VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY OUR Streets: MARY ANN BY PAULA BARD “WE EACH HAVE OUR OWN STORY. For me, healing is being able to tell that story. I didn’t come to Denver wanting to be homeless. I came to Denver from Arizona, about ten years ago. I was a nurse, 56. I had met this guy from Denver. The day that I arrived, we were in a motel, turns out, he had a crack pipe. Nope, no drugs and alcohol for me. I told him to get the hell out. So here I was, brand new to Denver, “I WILL SURVIVE AND KEEP ON GOING ” 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 didn’t know anybody, didn’t have a job, didn’t have anything. I said, ‘I will survive and keep on going.’ My mail was forwarded to the motel. But come to find out you can’t use motel addresses for job applications! I’m an LPN, and the person who updated LPN licenses had retired; I couldn’t update my license. With that hotel address, I couldn’t get a job. I went to stay at Samaritan House, the shelter. With their address I got a job at the Arapahoe County Jail. I liked it. But I worked odd and late hours. And it was hard getting back into the shelter at night. They close at 9:00. If you’re late, you can’t get back in. So, when I worked a 3-11 shift, I slept in my car in the parking lot. But, they told me they would call the police if I continued it. And then, someone destroyed my car. Intentionally. The security guard wouldn’t let me call the police. I was using light rail and buses to get to Arapahoe County from downtown. Plus, I was keeping up with chores and classes at the shelter. It was exhausting and hard! All I could do was cry. Then, when I was doing my chores in the kitchen, this guy, another resident, grabbed my breast. I ran down to the security guard. He said he couldn’t report it to the police. This was sexual assault, but the guy was from the prison in Sterling, an ex con. ‘You know, if you call the cops, you’ll get thrown out of here,’ said the guard. I left.” ■ 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. 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 SUBSCRIBE We need volunteers to help with everything from newspaper distribution to event planning and management. Contact program@denvervoice.org for volunteering information. 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. July 2021 DENVER VOICE 3
4 Publizr Home