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
9 Publizr Home