VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY OUR STREETS: NOPH BY PAULA BARD I OWN 30 ACRES UP IN BAXTER CREEK, behind Susanville, in California. We had a lightning strike, and fire started up on the mountain. It was the biggest, I believe it’s the biggest forest fire that’s ever happened in the United States. I had 30 acres; I watched it burn up in 30 minutes, I barely made it out alive, me and the fire crew. It was called the Sheep Fire; we lost an entire mountain. I actually borrowed a car to drive up here. And just broke down in Beaver, Utah. It was the first storm of the winter. It took me four days to get back here just to find out that I needed an alternator. I wound up homeless here, sleeping in a tent. The day after Thanksgiving. I’ve pretty much been stuck here ever since last November. And every time it seems like I come up, something happens to bring me right back down. I’ve had my wallet stolen, my ID stolen, I’ve had my pack stolen five times, two bikes stolen. Yeah, and it’s either go to eat and watch your bike or not eating. I mean, it was literally stolen right in front of Denver Rescue Mission, with cameras. I’ve moved around with the sweeps, four actual sweeps. I was on 22nd Street for a little while. I started moving a little further out, but that didn’t really make a big difference. I don’t do shelters because I have severe PTSD, hypervigilance. I have night terrors. Originally I’m from Michigan; I was born just outside of Detroit. I was a specialist in the 16th Airborne Rangers. I’m 49, lived in Tucson for 13 years. Went to the University of Arizona. My kids are still down there. My youngest is 27. I have two granddaughters now. When we’re homeless. It is survival mode every day. ■ 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. CREDIT: PAULA BARD 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. November 2021 DENVER VOICE 3
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