$ 2 SUGGESTED DONATION @DenverVOICE THE UPHILL BATTLE OF HOMELESS YOUTH Y DENVER IS MAKING STRIDES TO REDUCE YOUTH HOMELESSNESS, BUT THE SKYROCKETING COST OF LIVING MAKES IT TOUGH TO LEAVE THE STREETS BEHIND. PAGE 6 SECOND CHANCES IN A TINY HOME VILLAGE THE NEW WOMEN’S VILLAGE OFFERS COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND INDEPENDENT LIVING IN PRIVATE TINY HOMES. PAGE 8 COVID-19 AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN SERBIA AS MANY AS ONE-THIRD OF WOMEN ARE EXPOSED TO SOME FORM OF VIOLENCE. PAGE 10 FORGET NO ONE FEDERALLY MANDATED POINTIN-TIME COUNT OFFERS SNAPSHOT OF THE UNHOUSED POPULATION, BUT THE DATA HAS LONG BEEN CRITICIZED BY HOMELESSNESS ADVOCATES. PAGE 12 VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY PAGES 4, 11 EVENTS / PUZZLES PAGE 13 RESOURCES PAGE 15 MARCH 2021 | Vol.26 Issue 3 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 FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS, temperatures have been brutally cold. Before the pandemic, our office was a place that vendors could get a cup of hot tea or coffee, have a snack and warm up before heading out to their vending spots. One year later, with COVID-19 ELISABETH MONAGHAN MANAGING EDITOR still raging, we must continue practicing social distancing, so large groups cannot gather in our office, and those who do come in must conduct their business and then leave. Although vendors can no longer linger in the office, they know they can at least grab a snack to take with them. On days we have hand warmers in stock, they can take a pair of those, too. I am sick of the pandemic. It is a terrible inconvenience that is taking a toll on even the most benevolent among us. Resenting the negative effects of the pandemic, however, is not going to make it go away; nor is complaining. Even so, I await the time when our stories about the pandemic or personal experiences with getting COVID are all past tense. I look forward to no longer worrying about too many people being in confined spaces. I am especially looking forward to seeing our office full of vendors purchasing their papers and then sitting in one of our mismatched chairs, a cup of coffee or other hot beverage in hand, as they catch up with each other and the Denver VOICE staff. ■ CONGRATULATIONS to Denver VOICE Peer Navigator Rachel Gotwald on the birth of her daughter, Paisley Rose, who was born on February 3. March 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 a freelance reporter for the Denver VOICE. His work has also appeared in Colorado Public Works Journal, Fansided, Colorado Journal, and Medium.com. DENVERVOICE.ORG CE.ORG @deeOCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Seybold MANAGING EDITOR Elisabeth Monaghan PROGRAM COORDINATOR Anthony Cornejo GRAPHIC DESIGNER Hannah Bragg 25 Years OF THE VOICE THANK YOU, readers and supporters, for empowering thousands of Denver VOICE vendors to improve their quality of life. Here’s to another 25 years of giving voices to thousands more! VOLUNTEER COPY EDITORS Ty Holter Kersten Jaeger Andrew Sullivan Laura Wing PHOTOGRAPHERS/ILLUSTRATORS Paula Bard Giles Clasen 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. WRITERS Lando Allen Paula Bard Dean Glorso Habeel Harney Jacob Marsh Jerry Rosen BOARD OF DIRECTORS Nikki Lawson, President Michelle Stapleton, Vice President Lori Holland, Treasurer Jeff Cuneo, Secretary Donovan Cordova Pamela Gravning Raelene Johnson Josh Kauer Craig Solomon Zephyr Wilkins 2 DENVER VOICE March 2021 STAFF CONTRIBUTORS BOARD CONTACT US
VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY New Program Coordinator: ANTHONY CORNEJO OUR Streets: RAY BY PAULA BARD ANDREW KLOOSTER, who joined the VOICE as our program coordinator at the end of the summer, has accepted a full-time position with the non-profit for whom he had been working part-time. Fortunately, he will not become a stranger and instead, will volunteer for the VOICE as his schedule permits. After an extensive search, we recently hired Anthony Cornejo to fill the program coordinator role. Following is a brief introduction from Cornejo. Hello, Denver VOICE Readers. My name is Anthony Cornejo. I am a third-generation Colorado Native, who grew up in Aurora and currently lives in Denver. My work in non-profits includes Aurora Mental Health Center and Fort Collins Housing Catalyst. Most recently, I worked as an emergency shelter services coordinator with Denver Human Services and also was part of the DHS Early Intervention Street outreach team. I am enjoying getting to know the Denver VOICE vendors and look forward to working with them, the staff, and our community partners. ■ RAY LIVES IN A TENT north of downtown. He delivers sandwiches to his unhoused neighbors. 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 her 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. 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 1931 | Denver, CO 80201 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 @denverVOICE 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. VOLUNTEER We need volunteers to help with everything from newspaper distribution to event planning and management. Contact program@denvervoice.org for volunteering information. 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. March 2021 DENVER VOICE 3
Ask a VENDOR THIS COLUMN IS A PLACE FOR DENVER VOICE VENDORS TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS FROM OUR READERS AND STAFF. Q Why do you think you’re successful as a Denver VOICE vendor? CREDIT: GILES CLASEN A LANDO ALLEN You’ve got to have a good attitude and keep things positive when you vend the VOICE. Being successful at the VOICE is making enough to pay bills and putting money away for a rainy day, but the real success you can have is that you get off the streets. The success I’ve experienced has allowed me to buy a camper and keep me on a path to buying a house. JACOB MARSH I don’t stay in one spot for more than a week unless I have built a client list. Then I keep that spot and find better or newer spots. We have a great production crew at the [VOICE] office, and I have a great peer navigator. Having a family that pushes both personal goals and family goals, helps as well. I also have awesome coworkers that strive to push each other to get our sales up. That’s why I’m a successful vendor here at the VOICE. JERRY ROSEN I’ve been successful vending the paper for quite a while because I’m courteous to customers, and I like working with the Denver VOICE. I try to vend full-time. I have had some slow periods, but I try to be persistent always. CITY COUNCIL APPROVES CONTRACT FOR NEW SAFE OUTDOOR SPACES BY ROBERT DAVIS IN A CONTENTIOUS VOTE, Denver City Council approved a nearly $900,000 contract that will allow two temporary safe outdoor spaces to operate through the end of the year. One site will be at Denver Community Church, while the other location has yet to be determined. Like their predecessors, both campsites will accommodate up to 100 households and provide full access to housing, rehabilitation, and labor services. Colorado Village Collaborative (CVC) is responsible for operating both sites and finding the land to accommodate them. “We need these spaces all around town so we can connect people to services,” said Cole Chandler, CVC’s executive director. “However, right now all the outreach efforts and services people need are concentrated downtown.” Chandler said the current safe outdoor spaces focused their outreach efforts within a four-block radius of both camps. The reason was to reduce the impact of the sites on the surrounding Capitol Hill neighborhood. According to Chandler, within minutes of the campsite opening, campers in an encampment across the street moved in and filled up the outdoor space. The other camp has since dispersed, and those staying there have not returned. The contract approval passed by a 10-1 vote with District 5 Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer voting against it. Sawyer took issue with the fact that Denver is actively funding a campsite that violates city ordinances while also paying legal fees to defend enforcing its camping ban in court. She added that over 80 percent of Denverites voted against campsites in 2019 when Initiative 300 was on the municipal ballot. “It’s What do YOU want to ask? If you have a question or issue you would like vendors to discuss, please email community@denvervoice.org. 4 DENVER VOICE March 2021 really causing confusion for our most vulnerable residents,” Sawyer said. “And, frankly, they deserve better. They deserve a warm home with a roof and a door. But, right now we have about 2,000 people sleeping on the streets, in addition to those in our shelters and couch surfing. We can do better.” Chandler replied that the safe outdoor spaces are very different from the unregulated camping that I300 would have allowed. CVC holds a permit with the City and is under contract with the Department of Housing Stability. Outside of regulation, Chandler says the sites are also achieving their aims: to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and connect people with housing and services. Since the campsites opened, five people have been placed in the Beloved Tiny Home Village, and two others were connected with a case manager who helped them with housing vouchers. Another eight residents were connected with services. Both campsites currently house 80 people. Meanwhile, the camps have experienced a zero percent transmission rate, Chandler said. At-large Councilwoman Robin Kniech said she hasn’t heard the same complaints about the campsite even though her office has done extensive informal and scientific polling on the issue. Kneich’s primary concern is that the City’s approach to solving homelessness is too focused on long-term solutions when emergency fixes are needed right now. Without the temporary safe outdoor space, Kniech wondered how many more of Denver’s unhoused could have succumbed to hypothermia or worse, hopelessness. Kniech said supporting the outdoor space makes sense right now but urged her colleagues and the Hancock administration to keep thinking creatively about solutions. “We have a long road ahead of us. If this is our destination, then we are in big trouble,” Kniech said. ■ MISTRUST AND MOBILITY SLOW COVID-19 VACCINE PUSH FOR NORTH AMERICA’S HOMELESS BY MATTHEW LAVIETES AND JACK GRAHAM Homeless people are at higher risk of COVID-19, but groups face challenges in finding them and convincing them to have the shot. WITH THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC showing no signs of abating in the United States and Canada, some cities have begun vaccinating their homeless - an effort clinicians warn will be challenging given the incomparable circumstances they face. Homeless people’s mobility, tendency to mistrust the vaccine, and focus on more immediate needs like finding LOCAL NEWS
NATIONAL STORY food and warmth all make it harder to protect them against COVID-19, health experts say. “The struggle [homeless people] go through every day to survive, on the streets or in the shelters, has a real immediacy to it,” said Dr. Jim O’Connell, president of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP). “As many people have told me, ‘a little virus’ doesn’t seem frightening to them because they face death every day and the virus is just one of the many things they face,” said O’Connell. The BHCHP, a non-profit which provides medical services to the northeastern city’s homeless population, has vaccinated roughly 200 homeless people and 300 staff since the program started in late January. The group is expected to administer about 3,500 doses of the Moderna vaccine in shelters across the city within the next month. Similar rollouts are underway in other cities around the continent. So far, New York City has vaccinated more than 500 homeless people and staff who serve them. Over 730 of Montreal’s homeless population have been vaccinated to date, according to official figures. VULNERABLE Since the pandemic started pummelling the globe last year, advocates and physicians have been urging lawmakers for greater protections for the homeless. Without regular access to healthcare, homeless people are often much more susceptible to chronic medical conditions, which may predispose them to a more severe illness from COVID-19. Sheltered homeless people in New York City were 75 percent more likely to die from COVID-19 than the city’s general population, according to the Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy group. Pandemic shutdowns have also cut off homeless people’s access to public spaces, such as restaurants and libraries, that they usually use to stay warm and wash their hands during the day. And packing homeless communities into overnight shelters has also become a problem, due to concerns over social distancing. People eat together, share bathrooms and often sleep on beds within several feet of one another. “On one hand, you have higher individual vulnerability because of health,” said Tim Richter, chief executive of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness. “But people experiencing homelessness can’t follow public health measures: social distancing, staying at home, isolating, accessing healthcare when you need it, hygiene.” In response, some cities throughout North America have moved people off of the streets or out of shelters into hotels to alleviate concerns over spreading the virus. Under former U.S. President Donald Trump, cash-strapped cities were promised 75 percent of the money to pay for the hotels and were not given a timeline of when aid would run dry. Last month, President Joe Biden vowed to reimburse cities for the full cost of the hotels and fully cover the costs through September. In Canada, the federal government has made extra funding available for provinces and municipalities VIOLA ROBERSON, 75, RECEIVES A CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19) VACCINATION AT THE LA MISSION HOMELESS SHELTER ON SKID ROW, IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U.S., FEBRUARY 10, 2021. REUTERS/LUCY NICHOLSON “The first 25 percent is always easy. We had no problem recruiting for the first number of clinics that we had to deal with,” said Sam Watts, chief executive of Montreal homeless charity Welcome Hall Mission. “But, as we’re moving along, it’s harder and harder because there are some people who don’t want to get it for a variety of reasons,” he said in a phone interview. Some are afraid of needles, others believe in a variety of conspiracy theories that question the safety of the vaccines or have mental health issues, like paranoia, that impede them from complying with vaccine rollouts, explained Watts. Marty Hames, the spokeswoman for Circle the City, a non-profit that provides healthcare services to the homeless in Phoenix, Arizona, echoed similar concerns about vaccine compliance. “Just like you’re going to find people in the general population that are not going to want the vaccine or they’re not going to want to see a doctor when they’re ill, the same exists within the homeless population,” she said. None of the groups the Thomson Reuters Foundation spoke with were making vaccinations mandatory for the homeless people they serve. SLOW THE SPREAD Other barriers include a lack of internet access to sign up for online vaccine portals, a lack of transportation to vaccination sites, and difficulties tracking down homeless people to give them the second dose of the vaccine, health experts say. The consequences of not getting the vaccine rollout right to prevent the spread of the virus among its homeless. Ottawa announced in December it would spend an additional $300 million to help local communities. COMPLIANCE So far, clinicians and advocates say they have been successfully able to find homeless people - a group that is largely distrustful of healthcare providers - who want the vaccine. However, they caution that things may soon change. can spread beyond homeless populations and to entire communities, warned O’Connell at the BHCHP. At the start of the pandemic in late March, O’Connell and other Boston researchers found a 36 percent positivity rate among homeless people. “Most people recognize that if homeless people have the virus, they’re walking all day and passing it (around),” he said. “If you’re riding the subway and there’s a homeless person and they have a 30 percent chance of having the virus, you want to protect yourself as much as that person.” ■ Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo DENVERVOICE.ORG/VENDOR-NEEDS Drop-offs are accepted Mon, Weds, Fri., 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., or schedule a drop-off by emailing program@denvervoice.org. March 2021 DENVER VOICE 5 NEW ITEMS NEEDED: Socks Bottled water, non-perishable snacks Hand-warmers, toothpaste, deodorant, chapstick Paper products for the office GENTLY USED ITEMS NEEDED: Refurbished laptops or desktop computers Heavy jackets Scarves Winter hats Gloves Backpacks Winter WISH LIST
LOCAL STORY CREDIT: GILES CLASEN CREDIT: GILES CLASEN DENVER IS MAKING STRIDES TO REDUCE YOUTH HOMELESSNESS, BUT ISSUES REMAIN BY GILES CLASEN AND ROBERT DAVIS JOSHUA LEFT HOME after his grandmother began stealing from him to subsidize her drinking habit. Had it been something of lesser sentimental value, he may have overlooked it. Instead, Joshua said his grandmother stole his Magic the Gathering cards and sold them for booze. “She isn’t a violent drunk; verbal assaults are more her style,” Joshua explains. After one particularly incendiary incident, he reported her to the Denver Sheriff’s Department and has been staying in a city-funded hotel room on Colfax ever since. This isn’t his first experience with homelessness, either. At 15 years old, Joshua ran away for a week because his parents wouldn’t let him smoke pot. He camped in Boulder, but the looming threat of blizzard snow drove him back home. Now at 19, Joshua says it’s been particularly difficult to find work during the pandemic because he doesn’t have access to the internet. Most days, he panhandles downtown. He wants to get back home to Washington and says his mom is trying to scrounge up enough money to help. 6 DENVER VOICE March 2021 “I don’t think Denver is the place for me,” Joshua told the VOICE. BACKWARD SLIDE While Joshua isn’t alone on the streets of Denver, he represents an alarming trend — a growing number of unaccompanied youths are experiencing homelessness. Too old for the foster system and often overlooked for work, unaccompanied youth face an uphill battle in Denver as the city’s skyrocketing cost of living and competitive job market make it tough to leave the streets behind. According to the 2020 Point in Time (PIT) Count, which was conducted before COVID-19 began, 189 unaccompanied youth were experiencing homelessness in Denver. Eighty youths slept in emergency shelters, 55 were placed in transitional housing, and another 54 youths were unsheltered. Compared to 2016, this represents a net increase of six youths experiencing homelessness. The latest McKinneyVento numbers reported by Colorado’s Department of Education show Denver had a total of 1,849 homeless students, 108 of whom were unaccompanied, a 17 percent increase since 2016. Over the same time frame, Denver has drastically revamped its reporting of PIT Count data. Four years ago, the City released a detailed 11-page report that statistically compared the age and demographic information collected. A revealing data point is that youths between the ages of 18 and 24 years old made up the highest percentage of Denver’s homeless population in 2016. In comparison, data from the 2020 Count was released in a one-page fact sheet with an experimental online dashboard accompanying it. The dashboard itself doesn’t delve any deeper into the numbers; it merely reports statistics based on a user’s selected criteria. NUMBERS AND LIVED EXPERIENCE To better understand how to help Colorado’s homeless youth, the State’s Office of Homeless Youth Services (OHYS) developed the Youth Supplemental Survey (YSS) in 2016 to help bridge the gap between the state’s PIT Count data and the lived experience of homelessness. The survey is conducted in partnership with the state’s four Continuums of Care (COC): El Paso/Pikes Peak, the Metropolitan Denver Homeless Initiative Balance of State, and the newly formed Northern Colorado COC. Each COC is required to participate in the survey. However, not all have enough resources or volunteers to do a physical count. Instead, all COCs provide OHYS with sheltered youth counts for the relative ease of pairing it with the PIT Count. The YSS data is then subdivided between youths who are enrolled in school and those who are not, according to OHYS Director Kristin Toombs. “Comparing school status amongst youth experiencing homelessness helps identify potential trends in demographics, social determinants, homelessness history,
LOCAL STORY or other barriers and life experiences,” Toombs told the VOICE. “One of the most revealing parts of the survey was that 85 percent of youth counted were older than in previous counts, suggesting they are experiencing multiple episodes of homelessness or prolonged periods of homelessness,” Toombs added. The survey also found higher incidences of youths experiencing homelessness with various mental, physical, or behavioral health issues, something the State was making good progress to reduce. Between 2017 and 2019, the prevalence of homeless youth reporting mental health issues dropped by 30 percent, according to the YSS. Similarly, the incident rates for physical health and domestic violence issues dropped 19 percent and 9 percent, respectively. However, the incidence rates in each category increased in 2020. The number of homeless youths experiencing mental health issues increased by 20 percent; physical health issues increased by 7 percent, and domestic violence increased by four percent. While these figures are useful in determining trends, OHYS Program Specialist Paul Vong cautions against using the data to make deductions. The survey only identified 401 homeless youth statewide in 2020, a very clear and obvious undercount. According to Vong, the amount of overlap between YSS data and other youth homelessness counts is unknown to researchers as well. Current privacy laws and the anonymous nature of the survey make it impossible to compare data at the individual level. “There is no conclusive evidence provided from YSS data to determine the spike in youth experiencing homelessness. Much more information is needed regarding the ways youth enter into homelessness and the manner youth exit homelessness into permanent housing,” he said. WHY YOUTHS BECOME HOMELESS Data captured through the YSS does reveal two significant needs and gaps in youth homelessness: affordable housing and access to income. Colorado’s affordability crisis is well-documented, but the impact of the pandemic on youth employment is still coming into focus. According to Mathematica, a data analytics company, Colorado experienced a 20 percent spike in youth unemployment after the pandemic began, accounting for one of the highest increases in the nation. Economists at the University of Colorado Boulder anticipate Denver’s economy to fall short of a full recovery in 2021 as well. Industries most primed for growth include hospitality, transportation, and finance, according to the Leeds School of Business Research Division. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows more than 20,000 workers were shed from Denver’s workforce in the first four months of 2020. The workforce has since nearly returned to its January 2020 totals, but the city’s available job stock remains low. In practice, this means homeless youth are competing with adults for part-time and entrylevel positions. The pandemic’s economic impacts have also increased the number of households facing housing instability. Federal and state funds are available for Colorado renters facing eviction, but a report by The Colorado Sun found many landlords aren’t accepting the assistance. As a result, the Denver County Court may hear tens of thousands of eviction cases if the state moratorium ends. Meanwhile, many low-income and homeless youths can’t participate in city-run youth employment programs because they transitioned to a virtual setting. FORGING A PATH FORWARD An easy solution the YSS data points to is helping unaccompanied youth enroll or stay in school. Only 44 percent of YSS participants said their last stable residence was in Colorado. Sixty-nine percent of those who reported a stable residence in the state attended school, which speaks to the important role schools play in providing children and their families with necessary services. YSS data also shows that school attendance correlates with a greater quality of life. Homeless youth who attend school often have a connection with their family but live doubled up with relatives or friends. On the other hand, a majority of homeless youths not in school are more connected to caseworkers and often sleep on the streets or in shelters, the survey found. Another solution is to increase supportive housing and social services. One way is to build permanent supportive housing and pass rental assistance policies for homeless and low-income youth, the survey said. For example, in 2020, the City of Fort Collins built a 34unit apartment complex for homeless and at-risk teens known as the House. The House serves as a temporary shelter for kids aged 13 to 20. Social support services should also address the overrepresentation of LGBTQ+ youths experiencing homelessness, the survey recommends. YSS data shows nearly 30 percent of survey participants who disclosed their sexual orientation reported being LGBTQ+. However, there is still so much researchers don’t know about youth homelessness in Colorado, according to the survey. The questions volunteers ask do not address whether the experiences with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems are a result of homelessness, or if the system’s involvement contributed to the experience of homelessness. “The report certainly highlights what some homeless youth have in the past, or are currently experiencing across Colorado. However, the highlight really is on areas where we need to learn more,” Toombs said. ■ The Denver VOICE is looking for volunteer board members to help lead and strengthen our programs to provide economic empowerment and education tools to those experiencing homelessness or poverty in our community. If you are looking for a meaningful way to participate in advocating on behalf of those we serve, email your resume or CV to president@denvervoice.org Ideal candidates will have non-profi t development and or fundraising experience and have a passion for making a difference in traditionally marginalized communities. BOARD MEMBERS WANTED! CREDIT: GILES CLASEN March 2021 DENVER VOICE 7
COMMUNITY PROFILE SECOND CHANCES IN A TINY HOME VILLAGE BY PAULA BARD TAMMY “With this COVID thing, everything got harder.” A NATURAL STORY-TELLER, her face brightens with a mischievous smile. Tammy is a self-styled hippie in her late 50s. She came out to Aspen from New York in the early ‘80s to be a ski bum and stayed, because, as she explained, “I loved the sun!” She worked as a nurse in Capitol Hill for years, often commuting to her teepee near Deckers while volunteering with environmental groups. She and her husband traveled to Rainbow Gatherings all over the country, giving her “lots of practice in intentional community living.” She feels prepared to handle her new communal life in the Women’s Village at Clara Brown Commons, Denver’s second tiny home village. Tammy was struggling before the pandemic. A longtime CREDIT: PAULA BARD ICU nurse for PresbyterianSt. Luke’s, she had always worked the night shift. After her second husband died, Tammy just didn’t have it in her to keep it up. She took a job working on the 16th Street Mall at a medical clinic but could no longer afford housing in Denver’s skyrocketing rental market. To survive, she began sleeping in her broken truck while it was parked at a friend’s house in Lakewood. Then the clinic closed when the pandemic hit last spring. “I was saving money to fix the transmission, keeping it in my friend’s driveway. I would take the last bus out of Denver to Lakewood and sleep in my car at night. My friend didn’t know I was sleeping in it. But then it needed more repairs than a transmission; I couldn’t afford it. So last summer I stored it up in RINO, but then it got stolen. No insurance.” Tammy camped out in Lakewood all summer, often under her tarp with a sleeping bag, to avoid being seen. She camped along the RTD W line and in Belmar. “I was getting unemployment, but then they changed the website, and I stopped getting it.” Finally, in late fall, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless hooked her up with the opening of the Women’s Village. In early December, she moved in. This new stability has allowed Tammy, a restless soul, to look forward to joining some friends putting together an organic farm. She now muses about getting her Airstream trailer outfitted for travel, teaching yoga, and dispensing medical herbs. She is currently involved in an online yoga certification program. Eager to get on with her life, she just needs a running truck to carry the rig. VALARIE “It’s good that we help each other out here, and it feels supportive, you know – you get a second chance.” VALARIE AND HER TWO DOGS joined the Women’s Village recently after her heart surgery. She is recovering and feeling optimistic. She has welcomed the support in the village. Originally from Denver, Valarie worked for an AARP community center supervising the kitchen, which closed during the pandemic. She really likes working with seniors and hopes to go back when she has recovered – and they reopen. As a woman in her 60s, she is very aware of the rough road for the elderly in today’s economy, having lived it herself. “Things happen you know, I mean ... everybody knows that half the population is one paycheck away from being homeless.” Valarie ended up on the streets in Denver after her mother died, and their house in Park Hill was sold. “It’s really hard to take care of yourself when you’re out on the streets. To feed yourself. It’s too hard, and especially for women, it’s too hard. Especially for older women it’s much too hard.” She feels grateful to have such a supportive community in the Women’s Village for her recuperation and to be able to have her dogs with her – dogs are not allowed in the shelters. CREDIT: PAULA BARD CREDIT: PAULA BARD 8 DENVER VOICE March 2021
COMMUNITY PROFILE KIMBERLY Support has made the difference. “I love to look forward to doing things – these people helping you.” ORIGINALLY FROM NEW YORK, Kimberly slept on friends’ couches and stayed on the street, all while trying to study for the GED and work on her cosmetology certification. She wants independence and fights to do it on her own. But, unhoused, it was too hard, never knowing where she will sleep or shower or eat and “having to worry about safety, you know.” On the wall of her colorfully decorated tiny house, she has posted pictures of the beautiful two-year-old daughter that she hopes to reunite with, eventually. Children are not allowed in the women’s tiny home village. It’s been rough. She is researching the possibility of acquiring a service dog to help with her anxiety. CREDIT: PAULA BARD CREDIT: PAULA BARD “NOW THEY ARE SLEEPING IN A SAFE, STABLE, BRIGHT, COMMUNITY-BASED ENVIRONMENT WHERE THEIR HEALING JOURNEY CAN BEGIN TOGETHER.” – Cole Chandler, executive director of Colorado Village Collaborative CREDIT: PAULA BARD NEAR I-70 IN NORTH DENVER, the Women’s Village at Clara Brown Commons sits behind a fence in an inconspicuous cluster at 37th Ave. and York St. It includes 14 homes and a common house with a bright, spacious kitchen, bathrooms, and storage. This is Denver’s second tiny home village organized by the Colorado Village Collaborative. Building on their success in housing the unhoused and getting people back on their feet, they plan more tiny home villages in the future. The new Women’s Village offers independent living in separate, private tiny homes, plus community support for formally unhoused women and transgender folks. The University of Denver’s Center for Housing and Homelessness Research began monitoring Denver’s first tiny home village, called Beloved Community Village, back when it opened in 2017. They found that residents were four times more likely to be working or in school. They also reported lower levels of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. Hannah Fageeh, who has a background working in domestic violence programs at SafeHouse Denver, is the Women’s Village coordinator. She first worked with the Beloved Community Village, which is now situated in the Globeville neighborhood. Fageeh started as a volunteer for Beloved Community and ended her stint there as the village coordinator. Fageeh is excited about all the support they are able to offer the residents at the Women’s Village. This includes a resource navigator for education and employment and a new mental health grant with many choices for individual and group care, both on-site and via telehealth. “We want to see people actually healing and not sticking in survival mode, because I think that’s really the hardest thing – getting out of this survival mode.” Survival mode is understandable. Women coming off the streets often carry a heavy burden of trauma. One resident reported she had been raped four times while she was living on Denver’s streets. Trauma therapy can make all the difference. In both tiny home villages, residents can stay in their new community for a year or more if they need it. They have assistance finding appropriate, attainable, and affordable housing when they are ready to move on. According to Fageeh, some stay at Beloved Community Village for a year. Some people for only three, six, or seven months. Some people stay for a couple of years. Both tiny home communities are flexible with a primary focus on healing and community. The Women’s Village, which is the anchor for a large property at 37th Ave. and York St., is owned by Mile High Ministries. They are expanding ambitiously and aim to build 60 affordable, below-market-rate apartments in the near future. Habitat for Humanity will build affordable homes. Tiny home villages will not solve the crisis of the unhoused in Denver, but they are one humane and successful piece of the puzzle. Tonight, 14 more people in our community are off the streets. They are safe and on the road to healing from the trauma of economic hardship and displacement. They have a second chance. ■ March 2021 DENVER VOICE 9
INTERNATIONAL STORY report violence safely, say the researchers who worked on the report “Gender Analysis of the COVID-19 Response in the Republic of Serbia”, which was produced by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Women’s Platform for the Development of Serbia 2014–2020. “It’s been confirmed worldwide that violence against women in the family and intimate partnership increased during the crisis, as well as the risk factors that impacted the manifestation of violence,” the report stated. “Hence, it is certain that during the state of emergency in Serbia and other countries violence against women has increased, not decreased.” This was also confirmed by the large numbers of women who sought help from women’s organizations during the spring of 2020. Although the number of reported cases of violence AN ACTIVIST POSES FOR PICTURE DURING A PROTEST BY NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION (NGO) RIO DE PAZ (RIO OF PEACE) AGAINST RAPE AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ON COPACABANA BEACH IN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, JUNE 6, 2016. REUTERS/SERGIO MORAES COVID-19 AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN SERBIA BY JOVAN DJUKIC The measures implemented around the world in the attempt to halt the coronavirus pandemic have triggered a parallel epidemic of violence against women. As part of Liceulice’s ‘COVID-19 and Marginalised Groups’ series, Jovan Djukic examines how Serbia has responded to the challenge of supporting women who are victims of domestic violence during the pandemic. WHEN THE STATE OF EMERGENCY WAS ANNOUNCED on March 15th, it was tagged with the message, “Stay home, stay safe.” However, it has turned out the be quite the opposite for women whose homes weren’t a safe place before the coronavirus pandemic. And there are lot of them. World Health Organization data paint a devastating picture of modern society, identifying that as many as one-third of women are exposed to some form of violence. Most often, this takes the form of economic violence, which is followed by psychological aggression and, finally, physical violence, which in its most brutal form leads to death in the form of femicide. STRESS AND UNCERTAINTY LEAD TO BREAKDOWN While the eyes of the public were focused on the novel coronavirus as it swept around the globe, violence could take place unhindered within four walls. “We were all caught by surprise by the rapid decisions that were made on restrictive measures – that includes non-governmental organizations, institutions, and the victims of violence themselves,” says Mirjana Mitic from the Autonomous Women’s Centre. “Restrictive measures, which included curfews and quarantine, facilitated the use of one of the basic techniques of the perpetrators of violence – the isolation of the victim. When it comes to domestic violence, in many cases the victim was unable to get in touch with other people and get 10 DENVER VOICE March 2021 necessary information and support. This made it easier for the perpetrator to convince the victim that there was no one to help and that state institutions had more important things to deal with.” Lidija Vasiljevic, a psychotherapist and feminist activist, explains that it was to be expected that any kind of pressure, and especially the great amount of stress and uncertainty caused by the pandemic, would affect even those who wouldn’t lose control under “typical” circumstances. “Violence is a form of communication, and people who lack control project themselves onto others,” she explains. “In our society, violence is also a mechanism for gaining false control and maintaining control in intimate partnerships. The longer people feel helpless and are exposed to a crisis, the more violence can be expected. Unfortunately, women are the easiest target: they are the ones closest to the perpetrator, they often have nowhere to go and, in the patriarchal system, it is thought that they deserve such treatment if they are not obeying [their partner]. The increase in violence is already happening, and we are yet to appreciate the true numbers [of those affected].” She points out that violence is not necessarily most common in families with a low social status and low level of education; however, members of such families often find themselves in the local news because conflicts can be more intense. MORE VIOLENCE; FEWER POLICE REPORTS According to the Ministry of the Interior, the number of women who reported violence during the state of emergency in 2020 was 48.6 percent lower than the average; however, organizations working with victims warn that this does not mean that the amount of violence decreased. The lower number of reports is a result of the limited ability to decreased, and the number of calls to the National SOS helpline remained unchanged, the number of women who contacted the Autonomous Women’s Centre during the first month of the state of emergency state tripled. The number of calls to the Human Rights Committee SOS helpline in Vranje increased by 25 percent, and the number of calls to the Roma Women’s Association – Osvit – in Nis doubled. According to Mirjana Mitic from the Autonomous Women’s Centre, the civil sector had to adapt overnight and transfer all its work online; as a result, SOS services were provided via mobile and messaging services such as Viber, WhatsApp and Facebook, and over e-mail. Women approached the Autonomous Women’s Centre primarily because state institutions were either not available or would give them conflicting and sparse information. There were also cases where women reported violence to state institutions but did not receive appropriate protection as the perpetrators were only given verbal warnings. “If you have institutions that do not send a clear message,” Mirjana Mitic says, “it cannot be expected that women will contact these institutions to report violence.” In addition, she says, it is vitally important to never ask women to report violence without first creating a safety plan; this is because reporting violence is the point at which the level of violence may escalate. MASK 19 AND OTHER SOLUTIONS The first wave of the pandemic in spring 2020 made clear the importance of the state reacting quickly and systemically during a crisis. Many countries came to the conclusion that banning movement is dangerous for women who are in intimate partnerships or share a living space with an abuser; as a result, a number of customized solutions were developed. The above-mentioned report by the OSCE Mission and Women’s Platform for the Development of Serbia states that the introduction of a solution that would enable women to seek help without risking their safety was on the agenda of the Coordination Body for Gender Equality and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, no specific solutions were implemented in Serbia. One of the few institutional reactions to the issue of domestic violence during the pandemic was the decision of the High Court Council, which stated that domestic violence cases should not be delayed as a result of the pandemic. Between March 15th and April 25th, 44 urgent measures were imposed against abusers, although it can be assumed that this number would be far higher if violence could have been easily and safely reported at the time. Sadly, there are numerous cases in which the existing solutions proved to be inadequate under the new, changed conditions brought about by coronavirus. For example, women’s safe houses accepted new users only if they were COVID-19 negative, but at that time you could only get tested if you were showing symptoms. Another blow to women at risk of violence was the case of a woman being sentenced for trying to report violence during the ban on movement – this despite the fact that top state officials encouraged her to do so on
PAGE TITLE several occasions. The sentence was later withdrawn; however, we know that the initial story will always reach more people than its retraction, Mirjana Mitic reminds us. She adds that the Autonomous Women’s Centre is in regular contact with the Centres for Social Work and that state institutions did not provide clear instructions to these centers. “We even addressed the Ministry in writing and demanded that they provide specific guidelines when it comes to models of seeing children during curfew, according to a verdict or a temporary measure,” she says, “and to this day we haven’t received an answer.” There are many examples of how the problem of violence against women has been dealt with worldwide during the pandemic. In France, transit information points were opened in shopping malls in cooperation with local associations, public services, and shopping center managers. These have enabled women to seek help in conditions that guarantee confidentiality and their safety, particularly in terms of their health. In parts of the UK, police have trained postal workers and drivers delivering goods to recognize the signs of abuse. There is also the Mask 19 initiative (which was initially launched in Spain but has since spread to many countries). If a woman asks for such a mask in a pharmacy, she is discreetly indicating that she is a victim of abuse. In France, women and children were given accommodation in empty hotel rooms instead of being placed in collective accommodation. GETTING READY FOR A NEW WAVE The Autonomous Women’s Centre used the lower incidence of COVID-19 during the summer months to prepare for how to provide support during future waves of the pandemic and future emergencies. Consultants were trained in how to safely use video applications to provide individual sessions to female victims of violence. The center’s staff also distributed leaflets containing SOS numbers in the seventeen municipalities of Belgrade (in Centres for Social Work, private clinics, and pharmacies). However, Mirjana Mitic believes it is necessary for both state institutions and civil society to act together. “Even without a crisis, we have to have a unified response to domestic violence and agree on the minimum standards for providing different services,” she says. Lidija Vasiljevic agrees with this statement and points out that systemic institutional support is lacking, regardless of the current health crisis. “The problem is the lack of permanence and continuity in providing support,” she explains. “Help is sporadic and often inadequate. There is a lack of free help and free counseling, but also a lack of mental health crisis centres. Both the mental and physical health of individuals are equally threatened. “A good model would be self-organization, which formerly existed within the networks of psychotherapists and psychologists. However, due to the excessive administrative and technical procedures, fewer people were able to get help,” Vasiljevic continues. “The Mental Health Crisis Centre could be the place where those who need help can stop by 24/7, in compliance with all the current COVID-19 measures. At the moment, so much money has been made available for online conferences and other less necessary things.” We do not know whether there will be any further developments in this area as the pandemic continues. We are also unsure about what the response of institutions will be and whether they have learned something from the challenges encountered during the pandemic. Judging by the experience of other countries, we can conclude that it is vital to have a unified response from state institutions and civil society organizations in order to create sustainable solutions during crises and find new and specially tailored ways to help vulnerable women. ■ Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo March 2021 DENVER VOICE 11 HABEEL HARNEY GOD You make rules that seem absurd! Ones that make us think! Others we dare not try in our conscious! So we strive for the impossible! Hoping on clouds and winds! To be let down and disappointed! Yet through the constant discussion! Your appearance shows! Through unexpected wonders! D. GLORSO INCENTIVE With this COVID-19 Pandemic Dreams have become Almost too real for me In last night’s dream you were so glad to see me As I was thrilled seeing you Others told me you were waiting Near the end of my slumber We were finally connected As the clouds cleared You drove up in the old Woodie Your left elbow was hanging out The driver side window You’re smile greeted me You said it’s been a long time son I’m glad you finally invited me Into your dreams I love you mom I’m sorry I’ve been away so long I didn’t know you kept The old woody Why did I not remember We had such great times together I recall you driving A carload of kids To Lake Wakanda We swam all day long Those hot summers were cool I recall finally being tall enough To go down the giant slide You coached me As we watch the other kids Climb the steep tower Viewing a shiny stainless steel slide Almost vertical My eyes glued to the face Of each kid hanging from the bar Release and tuck their hands Behind their heads Bracing now for the giant loop Casting their bodies into the air High above the water surface Feet first gliding into the wind Then splashing deep into the water Your repetitious words of coaching Helped me gain courage Through my entire childhood Why did I not ever thank you? Many challenges You bolstered in me As now I write down my thoughts And read them back to you I love you always Mom Thank you For all the incentives you instilled in me WRITING THROUGH HARD TIMES COURTESY OF DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY AND LIGHTHOUSE WRITERS WORKSHOP 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
NATIONAL STORY FORGET NO ONE: U.S. CITIES USE REAL-TIME DATA TO END HOMELESSNESS BY CAREY L. BIRON As U.S. President Joe Biden vows to tackle the country’s housing affordability crisis, one group is trying to convince cities they can end homelessness outright armed with one thing: better data. The Built for Zero anti-homelessness program says a pause on the annual federal homeless count could help local officials tackle the problem. FOR HOMELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS across the United States, this time of year means the “point-in-time” count, in which volunteers spend a single night combing streets, parks, and forests for people sleeping rough, or living in cars or tents. The federally mandated count offers a key snapshot of the unhoused population, but the data has long been criticized by some homelessness advocates. “It’s crazy,” said Jake Maguire, co-director of the antihomelessness program Built for Zero at the national nonprofit Community Solutions. “We’re told it’s scientific, but it produces a very uncertain number.” Local officials send their findings to the federal government and get back aggregated statistics 11 months later, he explained. “It’s data for someone else – it doesn’t give us any insight to improve our system. We don’t know who these people are and what they need.” Now the pandemic has complicated the annual count, and many local officials are calling it off for this year due to public health concerns. As of 21 January, nearly 60 percent of point-in-time counts had requested exemptions or waivers, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Instead, the agency is allowing communities more flexibility in how they determine this estimate. And for some, Built for Zero thinks it has an answer: using the constantly updated homelessness data it has been helping cities produce since 2015. Unlike the once-a-year federal tally, Built for Zero cities create a comprehensive list of people experiencing homelessness, including information on their situation and needs, that is updated at least monthly, Maguire and other organizers said. Local groups and agencies involved in homelessness response not only have access to this “by-name” list but regularly come together to address each individual case and any obstacles standing in the way of getting them housed. “We cannot expect to drive meaningful reductions in a ... dynamic problem like homelessness without comprehensive, real-time, person-specific data,” said Built for Zero co-director Beth Sandor. She called HUD’s decision on this year’s count a major step and urged the department to make the change permanent and provide funding “so every community can collect real-time, quality data.” HUD did not respond to requests for broader comment. ‘ADDING A YEAR OF HOMELESSNESS’ Built for Zero’s name comes from its aim to bring homelessness down to what supporters call functional zero, “where homelessness is rare overall, and brief when it occurs,” according to the project website. Fourteen communities working with the program have reached this point for either homeless veterans or chronic homelessness – when someone has been homeless repeatedly or for at least a year – and more than 80 jurisdictions are currently participating. Maguire recalls a Los Angeles workshop early on in the project, where the group brought together local officials and others to map the process for a homeless person to get housing. The teams figured it took an average of 389 days and 44 steps for one person to get through the process, Maguire noted. “So, you’re adding a year of homelessness to someone’s experience,” he said. They realized that constantly updating the data and looking at individual cases can help dramatically cut down this wait, sometimes to 30 days or less. That was a major help for Marvin Minor Jr. of Lynchburg, Virginia, who was homeless from July 2019 to December last year, eventually living in his car until a respiratory illness forced him into the hospital for weeks. He was referred to homeless outreach specialists and placed into a process that had been created with Built for Zero, which led to getting Minor, 41, quickly into housing. Within a week, he had been placed in a motel, and shortly thereafter he moved into his own apartment. “By having a (home) of my own, now I’m able to wash and bathe, cook, have fresh food and clean clothing. I just became a grandfather a few months ago, and now it’s a place where my granddaughter can come,” Minor said by phone. INFLOW AND OUTFLOW Last year, Lynchburg achieved “functional zero” for veteran homelessness – from about 20 homeless vets in 2019 – and the federal government has acknowledged Built for Zero’s efforts nationally. Randal Noller, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, highlighted in an email the initiative’s use of real-time data to analyze the “inflow” of those entering homelessness. That issue has been key for Lynchburg, which is now shifting its focus to ending chronic homelessness. “The change is that no one gets forgotten – there’s an accounting that has to happen for every single (person),” said Sarah Quarantotto, executive director of Miriam’s House, a non-profit that leads the Lynchburg effort. Rosten Callarman, coalition coordinator for the West Texas Homeless Network, has been working with Built for Zero in Abilene, Texas, one of five communities that the program considers to have ended chronic homelessness. He said the project represents a shift in attitude for homelessness service providers. Usually, he explained, “the talk is not about progress, but about maintaining the system as it is. It’s very pessimistic, a sense that homelessness is not something that can be fixed.” DYNAMIC PROBLEM Some anti-homelessness advocates worry that Built for Zero’s strategy potentially glosses over critical gaps in efforts to eradicate the problem. “This idea of functional zero is not actually ending homelessness,” said Megan Hustings, deputy director of the Washington DC-based National Coalition for the Homeless. Hustings acknowledged that the program has built a system that can identify people who need housing and quickly get them resources. But, she worried that by saying they have ended homelessness in an area, the community can assume the issue has been addressed. That does little to tackle the root causes of homelessness, she said, primarily the major shortfall of affordable housing nationwide. For Katie Hong, director of special initiatives at the Raikes Foundation, where she has focused on youth homelessness, understanding the inflow and outflow of homelessness can help response as a whole. The sector has long focused on crisis response, with no incentive for other systems – hospitals and prisons, for example – to take responsibility for those moving into homelessness, she said. With COVID and the eventual end of eviction moratoriums, “everyone is now bracing for the inflow,” Hong said by phone. “I don’t think we’ve gotten smart enough as a community to understand that this is a dynamic problem. If we don’t talk about that, it makes it seem like we’re not making progress.” ■ A MEMBER OF THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY WALKS PAST A HYATT HOTEL THAT IS COMPLETELY CLOSED TO GUESTS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19) OUTBREAK, IN WASHINGTON, U.S. MAY 8, 2020. NEW UNEMPLOYMENT DATA SHOWS THE U.S. ECONOMY LOST A STAGGERING 20.5 MILLION JOBS IN APRIL. REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNST 12 DENVER VOICE March 2021 Courtesy of Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation / INSP.ngo
EVENTS COURTESY OF DEAR DENVER DEARDENVER.NET PUZZLES Thanks to Deborah Lastowka, who provides this list of ideas for entertainment people can enjoy while practicing social distancing. 1 14 17 FRIDAY MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION A regular meditation practice can help you cultivate kindness and inner peace – two things we desperately need in these stressful times. Each class will include instruction on some mindfulness themes followed by 30 minutes of practice. All levels are welcome! WHEN: Mar 5, 12, 19, and 26, 10 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. COST: Free but registration is required. MORE INFO: denverlibrary.org/events/upcoming ADAM CAYTON-HOLLAND VIRTUAL EVENT 51 52 Local funnyman, Adam Cayton-Holland, brings his bits online to be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. And who doesn’t need a laugh these days? There will be birds. WHEN: Mar 11, 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. COST: $15 MORE INFO: comedyworks.com VIRTUAL FAMILY PROGRAM: CONNECTING FROM AFAR – CELEBRATING WOMEN All artists have family and loved ones supporting them behind-the-scenes, and Clyfford Still was no exception. Celebrate Women’s History Month at this virtual event and discover the women who played key roles in Clyfford Still’s life, career, and legacy. For children ages 4 – 8 years old and their families. WHEN: Mar 13, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. COST: Free but registration is required. MORE INFO: clyffordstillmuseum.org/events SATURDAY MATINEE: WALTER CHAW AND BARBARA CRAMPTON TALK WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? Join film critic Walter Chaw and the American actress Barbara Crampton to take a closer look at this iconic film. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is available on DVD at the Denver Public library. Not a cardholder yet? Grab your ID and get started online at denverlibrary.org/library-card. WHEN: Mar 20, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. COST: Free but registration is required. MORE INFO: denverlibrary.org/events/upcoming FROM LAWN TO XERISCAPE: RETROFITTING A SMALL SUBURBAN LANDSCAPE This program provides a practical how-to guide for transforming a water-dependent lawn into a natural, thriving ecosystem. WHEN: Mar 21, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. COST: $9.99 MORE INFO: facebook.com/coloradonativeplantsociety 6 5 2 9 4 56 60 63 57 61 64 32 37 41 44 45 48 49 53 58 62 65 50 54 55 59 38 39 42 46 47 20 23 25 26 27 33 34 35 40 43 21 24 28 29 30 31 36 2 3 4 5 6 15 18 22 7 8 COURTESY OF STREETROOTS ANSWERS ARE ON PAGE 15 9 10 11 12 13 16 19 ACROSS DOWN 1. One of the senses 6. Arctic native 10. It’s a long story 14. Bathsheba’s husband, in the 17-Across 15. Doing nothing 16. Ball of yarn 17. Christian scriptures, with “the” 18. Pinocchio, at times 19. Character in a play 20. Smug 23. Ear-related 24. “Cheers” regular 25. Full of vigor 28. Flamethrower fuel used in the Vietnam War 32. First man in the 17-Across 33. Des Moines resident 36. Royal insomnia cause 37. Backstage 41. Web crawler? 42. Illegal fi ring? 43. Part of a bottle or guitar 44. Take out a policy on 46. Princes of India (Var.) 48. Egg holder 50. Pudding starch 51. Place on the body that may be targeted in martial arts or alternative medicine 56. Croat, e.g. 57. Bibliographical abbr. 58. Merger 60. Sweat source 61. Astronaut’s insignia 62. On edge 63. Gulf of ___, off the coast of Yemen 64. Hidden valley 65. Th at is, in Latin 1. Grinder 2. Colored eye part 3. Jeer 4. Cheese from Cyprus 5. Burglaries 6. Light purple 7. Mine entrance 8. Garden-variety 9. Outward appearances 10. ___ and save (be frugal) 11. ___ vera 12. Neuter 13. Amaze 21. Canine command 22. Coin replaced by the euro 25. Jewish scholar 26. Ancient Greek theater 27. Th ai coins 29. Sleeper’s breathing problem 30. Bloodsucker 31. Divers’ gear 33. Part of TGIF 34. “Well well well!” 35. Cyst 38. Nostrils 39. Salad ___ 40. Legally prohibited 45. Lopsided 46. 50 Cent piece 47. South American rodent 49. ___ ligation (one form of surgical sterilization) 50. Four-door 51. Trudge 52. Pink, as a steak 53. Climb 54. Primetime time 55. Jettison 56. Mudbath locale 59. Aft er expenses 5 1 6 8 7 2 3 1 4 6 3 7 2 7 8 9 1 8 4 March 2021 DENVER VOICE 13 3 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+ Denver Foundation The NextFifty Initiative Help Colorado Now $10,000+ John & Laurie Mcwethy Charitable Fund Kenneth King Foundation Max & Elaine Appel DEDO Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund The Christian Foundation $5,000 - $9,999 Anschutz Family Foundation Meek-Cuneo Family Fund Jerry Conover Cranaleith Foundation, Inc $1,000-$4,999 BNSF Railway Foundation Kauer Construction and Design Bright Funds Russell Peterson Phoenix Capital, Inc. Signs by Tomorrow Energy Outreach Colorado City Side Remodeling SEI Giving Fund Matthew Seashore & Nikki Lawson Josh Kauer Caring Connection Kroger Gaelina Tesfaye Network for Good Charities Aid Foundation of America Jim Ashe Walker Family Foundation The Sidney B. & Caleb F. Gates Jr. Fund Matthew Rezek Conover/Wonder Family Fund The Sidney B. & Caleb F. Gates Jr. Fund Patrick & Jan Rutty Conover/Wonder Family Fund Phoenix Capital $500-$999 Colorado Cross Disability Colalition Graham Davis Betty & Warren Kuehner Jeremy Anderson Lighthouse Writer’s Workshop, Inc. Community Health Charities Michelle Stapleton & James Thompson Michael Dino Paul Hoffman Michael J. Fehn & Jan Monnier Jennifer Stedron Mr. Paul Manoogian 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 Gaspar Terrana Catherine Hegedus Christine Muldoon and Pete Iannuzzi James Stegman 3M Foundation 10X Business Consultants 14 DENVER VOICE March 2021 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
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 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 March 2021 DENVER VOICE 15 7 5 1 3 8 6 2 9 4 2 9 6 1 7 4 5 3 8 4 3 8 5 9 2 6 1 7 8 7 9 6 3 5 4 2 1 3 4 2 8 1 9 7 5 6 1 6 5 2 4 7 3 8 9 5 8 4 7 2 1 9 6 3 9 2 3 4 6 8 1 7 5 6 1 7 9 5 3 8 4 2 DON’T LOOK NOW! PUZZLES ARE ON PAGE 13 S I G H T U R I A H B I B L E R O B U S T A D A M I N S U R E N E S T S L A V L A P P S A G A I D L E C L E W L I A R R O L E S E L F S A T I S F I E D O T I C N O R M N A P A L M I O W A N P E A B E H I N D T H E S C E N E S B O T A R S O N N E C K R A J A H S S A G O P O R E N A S A A D E N G L E N P R E S S U R E P O I N T I B I D U N I O N T E N S E I D E S T
Since 2007, the VOICE has provided jobs for more than 4,400 people experiencing homelessness. For every dollar we take in, we put $3.00 directly back into the pockets of those who need it most. WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN DO MORE. DENVERVOICE.ORG/DONATE
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