$ 2 SUGGESTED DONATION @DenverVOICE ONE YEAR LATER AFTER NEARLY SHUTTING DOWN, THE DENVER VOICE GETS A SECOND CHANCE PAGE 2 IN YOUR OWN WORDS SECOND CHANCES AND A THANK YOU TO DONORS PAGE 4 ASK A VENDOR DENVER VOICE VENDORS SHARE STORIES OF SECOND CHANCES PAGE 5 FROM ASHES TO AERIAL: FALLON VOORHEISMATHEWS’ JOURNEY OF HEALING IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE MARSHALL FIRE THE ART OF INTEGRATION DANIEL CHAVEZ’S JOURNEY THROUGH CULTURE, MOVEMENT, AND INNOVATION PAGE 6 VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY PAGES 4,5 EVENTS / PUZZLES PAGE 13 RESOURCES PAGE 15 SEPTEMBER 2025 | Vol.30 Issue 9 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: FALLON VOORHEIS-MATHEWS SPINS ON HER “FIRE SILK.” | PHOTO BY GILES CLASEN
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK THIS MONTH MARKS one year since we announced our temporary shutdown. It’s a time to reflect on the second chance we were given by gracious Denverites like yourself. Second chances are what Denver ROBERT DAVIS BOARD PRESIDENT VOICE is all about. Our vendors have faced indescribable personal challenges, and we exist to help them find the dignity and stability they deserve. Our work is meaningless without our vendors, and it would be impossible to do this work without your support. The future of Denver VOICE is bright. We have an amazing team in place and they have made a lot of progress toward building a new foundation for the organization. This month, we’re going to take a moment to acknowledge how far we’ve come and the incredible opportunity that we received to continue this work. Thank you for believing in us! In solidarity, Robert Davis THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS GILES CLASEN is a freelance photojournalist who is a regular contributor to the VOICE. Several of the photos he’s taken for the VOICE have won national and international awards. He also served on the VOICE’s Board of Directors. WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN DO THIS. DENVERVOICE.ORG/DONATE ARTISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Daniel Chavez Giles Clasen Rudy Ortega 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 Denver metro area experiencing homelessness and poverty. Since 2007, we have put more than 4,600 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: Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. WRITERS Steve Anson Giles Clasen Raelene Johnson Halvin Jones Jerry Rosen Charles Spring Rodney Woolfolk DENVERVOICE.ORG E.ORG MANAGING EDITOR Elisabeth Monaghan DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Giles Clasen ART DIRECTOR Andrew Fraieli ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Maddie Egerton VOLUNTEER COPY EDITOR Aaron Sullivan @OCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Robert Davis, President Isabella Colletti, Secretary Michael Burkley Eduardo Platon Edwin Rapp Donald Burnes Jennifer Forker Ande Sailer 2 DENVER VOICE September 2025 STAFF CONTRIBUTORS BOARD CONTACT US
DENVER NEW LIMITED EDITION POSTER Designed and hand-screened by Ravi Zupa for new Denver VOICE donors Thanks to Denver VOICE co-founder Rick Barnes, every purchase will now be matched dollar-for-dollar You can purchase a poster by setting up a $5 per month recurring donation or a one-time donation of $55 GOOD SCHOOLS MAKE A GREAT CITY. Your vote matters in the Denver Board of Education election. DENVER4STUDENTS.COM coloradogives.org/organization/denvervoice 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. 1 4 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 DONATE Donations to the Denver VOICE are tax-deductible. 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 3 VOLUNTEER We need volunteers to help with everything from newspaper distribution to event planning and management. Contact program@denvervoice.org for volunteering information. 5 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. @denverVOICE 2 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. September 2025 DENVER VOICE 3
IN YOUR OWN WORDS SO MANY SECOND CHANCES WHEN I THINK BACK on second chances, I’ve had so many, but learning to love myself as deeply as I do was the biggest second chance I’ve ever had. When you’re RAELENE JOHNSON DENVER VOICE VENDOR broken and your life is falling around you, you don’t have any love for yourself. Until you can get your life out of chaos, you can’t truly love yourself. I thank my higher power for allowing me to finally love myself and want the best for me. A second chance came in the form of being clean and sober for 17 years. When you get off drugs and alcohol, your life can fully change. When you’re doing drugs and alcohol, and you’re in the depths of it, you have no love for yourself. You don’t know how to get out of your situation, and you feel lost and abandoned. People walk away from you when they see how you’re acting, and they don’t want to be around you. Sometimes, when you’re into drugs and alcohol, you really don’t want to listen to someone when they’re trying to help you because you believe that you’re far beyond help. Let me tell you, you are not beyond help. There is life after drugs and alcohol. You just have to want to give yourself a second chance at life without drugs and alcohol! Until you decide that you want a better life, you will not receive it! Second chances can come from family. They walk away from you after so many chances, until you get your life together. Once they see that you’ve got your life together again, they may be willing to come back into your life and give you a second chance. Do not waste that chance! Good family and friends are the most important things that you need in your life! Those are people who care about you, but first, you have to care about yourself. I can tell you from a recovering addict’s point of view that life only gets better the longer you stay away from drugs and alcohol! Your wildest dreams can come true, and dreams that you never even knew you had will appear before you. Second chances can come in the form of a job that you never knew you would be good at. That is what the Denver VOICE has done for me. They didn’t care why I couldn’t get a job over 17 years ago. They just gave me 10 papers and a badge, and the rest was up to me. I have completely transformed my life because of the paper. I’ve been able to get drugs- and alcoholfree, to go from sleeping outdoors to being in my own home for almost 15 years. I became the writer that I never knew I could be. When you don’t have formal schooling, and people tell you throughout your childhood that you’re “dumb, stupid, and retarded,” or that “you’re no good,” or “you’ll never amount to anything,” you lose hope. Do not believe anyone who says anything negative to you because people who are in pain themselves will go out of their way to make other people miserable, because if they can’t be happy, why should anybody else? THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE STEVE ANSON DENVER VOICE VENDOR THE RICH AROMA OF roasted chiles wafts across a parking lot and into my nose. That is what I take away from vending the VOICE at the University Hills farmers’ market, along with the pet treats I was given by a donor. (I do not care for a pet. I would, but I can barely care for myself.) I vend at farmers’ markets on weekends from May through September. I find these markets to be a positive reflection of the persons that make up the United States of America. These are individual enterprises and farms run by people, each of whom is making the promise of a free-market economy combined with a political democracy a continued possibility. As many people agree, the free-market ideal has been slowly supplanted by a corporate takeover of how we get the products we use. The democracy that most Americans value and some fight for is in severe danger from some who practice oligarchy. I am writing the rest of this piece early on a Sunday afternoon after a morning during 4 DENVER VOICE September 2025 Stay away from people like that. The only people you should be around are the ones who lift you up and let you know you’re doing a good job, or tell you, “You can do it,” or “I’m proud of you!” When you hear those words, you start to believe in yourself. Words are powerful. They can destroy you or build you up. Listen to the words that build you up, but don’t take in the negative words because if you do, you’ll stay in hardship, sadness, and misery, and think that you don’t deserve anything good at all. Those negative words are other people projecting onto you. Do not destroy yourself by beating up on yourself. Remember, only Self can change Self! Today, I choose to love myself and give myself every opportunity that’s before me. I am grateful in my heart that I’m not in the streets anymore and that I’m a paid published author because of the VOICE. I never knew I could write and have people tell me how powerful my writing is. The best gift that I gave to myself was understanding that I could have a better life, and it is because of the VOICE and people that I have met who have been willing to look beyond my brokenness to give me a second chance. If there’s nobody to lift you up, you need to be the person to lift yourself up. Say to yourself, “I’m tired of being tired. I’m tired of being sick and tired. I want to be happy and healthy, and only I can make sure that that happens.” You have to want it deep inside of you to change you and your circumstances. I no longer have to worry about being homeless, worrying about where I can go to sleep, or wondering where I can take a shower. That’s a hard life to have to deal with, and if that is your life, reach out and ask for help. People are willing to help you, but you have to be willing to ask for the help! which I got reminded of a small flaw in my thinking. I will illustrate. This morning, I gave myself a wake-up call. I decided to vend at a farmers’ market in a more affluent section of Denver. A young man who was running a stand along with his sister walked across the street to donate and “buy” a paper. I noticed his shirt and wrongly assumed that it reflected his military service. He informed me that he would be going into training for naval service in two months. He gave me two bucks that I appreciated greatly. I thanked him for his service to the country. About an hour later, his sister crossed that street and began a conversation with me and my scraggly beard. She told me she loved the writing in the paper, filling me with a sense of pride. I informed her in my awkward way that I pretended to write, and that I intended to submit for the September issue. I didn’t think it was possible, but that made her even more bubbly, and she added a twenty to the donation her brother had given. Self-love and self-care are the best second chances you’ll have in your life. You have to be the one to do the work to change your life, and giving yourself a second chance at life is the best gift you’ll ever give yourself. My prayer is that everyone who is broken will reach out and get the help they need. You are worth that and so much more. If nobody’s told you that today, I’m telling you that you are the one who has to stand up for self and want a second life for yourself. I know it’s hard when you’re down and out, but you have to believe in yourself that you can do it, and once you do it, you’ll see the life that you can have. I got a second chance at being cancer-free. That’s a big one in this day and age. There’s so much cancer out there, but if you get it, you have to be positive and say, “I’m going to beat it, I’m not going to let it beat me.” Positivity is the best gift you can give to yourself! No matter what you’re going through in life, you have to care about yourself first and stay positive that you can beat whatever your situation is – if you believe that you can. There are so many different second chances out there. You just have to fight for a second chance for yourself and then see all the different second chances that will come from family, jobs, and associations. Everything will be a second chance for you to do over, but you have to be willing to put the work in and do it yourself. Nobody can do the work for you but you! Give yourself a second chance and discover the life that you could have! I know second chances are worth it because I was given them on so many different levels that, and that is my wish for you! Just reach out and grab for a second chance in your life, no matter what it is. Thank you for reading my story, and I hope it inspires you. I am grateful for all of the second chances I’ve had! I kept my head about me and continued to vend for an hour more. Before I caught the light rail back to downtown Denver. I practice a form of meditation called “Vipassana.” One can do this for whatever length of time one wishes. On a train ride, I find five minutes appropriate, and it feels like I just got a full night’s sleep. So, completely refreshed, I reflected upon my weekend and concluded that what I experienced over the two days was a connection to the society in which I live. I recovered, further, a sense of service. Whether or not we are conscious of it, we all serve each other. So, to every light rail train operator, every cashier, every firefighter, indeed, even the property manager in my building, to everyone, thank you for your service! Oh. About those pet treats. I left them in front of my next-door neighbor’s apartment door. I hope their dog enjoyed them. Thank you, donors.
IN YOUR OWN WORDS WORTHINESS As the curtain slowly falls, enveloping my silhouette in shadow, I wonder what my shadow makes of me. STEVE ANSON DENVER VOICE VENDOR If I could write a stanza, maybe two, would the song fi nd me worthy of even fi nding the words for a feeling so deep dark blue? Not sad, mind you, no, just a creator emptied of his creation, sitting quietly, not wanting nor wishing, just awonder. What will you do with my words? I’d tell you if i dared tell your thoughts or if I thought it would matter. SECOND CHANCES Wanted But not given A new life A new place Looking for CHARLES SPRING DENVER VOICE VENDOR But am blinded to Seeking Asking for Hopefully requesting Starting over A new time Turning back time Changing mistakes Fixing mistakes Wanted But never given ASK A VENDOR THIS COLUMN IS A PLACE FOR DENVER VOICE VENDORS TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS FROM FELLOW VENDORS, OUR READERS, AND STAFF. Q What is a second chance you have received? RAELENE JOHNSON A The best second chance I had was with the Denver VOICE. They didn’t care about my past. They just said, “Read the rules, sign the paperwork, and you can become a vendor.” The newspaper has transformed my whole life for the last 17 years. JERRY ROSEN I have been given a second chance at a few things. I was working a job a long time ago, and I made a mistake on it. The supervisor told me I could have a second chance if I did a better job. Everybody makes mistakes in life and should be given a second chance. I like working for the VOICE, as nobody is on my back. I follow the rules and do what I’m supposed to. HALVIN JONES I am thankful for second chances – as many of them as it takes to get things done right. I count my blessings. I’m sure there are people out there who are not as lucky as I am. Well, I wish I could rewind the hands of time, but it’s out of my reach. There are a lot of things, but I have no regrets. I can only say I’ve done my best. One man’s gift is another man’s gander. I go on faith, belief, and dreams. I hope that those dreams will come true one day. I’m not calling life a fairy tale, but sometimes I wish it were a dream. RODNEY WOOLFOLK I was given a second chance when I was in the Persian Gulf and nearly died there. The time was 1985. (1985!!) September 2025 DENVER VOICE 5
COMMUNITY PROFILE MORE THAN ART: DANIEL CHAVEZ’S CROSSDISCIPLINE APPROACH STORY BY ELISABETH MONAGHAN FOR DANIEL CHAVEZ, art has never been confined to a single medium – it’s a way of thinking, moving, and creating that draws from his deep ties to culture, community, and design. Chavez has been a self-employed artist for nearly 13 years, and all of his work has come through referrals. “There was a time when I didn’t even have a website—or business cards— because I was so busy,” Chavez explained. For the past several years, Chavez focused on the design aspect of his work through his cross-disciplined design firm Tzintzun, which offers everything from web design and apparel to murals, lighting, and custom interiors. “My goal has been to provide a cohesive and holistic approach to my clients, rather than patchworking different things together,” Chavez said. THE BEGINNING OF A CREATIVE LEGACY Chavez’s roots are a key to understanding how he sets himself apart from other artists. The house in the Sunnyside Neighborhood where Chavez grew up was one his grandfather built. Growing up in a home built by his grandfather grounded Chavez in a strong sense of place, family, and heritage – elements that continue to shape his artistic identity and approach to his art. “I was basically raised in the same house my mom was raised in,” explained Chavez. [My grandfather] used to have a couple of different houses here in this neighborhood, but he let them all go, and this was eventually the one that was passed on to my mom.” From an early age, Chavez felt a creative pull, which he attributes to a genetic predisposition. Although neither of his parents pursued art professionally, both displayed innate talent. His mother was a gifted painter and writer, and his father enjoyed drawing, creating posters with hand-colored illustrations of Disney characters like Winnie the Pooh for Chavez and his brother’s bedrooms. Even Chavez’s brother, who received a scholarship for ceramics and pottery, showed early promise in the arts. BUILDING A CROSS-DISCIPLINARY FOUNDATION Chavez’s creative drive proved more enduring, with a formal education that brought together multiple disciplines. Chavez studied art history at the Community College of Denver and Metropolitan State University before attending RECENTLY, DANIEL CHAVEZ STARTED A NEW PROJECT CALLED THE PORTRAIT LIBRARY, A MOBILE CART-BASED CREATIVE PROJECT THAT MERGES CANDID PORTRAITS WITH HANDMADE PRODUCTS. | PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIEL CHAVEZ 6 DENVER VOICE September 2025
COMMUNITY PROFILE the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. Initially, Chavez studied animation at RMCAD, but he earned his undergraduate degree in interior design and highperformance building systems. This background laid the foundation for a holistic approach to art and design that would define Chavez’s career. One formative influence was a professor who introduced Chavez to the Bauhaus school—a historic German art institution known for its cross-disciplinary approach. However, Chavez’s commitment to integration across disciplines began even earlier through his study of martial arts. “That was, I think, my first exposure to cross disciplines, more on an international scale,” he said. The martial arts Chavez studied—particularly Wushu, a stylized form of Kung Fu with roots in yoga—instilled in him a sense of movement, philosophy, and creativity that shaped his holistic approach to art and design and continues to inform how he engages with space, form, and crossdisciplinary work. THE PORTRAIT LIBRARY: ART ON THE MOVE Recently, Chavez has embarked on a new project called The Portrait Library, a mobile cart-based creative project that merges candid portraits with handmade products. The idea was born, fittingly, in a public library. “I love libraries. I go to several a week,” Chavez said. “I just sit there and let the ideas come.” The Portrait Library includes what Chavez calls “flash” portraits, using different types of paper and book-themed formats. Unlike caricatures, the portraits Chavez creates are dignified and textual, or candid, capturing the essence of the subject. Through Chavez’s second website, NoStyle.co, the Portrait Library also serves as a storefront for unique products Chavez designs: leather-bound journals, accordion-style sketchbooks, and dual-function books with watercolor paper on one side and writing paper on the other. One of his products, a wrist-worn journal, which is about the size of a fitness tracker or smart watch, is geared toward travelers or creatives on the move. Chavez was quick to acknowledge that not all of his products are his own creation, but he enjoys working on them because they are so unique and rare. In addition to selling directly through Nostyle.co, Chavez is working to get these products into retail spaces like the gift shops at The Denver Art Museum and the Botanic Gardens. He’s also started offering commissions—like one he made for an educator retiring from her college, in which he created a personalized journal illustrated with portraits and scenes from her career. ART WITH PURPOSE: COMMUNITY, CONNECTION, AND EMPATHY Chavez’s design work and his Portrait Library keep him busy, but one of the most meaningful threads of his life is his engagement with nonprofits like Denver VOICE. Chavez’s connection to the organization stems from empathy for people who are struggling, especially the unhoused. What drives Chavez, ultimately, is a belief in shared human potential. “I really think that all people are capable of the same thing,” he said. “The opportunities, of course, are not the same. But the capacity is there. Whether it’s drawing a picture, writing a novel, or helping someone in need—it’s about the effort, not some innate talent.” Chavez sees art not as a narrow skill, but as a mode of being. “Artistry, to me, is the expression of your personality,” he says. “It doesn’t have to be visual. It can be how you THE PORTRAIT LIBRARY INCLUDES WHAT CHAVEZ CALLS “FLASH” PORTRAITS, USING DIFFERENT TYPES OF PAPER AND BOOK-THEMED FORMATS. | PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIEL CHAVEZ “ EVERYONE CAN BRING ARTISTRY INTO WHAT THEY DO” interact with people, how you think, how you move. Everyone can bring artistry into what they do.” You can learn about Daniel Chavez’s work by visiting nostyle.co or tzintzun.co. Editor’s note: We are thrilled to announce that Daniel will be the art instructor on September 18 at our Sip n’ Paint fundraiser for the VOICE at Seedstock Brewery. September 2025 DENVER VOICE 7
FIRE. ASHES. REBIRTH. One performer’s journey in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire Story by Giles Clason WHAT VOORHEIS-MATHEWS FOUND IN THE AERIAL WORLD WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF CULTURE THAN THE PERFORMANCE AND DANCE SHE GREW UP HONING. | PHOTO BY GILES CLASEN 8 DENVER VOICE September 2025
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AST MONTH, Fallon Voorheis-Mathews took the stage with her aerial dance company, “In the Wings” at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center at the Jewish Community Center to share “Embers, Petals, and Stars,” an aerial and dance performance. The first act, “Fire.Ashes.Rebirth,” is shaped by VoorheisMathews’ experience of losing her house and rebuilding after the Marshall Fire. “It’s for me, closure,” she said. “But it’s also for other people. I want those who went through this to feel seen. And I want those who didn’t, to understand how much this takes from you.” A LIFE IN MOTION Movement has been part of Voorheis-Mathews’ life for as long as she can remember. She started ballet at age 2, but it wasn’t love at first pointe shoe and tutu. “My mom put me into gymnastics when I was 3 because I was climbing over our first-floor balcony,” she said. Gymnastics became her focus until an injury at age 14 ended her competitive career. But she refused to quit because movement made Voorheis-Mathews feel whole. She begrudgingly returned to ballet. “I still hate ballet. But it’s one of those things, ballet makes you better at the other forms of dance,” she said. Voorheis-Mathews gravitated toward modern and jazz dance. The styles gave her more room to explore. She majored in theater and minored in dance at Mesa State in Grand Junction. When Voorheis-Mathews found aerial, her foundation in gymnastics and dance shaped her approach. “Having grown up doing gymnastics and dance, it’s kind of like the combination of both of those, and a lot easier on my body,” she said. “To get to use that [art form] to tell a story and bring the community together through art is something different and special to me.” Dance had long been a way for her to process experiences, connect with others, and feel fully herself. “The culture is lifting each other up,” she said. “It’s just pulling each other together. Aerial brought it all together.” “THERE’S A FIRE IN MARSHALL” Voorheis-Mathews was at a mountain cabin with her FALLON VOORHEIS-MATHEWS AND ASHLEY EAVES SONNIER BELIEVE AERIAL DANCE HELPS PROMOTE HEALING. | PHOTO BY GILES CLASEN husband, Fleetwood Mathews, and their two dogs the day the Marshall Fire burned across Boulder County in 2021. Then, the texts started. “I got a text from my coworker that said, ‘Hey, is everything okay over there?’” Voorheis-Mathews said. “She didn’t know I wasn’t at home. A few minutes later, my husband came in and said, ‘There’s a fire in Marshall.’” At first, the two dismissed it. Grass fires weren’t uncommon. They flared up and were quickly put out. But this one wasn’t like the others. A downslope windstorm blew 100-mile-per-hour winds across the Boulder County foothills, pushing the fire quickly into neighborhoods the morning of December 30, 2021. Evacuation messages were sent to 35,000 residents within the fire’s path. Within hours, more than 1,000 homes burned, including VoorheisMathews. “We went from thinking it wasn’t a big deal to realizing just how bad it was, and how fast [it was moving],” she said. “From what we could piece together, our street was already on fire by 12:30 p.m.” They debated returning home to save what they could. By mid-afternoon, they knew it was too late. They stayed glued to the news while Mathews started a claim with the insurance company that afternoon. Meanwhile, their home smouldered. Late that night, Mathew’s mother drove to the house to see the damage firsthand and update the couple. “At 1 in the morning, she called and said it was all gone,” Voorheis-Mathews said. “We didn’t sleep. I started looking at house plans, ready to rebuild. I think both of us just jumped to the thought, ‘Let’s fix it.’” UP IN FLAMES The house Voorheis-Mathews and her husband lost to the fire wasn’t new, but it was theirs. Built decades earlier and recently renovated by the previous owners, it had quirks and features they wouldn’t have chosen, like a fish tank in the bar and a fireplace in the bathroom. But it checked the boxes that mattered. “My husband came across the property while working part-time as a realtor,” Voorheis-Mathews said. “We weren’t really looking for a house, but it was on an acre, and it had space.” The home had one special amenity that VoorheisMathews couldn’t pass up: a barn. For Voorheis-Mathews, the barn offered a private setting with a high ceiling where she could mount her aerial rig and rehearse. Voorheis-Mathews began aerial dance in 2010 after discovering a Groupon for a class at Frequent Flyers in Boulder. “I thought it would be a fun date. My boyfriend, now husband, and I went together,” Voorheis-Mathews said. By 2011, she was performing, and soon after, she began dancing with a professional company. What Voorheis-Mathews found in the aerial world was a different kind of culture than the performance and dance she grew up honing. Voorheis-Mathews also discovered a THE MARSHALL FIRE DESTOYED MORE THAN 1000 HOMES. | PHOTO COURTESY OF MALACHI BROOKS ON UNSPLASH community and a spirit that fueled her creative goals. “I feel like there’s a place for everybody in the circus, no matter what you look like, no matter what your shape is, no 10 DENVER VOICE September 2025
matter where your strengths are, everybody has a strength that they can bring to the table,” she said. Voorheis-Mathews began her own company in 2018. The barn was critical. It gave her space to rehearse, train, and host small events. “We all chipped in for our own costumes and brought our own apparatuses. It was very grassroots at the beginning,” she said. “And we sold out that first show. So, it was really exciting.” When the Marshall Fire swept through their neighborhood, it took the barn with it. Voorheis-Mathews’ rig, silks, and custom trapeze burned too. Her friends and members of the aerial community donated replacements to Voorheis-Mathews within weeks of the fire. A DIFFERENT KIND OF FIRE The Marshall Fire wasn’t we’re building more in riskier places. “Most of the houses that get lost due to wildfire were lost in grasslands or shrublands,” Suding said. “It’s not as risky, the fires are more intense in a forest, but just the amount of houses and their proximity to grasslands throughout the whole West means that it’s almost about 80% of all buildings destroyed in the last several decades were lost due to grassland fires,” Suding said. REBUILDING Voorheis-Mathews and her husband split much of the responsibility for managing the rebuild. But Mathews was generally the one who worked directly with the contractors. Mathews worked as a project manager, and he was just a tragedy for VoorheisMathews and her husband; it burned more than 1,000 homes in a matter of hours. The fire was a warning for Colorado and now seems like a prescient warning to communities around the United States. In the years since, deadly wildfires have ravaged neighborhoods in Maui and Southern California. Like Marshall, these fires didn’t ignite in forests but in grasslands and shrublands, then spread fast into inhabited areas. Residents often had just minutes to escape during the fires in Hawaii, California, and Colorado as the flames spread, destroying structures and resulting in significant loss of humans and domestic animals. For Dr. Katharine Suding, a distinguished professor of grassland ecology at the University of Colorado Boulder, these events reflect a disturbing shift. “The number of homes is increasing in what we call the wildland-urban interface,” she said. “In Colorado, it’s increased by about 10% over the last couple of decades. So uniquely gifted for the task, but even he wasn’t ready for the complex insurance and bureaucratic hurdles of rebuilding after a natural disaster. From the start, the process was convoluted, inconsistent, and emotionally draining. Government support was minimal. Legal assistance was disorganized. Contractors were difficult to trust, and some flat-out stole money from fire victims. On top of everything, they were racing against the clock: their insurance coverage for temporary housing lasted only two years. If they didn’t finish rebuilding in time, they’d have nowhere to live. They would have to pay out of pocket for a hotel room or apartment, an expense they couldn’t muster with everything going toward the rebuild. “We were trying to get it done before the insurance stopped paying for the apartment, but there were so many setbacks,” Mathews said. “The fear of being left without a home twice, once by fire, again by red tape, was a constant source of stress. They chose to oversee the entire construction process themselves while hiring a contractor to manage the actual building. All of it was on top of Mathews’ demanding full-time job. He said it felt like juggling two jobs at once, and the stress took a toll on his health and marriage. But they overcame the relational challenges by each leaning into their strengths. “I think the way that we divided and conquered worked well for our marriage. We each took on what we could take on, and tried not to dump that on the other person,” Mathews said. Compounding everything, they discovered they were significantly underinsured, despite having reviewed their coverage less than a year before the fire. They used the insurance payout meant for personal belongings to cover construction and overcome the financial shortfall. The choice meant they went without replacing much of what they lost inside the home. “We could use our personal property insurance to bridge the gap, but it meant we would have to replace all of our stuff on our own. We thought we could make that work by buying back a little over time,” Mathews said. Mathews also said it may take the rest of their lives to fully recover what was lost. According to Mathews, he was deeply frustrated with the government’s response, especially from FEMA, which he felt offered almost no meaningful support. FEMA gave the couple and other Marshall fire victims $11,000, he said, describing the total assistance they received after losing their home. Other new regulations made the rebuild harder and more expensive. In 2018, Boulder County imposed new building requirements, like mandatory sprinkler and solar systems, that added tens of thousands of dollars in extra costs to already underinsured families. These rules added more than $50,000 to the construction at a time when rebuilding wasn’t guaranteed, Mathews said. “It was just a nightmare dealing with the banks and dealing with the insurance company. And [Boulder County] FLEETWOOD MATHEWS AND FALLON VOORHEIS-MATHEWS RELAX WITH THEIR DOG OUTSIDE OF THEIR NEW HOME. | PHOTO BY RUDY ORTEGA September 2025 DENVER VOICE 11
added more cost and more headaches. I can’t believe you can’t provide more support to the victims,” he said. Further complicating matters, the new build was assessed with a much higher tax bill than the older home. According to Mathews, this increased their property taxes by about $2,000 per month — roughly $24,000 annually — that the couple wasn’t ready to take on after the catastrophe. “We got a new house, but the question is, when you get through the process, can you still afford that new house?” Mathews said. He also said that policy changes specific to fire and natural disaster victims could help ease the burden after a rebuild. Mathews suggested a phased approach for natural disaster survivors when facing new building codes and property tax increases. This action would have made rebuilding their lives easier and less expensive at a time of crisis. Instead, they were left to navigate the financial and bureaucratic hurdles as well as insurance and construction struggles. This month, a trial is scheduled to determine if Xcel Energy has a financial responsibility to survivors. Sparks from a disconnected power line may have caused part of the fire. The couple is part of the suit and hopes to get a settlement. But according to Mathews, at this point, they aren’t counting on anything. Instead, they have dedicated any settlement to rebuild the barn and rehearsal space. Even with the setbacks, Mathews said they’ve been lucky in ways that others haven’t. They had flexible work, no children to care for, and a contractor who became a trusted friend. They were able to make it work, not because the system helped, but because they had just enough personal resources and support to push through. He knows not everyone in the community had the same advantages, and that reality weighs on him. Looking back, he doesn’t downplay how hard it was, but he also doesn’t take for granted that they have nearly made it. ANOTHER BLOW In April 2023, just as they were settling into the new home, Voorheis-Mathews was diagnosed with breast cancer. “I had a double mastectomy and 33 rounds of radiation,” she said. She’s still on hormone therapy and has another surgery scheduled just days after her upcoming show. It was another blow in a long stretch of survival mode. “We just jumped to, ‘Let’s fix it,’ but no one tells you how.” Her friend Ashley Eaves Sonnier, an aerialist and dancer who is performing in Voorheis-Mathews’ “Embers, Petals and Stars,” was one of many who helped her stay afloat. “After everything she’s been through, she still shows up,” Sonnier said. “She still creates. It’s incredible.” AERIAL AS HEALING “Embers, Petals, and Stars” tells the story of the fire and its aftermath. The first act, “Fire.Ashes.Rebirth,” traces the chaos of that day of the Marshall Fire and uses audio recordings, news broadcasts, voicemails, and spoken word of Voorheis-Mathews’ personal experience during and after the fire. Later scenes use dance and aerial performance to explore loss, grief, rebuilding, and the uneasy return home. Voorheis-Mathews performs on a silk sent to her by a friend she met during the COVID pandemic. A silk is a piece of fabric that hangs from an anchor, and aerialists wrap it around their bodies to hang, spin, and move through the air. “It’s red, orange, and yellow. I call it my fire silk.” Before the show starts, Voorheis-Mathews will ask the audience to join her in lighting candles. “We’ll have a moment of silence for the people who died, and for the first responders who risked their lives to save our homes.” Voorheis-Mathews knows the show won’t fix anything. But it’s part of the healing process. “I believe art heals,” she said. “It’s healed me through different things in my life. And I think it will heal others.” Sonnier feels the same way. For her, aerial dance is both expression and therapy. “The apparatus becomes a partner,” she said. “You can use it to show something soft or strong. You can touch it and say, ‘This was my house. I’m letting it go.’” NO CLEAN ENDING Voorheis-Mathews resists being called resilient. “I guess I just don’t want to live in a dark room. I’ve seen what happens to people who do,” she said. “There’s still so much beauty in the world, and I don’t want to miss it.” She paused. “But there are days I am in the dark room. I feel my feelings. That’s what makes the rest of it beautiful, too.” When the curtain rises, Voorheis-Mathews will climb into the air, not to escape the fire, but to face it, share the rebuilding, and move forward. “You can’t have light without the dark.” FALLON VOORHEIS-MATHEWS FLIES THROUGH THE AIR ON HER “FIRE SILK.” | PHOTO BY GILES CLASEN 12 DENVER VOICE September 2025
EVENTS CANVAS AND COMMUNITY: A “SIP N’ PAINT” FUNDRAISER FOR THE DENVER VOICE Sip, paint, and connect at Seedstock Brewery Sept 18! Build community and support Denver VOICE’s mission. Daniel Chavez - Instructor WHEN: Sept 18, 6-9 pm COST: Children, 13 and younger – $15, Adults -$39.19 (Ticket includes cost of supplies.) WHERE: Seedstock Brewery, 3610 West Colfax Ave. Denver INFO: bit.ly/47qpyzF DENVER BLUEGRASS CONVENTION We’re making this an opportunity for everyone (whether a musician or audience member) to gather and enjoy music, fellowship, food, and activities for children. Bring your lawn chair and come join us to compete or to listen! WHEN: Sept 6, 2 p.m. COST: Free WHERE: Grace United Methodist Church, 4905 E Yale Ave., Denver INFO: denverbluegrassconvention.org HIGHLANDS OCTOBERFEST AND MARKET Stroll along W. 32nd Ave. and support local vendors while enjoying all things Oktoberfest, including live Bavarian music and dancers, German food and beer, and a variety of familyfriendly activities. Gather your friends or come with the whole family for a day of community and Bavarian fun. WHEN: Sept 13, 10am – 6pm COST: Free WHERE: 32nd Ave and Lowell Blvd., Denver INFO: highlandsoktoberfest.com THIRD ANNUAL COLFAX CHICKENFEST Join 40 West Arts at The HUB Building for a festival centered around the chicken! Chicken artwork, chicken sculptures, chicken cluck n’ strut contest, chicken food truck, chicken egg scavenger hunt, and more! Live bluegrass music all day long and tons of other fun, perfect for all ages. WHEN: Sept 13, 12-4 pm COST: Free WHERE: 6501 W Colfax Ave, Lakewood INFO: bit.ly/45nC93X 8 REZ METAL AT LEVITT PAVILLION Come join us for the third annual Rez Metal night at Levitt Pavilion. “Rez” is a slang term. Rez Metal is a genre that describes the creative expression of Native American Heavy Metal music originating from the Navajo Nation and the greater Southwest Four Corners. Navajo, Pueblo, Apache, and O’odham Indigenous Nations will be represented at the third Rez Metal night in Denver. WHEN: Sept 20, 6 pm COST: Free WHERE: Levitt Pavilion, 1380 W. Florida Ave., Denver INFO: bit.ly/3H5iRsf 8 4 3 1 9 7 7 3 4 8 6 7 1 4 1 5 4 7 2 8 1 5 2 September 2025 DENVER VOICE 13 9 2 PUZZLES 1 14 17 20 23 30 34 37 43 46 53 57 60 66 69 ACROSS 1. For short, for short 4. Pyrenees dweller 10. In the center of 14. Half of sei 15. Microscopic organism 16. Weight deduction 17. Lara Croft, e.g.: 2 wds. 19. Zoomed 20. Diarist Nin 21. Archaeological find 23. XX% of MXX 24. Tiny battery 27. Dedicate, as time 30. Hexagonal pattern 33. Novelist Ephron 34. Good place to meditate 36. Muscleman with a mohawk: 2 wds. 37. Watched someone else’s kids 40. Some mailing addresses: 2 wds. 43. Where the ‘eart is? 44. Jazz band member 46. Nintendo dinosaur 49. Bakery item that’s often messy: 2 wds. 53. Situate 55. Operative 56. On the road 57. Old Nigerian capital 59. Dirty look 60. Ridicule 62. In a precarious position: 4 wds. 66. Has 67. Sprat, compared to his wife 68. Chinese “way” 69. Direction from which el sol rises 70. Actress Meryl 71. Retired JFK jet 61 62 67 70 DOWN 1. Upload, as a file to an email 2. Rodeo mount 3. Stay 4. They may be made out of granola or chocolate 5. Reddit Q&A (or an org. for 45-Down) 6. “___ gather”: 2 wds. 7. Proof finale 8. Lyft competitor 9. Dog-___ (folded over) 10. When many workdays end: 2 wds. 11. “We want freedom by any means necessary” speaker: 2 wds. 12. Outrage 13. Morning moisture 18. Shaking from the cold 22. Conducted 24. Serve in the capacity of: 2 wds. 25. ___ valve, part of the heart 26. Protestant denom. 28. Spare change? 29. Chows down 31. “Sounds good to me” 32. What Danny had better do, according to Sandy in “You’re the One That I Want”: 2 wds. 35. Fashion designer Hilfiger 37. Laddie 38. Love, in Lima 39. Admonition to someone speaking out of turn... or a hint to four squares in this puzzle: 2 wds. 41. Big party 42. At the ready: 2 wds. 45. Workers who may be 42-Down in the ER 47. Casket’s transport 48. Verb ending 50. Looks for 51. Fates 52. Range of vision 54. Ax and adz, for two 58. Tallow source 59. John Irving’s “The World According to ___” 60. “Average” guy 61. Expressions of disgust 63. Road crew supply 64. Wee hour 65. Miss-named? 47 48 54 58 63 64 65 68 71 38 39 44 49 55 59 56 45 50 51 52 40 31 24 25 26 32 35 41 42 18 21 27 33 36 22 28 29 2 3 4 15 5 6 7 8 COURTESY OF STREETROOTS 9 10 16 19 11 12 13 3 7 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 $10,000+ Meek-Cuneo Family Fund Anonymous Individual Donor Matt and Nikki Seashore Acorn Hill Foundation Inc. Pivotal Energy Partners USA, Inc. Cisco Francis Trainer and Trainer Family J. Albrecht Designs Master Goldsmith Mary Walker & Walker Family Foundation $5,000 - $9,999 Alexander Seavall Anschutz Family Foundation Laurie Duncan and Duncan-Mcwethy Foundation Colorado Housing and Finance Authority Joshua Kauer Frederic K Conover Trust The Christian Foundation Bank of America Charitable Foundation Sustainable Housing and Development Foundation Joshua Kauer $1,000-$4,999 Christopher Boulanger Michael Dino Katherine Standiford Jill Haug Whole Foods Foundation Alex Salva Signs By Tomorrow Rose Community Foundation Russell Peterson Kneedler Fauchere Donald Weaver Chris and Susan Pappas Julia and David Watson Gaspar Terrana Alexander Seavall SEI Giving Fund Sidney B and Caleb F Gates Fund Megan Arellano Warren and Betty Kuehner Jeremy Anderson and Thomas Stalker Russell Peterson Maggie Holben Keyrenter Property Management Denver Mathew Rezek The Credit Union of Colorado Foundation Elsbeth Williams Jana and Jim Cuneo Kroger Paul Manoogian Lori Holland Michael J. Fehn and Jan Monnier Jim Ashe Courage and Community Foundation George Lichter Family Foundation Lisa Wagner KO Law Firm Graham Davis Peter Iannuzzi $500-$999 Margaret Ramp Megan Sullivan John Gibson Sheryl Parker Ruth Henderson James and Cyndi Lesslie Kathleen McBride John Phillips Strawberry Mountain Craig Solomon Watermark Properties Seth Beltzley Jennifer Thornton-Kolbe Raymond and Brenda French Laura Saunders Jeff & Peg Davis Michael Brewer Drew Conneen Jerry Conover Robert E and Anne T Sneed Family Foundation Barbara and Robert Ells Carol and Louis Irwin Edwina Salazar James Stegman Jennifer Stedron Stephen Saul WalMart Nikki Lawson CEDS Finance Impact Assets Courage and Community Foundation Louis Irwin Mary Livernois KL&A Engineers and Builders Paula Cushing 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 14 DENVER VOICE September 2025
RESOURCE LIST MEDICAL / MENTAL HEALTH / DENTAL SERVICES ACS COMMUNITY LIFT: 5045 W. 1st Ave., Denver; https://rentassistance. org DENVER HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER: 777 Bannock St.; https://www. denverhealth.org DETOX LOCAL: Features information including mental health and substance use resources specifically for the AAPI (American Asian and Pacific Islander) community; http://www.detoxlocal.com DRUG REHAB USA: Addiction hotline - 888-479-0446; Organizations that take Medicaid: http://www.drugrehabus.org/rehabs/treatment/ medicaid/united-states/colorado/denver HARM REDUCTION ACTION CENTER: 112 E. 8th Ave.; 303-572-7800; HIV/ Hep C/ Gonorrhea/ Chlamydia testing available. Services are restricted to active IV Drug Users. Offers clean syringes to active users, as well as safety training on proper disposal of dirty syringes; M-F – 9am-12pm: http://www.harmreductionactioncenter.org INNER CITY HEALTH CENTER: 3800 York St.; Emergency walk-ins - 303296-1767; Dental – 303-296-4873; M-F - 8am-2pm 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, 800-359-9272; info@hepcconnection.org; https://www.viventhealth.org NATIONAL AIDS HOTLINE: 800-342-AIDS/800-344-7432 NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE: Text or call 988; https:// www.988lifeline.org NATIONAL RUNAWAY SAFELINE: 800-RUNAWAY/800-786-2929; https:// www.1800runaway.org RAPE ABUSE AND INCEST NATIONAL NETWORK: 800-656-HOPE; https:// www.rainn.org SALUD CLINIC: 6255 Quebec Pkwy, Commerce City; 303-697-2583, 970-484-0999; https://www.saludclinic.org/commerce-city STOUT STREET CLINIC: 2130 Stout St.; 303-293-2220; Clinic hours for new and established patients - M, T, Th, F - 7am-4pm, W - 9am-6pm; https://www.coloradocoalition.org/healthcare SUBSTANCE ABUSE REHAB GUIDE: HELPLINE – 888-493-4670; https:// www.detoxrehabs.net/states/colorado/ U.S. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE: 800-799-7233 (English and Spanish); 800-243-7889 (TDD); https://www.thehotline.org EMERGENCY SHELTER INDIVIDUALS IN NEED OF SHELTER ARE ENCOURAGED TO GO TO “FRONT DOOR” SHELTER ACCESS POINTS: • For individual men – Denver Rescue Mission Lawrence Street Community Center, 2222 Lawrence St. • For individual women – Samaritan House, 2301 Lawrence St. • For youth ages 15-20 – Urban Peak, 1630 S. Acoma St. • Families in need of shelter should call the Connection Center at 303-295-3366. ADDITIONALLY, DENVER PARKS AND RECREATION WILL OPEN ALL CURRENTLY OPERATING RECREATION CENTERS AS DAYTIME WARMING CENTERS DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS ON FRIDAY, NOV. 8 AND SATURDAY, NOV. 9, FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED A PLACE TO WARM UP. Denver Public Library locations are also available during regular business hours. Double-check library hours: denverlibrary.org/ locations. For more information about shelter access, visit denvergov.org/ findshelter or text INDOORS to 67283 for updates. DROP-IN DAYTIME CENTERS HAVEN OF HOPE: 1101 W. 7th Ave.; 303-607-0855; Mon.-Fri. 7am-1pm. Private showers & bathrooms, laundry, lunch, etc; https://www.thoh. org THE GATHERING PLACE: 1535 High St.; 303-321-4198; 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, etc; https://www.tgpdenver.org HARM REDUCTION ACTION CENTER: 231 East Colfax; Mon.-Fri. 9am12pm; 303-572-7800; Provides clean syringes, syringe disposal, harm-reduction counseling, safe materials, Hep C/HIV education, and health education classes; https://www. harmreductionactioncenter.org FOR HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS IN DENVER DENVERVOICE.ORG/RESOURCE-LIST LAWRENCE STREET COMMUNITY CENTER: 2222 Lawrence St.; 303-2940157; day facility, laundry, showers, restrooms, access to services https://www.homelessassistance.us/li/lawrence-street-communitycenter OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES: 1567 Marion St.; Mon.-Fri. 7am-5:30pm. Drop-in center; bathrooms, coffee/tea, snacks, resources, WIFI https://www.odmdenver.org T. FRANCIS CENTER: 303-297-1576; 2323 Curtis St. 6am-6pm daily. Storage for one bag (when space is available). Satellite Clinic hoursMon., Tues., Thurs, Fri. 7:30am-3:30pm; Wed. 12:30-4:30pm https:// www.sfcdenver.org SENIOR SUPPORT SERVICES: 846 E. 18th Ave. For those 60+. TV room, bus tokens, mental/physical health outreach, and more. https://www. 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. https://www.soxplace.com THE SPOT AT URBAN PEAK (YOUTH SERVICES): 2100 Stout St. 303-2910442. Drop-in hours Mon.-Fri. 8-11am. YOUTH AGED 15-20 IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE OVERNIGHT SHELTER SERVICES: 303-974-2928 https://www.urbanpeak.org/denver/programs-andservices/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 https://www. urbanpeak.org FREE MEALS CAPITOL HEIGHTS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: 1100 Fillmore St., Sat. lunch at 11:30am; https://www.capitolheightspresbyterian.org CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY SERVICES: https://www.mealsforpoor.org CATHEDRAL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: 1530 Logan St.; sandwiches & coffee Mon.-Fri. 8:30am; https://www.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; https:// www.christsbody.org CHRIST IN THE CITY: Home-cooked meal, weekly; Lunch in the Park is on Wednesdays from 12-1 at Benedict Fountain Park (Tremont and 22nd); https://www.christinthecity.org CITYSQUARE DENVER: 2575 S. Broadway; 303-783-3777; Food pantry Tues. 10am-6pm; https://www.citysquare.org CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY SERVICES: 1820 Broadway (in front of Trinity United Methodist Church); Hot meals served M, T, Th., F - 11:4512:15; https://www.mealsforpoor.org DENVER RESCUE MISSION: 1130 Park Avenue West; 303-294-0157; 3 meals 7 days/week, 5:30am, 12pm, 6pm; https://www. denverrescuemission.org HAVEN OF HOPE: 1101 W. 7th Ave.; 303-607-0855; M-F. 7am-1pm. Not open weekends; Breakfast is at 8am, lunch is served at 11am; https:// www.havenofhope.org HARE KRISHNA TEMPLE: 1400 Cherry St., free vegetarian feast on Sun., 6:45-7:30pm; https://www.krishnadenver.com HIS LOVE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH: 910 Kalamath St.; Community dinner on Thurs., 6-6:45pm, Men’s breakfast 1st Sat. of the month, 8-10am, Women’s breakfast 2nd Sat., 9-11am; https://www.hislovefellowship. org HOLY GHOST CATHOLIC CHURCH: 1900 California St.; Sandwiches, M-Sat., 10-10:30am; https://www.holyghostchurch.org OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES: 1567 Marion St.; 303-830-2201; Sat. morning breakfast: 8am, Sun. dinner (required church attendance at 4:30pm); meal served at 6pm; https://www.odmdenver.org/home ST. ELIZABETH’S: Speer Blvd. & Arapahoe St. on Auraria Campus, 7 days/week, 11:00am; Food, coffee; https://www.stelizabethdenver. org ST. FRANCIS CENTER: 2323 Curtis St., Wed. & Fri. 3-4:30pm (except third Wed. of each month); https://www.sfcdenver.org SAME CAFÉ: 2023 E. Colfax Ave; 720-530-6853;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; https://www.soallmayeat.org VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA: 2877 Lawrence St., breakfast (8am), lunch (11:30am), dinner (5pm) Mon.-Thurs., 12pm on Fri., 1pm on Sun. September 2025 DENVER VOICE 15 Food & clothing bank 9:30am-4pm Mon.-Thurs.; https://www. voacolorado.org/gethelp-denvermetro-foodnutrition-themission LGBTQ+ SUPPORT THE TREVOR PROJECT: 866-488-7386: https://www.thetrevorproject.org LGBT NATIONAL YOUTH TALKLINE: 800-246-7743: https://www. lgbthotline.org/youth-talkline PRIDE INSTITUTE: 800-547-7433 TRUE COLORS UNITED: 212-461-4401, https://www.truecolorsunited. org VETERANS & SENIORS DENVER INNER CITY PARISH: 1212 Mariposa St.; 303-322-5733; VOA Dining Center for Seniors, aged 60 and older, W-Sat. 9am-12pm; Food Bank, W-F; Tickets at 9am, food bank open 10am-12pm; dicp. org SENIOR SUPPORT SERVICES: 846 E. 18th Ave.; For those aged 60 or older; TV room, bus tokens, mental/physical health outreach, 3 meals, M-F -7am-7pm; Sun. 11am-4pm; https://www. seniorsupportservices.org VA MEDICAL CENTER: 1700 N Wheeling St.; Aurora 303-399-8020: https://www.va.gov/findlocations/facility/vha_554A5 VETERANS GUIDE: https://www.veteransguide.org; Veterans Disability Calculator https://www.veteransguide.org/va-disability-calculator YOUTH SERVICES SOX PLACE (YOUTH SERVICES): 2017 Larimer St.; 303-296-3412Daytime drop-in shelter for youth 12-30; Meals, socks, clothing bank, personal hygiene supplies, internet access, intentional mentoring and guidance, crisis intervention, referrals to other services. T-F - 12-4pm & Sat. 11am-2pm. Instagram: @Soxplace THE SPOT AT URBAN PEAK (YOUTH SERVICES): 2100 Stout St. 303-2910442; Youth aged 15-20 in need of immediate overnight shelter services, 303-974-2928; Drop-in hours Mon.-Fri. 8-11am https:// www.urbanpeak.org/denver/programs-and-services/drop-in-center SUNSHINE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH (YOUTH SERVICES): 833-931-2484; Services for youth facing substance abuse, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions; https://www. sunshinebehavioralhealth.com URBAN PEAK (YOUTH SERVICES): 730 21st St., Denver; 303-974-2900; Ages14-24; Serving Denver & Colo Springs; Overnight shelter, food, clothing, showers, case workers, job skill/straining, ID and birth certificate assistance, GED assistance, counseling and housing; https://www. urbanpeak.org 5 8 2 9 4 6 1 3 7 7 4 6 3 5 1 2 9 8 3 1 9 7 2 8 5 4 6 1 2 7 5 8 4 3 6 9 8 9 3 1 6 7 4 5 2 4 6 5 2 3 9 7 8 1 9 5 4 6 7 2 8 1 3 2 3 1 8 9 5 6 7 4 6 7 8 4 1 3 9 2 5 A B R B A S Q U E A M O E B A T R E A M I D T A R E T O M SH R A I D E R F L E W A N A I S C C I V R E L I C A A A D E V O T E H O N E Y C O M SH D E L I A R E T R E A T M R T B A B Y S A T O M E Y O S H I O R I E N T P O B O X E S S I D E M A N C R U M SH C A K E S P Y L A G O S G L A R E J E E R O U T O N A L I M SH O W N S E S T E L E A N E R T A O S T R E E P S S T A W A Y
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