EDITOR’S NOTE ELISABETH MONAGHAN MANAGING EDITOR EVERY MONTH, when it is time to identify the question for Ask a Vendor and I don’t already have one lined up, I ask the vendors if there is a question they answer all the time. In the past, because vendors frequently have people ask why they’re homeless, we asked, “How do you respond when people tell you they think homelessness is a choice?” For the February issue, the question “Why do you think homelessness has existed for so long?” was suggested by Denver VOICE Vendor Rea Brown. This question is not one that anyone can succinctly answer; however, based on the participating vendors’ responses, it is a subject they felt compelled to address. As long as people continue to assume that homelessness is a choice or an inconvenient unpleasantness that interferes with a city’s charm, these two questions will continue to resurface, and Denver VOICE vendors will continue to talk about them. If you have a question you’d like the vendors to answer, or if there’s a topic you’d like them to discuss, please send it to me at editor@denvervoice.org. ■ DOUG HRDLICKA is a Denver native who reports on the city’s changes. February CONTRIBUTORS PAULA BARD is an award-winning fine art photographer, writer, and activist. She lives on a mountain top southwest of Denver. DENVERVOICE.ORG CE.ORG 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 a freelance reporter for the Denver VOICE. His work has also appeared in Colorado Public Works Journal, Fansided, Colorado Journal, and Medium.com. @OCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Seybold MANAGING EDITOR Elisabeth Monaghan PROGRAM COORDINATOR Andrew Klooster GRAPHIC DESIGNER Hannah Bragg VOLUNTEER COPY EDITORS Ty Holter Kate Marshall Austin Scott 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 metro Denver 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. 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: For the immediate future, we will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Orientation is held every day we are open, but prospective vendors must arrive by 10:00 a.m. John Alexander Paula Bard Rea Brown Kendell Clarke Giles Clasen Robert Davis Fran Ford Doug Hrdlicka Raelene Johnson Jerry Rosen Val U Able Rodney Woolfolk BOARD OF DIRECTORS Nikki Lawson, President Michelle Stapleton, Vice President Lori Holland, Treasurer Jeff Cuneo, Secretary Donovan Cordova Raelene Johnson Josh Kauer Craig Solomon Zephyr Wilkins 2 DENVER VOICE February 2021 STAFF CONTRIBUTORS BOARD CONTACT US
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