SPECIAL FEATURE LANDO ALLEN "THE DENVER VOICE IS A SMALL FAMILY... EVERYBODY’S GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING, TRYING TO GET THEIR STUFF TOGETHER." I became homeless a long time ago. It was a time when I was losing everything. The little family I created went bye-bye. That left me in a real bad depression. You know, I had that for years, but that was it. It was 1998 I was like, kind of gave up on myself back then, just started drifting from there. You know, when you lose your family and all that, it makes you just kind of give up, you know, give up on things that you're trying to do. I found the Denver VOICE in 2009. I just came from Green Bay. I wanted to rent to own a place, and I started making phone calls to places that would let me do what I wanted to do. I asked a friend about y 'all, at the Denver VOICE. And I asked him, "Hey, can you make money?" My friend said, "Yeah.” I was all in, but I wanted to rent to own a house. And I was talking with them and they said, “You can't do the Denver VOICE to like get this place. You're gonna have to get [a job where your taxes are deducted]” and I was like, “All right.” Besides, I wasn't making that much at the Denver VOICE. But I went to a place and started [working for] a labor pool to get money to get this [house] that I wanted. Had it all set up. I could have like done it, but it’s like everything was slow. It was kind of like the Depression, back in those days. They fi red me for sleeping in my car. I wasn't even on the job. I lost the place because I couldn't fi nd a job to support myself to get this house. And it wasn't reasonable to try to rent to own a house. So then, I was like, well, Denver VOICE, I'm all in on you now. I'm going to do this. Early on at the Denver VOICE, it was tough. I was a new guy, you know, trying to sell newspapers. You had to fi nd a place where it could be yours, where you could make the money that you need. So, I did that somehow, some way. I did it, I came up with an area where I could vend and make some cash. When I fi rst started, I couldn't make anything. I barely could eat, but I stuck with it. I started walking around. I had a little bicycle so that got me around places and I've been to a lot of different areas trying to fi nd a place to work to get things going. Now, it's very easy I just found that place where I could go to sell newspapers, and that made it a lot easier for me to work. It's just sad that I lost that house that I was looking for at the same time. I wish I could have did the VOICE and other things, you know? Today, I live in a little RV that I was able to get with money from vending the VOICE. (Thank y'all!) It's just that the city's torturing people about parking. But I'm still trying. I'm trying to get on with my life and get things done. Having an RV is very important. I mean, I'm an artist, as you might know. I do music. I need I need a place where where nobody would bother me, or lift my clothes, or whatever they're trying to do at the shelter. They're actually trying to steal your stuff. So that little RV keeps me from going crazy, you know? The Denver VOICE is a small family. Everybody’s going through the same thing, trying to get their stuff together. I want everybody in this place to get even better than me. I’d like to see that happen for them. I mean, Denver VOICE could actually save people from jumping off a bridge or something because they’re going through a hard, hard life. Don’t put us in the same category as everybody else [experiencing homelessness]. We’re not all the same as everybody else. Some people are out there smoking dope and doing this and doing that. Some people are trying to make it. When I am selling the VOICE, I’m like, "Look, I'm not out there wasting your time. I'm actually trying to come up and make my life better. I appreciate y 'all helping me." 8 DENVER VOICE November 2024
9 Publizr Home