VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY A PRAIRIE HOME UNWANTED BY GILES CLASEN CREDIT: GILES CLASEN A RIDE ON THE RTD A LINE, from downtown Denver to Denver International Airport, provides a unique picture of Denver. The train starts at the feet of downtown skyscrapers which give way to old and new neighborhoods, industrial parks, and city parks. Just before the train reaches the airport one blue tent stands in swaying prairie grass. The tent houses two men Niko and Chris. The two moved to Denver from Oklahoma and lost their car in a flood near Trinidad, Colorado a year ago. Their car had been their primary form of income driving for DoorDash and Lyft. Losing their car and income forced them into homelessness. “Unfortunately, there has been very, very, very little help for us in Denver,” Niko said. “Being two gay males with dogs, nobody wants to touch us with a 10-foot pole.” Chris said being a gay couple makes it harder to find support services together. “There are services and programs for homeless straight couples,” he said. “But there isn’t the same support for gay couples.” Chris and Niko grew up in Maryland. Niko was raised in the foster care system after both of his parents died. Chris was removed from his father’s home after being a victim of child abuse. They met in Maryland’s Pathfinder program, a public service program for disabled individuals. Niko and Chris built a life together. Disabled after sustaining a Traumatic Brain Injury in a car accident, Niko received Social Security survivor benefits, which offered the two a basic level of stability to build upon. Meanwhile, Chris worked to pay for their apartment in Southern Maryland. “We felt Maryland wasn’t our future. There wasn’t an opportunity for us,” Niko said. “We moved to Chicago, and then Oklahoma, to find a lower cost of living.” When they moved Niko lost his Social Security benefits. The reason has never been fully clear to him – especially given that he was told moving states wouldn’t impact his benefit. Niko walks with a limp, has slow, gentle speech and his eyes veer in different directions causing vision disorders – 8 DENVER VOICE June 2022
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