VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY OUR Streets: MARK AND JESSICA BY PAULA BARD MARK I’ve been homeless since I was 11 years old. When I wasn’t in prison, I had an apartment, and I lived with Jessica. I’m 43 now. I’ve been writing a book [about political scandals in Arapahoe County]. It’s almost finished. The police stole my bike. For this new bike, we found pieces of it behind a dumpster in Glendale. We put it together, and I can ride her in the front, a chariot! The dog has a home in the back. As we were getting ready to go live in the streets, I didn’t want Chico to have to feel the strain of it, so I made him the best seat in the house. I just felt like if we had a place to sit down and rest that things would just be better for us.” JESSICA I lost my place, I was renting a janitorial closet on Ogden with the plumbing, electricity, $450 a month. I’m 28. I can’t get an ID so I can’t get help for getting off heroin. My mom passed away 4 years ago, my grandpa died on the same day. My anxiety is just through the roof. I’ve never set foot in a shelter. I’d go hungry first. ■ 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. “I’VE NEVER SET FOOT IN A SHELTER. I’D GO HUNGRY FIRST.” 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. April 2021 DENVER VOICE 3
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