$ 2 SUGGESTED DONATION @DenverVOICE TORN DOWN, NOT AS THE CITY OF DENVER CONDUCTS A SWEEP ON FOUR WINDS, PLANS FOR A SAFE OUTDOOR SPACE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE BUILDS STEAM. PAGE 6 MAKING A DIFFERENCE WITH MUTUAL AID MONDAYS OVER THE LAST YEAR, MUTUAL AID MONDAY AT CIVIC CENTER PARK HAS BLOSSOMED INTO ITS OWN UNIVERSE OF SUPPORT FOR THE UNHOUSED. PAGE 8 A HISTORY OF HOMELESSNESS IN DENVER NEITHER HOMELESSNESS NOR ITS IMPACTS ON DENVERITES ARE NEW TO THE MILE HIGH CITY. PAGE 10 “RUNWAY” TO STABILITY THE U.S. IS URGED TO BOOST HOUSING FOR HOMELESS YOUTH. PAGE 4 VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY PAGES 3, 5, 11, 12 EVENTS / PUZZLES PAGE 13 RESOURCES PAGE 15 OCTOBER 2021 | Vol.26 Issue 10 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: CREDIT: GILES CLASEN
EDITOR’S NOTE ELISABETH MONAGHAN MANAGING EDITOR RECENTLY, the City and County of Denver decided to close Civic Center Park for at least two months, due to unsanitary and unsafe conditions throughout the park. No one wants to be in a popular gathering place that is littered with used needles, rodents, or human waste, but the park’s closure also means that a variety of programs and food distribution for those who frequent or live in the park will also be paused. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Denver VOICE Contributor Paula Bard has spent much of her time volunteering for mutual aid organizations and coordinating services for those at Civic Center Park. I asked Bard to write about her efforts and those of other volunteers at the Park over the past several months. PAULA BARD: MY EXPERIENCE WITH CIVIC CENTER PARK I walk Civic Center Park weekly inviting folks to come eat with us on Mutual Aid Monday, when we offer home-cooked meals to the hundreds of folks congregating in the park. This outreach has given me a good sense of the community and what some of their needs are. As the delta variant became more threatening in late summer, I organized four vaccine clinics with the Denver Department of Health. We got 31 people vaccinated and aim to do more. After witnessing two (truly life-altering) overdoses in the park, I organized NARCAN training with the Harm Reduction Center for all the volunteers serving those in the Park. So, when we witness an overdose, we can step in, administer NARCAN, and hopefully, save a life. Finding pregnant women living on the streets has been especially disturbing for me. I connected with Nurse Family Partnership, which offers medical and housing support to women through their pregnancy and during their first years of parenthood. This kind of support is crucial and enables women to care for their babies through this vulnerable time. This is what I love about mutual aid organizations. Citizens can step up and offer the help that is needed. It has been a great privilege for me to be able to coordinate all of this. ■ DENVERVOICE.ORG CE.ORG October CONTRIBUTORS PAULA BARD is an award-winning fine art photographer, writer, and activist. She lives on a mountain top southwest of Denver. 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 award-winning freelance reporter for the Denver VOICE. His work has also appeared in Colorado Public Works Journal, Fansided, Colorado Journal, and Medium.com. 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 PHOTOGRAPHERS/ILLUSTRATORS Paula Bard Giles Clasen WRITERS 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 4,000 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. John Alexander Paula Bard Rea Brown Giles Clasen Robert Davis D. Glorso Habeel Harney Raelene Johnson Jerry Rosen BOARD OF DIRECTORS Nikki Lawson, President Michelle Stapleton, Vice President Jeff Cuneo, Treasurer Zephyr Wilkins, Secretary Chris Boulanger Donovan Cordova Raelene Johnson @deeOCE 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 October 2021 STAFF CONTRIBUTORS BOARD CONTACT US
VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY OUR Streets: SHARON BY PAULA BARD “I’VE BEEN OUT ON THE STREETS SINCE ’90. Thirty years, off and on. I’m 51 now. It started with domestic violence. I felt more secure out here with my friends. I’m from Pine Ridge, Oglala Sioux Tribe. I was adopted. I wasn’t raised in my heritage. I was raised by white people. I was taken from my mom. Well, my grandmother, and she got to a point where she was getting old enough, she couldn’t take care of me, so she gave me up, she chose, okay. She wanted me to have a good life. She knew if I would have stayed up there, I probably would have been dead. Nobody’s really paying attention to where I was. She was too old. And I, you know, I appreciate so much that she did that. My mom, she was young, she had two kids. My dad passed away the day before I was born. But I met her, and I met my real family. They’re all passed away now, they’re all gone. I did have a good life. My adopted family gave me a really good life, and they were white. I grew up in Nebraska. And, they were always encouraging me to get ahold of my family. I’m still meeting family, I have a big family, big extended CREDIT: PAULA BARD family, I wasn’t raised around them. So, I’m learning right now, all this stuff, and it’s so exciting for me. Who my people are, what they’re standing for. But I am a person that likes to be happy and positive, and I think it’s because I have been hurt a lot, you know, and let down. So, I think that’s what keeps me going. My sister’s out here. My sister’s working with me, and I can’t leave her by herself. She was adopted, too. Yeah, so we’re both, we, you know, we’ve been through a lot. Because we lived in two worlds. We’re not afraid. We can help each other out. Yeah, that’s the only way we’re gonna get to anything in life; work together. You know, nobody hears about the Native women who have been killed. I know it’s like we’re not important, and like I was saying, if you’re on the street you don’t exist. You know, we were robbed. Our land. We’re going to keep going on and be strong, no matter what. Others want to cry about what happened to them. I can’t say I was there when our ancestors were there, but still, they taught us how to be strong, be who you are, no matter what.” ■ OUR Streets are stories of Denver’s unhoused residents as captured by Paula Bard, who walks the streets of Denver to photograph the faces and collect the stories of those our city has abandoned. 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. October 2021 DENVER VOICE 3
NATIONAL STORY ‘RUNWAY’ TO STABILITY: U.S. URGED TO BOOST HOUSING FOR HOMELESS YOUTH BY CAREY L. BIRON Transitional housing programs are seen as filling a critical gap for the country’s 4.2 million unaccompanied homeless youths, but the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development began to deprioritize such programs in 2012. DASH LEFT HOME WHEN SHE WAS A TEENAGER, after a rough patch with her parents when she came out as gay, eventually landing in the shelter system in Anchorage, Alaska. The shelter was a safe and helpful space, she said, but it was also chaotic and difficult to study as a first-year college student - with three people to a room and constant coming and going, everyone kept their personal belongings in lockers. So, after a few months, she applied to a program that felt tailored to her needs: time-limited “transitional” housing where she would have her own living space, along with help preparing for a more permanent housing situation and a stable life. “Having that quiet space and little desk in my room, I was really able to focus,” Dash, who asked to use her first name to protect her identity, said in a phone interview. “It was helpful to just think and reflect on life but still have the option to communicate with other young people and the staff.” Transitional housing programs are seen by backers as critical, filling a gap at a key point in the lives of the country’s 4.2 million unaccompanied homeless youth. But the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) began to deprioritize such programs in 2012, said Barbara Duffield, executive director of SchoolHouse Connection, which advocates for homeless young people. The agency instead shifted focus to shorter- and longerterm housing, Duffield said, leaving out the many homeless youths who need more help than can be offered through emergency programs but do not have the chronic problems that would require permanent housing. “There’s a slogan ‘housing ends homelessness,’ but it doesn’t really, if young people don’t have what they need to stay in housing and be economically independent,” she said. The pandemic has redoubled that need, Duffield said, pointing to a rise in young people being separated from their families due to lack of employment, evictions, and other economic factors. A spokesperson for HUD did not respond to requests for comment. The department has previously pointed to research finding that transitional housing is “generally more expensive and achieves similar or worse outcomes than other housing models serving similar populations.” ‘BREATHING ROOM’ Duffield and others are hopeful they can turn federal policy on the issue under the new Biden administration, including through proposed legislation that would give local authorities greater flexibility in supporting homeless youths. “The effects of homelessness on a child can last a lifetime,” said Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin, a co-sponsor of the bill, the Homeless Children and Youth Act, in a statement. PEOPLE CAMP OUT ON THE STEPS OF THE U.S. CAPITOL TO HIGHLIGHT THE UPCOMING EXPIRATION OF THE PANDEMIC-RELATED FEDERAL MORATORIUM ON RESIDENTIAL EVICTIONS, IN WASHINGTON, U.S., JULY 31, 2021. REUTERS/ELIZABETH FRANTZV “It is in all of our interests to ensure that vulnerable kids get a roof over their heads in a safe and stable environment. Common-sense reforms, like offering more transitional housing, will help do just that.” That position is backed by new data published in June that examined all young people who exited the U.S. transitional housing programs run by Covenant House International in 15 cities over a year. The findings were highly encouraging, said David B. Howard, who oversees research for the non-profit: nearly three-quarters moved into stable housing, and 69% were employed or in school. Such findings suggest the approach can be an important “runway” to independence, he said. “It’s giving breathing room for that young person to know they’re going to have the time to dig in and figure things out,” he said. That can be particularly important for those who have been in the traditional foster care system and who typically “age out” at 18, Howard noted. In the Covenant House study, the average length of stay was about seven months, but Howard said the data suggests that even shorter stints can be significant. The constricted timeframe also encourages more concerted effort than a permanent model, he said. “It’s meant to be part of a transition, so let’s use the time to really focus in on what the issues are that need to be addressed.” ‘SEISMIC’ SHIFT Covenant House has been able to maintain its transitional programs since the 2012 policy change with additional effort, Howard said. Yet many homeless service organizations rely on HUD funding for some 60% of their budgets, according to the June report. It quoted one Virginia provider as characterizing the change as “seismic”, prompting a quick shift away from transitional programs, eliminating case managers, and more. The change made it “very challenging” to keep transitional programs alive, said Deborah Shore, founder and executive director of Sasha Bruce Youthwork, which runs six such programs in Washington. The move has also hurt youth homeless services more broadly, said Shore, who has worked in the field for 45 years: “Youth programs, which were having trouble competing anyway with the adult system, have had a much harder time competing for any funds.” She said the Covenant House findings comport with their own internal assessments. “If you stay in homelessness for long ... you transition into a long-term way of life. We’re doing everything we can to avoid that,” she said. Today in Anchorage, Dash is doing the same: Five years on, she is back at Covenant House, now working with teens seeking safety and stability. Her time in the transitional program was key in helping her learn how to be on her own, she said - how to budget money, purchase a vehicle and eventually move into an apartment. “I know a lot of other young people who went through the program (and are) becoming better versions of themselves,” she said. “Prior circumstances don’t define who we are.” ■ Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo 4 DENVER VOICE October 2021
AUTUMN 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 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 favorite autumn memory? A RAELENE JOHNSON When I was younger, I would love to go into the woods and play in the colorful leaves. I also would climb trees to look at the colors from the treetops. My sister and I loved to gather piles of leaves and jump in them. We also loved collecting the leaves and making pictures with them. Fall is always a beautiful time of the year! JERRY ROSEN My favorite autumn memory is seeing the beautiful fall colors on the East Coast. The colors are really beautiful, with orange, red, and purple. Autumn is when the weather gets cooler. It is my favorite time of year. REA BROWN My fondest fun in fall I fail to find the first flowing frenzy of it all for sure the fantastic 24 or more flies or soars on floors twice as tall though fading walls fence my ALL to recall I will say it was that day fraught with unbelievable awe I promised I would never forget the events and the things I saw sleep walking in wonderland with a band of friends and no law the lightest night or dimmest day no finer sight to look away flanked by feelings of disobey yet to make time stand still I could pray to stay spellbound and amazed with my fella’s from crate plays and bad fades repeating don’t focus on the fire face even if the moon took His place it’s to far for your eyes to chase the eclipse. But that might not have been Autumn JOHN ALEXANDER 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. My favorite autumn memory each year is literally every day of the entire season. Like today, which is part of a new month that is already half over. Summer is gone, and in a matter of days – a few weeks at most – the colder weather will be here. When the cold does arrive, it will take us all into the reality experienced by many of the homeless, who will be trying to keep warm, wishing for warmer clothes they don’t have, living in tents and make-shift beds to sleep in on the ground, out in the cold, etc., etc., etc. But today is another beautiful day, and then, as is the case right now, I will have the memories of all the people enjoying this day. What do YOU want to ask? If you have a question or issue you would like vendors to discuss, please email community@denvervoice.org. October 2021 DENVER VOICE 5
LOCAL FEATURE CREDIT: GILES CLASEN NATIVE AMERICAN ENCAMPMENT IS TORN DOWN AS SOS FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE BUILDS STEAM BY GILES CLASEN IT FEELS DISCRIMINATORY Late into the night on Aug. 30, individuals packed all of their worldly belongings outside Four Winds American Indian Council while inside, others prepared for a protest. Nearly a week earlier, the City of Denver had posted notices that on Aug. 31, the City would remove all items obstructing the sidewalk and do a coordinated cleanup around the Four Winds buildings. In short, Denver planned to sweep the area of those experiencing homelessness. “It feels discriminatory,” said Mateo Parsons, a board member at Four Winds American Indian Council, who is also Apache, Yaqui, and Tarahumara. “We’re being targeted because we decided to stick up for these people and give a microphone to their voice.” The grounds of Four Winds had become a communal camping site offering safety and support for Native Americans experiencing homelessness. Considering it part of their mission to serve all Native people, Four Winds chose not to discourage camping on the sidewalks around their property. The nonprofit even provided water and food, as well as extension cords to charge electrical devices. Four Winds helped take care of the campsite and maintain its cleanliness. Most importantly, Four Winds helped build a community for Native Americans experiencing homelessness in Denver. SEEKING COMPASSION Once the notice about the sweep went up, Four Winds quickly sought to stop the sweep. They spoke regularly with city officials in the days leading up to it. The Four Winds board and members of the Denver Native American community even scheduled a Zoom meeting with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock the day before the sweep in a last-minute attempt to convince him the homeless community at Four Winds needed to be seen differently from other homeless encampments. According to Parson, Four Winds was hopeful about the call. After all, Hancock had marched with the Native community in the past. 6 DENVER VOICE October 2021 Those in the meeting pleaded with Mayor Hancock to recognize the sweep would impact Native Americans camping on Native-managed land. Seeking compassion, they pointed out that the Native community disproportionately experiences poverty, Parsons said. They also discussed how two previous sweeps at Four Winds had caused a reshuffling of tents, but the unhoused individuals returned and would likely return. Hancock refused to relent. The sweep would go on. PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND US City officials cited the start of school in August as a major factor for sweeping the campsite, which was six blocks from the Denver Center for International Studies, part of Denver Public Schools. Denver police arrived early in the morning on Aug. 31, armed with paintball guns loaded with PepperBalls and other crowd disbursement weapons. They faced a peaceful protest from the Native community. Some held signs and flags; others played a drum and chanted. The camp was quickly cordoned off with a chain-link fence, and within hours, the campsite dissolved.
LOCAL FEATURE Some who were displaced were offered 14-day motel vouchers upon moving, while others moved their tents off the sidewalk and onto the Four Winds property. “People don’t understand us,” said Sharon, a Native American experiencing homelessness and camping on the sidewalk in front of the Four Winds American Indian Council. “They see a problem. But we are Natives on our Native land. We care for this land.” Sharon said the community built at the Four Winds was irreplaceable. “If someone takes my stuff [during a sweep], or I lose it, it is just materialistic stuff I can replace,” Sharon said. “If I lose my family, my sisters I live with out here, I can’t replace them.” A SYMPTOM OF BIGGER PROBLEMS According to Renee M. Chacon, a protestor at the sweep on Aug. 31, sweeps of homeless American Indians from Four Winds is another act of inequity and trauma. Chacon, a Diné, Xicana, and Filipina woman, is the co-founder of Womxn from the Mountain and the youth program development leader at Spirit of the Sun. She also is running for a seat on the Commerce City Council. “Our system isn’t broken but is working as designed to choke out and flesh out disproportionately impacted communities,” Chacon said. Chacon understands how easy it is for Native Americans to end up without a home. She has experienced homelessness, as have other members of her family. Her brother died while living on the streets. Chacon also said she thinks the City should use the money it spends on sweeps to find housing for those experiencing homelessness. “There are so many stories of us dying from systemic neglect and dying from systemic violence because the City won’t acknowledge and address these issues with adequate funding,” Chacon said. “Instead, the Mayor and the City want to sweep away the homeless, who are nothing more than a symptom of much bigger problems.” There are many guesses as to how much each sweep costs the City of Denver, but so far few absolute answers. Community activist John Staughton told the Denver Channel that his audit of the sweeps suggests each sweep costs around $21,000. In an article that ran in January 2021, The Denver Post used invoices to calculate the cost of homeless sweeps in 2020, estimating the total to be more than $400,000. By mid-2021, Denver has already surpassed the total number of sweeps completed in 2020. If Staughton’s audit is accurate, the City has also surpassed the total amount it spent on sweeps in 2020. Chacon views the money the City puts toward the sweeps as ineffective. “The City simply doesn’t care about investing in the health and safety of all the people of Denver, the poorest people of Denver,” Chacon said. “Elected officials only care about those who pay property taxes and bring economic benefits to the City.” NATIVE-PREFERENCE SAFE OUTDOOR SPACE Mateo Parsons is hoping this will be the last sweep at Four Winds because the organization is working with Colorado Village Collaborative and the City of Denver to set up a Safe Outdoor Space for indigenous people experiencing homelessness. Safe Outdoor Spaces are sanctioned campsites within the city of Denver for individuals experiencing homelessness and managed with 24/7 staffing by Colorado Village Collaborative. Plans for a Native-preference SOS are in the early phases, but Parsons has been encouraged by the response from city CREDIT: GILES CLASEN officials and is hopeful the site can be up and running within three months. It wouldn’t be the first public housing facility created in the U.S. specifically for Native Americans. California has begun creating housing for Native Americans managed by Native Americans as part of Project Homekey, a partnership between Los Angeles County and the State of California to convert buildings into permanent, long-term housing. Seattle is also building a housing facility specifically for homeless and low-income indigenous people. The Native American SOS does not seek to be a permanent housing facility like the Seattle and California programs. Instead, it would provide a first step from homelessness and create a new level of security for those living on the street. Originally as part of the Denver pandemic response, other Safe Outdoor Spaces in Denver have been successful. Still, according to Parsons, any sanctioned campsite for Native Americans seems a long way off. RESPECTING NATIVE “LIBERATED ZONES” To Parsons, the sweeps at Four Winds feel targeted against Native people. He cites two previous sweeps at Four Winds. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN No white campers received citations during these sweeps, while some Native American campers did receive them. Also, one Native American camping at the site was arrested and eagle feathers, which he used in Native ceremonies, were confiscated by police. Four Winds declares itself an American Indian “liberated zone” and may be the only communal Native land in Denver. It was founded after the Rocky Mountain Lutheran Church Synod Council gave two buildings to the Native Community of Denver. This act was inspired after Lutheran leaders visited the site of the Sand Creek Massacre. Parsons views the gift as part of the Land Back movement, which is a drive to return land taken from Native people during colonization. While Parsons acknowledges the idea of a liberated zone carries no special legal protections, he believes the land should be viewed as something sacred and that it should be respected by city officials. The land shouldn’t be barricaded and cordoned off by police. The way Parsons sees it, “[the City of Denver] is using the legal mechanisms and tools at their disposal to force us off our land in a new way.” ■ CREDIT: GILES CLASEN October 2021 DENVER VOICE 7
LOCAL STORY MUTUAL AID MONDAY BY PAULA BARD Vans pull up to the far southwest corner of Civic Center Park on Mondays around 3 p.m. Volunteers begin unloading big pots and pans brimming with home-cooked ribs and slow-cooked chicken, mac and cheese, ham, rice and beans, sandwiches, cakes, cookies, and fruit. Folding tables are unfolded, and boxes of clothing and multiple water containers are set up. This is the scene of Mutual Aid Monday: home-cooked meals, lifesustaining supplies, and services for up to 200 people. IT ALL STARTED WITH WALL OF MOMS Last summer Jess Wiederholt, a mother of seven, came out to protest racism and police brutality. She joined the Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd and Elijah McClain died at the hands of the police. She joined thousands of other outraged citizens all over the country, hitting the streets in the summer of 2020. Wiederholt joined the Wall of Moms, a group seeking to protect the protestors. Out on Denver’s streets, the Moms came face-to-face with what she referred to as the city’s “ugly treatment of the unhoused.” Together, they discovered a world in crisis and found a new community in the protests. They began offering support to the folks living in the tent encampments that were being decimated by the City’s early morning displacements, euphemistically called by the City “cleanups” or “sweeps.” They brought coffee at 5 a.m., as the police threw up chain link fences in the dark. The Moms then helped move unhoused folks when the dump trucks threatened to scoop up all of their worldly belongings. Wiederholt’s stereotypes quickly fell away, as she discovered that everybody has a story. CREDIT: PAULA BARD CREDIT: PAULA BARD 8 DENVER VOICE October 2021
LOCAL STORY “I would have one couple in my van for a number of hours, trying to find them a new place to set up their camp,” Wiederholt explained. “That was my chance to get to know them. You know their life, how they got homeless and what their immediate needs are. I was very humbled, and realized truly who our unhoused neighbors were.” A Buddhist nun and member of the Kadampa Meditation Center of Denver, Kilsang virya, came to Denver initially to help care for her granddaughter, now eight years old. Kelsing also got involved with the Wall of Moms and made connections with the community that was built around the protests. She watched as the increase in the unhoused population led to as many as three or four sweeps per week upon homeless encampments. Horrified at the city’s police brutality and treatment of the unhoused, she began showing up to sweeps at the crack of dawn, moving folks to safety in her van. Along with a large contingent of supporters, she has been showing up to offer support since the summer of 2020. EVOLUTION OF MUTUAL AID MONDAY The original Wall of Moms has grown into a sizable civic support system. Mutual Aid Monday spun off when the group showed up for Denver City Council meetings on Mondays, where the Moms voiced their concerns with Denver’s treatment of its unhoused. In early November 2020, they began feeding the folks in Civic Center Park. They brought clothing and built carts, heaters, and eventually swamp coolers. They brought personal care items, backpacks, tarps, and tents. Kelsing, along with many others, now spends her Sundays baking sweetbreads and cooking enormous pots of nourishing food to serve on Monday afternoons. Over the last year, Mutual Aid Monday has blossomed into its own universe of community support for the unhoused. Members still speak to the City Council about conditions on the street. The volunteer food line serves home-cooked meals to up to 200 folks in one afternoon. Blaire Sagan, master of a mean buzzcut, sets up a haircut stand weekly. An acupuncture clinic called Natural Highs offers trauma treatments. Massage and beauty treatments are offered on spa days, complete with facials and a rainbow of nail polish choices. CREDIT: PAULA BARD Four vaccine clinics have been offered this summer in collaboration with the Denver Department of Public Health. The Harm Reduction Center has collaborated with mutual aid volunteers on NARCAN training to support the crises of overdoses. Carol Funk reliably sets up her COVID testing tent every week. Nurse-Family Partnership has recently gotten involved, offering support to those who are pregnant. Recently, the mutual aid groups introduced the game of chess and began hosting epic poetry readings. They also started offering workshops for those in need of an ID or who wish to receive their GED. The cart builders have grown into a separate organization, aptly named Scrap Works. By nature, mutual aid groups provide a place for citizens to step up and offer what they can and what is needed. “I guess, like a lot of folks, I just trusted that our elected officials were doing the right thing.” – Jess Wiederholt Citizens know best what their neighbors need, and they reach out with solidarity, not charity. Mutual aid groups have been springing to life all over the country since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Kelsing and Wiederholt, linchpins of Mutual Aid Monday, hold the view that the community is fully capable and will offer what is needed. They have made ample room for the community, and the community is energetically stepping up. ■ CREDIT: PAULA BARD CREDIT: PAULA BARD October 2021 DENVER VOICE 9
LOCAL STORY A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF HOMELESSNESS IN DENVER: THE EARLY YEARS BY ROBERT DAVIS HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY were not new phenomenons in the U.S. when Denver’s first camps formed along the Platte River in 1858. Almost as soon as gold was discovered, land speculators arrived. These speculators then monopolized powers to distribute the land, leaving those who arrived without means to continue living in squalor. In turn, the speculators formed a government and thereby enshrined a system of incentives and punishments that rewards property ownership at the expense of seemingly transient residents. At the same time, Denver’s institutional approach to poverty and homelessness was solidified. The needs of those who are perceived to “pay for” municipal services are held above the needs of other groups like renters and people experiencing homelessness. Despite these events, a flame of reverence for the poor existed within many early settlers, primarily among women and the pious. However, the will of that community was slowly eroded by the forces of industry as the settlement grew to become a city. “PORT IN THE PRAIRIE SEA” Historians Stanley Dempsey and James Fell Jr. described early Denver as the “port in the prairie sea” in their book, “Mining the Summit: Colorado’s Ten Mile District, 1860-1960.” Since only pan gold was found along the Platte River, the city thus became a resource hub for miners. Early businesses in Denver included farms, manufacturers, and supply stores. As a fledgling municipal corporation in 1858, the Denver Town Company established a series of incentives and punishments in its constitution that were meant to lure individuals to the town that could help it prosper. For example, company shareholders (who we would call property owners today) were given the power to elect town officials annually, vote on new taxes and fees, revise the company constitution, and receive donations of land and building materials from the company. They were also given access to two-thirds of the 600 parcels of land in the Denver Town Company’s portfolio. In return, Denver essentially served as an agent for the businesses who operated in the city. The company was responsible for maintaining public roads and infrastructure that helped bring resources into Denver for businesses to use. It was also responsible for all record keeping of shareholder transactions and approving the sale or purchase of company land, according to its charter. However, these benefits were not available to anyone who traveled to Denver. As with most towns in the U.S. at the time, bigotry and racism pervaded the West. Because of this, non-white residents were excluded from accessing Denver’s resources and thereby created generational wealth gaps between white Denverites and all other races that can still be measured today. Individuals who were allowed to become shareholders had to follow strict rules. Shareholders were required to build a 10 DENVER VOICE October 2021 CREDIT: MARKUS PETRITZ, UNSPLASH home or business within 60 days of receiving a donated lot from the company. Otherwise, the company’s charter deemed the lots were vacant and the individual’s shares would become null and void. The company also “assessed” (taxed) businesses to maintain its public infrastructure. People who did not pay these assessments within 60 days of receiving notice lost their land and their ability to participate in the company altogether. Denver assessed $1 on all males between the ages of 21 and 55 years old except those who were employed as miners or farmers. Gambling parlors and saloons were assessed at $2.50 per table. PROSPEROUS PEOPLE Despite stories of vast wealth being created in the Rocky Mountains, the promise of gold proved to be too little to attract people to Denver. So, the city’s early boosters offered to pay for up to $100 in building expenses to those who made the trek out west, according to an early article in the Rocky Mountain News. Historical wage data shows this $100 offer would have equaled two-thirds of an average worker’s annual wages in 1859 in states where Denver settlers commonly emigrated from like Georgia and Iowa. Within six months, the Rocky Mountain News reported that Denver had erected more than 150 homes with another 100 under construction. However, the deal was made available to the wealthy as well as the indigent, which resulted in some well-to-do individuals like banker Edward H. Thomas of the bank Green, Thomas & Co. using the funds to open a bank branch in Denver. Meanwhile, those who moved to Denver found its economy was unstable, at best. Denver’s economy was primarily driven by agriculture and mining — both of which were heavily reliant on technological advances in order to be productive. Early market reports from the Rocky Mountain News show the price of commodities like flour fluctuating by as much as 10 cents per pound over a six-month period. To that end, technology offered farmers the opportunity to produce crops at sustainable economies of scale and helped miners and manufacturers produce their products safer. According to an early directory of town residents, some settlers were also inventors. For example, Samuel Adams, an attorney from Des Moines, Iowa, was credited with inventing an “amalgamator” — a machine that combined mercury with silver to help extract silver more easily. Thomas Fortune of Atchison, Kansas, invented a “steam wagon” that was used on some mine tracks, and Charles Giles invented a stamp mill to refine quartz ore. Local historian Phil Goodstein says the imbalance between Denver’s population and its housing stock came to a head in the 1870s as the city was working to industrialize its economy. He wrote in his book “Denver From the Bottom Up: From Sand Creek to Ludlow” that Denver’s pursuit of railroads to bring more resources into town resulted in “shanties [popping] up” along the railroads and in warehouse districts “leading city hall to dismiss the section as a slum. Floods sporadically washed away homes and businesses.” This area became known as “The Bottoms” which was “a haven for newly arrived immigrants,” according to research in the Western Genealogy Newsletter from the Denver Public Library (DPL). “It would be an understatement to refer to many of these communities as hard-scrabble,” the research says. “Often, whole families suffered brutal winters in poorly constructed, unheated shacks, as they had little to no money for coal or other fuels.” WOMEN AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS While the number of people experiencing poverty and homelessness seemed to climb with Denver’s economic output, women and social organizations led the charge to provide relief. DPL highlights the work of Dr. Laura Bancroft and a group of other women that provided health care and medical services to the city’s poor. Poor people received treatment at places referred to as “poor houses,” according to the library’s research. These houses worked to augment the demand for the city hospital. Another early anti-poverty organization was the Ladies Relief Society. It was formed in 1872 by several ladies of the Trinity Methodist Church and run by Ella Vincent, who was the wife of the pastor, Bethuel T. (B.T.) Vincent. The group aimed to provide milk for infants, reading rooms, and homes for indigent elderly women. One member of the LRS that came to be a major figure in shaping early Denver’s anti-poverty efforts was Frances Wisebart Jacobs. Shortly after joining the ranks, she began canvassing the city and saw just how widespread poverty was in Denver. She then began to stress “soap above everything,” according to Goodstein. Eventually, Jacobs became a “onewoman social work corps” who also helped found Denver’s first free kindergarten, which served as a daycare center for working mothers. Early advocates of public education also sought to instill a culture where parents kept their children from living on the streets of Denver “whether through pride, poverty, or indifference,” according to an early edition of the Rocky Mountain News. The newspaper ran a few articles imploring the community to “help raise the children” when their parents proved incapable. Meanwhile, social lodges such as the Elks, Masons, Woodmen of the World, and Knights of Pythias served as the early social safety net for many settlers. For example, Denver had an especially strong Masonic presence, according to Goodstein. The temple included some of Denver’s most famous settlers such as territorial governor John Evans, William Byers of the Rocky Mountain News, real estate broker Walter Cheesman, and former Colorado Governor John Routt. However, not every race was represented equally among the social lodges, either. Goodstein found that only four or five social lodges catered to Blacks, Asian Americans, or
PAGE TITLE Catholics that lived in Denver at the time, despite there being nearly 70 other social organizations for whites. UNDERCURRENT WASHES OUT According to Goodstein, the numerous charitable and antipoverty organizations in Denver earned the city a national reputation for its social climate. In turn, Goodstein writes that other states would literally bus their impoverished to Denver to receive services. Several church congregations also banded together to help the city’s poor. Pastors such as Myron W. Reed, who preached at the First Congregational Church in Denver during the 1870s, would tell his well-to-do audience to support antipoverty causes, which can “quell revolutionary upheavals,” according to a report by the Rocky Mountain News. However, Denver’s robust social services system and the individualistic needs of an agrarian and domestic manufacturing economy didn’t mix well. This juxtaposition created an undercurrent of resentment against those who were seen as simply “emptying the stores” of supplies that other, more productive Denverites might need, according to news reports. Similarly, B.T. Vincent gave a sermon at Trinity Methodist where he said the only way to treat the “moral ill of poverty is with kindness.” However, one listener published a rebuttal in the Rocky Mountain News the following day saying the masses of Denver “are too matter-of-fact” to understand such abstract reasoning. Those who were successful saw the city as a testament to the human spirit. Founded some 500 miles from the Kansas Territory capital of Topeka, Denver was known as an outlaw’s paradise. An article from The Daily Herald sums up the views of many of Denver’s early settlers: “When we consider the numerous difficulties with which it has been necessary to contend — difficulty of access, of materials, and supplies — we doubt whether the Anglo-Saxon race, with all its boasted triumphs, has yet to achieve anything which compares to Denver City,” it reads. News reports suggest this sense of pride in Denver City pervaded the local business community at the time. Meanwhile, people in poverty emerged as tricksters who were perceived to be seeking the riches of the successful miners, manufacturers, and farmers. An obituary for a noted horse thief named “Pendergrast” accused the person of using “the guise of poverty” to defraud their victims. As one writer in the Rocky Mountain News so eloquently surmised: “If a person is too poor to support a government with taxes, then they are too poor to need government at all.” The same article continues: “Such persons can have no property worth protection, and the lives of such povertystricken individuals are never in danger, unless they should be the drunken brawlers of the streets of Denver.” Denver’s first property tax assessors were also told to exclude those who seemed to be so impoverished that it was unlikely that they could contribute any property taxes, which further added to the sentiment of distrust. Eventually the undercurrent that helped support Denver’s impoverished slowly settled as the expeditious needs of Denver’s industrious class continuously outweighed the social needs of the city’s poor. Some of the city’s first ordinances restricted the sale of bootleg liquor and gambling on the sidewalks, as they were a threat to more legitimized competitors. Following the economic downturns at the end of the 19th Century, Denver would work to instill a culture of industrious productivity among its people. To that end, Denver found champions in the moguls who molded the city into what it is today. ■ 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 HABEEL HARNEY IT’S JUST CRIMINAL I dreaded closing my eyes Not to be knowing I would miss anything But knowing I would have to wake to the same thing Eventually after the war Of who was in charge You latch shut with paddle locks Everything still echoing For there is no peace Blackness arrives with surprising comfort Silence followed creeping through the souls Still I am in darkness Why was I distill Waiting like patient capture For the blackness to command. WRITING THROUGH HARD TIMES COURTESY OF DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY AND LIGHTHOUSE WRITERS WORKSHOP D. GLORSO SMELL THE CLEAN AIR Smell the clean air of morning As the sun rises bright Morn no more When sorrow grieves the eyes Look away just for a moment Relax the tension in your mind Think of better times past Imagine a life of only good If one can think it Calm again is possible Listen for the calling of love Sweet acts of friendships past Can be repeated in the mind Believe in smiles ever so slight They carry with them hope Laughter needs parted lips Relax the jaws of pain Search the room for objects of joys The cup from which a lover drank Memories sparkle in the home When unity was the norm As with time the world will turn From grief to joys again October 2021 DENVER VOICE 11
IN YOUR OWN WORDS IT’S OKAY TO ASK FOR HELP! BY RAELENE JOHNSON, VOICE VENDOR I KNOW, SELF. Sometimes, we are a mess. Life can be hard. Sometimes, our Self believes that if we have to ask for help, we are weak. We’re made to feel like a fool. We’re told to suck it up, get over it. Self, if you are not happy with your life, no matter what you are going through, ASK FOR HELP! There should be no shame in asking. We all need help! No one can do life all alone .We need others in our life, and if the people around will not help you, or even care about what’s going on RAELENE JOHNSON. CREDIT: CORTNEY TABERNA with you, then they are not for you. Only true friends would want you to get help. When you don’t ask for help, you only suffer. You will stay trapped, and it will only get worse over time! Life can be great, but when you feel overwhelmed, or that joy is gone from Self, they you must ask for help! People around you are not mind readers. Asking for help is a great gift to Self, so ask for help! You are worth it. ■ FREE ADDICTION SUPPORT FOR DENVER RESIDENTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR FINANCIAL HARDSHIP (855) 539-9375 WeFaceItTogether.org Become a Denver VOICE subscriber and get the paper delivered directly to your mailbox every month. Both personal and business subscriptions are available. Your donation goes directly to support our program! 12 DENVER VOICE October 2021
EVENTS COURTESY OF DEBORAH LASTOWKA PUZZLES DENVER WALKING TOURS Set out on this popular urban walking tour, stopping to learn the history and stories behind the city’s top destinations and landmarks. Tour takes about 2 – 2.5 hours. WHEN: Daily at 10 a.m. COST: Pay-what-you-wish tipping model WHERE: Colorado State Capitol, 200 E. Colfax Ave. MORE INFO: denverfreewalkingtours.com PUMPKIN HARVEST FESTIVAL Celebrate the arrival of fall at this annual family-friendly event. Guests can enjoy live music, seasonal treats, axe throwing, tractor rides, pioneer games, and crafts. WHEN: Oct 1, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m., Oct. 2, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m., and Oct. 3, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. COST: $8 - 16 per person; children 6 and under are free. Advanced tickets purchases are strongly encouraged. WHERE: Four Mile Historic Park, 715 S. Forest Street MORE INFO: fourmilepark.org ACROSS ROOFTOP YOGA Reconnect with yourself at this donation-based, rooftop yoga class. Bring your own mat and water bottle – all levels are welcome! WHEN: Oct. 5, 12, 19 and 26, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. COST: By donation. WHERE: Briar Common Brewery + Eatery, 2298 Clay Street MORE INFO: facebook.com/briarcommon MUSIC IN THE GALLERIES: THE PATTERSON/SUTTON DUO Enjoy live music as you wander the galleries with performances by The Patterson/Sutton Duo at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. For the health and wellbeing of our community, all visitors ages 3+ are required to wear face coverings inside the museum. WHEN: Oct. 10, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. COST: Free with museum admission, $6 – $10 WHERE: Clyfford Still Museum, 1250 Bannock St. MORE INFO: clyffordstillmuseum.org HABLA SPANISH CONVERSATION CLUB This new Spanish Conversation Club is hosted by the Museo de las Americas. While it is intended for members of the museum, non-members can attend their first session for free to learn more and practice their Spanish! WHEN: Oct. 13 and 27, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. COST: No cost for members and first-time participants. WHERE: Wah Gwaan Brewing Company, 925 W. 8th Ave. MORE INFO: facebook.com/MuseoDenver 1. Like some hair 5. Scarecrow stuffing 10. Computer command 14. Certain cookie 15. “...there ___ such a clatter...” 16. Nile bird 17. The supreme Supreme 18. Lively baroque dance 19. Cold cuts, e.g. 20. Excessive 23. Process of elimination? 24. Common Market inits. 25. Roll out of bed 28. Beverages 30. Quarantine 32. Oolong, for one 33. “___ rang?” 34. Bar topic 35. Received Pronunciation 40. Baking measure 41. Beef au ___ 42. Balloon filler 43. Certain cryptocurrency 46. Louisiana language 49. Certain nursery rhyme runaway 50. Sundial figure 52. Lawn ornament 54. Entrenched 57. UN flight org. 59. Old Roman port 60. Sparkling wine of Italy 61. Mongrel 62. Golf course shouts 63. Portland college 64. At liberty 65. Poet Robert 66. Gaelic language DOWN 1. Inferior 2. “See you ___” 3. Evening prayer 4. National park in the Sierra Nevadas 5. It’s a long story 6. Biblical dozen 7. Scoundrel 8. Capital of Paraguay 9. Do some gardening 10. British fruitcake eaten at Easter 11. Instigations, for instance 12. By way of 13. Guinness suffix 21. Hindu queen (Var.) 22. “Give it ___!” 26. 2002 Winter Olympics locale 27. Church bench 29. Japanese writing system 31. Dearie 33. Word on a Ouija board 35. Bon mot 36. Current 37. Glare blocker 38. Feudal lord 39. Heavy pots and pans 40. “The Twilight Zone” network 44. Wild animal sometimes seen in Portland 45. It’s next to nothing 46. Dickens title pair 47. Less tight 48. Is melodramatic 51. Foreword, for short 53. Drop in pronunciation 55. Remove, as a hat 56. “...why ___ thou forsaken me?” 57. World banking grp. 58. Scoundrel COURTESY OF STREETROOTS ANSWERS ARE ON PAGE 15 October 2021 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 Anschutz Family Foundation $1,000-$4,999 BNSF Railway Foundation Bright Funds Russell Peterson Phoenix Capital, Inc. Signs by Tomorrow Energy Outreach Colorado SEI Giving Fund Matthew Seashore & Nikki Lawson Josh Kauer Creating Healthier Communities Meek-Cuneo Family Fund Kroger Network for Good Charities Aid Foundation of America Jim Ashe Walker Family Foundation The Sidney B. & Caleb F. Gates Jr. Fund Matthew Rezek Jerry Conover The Sidney B. & Caleb F. Gates Jr. Fund Patrick & Jan Rutty Sustainable Housing and Development Foundation Megan Arellano Audrey Chumley Mr. Paul Manoogian $500-$999 Betty & Warren Kuehner Lighthouse Writer’s Workshop, Inc. Community Health Charities Michelle Stapleton & James Thompson Michael Dino 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 Pivitol Energy Partners Donald Weaver Key Renter Property Management Eileen Di Benedetto 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 October 2021
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, 1055 Clermont St. 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 October 2021 DENVER VOICE 15 DON’T LOOK NOW! PUZZLES ARE ON PAGE 13
n fighting Pints poverty a fundraiser r 2 C 0 2 i - 1 o s P NOVEMBER 18, 2021 THURSDAY, 6-10 P.M. | STARTS AT STRANGE CRAFT BREWING The Denver VOICE’s annual Pints Fighting Poverty Pub Crawl is a fun opportunity to show support for those in our community experiencing homelessness and/or poverty, gain insight into the realities, and make an impact by helping us raise the funds to continue to provide economic, education, and empowerment opportunities for those we have the privilege of serving! Happening during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, the evening kicks off at Strange Craft Brewing with a special guest speaker, and includes three stops and a host of exclusive drink specials at some of Denver’s premier brewery and spirit locations! 100% of proceeds raised go toward our mission 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. DENVERVOICE.ORG/ PINTSFIGHTINGPOVERTY n u b r a w l e p
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