social housing, and a dignified response to the city’s housing, eviction, and homelessness crises. Ever since its formation in 2019, it’s made its demands for a better world known through carefully-researched policy proposals as well as direct actions matching the urgency of the issues they’re addressing. Its work offers a model of possibility for fed up tenants worldwide. INSP North America spoke to KC Tenants co-founder Diane Charity. WHEN THE MEMBERS OF KC TENANTS show up together in their yellow shirts, they come boldly proclaiming their demands on their backs: “What we want is safe, accessible, and truly affordable homes.” KC Tenants leader Diane Charity reads the black print to me over the phone from Kansas City, Missouri where the tenants union and advocacy group is based. She emphasizes the last demand with a straightforwardness that has come to define the group’s approach to creating change. “Truly affordable homes doesn’t mean that these out-of-state people that come in and get all this funding to make these affordable houses [that are] cheaply made,” she says. “Hike the rent up every year to the point where it puts us out, which gentrifies our neighborhood, and then they act like they’re doing us a favor.” Rather, KC Tenants, made up of members of the city’s communities of renters, fights for cooperative housing, social housing, and a dignified response to the city’s housing, eviction, and homelessness crises. And ever since its formation in 2019, it’s made its demands for a better world known through carefully-researched policy proposals as well as direct actions matching the urgency of the issues they’re addressing. From leaders chaining themselves to a county courthouse door in an effort to stop eviction court proceedings to confronting city Mayor Quinton Lucas at a protest at City Hall, KC Tenants has never taken it easy on Kansas City’s elected officials. And why would they? Its members experience the harms of the city’s long-standing affordable housing and eviction crisis first-hand on a daily basis. “One of our founding philosophies is that we are the experts on housing,” says Charity, who was a founding member of KC Tenants alongside Founding Director Tara Raghuveer, Board President Tiana Caldwell, and Brandy Granados. “We are the experts because we have the lived experience.” On the day of our interview (18 November 2021), Charity and her fellow KC Tenants members were preparing for the organization’s town hall with the mayor in attendance. That evening, organizers led those gathered at the auditorium of a local school, with hundreds more viewing on Facebook Live. It included an opening song, a panel answering questions on PHOTO COURTESY OF KC TENANTS social housing and the group’s plans for a Housing Trust Fund, and testimony from renters in the audience on their visions for housing in the city. KC Tenants has consistently kept pressure on Lucas to listen to and face the city’s most housing vulnerable residents ever since his election to the office just months after the group was founded. At their dogged insistence, he spent his first night as mayor in the substandard apartment one KC Tenants member lived in with her children, complete with sorely-needed but unprovided repairs and the sounds of gunshots outside. The group’s creative direct action sent a clear message to city officials: Kansas City’s tenants are taking power into their own hands. As in other American cities, renters in Kansas City face rising rents, a dearth of affordable housing, and a general attitude of disdain for the many struggling with housing insecurity and homelessness. But in recent years, by harnessing the power of grassroots organizing, an extensive, months-long research project examining other cities, and unrelenting hope, KC Tenants has managed to achieve big wins for the city’s tenants. These included successfully advocating for the city’s adoption of an historic Tenants Bill of Rights in 2020. “All of these politicians that talked so condescendingly towards it said, ‘We’ll write that ordinance for you and then we’ll get it passed.’ And we said, ‘No, you won’t. You won’t write anything because you don’t live our experience,” remembers Charity about the fight for the Tenants Bill of Rights. In her eyes, the group rejects a local tradition of polite passivity and confrontation avoidance known in the area as ‘Kansas City Nice’. The kind of determination KC Tenants uses to keep public officials engaged and held accountable to their constituents may go against the grain of ‘Kansas City Nice’. However, Charity surmises that sticking to a ‘Kansas City Nice’ attitude does nothing for the fight for truly affordable housing. “We’re saying we’re not taking that BS anymore. We do have rights and we will stand up,” she says. “We’re that beam of light that people are saying, ‘Wow, These people have the nerve to think that they’re going to get the world as it should be instead of surviving the world as it is. And that is what we’re doing. We know it can be better.” Kansas City, smack dab in the Midwest in a Republicanled state, is often overlooked in the national conversation about the US’s housing crisis. And yet the KC Tenants union’s successes and structure — which includes a hotline, a team that researches and crafts policy, a team that organizes tenants unions, and a team that helps tenants fight evictions as well as unfair and illegal housing practices — offers a model of possibility for fed up tenants worldwide. It entered 2021 in high gear, proclaiming the months ahead the Year of the Tenant, beginning with Zero Eviction January, during which the group’s members took direct action to delay more than 900 eviction hearings that month. Then, after months of advocacy and organizing, the group helped win funding for an Office of the Tenant Advocate to enforce the Tenants Bill of Rights in Spring 2021. It ended the year with another major victory: the city council passed an ordinance providing legal counsel to tenants, no matter what their income is. Drafted and pushed by KC Tenants, along with fellow advocacy groups the Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom and the Missouri Workers Center/Stand Up KC, the historic program is slated to be in place by summer 2022. Now, the union is pushing for an ordinance it drafted for a People’s Housing Trust Fund that calls for the city to divert funding from policing and tax incentives for developers into permanently establishing and maintaining affordable housing. Though many cities already have housing trust funds in place, KC Tenants hopes to establish one with crucial safeguards in place as far as tenant rights and representation in governance, avoiding creating another “a slush fund for developers and property owners,” as the group says in its fund proposal released in June 2021. “ “We can fight for something. We may not get everything, but if we start with housing, that’s a start for us. Then we can go on to the next thing and the next thing,” Charity says. “But if you don’t have a place to lay your head—to actually sleep and then get dressed to go to school and work the next morning— it’s the scariest thing that can ever happen to you, you know? It’s unfathomable that people are doing that.” Though every community has its unique struggles, Charity’s advice for people looking to start their own tenants’ unions is the same. “Give grace. Give grace to whomever you’re speaking with. Listen to them and allow them to tell their story,” she says. “[Whatever] their walk of life, they have that seed of hope in them that things will get better. We spark that seed of hope and it takes us to where we’re trying to get to obtain safe, truly affordable housing that’s accessible for anyone and everyone. Housing is a human right.” ■ Ann-Derrick Gaillot is a freelance journalist and writer based in Missoula, Montana Courtesy of INSP North America / International Network of Street Papers 4 DENVER VOICE January 2022
WINTER WISH LIST NEW ITEMS NEEDED: Socks Reusable water bottles Sunscreen, toothpaste, deodorant, chapstick Paper products for the office GENTLY-USED ITEMS NEEDED: Men’s shoes or boots (sizes 8-12) Men’s jackets (sizes L, XL, XXL) Women’s jackets (sizes M, L, XL) Hats or beanies Blankets Gloves BRIAN AUGUSTINE I would like to reconnect with people who were quarantined. To remember that we need to get along. We aren’t treating each other with respect and forgiveness. The anger that is just wrong. Please don’t let your frustrations take over the reality of your life. Oh yeah, I’d also like to win the Powerball. RAELENE JOHNSON I hope I can be helping my fellow worker to help them sell better. I want to help anyone who is lost to get help. If I’m the best person I canb e, then others can see my honesty in wanting to help them. If you help others, you will find your life will be fulfilling. Happy New Year! Be the best you! JERRY ROSEN My wish is to do more sales for the New Year and to do a much better job in many ways. In addition, I wish for better health and to prosper in many ways. ASK A VENDOR THIS COLUMN IS A PLACE FOR DENVER VOICE VENDORS TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS FROM OUR READERS AND STAFF. Q What is your wish for 2022? A LANDO ALLEN I wish I could meet some of my goals. For one, I’ve been trying to save money to get my own house. I also am trying to finish getting my music done. I am also trying to sell more papers and make it through the winter. DENVERVOICE.ORG/VENDOR-NEEDS Drop-offs are accepted Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. or schedule a drop-off by emailing program@denvervoice.org. What do YOU want to ask? If you have a question or issue you would like vendors to discuss, please email community@denvervoice.org. January 2022 DENVER VOICE 5
LOCAL FEATURE HOW CHAOS BLOOMED BY CAT EVANS SOUTH BROADWAY IS AN EVER-EVOLVING, deeply rooted historical street – essential to the spirit of Denver. Along its length, you will find almost anything you can imagine: a vast array of vintage stores, coffee shops, plant havens, restaurants, and bars — both new and old — where the public can enjoy late nights, early mornings, and everything in between. Among the many emerging businesses calling Broadway their home, there’s one, in particular, you don’t want to miss – Chaos Bloom Theatre. The off-center, quirky Chaos Bloom Theatre, located at 70 S. Broadway, is a creative space where people perform comedic improvisation and can take courses to prepare them for virtually any stage. Chaos opened its doors in mid-2021 and has been firing on all cylinders ever since. This is no ordinary theater, however. Each room at Chaos Bloom, down to its turfcovered bathroom, is done with intention. A customized mural of the Denver skyline rests between the stage and the teaching rooms located at the further end of the building, reminding each passerby of the city in which they are experiencing. This unusual design, detail by detail, was pioneered by one of the four current owners of Chaos Bloom, Amey Goerlich, who within the past year, took creative control. The performing arts deal with major gender disparity within leadership positions, and it is dramatically skewed toward men. The opportunities for a woman to step in, call the shots, and be the face of creative establishments are far and few in between. According to womenarts.org, women “face enormous employment discrimination in the arts and media.” Time will tell how this will shift, but for now, Chaos has handed the reins to a woman with a vision. Goerlich began her theatrical career in 2001 at Upright Citizens Brigade in New York. She performed with them until 2016, when she moved to LA to teach at Westside Comedy. She did that for three years until COVID came and everything shut down in Los Angeles. “I knew I wouldn’t survive off just teaching online,” said Goerlich, explaining why she and her husband were on the hunt for a new opportunity. Serendipitously, Justin Francin, a co-owner at Chaos Bloom, reached out to Goerlich and asked her to come to Denver to be the director of training. The classes Goerlich now offers vary by level/intensity – beginner and onward. A sketch comedy 101 hybrid class costs $125 for six weeks. In the class, sketch comedy basics, include content, editing, script structure, and page to performance transformation. Chaos Bloom also offers various types of training. According to Goerlich, “It’s a different type of training than you can get anywhere else. I built my own curriculum and asked myself questions like how can I make this the most entertaining.” All classes range from $100-$200 and last about six weeks. A full array of their educational offerings can be found on their website, chaosbloom.com. “Given the opportunity to create an entirely new curriculum that was inclusive was a huge opportunity. I don’t think a lot of women in improv get that opportunity.” From the ground up, Goerlich assisted in developing the space that so many would soon call home. For months, CREDIT: CAT EVANS 6 DENVER VOICE January 2022
LOCAL FEATURE CREDIT: CAT EVANS CREDIT: CAT EVANS Goerlich worked for free, along with all other willing bodies that tirelessly pieced everything together until Chaos Bloom opened as the unique space it is today. “The more time I spent here, the more Justin started to see how I could change things on every level,” said Goerlich. With nothing but Additionally, the ongoing pandemic has necessitated a time, amidst a pandemic standstill, Goerlich began organizing finances while shows began happening outside throughout the summer as a sort of preamble to the official opening of the building itself. Improv shows were a roaring success, initially being held in an alley down the block, each night filled with eager observers fresh off the heels of the first COVID lockdown. As a result of her hard work, Goerlich became a co-owner. Two more owners were also included to collaborate and build something new. “We put our very specific skillsets together in order to build what it has become. It’s like a lowgrade Meow Wolf in here,” said Goerlich. Speaking on the impact of COVID and the success of the theater, Goerlich expressed gratitude toward the time that the pandemic provided. “I used the time to organize everything, and we’ve got to a place where it’s a really oiled, maintained machine, and we keep it up.” She is also grateful for the vaccine mandates, as it they have helped to relieve health concerns about a smaller space filled with unfamiliar bodies. “Now I know that when people walk in here, they’re vaccinated. Now I know that everyone will be safe.” need for this sort of entertainment. “I think we have stifled ourselves from laughing because of all these issues going on,” said Goerlich, “We need that release. For me, I have to have that outlet. We all need that outlet.” Most people discover Chaos Bloom Theatre by word of mouth. “We have people in the neighborhood coming in all the time. You rarely see an improviser in the audience, it’s always just random people. Then people become regulars, and they keep coming back and bringing friends.” Every week there are different shows and classes. “Relationsh*t” is a flagship show where the Chaos Bloom players interview someone from the audience about a weird or awkward date that they’ve been on. “Last night we had to turn people away because we were so packed,” said Goerlich. “Every show the audience is engaged with the performers, the space is intimate and immediate and welcoming to all. It’s nice to see people come back out again.” The theater is constantly working toward inclusivity, diversity, and bringing new people in. As Goerlich explained, “We are in schools, we are outside. We are trying to get people on stage where people can be watching and say, ‘Oh, that person is like me.’ There is much emphasis on what voices you can and cannot use as a performer, fine lines as to what is appropriate and what is not. and those expectations do not waver. We’ve got to show people we can do this, and then do it better.” The performers and teachers are nationally trained, ranging from New York to LA, to Chicago – each hub represented. “The improv, the comedy, the sketch – it’s all high level. My curriculum provides the tools for someone to step up and play at high levels,” said Goerlich. This up-and-coming theater has only just begun. The vibe of the room when sitting amongst peers engaging in laughter and relatability is unmatched. For more information on the theater, show times, class scheduling and pricing, visit chaosbloom.com. ■ CREDIT: CAT EVANS CREDIT: CAT EVANS CREDIT: CAT EVANS January 2022 DENVER VOICE 7
LOCAL STORY KIFLU POURS COFFEE AT NETWORK COFFEEHOUSE. KIFLU SAID HE COMES TO NETWORK COFFEEHOUSE BECAUSE IT HELPS HIM STRETCH HIS SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY PAYMENTS FURTHER. NETWORK ALLOWS HIM TO HAVE A GROUP OF FRIENDS AND A PLACE TO HANG OUT THAT DOESN’T COST HIM ANYTHING. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN COMMUNITY IS THE SERVICE: Network Coffeehouse Reopens After Being Shut Down Due to Pandemic BY GILES CLASEN NETWORK COFFEEHOUSE is built on community. It is a place designed to care for those experiencing homelessness by offering a place to sit together, play cards, share stories, eat some food, and drink coffee. “Network is what I would call a hospitality house,” said Ryan Taylor, director of Network Coffeehouse. “It’s an invitation for folks living on the street, that oftentimes aren’t welcome elsewhere, to experience kinship.” For an organization whose primary service is community, shutting down due to COVID forced them to rethink how to provide to those who relied on them. “People were coming to us pretty quick in March of 2020 and saying they did not have food, so we started coordinating with churches and other agencies to be a food source,” Taylor said. No one was allowed in the building, but every Monday through Saturday, the small nonprofit provided sack lunches. On cold days, they pulled together a hot lunch to serve. “It was a real gift in so many ways because we got to partner with people that we wouldn’t typically partner with,” Taylor said. Network was able to reopen the doors to their coffeehouse in November and is once again serving coffee and comfort to anyone who needs it. Danny, one of Network’s frequent guests before and after the pandemic forced Network to close, said he was happy to be back. “People look down on us, but what they don’t realize is that they’re one step away from being homeless themselves,” Danny said. “This is a place that supports us and doesn’t look down on us. It is important to have that care.” Another guest, Sophrina, said she had been coming to Network for years and missed it during the time it had to be closed. “I’ve been living on the streets since I was 12 because bad things happened to me,” Sophrina said. “There is really nowhere else to go. [Network] gives you hot showers. I like talking with people playing games and coloring the coloring books.” Sophrina then began to cry as she tried to tell friends her homeless encampment had recently been swept by the City of Denver. She lost her phone, tent, blanket, and clothes. She wasn’t sure how she would survive if the weather turned cold before she could replace them. Sophrina was embraced in a hug by Kimberly, another Network guest. They hugged for several minutes until Sophrina was comforted. CASEY TALKS WITH FRIENDS AT NETWORK COFFEEHOUSE. CASEY HAS BEEN COMING TO NETWORK FOR AS LONG AS HE CAN REMEMBER BOTH WHILE HE WAS HOMELESS AND AFTER FINDING PERMANENT HOUSING. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN 8 DENVER VOICE January 2022
LOCAL STORY KIMBERLY COMFORTS SOPHRONIA AT NETWORK COFFEEHOUSE. SOPHRONIA HAD LOST ALL OF HER POSSESSIONS DURING A RECENT SWEEP OF A HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT BY DENVER POLICE. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN Kimberly, who came to Network for the first time after the coffeehouse reopened, shared her story and assured Sophrina that she wasn’t alone. “I ended up kind of homeless and am staying with my nephew,” Kimberly said. “I am trying to make my way to Houston where my daughter lives.” Kimberly came to Denver after her house in Simla, Colo. became infested with mold. She planned to live out of her car until she could deposit her VA disability check. Instead, Kimberly’s car, wallet, and ID were stolen, stranding her in Denver. Kimberly is working on replacing her ID. In the meantime, she comes to Network every day. “This place is great,” Kimberly said. “Having breakfast and cup of coffee and support. There isn’t a lot out there. Having a whole social network is amazing and so important.” While Network was closed, the organization tried to relieve some stress and need by contracting to have a portable toilet in the parking lot available to those living on the streets. “The porta potty company didn’t like us much. Everybody in the company said, ‘We’d rather not work with you,’” Taylor said. At times, the toilet became very dirty from use. Then, during the 2020 protests, the portable toilet was burned to the ground. Losing the toilet to protestors didn’t bother Taylor, other than losing the service the toilet offered. “In the capitalist society, material shit is seen as higher value than a human being because profit comes before people,” Taylor said. “[Society] is often more focused on material possessions being taken or destroyed rather than the root cause of a person’s suffering. We focus on the person here.” A GUEST AT NETWORK COFFEEHOUSE PLUGS HIS PHONE IN TO CHARGE. NETWORK DOESN’T PROVIDE MANY DIRECT SERVICES OR GOODS, JUST SMALL MEALS, COFFEE, AND SHOWERS. BUT THE SUPPORT, THE NETWORK IS THE POINT. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN The new mask mandate that went into effect on November 24 has changed a few things at Network. All volunteers must wear a mask at all times. Guests are invited to wear masks, but like at restaurants, they aren’t required to when eating or drinking. Taylor hopes the mask mandate will slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus and allow places to stay open. According to Casey, Network’s focus on creating an inviting, supportive environment is why he has been a regular for over a decade. He began visiting when he was experiencing homelessness. He has continued to visit even after getting an apartment through Volunteers of America and disability checks through Social Security. “I wish I could work. I wish I had a job and the security that goes with that,” Casey said. “I appreciate that I have this place to come to every day. Without it, it is a lot harder to have friends and have support.” Network doesn’t provide many direct services or goods, just small meals, coffee, and showers. But the support – the network – is the point. “We celebrate when people get housed. We celebrate when people get resourced. We celebrate when people get sober. But we want to see these relationships continue over time, and we want to see people coming back,” Taylor said. To Taylor, it is obvious why Network sees guests return even after they have found permanent housing. “There’s a reason they’re coming back. This is the space that they feel welcome,” Taylor said. “Denver is a landscape where there’s not a lot of welcoming places. The uniqueness of our joint is that we focus primarily pretty much exclusively on the work of relationship.” ■ January 2022 DENVER VOICE 9
LOCAL STORY manager. Ironically, he adds that his two-year-old daughter was able to get hers through the mail. Siddiqi said he tried going to his case manager’s office to retrieve the documents, but the strategy turned out to be both unsuccessful and expensive. Each trip came with small purchases like a two-way bus fare that Siddiqi said just resulted in more waiting. The same is true of other tasks like shopping and running errands, Siddiqi adds. Every trip eats a little more out of the family’s bottom line. “Now, I call and call and it just seems like no one is ever there,” Siddiqi said. “We’re not the kind of people who ask for or take charity, but they’re all so busy with all of the other people that are coming here that it’s really causing a problem.” One of the logjams was created after President Joe Biden swiftly raised the refugee ceiling to 125,000 per year after former President Donald Trump had lowered it to 15,000 during his last year in office. This increase lifts the ceiling to levels not seen since 1994, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute. However, the funds needed to bolster the stability service pipeline arrived much later than the Afghan evacuees. President Biden signed a bill on December 3 that allocated $7 billion for resettlement programs. States like New York started investing their own funds to help settle the evacuees shortly thereafter despite former Afghan citizens starting to flow into the country in mid-August after the country’s government collapsed. Siddiqi is one of the more than 1,000 evacuees that made it to Colorado so far, according to data from the Colorado Refugee Services Program. Since the state typically accepts three percent of the national resettlement figures, Colorado could welcome another 1,000 evacuees by the end of the year. Maria Farrier, Development Manager at ACC, said many CAPTION: AHMAD SIDDIQI (BACK RIGHT) AND HIS FAMILY IN A PUMPKIN PATCH IN BROOMFIELD, COLORADO. CREDIT: AHMAD SIDDIQI LEFT BEHIND Some Afghan evacuees feel left behind as Colorado resettlement agencies face housing shortages and swelling caseloads BY ROBERT DAVIS AHMAD SIDDIQI, 35, struggles to do nothing. But after his family relocated to Broomfield, Colo from Afghanistan following the government’s collapse in August, it seems that nothing is all he can do these days. After spending nearly two decades as an interpreter connecting U.S. military officials with members of the former Afghan government, Siddiqi says coming to America solved a lot of problems for his family. But, like many of the Afghan evacuees that have already resettled in Colorado, Siddiqi says the warm welcome is quickly fading as Colorado’s initial stability service pipeline struggles to deliver the benefits his family needs to grow roots in their new community. “It gave me a lot of hope to come here to the United States,” Siddiqi said. “But now when I look to the future, it’s kind of opaque.” Siddiqi received a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) from the State Department for his service in Afghanistan. The SIV makes him eligible to receive $500 in monthly federal cash payments as well as health, housing, and food benefits. But accessing these benefits has proven to be harder than Siddiqi initially thought as Colorado’s three resettlement agencies—The International Rescue Committee of Denver (IRC), Lutheran Family Services of the Rocky Mountains (LFS), and the African Community Center of Denver (ACC)—are all face swelling caseloads amid a statewide housing shortage. Resettlement agencies act as liaisons between federal agencies and refugees who qualify for their assistance upon their arrival. They also help people like Siddiqi navigate bureaucratic processes to obtain identification, licenses, and employment. One critical part of their work is to help Afghan evacuees like Siddiqi obtain a Social Security Number (SSN) so they can access additional federal benefits and apply for a federal work permit. However, Siddiqi says he has struggled for more than two months to obtain his SSN from his case resettlement agencies received short notice of the Afghan evacuees’ arrival, which has made it difficult to secure temporary housing for incoming folks. She says ACC is experimenting with a co-hosting model where the agency connects volunteer hosts with Afghan evacuees and their families to help drive down wait times. Private donors have also helped to secure some housing arrangements, she adds. But the high volume of resettlement cases is already thinning out the agency’s scarce resources, Farrier adds. For example, according to the agency’s annual report, ACC welcomed more than 1,200 community members last year, including 70 refugee families and another 55 SIVs, all with a budget of approximately $2.7 million, the lowest it’s been over the last four years. Farrier adds that the agency was already on pace to increase its number of families served in 2021 because COVID-19 caused many former clients to return for additional housing or employment services. “So far, it’s been really challenging,” Farrier said. Floyd Preston, a program manager at Lutheran Family Services in Colorado Springs, echoed Farrier’s sentiments to The Colorado Springs Gazette. He said his organization is struggling to keep up with housing demand because rentals are becoming hard to find in the “hot” housing market. LFS is even asking its private landlord partners for some flexibility on rental payments from refugees. The IRC did not return multiple requests for comment on this story. Despite the current challenges, state economists found that more than 76 percent of the refugees and immigrants who come to Colorado experience “high integration” within the first four years of their arrival, meaning they were able to find employment, place their children in school, and attain health care, among other social measures. 10 DENVER VOICE January 2022
PAGE TITLE But the logjam for services is impacting the everyday lives of Afghan refugees like Siddiqi. Since his wife, Hoira, doesn’t speak English yet, Siddiqi says the family is surviving on federal cash benefits and another “few hundred dollars” of food stamps until he can find employment. And little decisions seem to add up quickly. Siddiqi said that after his daughter spent $40 on books at a recent school fair, he and his wife skipped a meal at the end of the month to balance out the expense. These dilemmas seem to be cropping up more frequently, too, Siddiqi says. Even though the family received a “generous” amount of donation from Broomfield community members upon their arrival, Siddiqi knows it won’t last long once they move out of the home they are currently sharing with a local police officer and his wife. Siddiqi said his family hopes to move out of the house soon but finding a reasonable rental home has been “next to impossible.” Broomfield’s average rent for a two-bedroom apartment is close to $1,800 per month, according to data from real estate website Point2Homes. This means people like Siddiqi need to find a job that pays at least $72,000 annually to not be considered housing burdened or spend more than 30 percent of their monthly income on housing expenses. However, Colorado’s most recent Refugee Integration Survey and Evaluation (RISE) report, found that immigrant and refugee households in the state average between $700 and $999 in weekly earnings during their first four years. If Siddiqi found a job at the high end of the average income range, he would still be paying approximately 45 percent of his monthly income on housing. The mismatch between local wages and housing costs is one of the “structural barriers” identified by researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2019 that can cause immigrant and refugee families to experience chronic poverty. Siddiqi says he’d like to work in communications, or anywhere where he can make enough money to cover the rent and a few upcoming expenses. He says he wants to become a citizen, but first, he must get over the hurdle of getting a green card, which includes a $1,200 application fee. “It’s one thing to get people out of Afghanistan, but then when you get here, you basically get nothing,” Siddiqi said. “I’m really getting tired of it. I just think to myself, maybe this is all they can do for me?” ■ BEING A CHILDV. beRt All summer, we frolicked in the water sprinklers cooling off from the dry heat, no concern about drinking from the outdoor hose. All summer, we played on lush green lawns, never worried about weed killer on our bare feet. All summer, we had deep brown suntans, not using any sunscreen or fears of exposure to the scorching orb above. All summer, we bounced a tiny red ball playing jacks, shooting marbles on dry dirt, and hopscotch on the colored chalked sidewalk of squares. All summer, we heard the latest Beatles vinyl from our neighbor’s patio on their portable record player. All summer, when the sun had gone down, we waited for the Mister Softee truck, cooling off with their soft serve ice cream, twisted chocolate and vanilla dipped in a rainbow of colored sprinkles on a cake cone. All summer, we never had a care in the world, no planning for the future, just having fun as a child. WRITING THROUGH HARD TIMES COURTESY OF DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY AND LIGHTHOUSE WRITERS WORKSHOP OSHA BEAR A COLORADO CHILDHOOD Always looking Westward “Red” burnt across the valley The Canyon winds through seasons Simple places In a wooded hiding spot The crunch of snow silent in a Mountain Lions cry the scent of juniper and pine Aspen trees glisten in quivering communication journeys through lapping water Nature’s breathe humming quietly The noise of the city still feels foreign unforgiving bumpy Highways wrapping around each other like spider webs Snow caps ascend The boys discuss How much powder there will be to glide down the slopes Night glistens In Moonlight and countless stars Summer fills with soaked tires and flip-flops littering the creek Books calm the restlessness of rainy afternoons In the midst of candle lit evenings Thunder rattles the house. The click of hooves comes with surprise 10 year old excitement in capturing a pair of frightened horses. The smell of roasting chills signals an abundant Saturday morning The bustling of bright baskets filled with farmers delights. Laughter fills the air in the abundance of beautiful food. The Hard Times Writing Workshop is a collaboration between Denver Public Library and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. It’s open to all members of the public, especially those experiencing homelessness. Each month, the Denver VOICE publishes a selection of writing from these workshops. Virtual workshops: lighthousewriters.org/workshop/denver-public-library-hard-times More writing by these featured poets: writedenver.org AN AFGHAN WOMAN SITS OUTSIDE AT A PROCESSING CENTER FOR REFUGEES EVACUATED FROM AFGHANISTAN AT THE DULLES EXPO CENTER NEAR DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA. CREDIT: REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE January 2022 DENVER VOICE 11
IN YOUR OWN WORDS RAELENE JOHNSON. CREDIT: CORTNEY TABERNA BRIAN AUGUSTINE. CREDIT: JESSE BORRELL SELF, IT’S A NEW YEAR BY RAELENE JOHNSON, VOICE VENDOR HAPPY NEW YEAR, SELF. We get to start over again in this new year, with no bad stuff. Forget last year. If you feel you messed up, you get to do it over and be better this new year. Self, don’t beat yourself up because you feel last year was not right for you. Let it go. A new year means you got to do better this year. Look forward. Do not dwell on last year. It’s a new year to be a better self, a more caring and loving self. Self, you always look forward; not back. You can’t change the past, but you can always change your future. So, Self, I’m wishing you the best new year ever. Remember, Self, only you can change you, and only you can help others this year. So, Self, be the best you can be this year! ■ LEFT TO RIGHT: JEROME COTTON, ALVIN COTTON, JOHN ALEXANDER. CREDIT: JUSTIN CANALES REST IN POWER, ALVIN “MUSTAFA” COTTON BY ELISABETH MONAGHAN, MANAGING EDITOR THE DENVER VOICE COMMUNITY recently lost one of our vendors, Alvin “Mustafa” Cotton, who died of COVID in December. A brother of long-time vendors John Alexander and Jerome Cotton, Mustafa joined the VOICE in 2011. We will share more about Mustafa in a future issue. All of us at the VOICE extend our love and condolences to John, Jerome, and the rest of their family members. ■ LOSING A DEAR FRIEND BY BRIAN AUGUSTINE, VOICE VENDOR TODAY, A REALLY GOOD FRIEND DIED. He was a Vietnam vet. Tried to live the best he could. I became his medical proxy. Because he didn’t have a lot of friends, I count myself lucky to be one of them. Until he met me, he felt very lonely. I was able to get him to eat better. But, years of malnutrition and smoking took more than I could help him replace. As his proxy, I had to make the final decision. One I hated. But, knew it was best. He couldn’t keep his oxygen level. He was in pain. So, I sent him to hospice, knowing he would leave quickly. He died at 6:37 Sunday night... Three days before his 74 birthday. I really wanted him to see that day. He just wasn’t going to make it. To Patrick Hagan, he gave his all to life. Gave as much to God. As I cry with my loss, I struggle with guilt, for my signature ended his fight and pain. I just don’t know if I caused his death prematurely. He knew that I cared for him in life and will care for his remains. Make sure everyone you care about hears the word from your heart to lips to their ear into their hearts. ■ FREE ADDICTION SUPPORT FOR DENVER RESIDENTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR FINANCIAL HARDSHIP (855) 539-9375 WeFaceItTogether.org 12 DENVER VOICE January 2022
EVENTS WOLFHAWK COMEDY SHOW We all need a laugh after the holidays. Come check out this weekly comedy show and LOL to your heart’s content. WHEN: Mondays, 8 p.m. COST: $10 WHERE: Chaos Bloom Theatre, 70 S. Broadway INFO: facebook.com/ChaosBloomTheater 23 27 31 COOKING ON-DEMAND Whether you’re looking to make empanadas, pierogies, fondue, quiche, or tapas, this online library of cooking classes will make your tummy growl. In-person classes available as well. WHEN: Anytime WHERE: Online COST: $35 INFO: theseasonedchef.com/cooking-on-demand 51 56 60 64 THE BI-AGENDA: A COMEDY SHOW FOR THE SILENT MAJORITY Every month, comedians will gather for laughter and connection in a welcoming space for all. WHEN: Jan 14, 8:30 p.m. COST: $12 WHERE: The Wide Right, 2100 Curtis St. INFO: widerightdenver.com 67 61 57 62 65 68 36 40 44 45 46 52 53 58 63 66 69 32 37 41 47 54 59 48 55 28 33 24 29 34 38 42 49 25 30 35 39 43 50 26 COURTESY OF DEBORAH LASTOWKA PUZZLES 1 13 16 19 17 20 21 2 3 4 14 5 6 7 8 15 18 22 COURTESY OF STREETROOTS ANSWERS ARE ON PAGE 15 9 10 11 12 ACROSS DOWN 1. Casual greeting 4. Runs in neutral 9. Crime boss 13. PC core 14. Plunder, old-style 15. Australian horse ARTIST TALK WITH JASON MORAN Jason Moran’s exhibition Bathing the Room with Blues, currently on view at MCA Denver, presents artworks that celebrate jazz history and the importance of music and performance in Black culture and American life. Hear about Moran’s journey as an artist at this intimate event. WHEN: Jan 15, doors at 5 p.m., talk at 6 p.m. WHERE: The Holiday Theatre, 2644 W. 32nd St. COST: $10 - $35 INFO: mcadenver.org/events 16. Bill of ___ (legislative act punishing a person or group without trial) 18. Chipped in 19. Trumpeter Armstrong 20. Like winter weather (but not often in Portland) 22. Overwhelming emotion 23. ___ to oranges 25. More marshlike 27. British rule in colonial India 28. Calendar square 30. Pasta toppings 31. Burgle 33. ___ chi (martial art) 35. Store posting (Abbr.) 36. Illicit trading 40. ___ Wednesday 41. Con opposite 42. “Absolutely!” 44. “Not a ___!” 47. Campaigner, for short 49. In-flight info, for short 51. Knight of the Round Table 54. Sacrificial figure 56. Fraction of a joule 57. Autocrats of old 59. Native New Zealander 60. Accused’s need 62. Units of memory 64. Mixer 65. Flip over 66. Colony member 67. Graceful bird 68. Euripides drama 69. Sign before Virgo 1. Like time, speed, and temperature 2. Satisfactory 3. Prearranged conspiracy 4. Opened or closed, as a lens aperature 5. Animal house 6. Boys 7. Balances (out) 8. Goatlike mammal of Asia 9. Campbell’s container 10. Proposed Asian language family 11. Tiny 12. Doctor’s ___ 15. Guidepost 17. Afflict 21. Lavatory 24. Messenger bags 26. University president who introduced the use of standardized test scores in Harvard admissions 29. Tibetan beast of burden 32. Sauvignon ___ 34. Babysitter’s handful 37. Hardly a hedonist 38. Dadaist Jean 39. Stay dry 43. Compound used in plastics 44. Soccer shoes 45. Vegetarian restaurant on Hawthorne 46. Chest pain 48. Sorority letter 50. Blueblood, informally 52. Caulk on a wooden ship 53. Baloney 55. Beam of light 58. Husky burden 61. Container 63. Half and half CATALYST SERIES FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE: THE POWER OF STORYTELLING In this interactive webinar, Kali Fajardo-Anstine will discuss her book, Sabrina & Corina, and discuss storytelling as a way to retain history and promote social justice. Attendees will then engage in an interactive creative writing activity, led by Fajardo-Anstine. WHEN: Jan 20, 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Online COST: Free, but participants must register online INFO: socialwork.du.edu/events January 2022 DENVER VOICE 13 PUZZLE COURTESY OF STREET ROOTS, DENVER VOICE’S SISTER PAPER IN PORTLAND, OR PUZZLE COURTESY OF STREET ROOTS, DENVER VOICE’S SISTER PAPER IN PORTLAND, OR
DONOR LIST WE LOVE OUR DONORS! WHEN YOU SUPPORT THE DENVER VOICE, YOU ARE HELPING SUPPORT HUNDREDS OF HOMELESS AND IMPOVERISHED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE WORKING TO REALIZE SELF-SUFFICIENCY THROUGH EARNING A DIGNIFIED INCOME. YOUR GIFT MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS. HERE, WE LIST THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN $500 AND MORE IN THE LAST YEAR. DENVERVOICE.ORG/DONATE $25,000+ The NextFifty Initiative John & Laurie Mcwethy Charitable Fund $10,000+ Kenneth King Foundation Denver Foundation Max & Elaine Appel The Christian Foundation Rose Community Foundation - CMP $5,000 - $9,999 CHFA Direct Effect Anschutz Family Foundation $1,000-$4,999 BNSF Railway Foundation Jerry Conover Bright Funds Jill Haug Key Renter Property Management Meek-Cuneo Family Fund Matthew Seashore & Nikki Lawson Russell Peterson Phoenix Capital, Inc. Sustainable Housing and Development Foundation Mary Walker Walker Family Foundation Pivotal Energy Partners Whole Foods Foundation Signs by Tomorrow Michael Dino Energy Outreach Colorado SEI Giving Fund Colorado Credit Union Foundation Mr. Paul Manoogian Josh Kauer Creating Healthier Communities Kroger Network for Good Charities Aid Foundation of America Gaspar Terrana Patrick Hagan Jim Ashe The Sidney B. & Caleb F. Gates Jr. Fund Matthew Rezek Patrick & Jan Rutty Megan Arellano Audrey Chumley Donald Weaver Christopher Boulanger $500-$999 Betty & Warren Kuehner Lighthouse Writer’s Workshop, Inc. Community Health Charities Dave and Julia Watson Michelle Stapleton & James Thompson Fire on Mountain Paul Hoffman Michael J. Fehn & Jan Monnier Lori Holland Jill Haug Travis & Meggie Ramp Alistair Davidson Jim and Nancy Thomas Jennifer Seybold Sheryl and John H Parker Susan B. Jones Maggie Holben Elsbeth Williams Michael Vitco Catherine Hegedus Christine Muldoon and Pete Iannuzzi James Stegman 3M Foundation 10X Business Consultants SEMOptimize Laura Wing Eileen Di Benedetto Katherine Standiford Ridley Mcgreevey and Winocur Charles and Jennifer Thornton-Kolbe Jennifer Stedron Stephen Saul Matthew Deller Erin Bowers SPONSORSHIP LEVELS THE DENVER VOICE’S ANNUAL SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT LEVELS PROVIDE BUSINESSES LIKE YOURS THE OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST IN WORK EMPOWERMENT, HOMELESS PREVENTION, THE CHALLENGING OF COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS, AND TO BE A PART OF PROVIDING OUR COMMUNITY WITH QUALITY AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE THROUGH OUR WRITERS AND VENDORS – AN INVALUABLE PART OF DENVER’S COMMUNITY. YOUR INVOLVEMENT WILL HELP HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING POSITIVE ACTION TO COMBAT HOMELESSNESS AND IMPOVERISHMENT. AS A SPONSOR, YOU HAVE A WAY TO REACH OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND GIVE SOMETHING BACK AT THE SAME TIME. ANNUAL SPONSORSHIPS BENEFITS INCLUDE YOUR LOGO LISTED ON OUR WEBSITE HOMEPAGE, MONTHLY AD SPACE IN OUR PAPER, AND SPECIAL EVENT PERKS FOR YOU AND YOUR EMPLOYEES ALL YEAR LONG. IT’S A GOOD DEAL FOR A GOOD CAUSE, AND YOUR GIFT IS 100% TAX-DEDUCTIBLE! ABOVE THE FOLD: $5,000 • One complimentary full page ad in the newspaper ($1,000 value) • Table of 10 and Sponsor recognition at annual Rise and Thrive Breakfast (200 attendees) • Sponsorship recognition at our annual Pints Fighting Poverty event (200 attendees) • Business logo highlighted on website homepage, and in the Above the Fold Sponsorship list • Logo highlighted in our annual report, along with logo in quarterly support feature of the paper GALLEY: $2,500 • One complimentary half page ad in the newspaper ($600 value) • Table of 10 and Sponsor recognition at annual Rise and Thrive Breakfast (200 attendees) • Sponsorship recognition at our annual Pints Fighting Poverty event (200 attendees) • Business logo highlighted on website homepage, and in the Galley Sponsorship list • Logo highlighted in our annual report, along with logo in quarterly support feature of the paper HONOR BOX: $1,000 • Table of 10 and Sponsor recognition at annual Rise and Thrive Breakfast (200 attendees) • Sponsorship recognition at our annual Pints Fighting Poverty event (200 attendees) • Business logo highlighted on website homepage, and in the Honor Box Sponsorship list • Logo highlighted in our annual report, along with logo in quarterly support feature of the paper FLY SHEET: $500 • Two complimentary tickets to our annual Pints Fighting Poverty event ($50 value) • Business logo highlighted on website homepage, and in the Fly Sheet Sponsorship list • Logo highlighted in our annual report, along with logo in quarterly support feature of the paper 14 DENVER VOICE January 2022
RESOURCE LIST FOR HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS IN DENVER DENVERVOICE.ORG/RESOURCE-LIST DIAL 211 FOR A MORE COMPLETE LIST OF RESOURCES IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR FOOD, MEDICAL CARE, SENIOR SERVICES, YOUTH PROGRAMS, COUNSELING, EDUCATION, SHELTERS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, HOLIDAY ASSISTANCE, AND MORE. EMAIL EDITOR@DENVERVOICE.ORG WITH CORRECTIONS OR ADDITIONS. FREE MEALS AGAPE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 2501 California St., Sat., 11am CAPITOL HEIGHTS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 1100 Fillmore St., Sat. lunch at 11:30am capitolheightspresbyterian.org CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY SERVICES Go to mealsforpoor.org for meal locations CATHEDRAL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION 1530 Logan St.; sandwiches & coffee Mon.-Fri. 8:30am denvercathedral.org CHRIST’S BODY MINISTRIES 850 Lincoln; Mon. closed, Tues.-Thurs. 10am-3pm, Fri. 8am-11pm; groceries & hot meal on Sat. at 2pm (at 16th & York); Sun. church service at 6pm, dinner at 7pm. christsbody.org CHRIST IN THE CITY Home-cooked meal; Civic Center Park at Colfax & Lincoln at 1pm every Wed. & 2nd Sat. christinthecity.org CITYSQUARE DENVER 303-783-3777, 2575 S. Broadway; Food pantry Tues. 10am-6pm citysquare.org CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY SERVICES Hot meals served at 1820 Broadway (in front of Trinity United Methodist Church), Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. 11:45-12:15 mealsforpoor.org DENVER INNER CITY PARISH 303-322-5733, 1212 Mariposa St., VOA Dining Center for Seniors, free 60 yrs and older, Wed.-Sat. 9am-12pm. Food Bank, Wed.-Fri., tickets at 9am, food bank open 10am-12pm. dicp.org DENVER RESCUE MISSION 1130 Park Avenue West, 3 meals 7 days/week: 5:30am, 12pm, 6pm 303-294-0157 denverrescuemission.org FATHER WOODY’S HAVEN OF HOPE 1101 W. 7th Ave. 303-607-0855. Mon.-Fri. 7am-1pm. Not open weekends. Breakfast is at 8am, and lunch is served at 11am frwoodyshavenofhope.org FEEDING DENVER’S HUNGRY Food service on the second and fourth Thurs. of each month; locations found at feedingdenvershungry.org/events.html FOOD NOT BOMBS Wed. 4pm/Civic Center Park facebook.com/ThePeoplesPicnic HARE KRISHNA TEMPLE 1400 Cherry St., free vegetarian feast on Sun., 6:45-7:30pm krishnadenver.com HIS LOVE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH 910 Kalamath, community dinner on Thurs., 6-6:45pm, men’s breakfast 1st Sat. of the Month, 8-10am, women’s breakfast 2nd Sat., 9-11am. hislovefellowship.org HOLY GHOST CATHOLIC CHURCH 1900 California St., sandwiches, Mon.-Sat., 10-10:30am holyghostchurch.org JORDAN AME CHURCH 29th and Milwaukee St., Tues. lunch 11:30am-1:00pm jordanamedenver.churchfoyer.com OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES 1567 Marion St., Sat. morning breakfast: 8am, Sun. dinner (required church attendance at 4:30pm) meal served at 6pm. 303-830-2201 odmdenver.org/home ST. ELIZABETH’S Speer Blvd. & Arapahoe St. on Auraria campus, 7 days/week, 11:00am; food, coffee. stelizabethdenver.org ST. FRANCIS CENTER 2323 Curtis St., Wed. & Fri. 3-4:30pm (except third Wed. of each month). sfcdenver.org ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN 1600 Grant St., Street Reach meal Mon. 1-4:30pm. Grocery room open at 11:30am every Mon. saintpauldenver.com ST. PETER AND ST. MARY 126 W. Second Ave., dinner at 6 on Tues. 303-722-8781 stpeterandmary.org SAME CAFÉ 2023 E. Colfax Ave. Restaurant serving mostly organic food—not free, but pay what you can or work off your meal in the kitchen: Open Mon.-Sat., 11am to 2pm, Closed Sun. & holidays, 720-530-6853 soallmayeat.org SENIOR SUPPORT SERVICES 846 E. 18th Ave. 3 meals, Mon.-Fri. 7am-7pm; Sun. 11am-4pm. 55+ seniorsupportservices.org/programs URBAN OUTREACH DENVER 608 26th St., Thurs. dinners, 6pm-7pm lovedenver.org VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA 2877 Lawrence St., breakfast (8am), lunch (11:30am), dinner (5pm) Mon.-Thurs., 12pm on Fri., 1pm on Sun. Food & clothing bank 9:30am-4pm Mon.-Thurs. voacolorado.org/gethelp-denvermetro-foodnutrition-themission CAREER SERVICES COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY CENTER Level 4, Denver Central Library, 14th Ave. & Broadway. 720-865-1706. Hours: Mon. & Tues. 10am-8pm; Wed., Thurs., Fri. 10am-6pm; Sat. 9am-5pm & Sun. 1-5pm; FREE services include computer/internet use, wifi, computer classes, job search/resume classes and one-on-one tech help appointments. denverlibrary.org/ctc THE WESTSIDE ONE-STOP CAREER CENTER Denver Department of Human Services, 1200 Federal Blvd., Mon.Fri., 7:30am-4:30pm; Services include: employment counseling, assisted job search, résumé preparation, job/applicant matching, phone bank for calling employers, access to computers, copiers, fax, etc. careercenteroffices.com/center/231/denver-westside-workforce-center MEDICAL & DENTAL SERVICES ACS COMMUNITY L.I.F.T. CareVan at Open Door Ministries, 1567 Marion St., Tues. 9am-12:30pm DENVER HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER 303-436-6000, 777 Bannock St. denverhealth.org HARM REDUCTION ACTION CENTER 303-572-7800; 112 E. 8th Ave.; Mon.-Fri., 9am-12pm. HIV/Hep C/ Gonorrhea/ Chlamydia testing available. Our services are restricted to active IV Drug Users. Offers clean syringes to active users, as well as safety training on how to properly dispose of dirty syringes. harmreductionactioncenter.org LIVER HEALTH CONNECTION 1325 S. Colorado Blvd., Suite B302. Resources and support for those affected by Hep C. Free Hep C testing offered. 800-522-4372, info@hepc-connection.org, liverhealthconnection.org INNER CITY HEALTH CENTER 303-296-1767, 3800 York St. Mon., Wed.-Fri. 8am-5pm; Tues. 9am-5pm; Sat. 8am-2pm. Emergency walk-ins. SALUD CLINIC 6075 Parkway Drive, Ste. 160, Commerce City; Dental 303-286-6755. Medical 303-286-8900. Medical Hours: Mon.-Wed. 8am-9pm, Thurs.-Fri. 8am-5pm; Sat. (Urgent Care only) 8am-5pm; Dental Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm; Pharmacy Hours: Mon.-Fri. 1-5pm; After Office Hours: 1-800-283-3221 saludclinic.org/commerce-city STOUT STREET CLINIC 303-293-2220, 2130 Stout St. Clinic hours for new and established patients: 7am-4pm Mon., Tues., Thurs., & Fri. The clinic is open Wed. 11am-7pm. coloradocoalition.org/healthcare SUNSHINE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH (YOUTH SERVICES) Services for youth facing substance abuse, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions. 833-931-2484 sunshinebehavioralhealth.com VA MEDICAL CENTER 303-399-8020, 1700 N Wheeling St., Aurora va.gov/find-locations/facility/vha_554A5 WORKNOW 720-389-0999; job recruitment, skills training, and job placement work-now.org DROP-IN & DAYTIME CENTERS ATTENTION HOMES 303-447-1207; 3080 Broadway, Boulder; contactah@attentionhomes.org. Offers safe shelter, supportive programming, and other services to youth up to age 24 attentionhomes.org CITYSQUARE DENVER 303-783-3777; 2575 S. Broadway; Mon.-Thurs. 10am-2pm, Denver Works helps with employment, IDs, birth certs; mail services and lockers citysquare.org FATHER WOODY’S HAVEN OF HOPE 303-607-0855; 1101 W. 7th Ave.; Mon.-Fri. 7am-1pm. Six private showers & bathrooms, laundry, lunch & more thoh.org THE GATHERING PLACE 303-321-4198; 1535 High St.; Mon., Wed.-Fri. 8:30am-5pm, Tues. 8:30am-1:30pm. Daytime drop-in center for women, their children, and transgender individuals. Meals, computer lab, phones, food bank, clothing, art programs, GED tutoring, referrals to other services, and more. tgpdenver.org HARM REDUCTION ACTION CENTER 303-572-7800, 231 East Colfax; Mon.-Fri. 9am-12pm. Provides clean syringes, syringe disposal, harm-reduction counseling, safe materials, Hep C/HIV education, and health education classes. harmreductionactioncenter.org HOLY GHOST CATHOLIC CHURCH 1900 California St., help with lost IDs and birth certificates holyghostchurch.org HOPE PROGRAM 303-832-3354, 1555 Race St.; Mon.-Fri. 8am-4pm. For men and women with HIV. LAWRENCE STREET COMMUNITY CENTER 2222 Lawrence St.; 303-294-0157; day facility, laundry, showers, restrooms, access to services homelessassistance.us/li/lawrence-street-community-center OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES 1567 Marion St.; Mon.-Fri. 7am-5:30pm. Drop-in center: bathrooms, coffee/tea, snacks, resources, WIFI odmdenver.org ST. FRANCIS CENTER 303-297-1576; 2323 Curtis St. 6am-6pm daily. Storage for one bag (when space is available). Satellite Clinic hours- Mon., Tues., Thurs, Fri. 7:30am-3:30pm; Wed. 12:30-4:30pm sfcdenver.org SENIOR SUPPORT SERVICES 846 E. 18th Ave. For those 55 and older. TV room, bus tokens, mental/physical health outreach, and more. seniorsupportservices.org SOX PLACE (YOUTH SERVICES) 2017 Larimer St. Daytime drop-in shelter for youth 12-30 years old. Meals, socks, clothing bank, personal hygiene supplies, internet access, intentional mentoring and guidance, crisis intervention, referrals to other services. Tues.-Fri. 12-4pm & Sat. 11-2pm. soxplace.com THE SPOT AT URBAN PEAK (YOUTH SERVICES) 2100 Stout St. 303-291-0442. Drop-in hours Mon.-Fri. 8-11am. If you are a youth aged 15-20 in need of immediate overnight shelter services, please contact 303-974-2928 urbanpeak.org/denver/programs-and-services/drop-in-center URBAN PEAK (YOUTH SERVICES) Youth 14-24 in Denver and Colorado Springs. Overnight shelter, food, clothing, showers, case workers, job skills and training, ID and birth certificate assistance, GED assistance, counseling and housing. 730 21st St. 303-974-2900 urbanpeak.org January 2022 DENVER VOICE 15 DON’T LOOK NOW! PUZZLES ARE ON PAGE 13
WHAT DO WE DO TO HELP? Since 2007, the VOICE has provided jobs for more than 4,600 people experiencing homelessness. For every dollar we take in, we put $3.00 directly back into the pockets of those who need it most. WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN DO MORE. SCAN THIS CODE TO SET UP YOUR DONATION TODAY! DENVERVOICE.ORG/DONATE
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