APRIL 2026 | Vol. 31 Issue 4 PAINT THE TOWN BRIGHT BRIGHT SPACE MURALS BRINGS LIGHT TO DENVER COMMUNITIES P. 12 PREVENTING HOUSING LOSS THROUGH SELFSUFFICENCY P.7 HARM REDUCTION: ACTION OVER IDEOLOGY P.8 $2 SUGGESTED FROM YOUR VENDOR:
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From the Editor Seeds of Hope F OR APRIL’S Ask a Vendor question, we asked what vendors would grow if they had a garden. It’s a simple question, but one rooted in hope. When someone is experiencing housing instability, it is difficult enough to think about where they’ll spend the next night, let alone what they would plant in a garden. Yet most Denver VOICE vendors can still picture how they would use a resource, even if they’re not sure they’ll ever have it. That ability to imagine something beyond uncertainty is one of the strongest signs of resilience I see in our vendors. Every day that the VOICE office is open, vendors line up to buy their papers and plan for how they will spend the next week or so, selling papers to earn enough money to pay for basics like food, shelter, medicine, or clothing. The way our vendors continue to show up, regardless of weather, traffic, or other obstacles, is a powerful reminder that hope is not about certainty. Instead, hope – especially in this context – isn’t abstract, but rather, it grows with the determination to keep pushing forward and to imagine a future where a garden, whether literal or otherwise, might still be possible. EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT VENDOR PROGRAM ADVERTISING MAILING ADDRESS VENDOR OFFICE OFFICE HOURS Elisabeth Monaghan was born and raised in Denver, joining the VOICE as managing editor in 2019. She is passionate about social justice, and believes that writing and creative expression are some of our most powerful tools in combating homelessness and poverty. DENVERVOICE.ORG MANAGING EDITOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ART DIRECTOR ADMIN. ASSISTANT VOLUNTEER COPY EDITORS ARTISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS CONTRIBUTORS @denverVOICE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Elisabeth Monaghan Giles Clasen Andrew Fraieli Maddie Egerton Jennifer Forker Aaron Sullivan Joshua Abeyta Giles Clasen Joshua Abeyta Rea Brown Ethan Clark Giles Clasen Robert Davis Andrew Fraieli Raelene Johnson Jerry Rosen Jennifer Forker, President Isabella Colletti, Secretary Michael Burkley Edwin Rapp Donald Burnes Ande Sailer Linda Shapley Steve Baker Lisa Schlichtman editor@denvervoice.org program@denvervoice.org (720) 320-2155 editor@denvervoice.org PO Box 1931, Denver CO 80201 989 Santa Fe Drive Denver CO 80204 Wednesdays, 10am-1pm - Elisabeth Monaghan Managing Editor Since 1996, the Denver VOICE has served individuals experiencing housing or financial instability by providing lowbarrier income opportunities. In the time since our inception, we have put more than 4,600 vendors to work, selling the paper throughout the Denver metro area. By focusing on poverty, housing, social justice, local arts and entertainment, and the human experience behind the headlines, we tell the stories that Denver media often overlooks. An award-winning publication, the Denver VOICE is a member of the International Network of Street Papers and the Colorado Press Association, and we adhere to the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics. TO HELP, YOU CAN: GET THE WORD OUT: VOLUNTEER: ADVERTISE: DONATE @ denvervoice.org @denverVOICE Contact program@denvervoice.org Contact ads@denvervoice.org SUBSCRIBE @ denvervoice.org/subscriptions THE COVER: One of many murals in Denver painted by Andreas Kremer and Reina Luna of Bright Space Murals. PHOTO BY GILES CLASEN DENVER VOICE APRIL 2026 3 ABOUT US
Q&A WITH DENVER CITY COUNCIL MEMBER SARAH PARADY ON WORKERS' RIGHTS By Andrew Fraieli THE DENVER VOICE SPOKE WITH at-large Councilmember Sarah Parady about workers’ rights in Colorado and Denver, some of which are complicated, others that some residents may be unaware of. This dialogue has been edited for length and clarity. ANDREW FRAIELI: Could you tell me a bit about your legal career and your specific background with workers’ rights? SARAH PARADY: I owned a small law firm for about 10 years — before I ran for council — that represented mostly low-wage workers. We did some civil rights work, but our practice areas included discrimination, wage theft, and various kinds of retaliation. We would represent whistleblowers. Of course, there’s a distinction between employment law and labor law, so I wasn’t doing anything involving labor — like union organizing — but we would sometimes get cases that involved employees being individually retaliated against, punished, or fired, for having been involved in that kind of work. My clients were employees, not unions, in other words. I got the chance to get involved in a lot of state legislation on these kinds of topics, too, because it’s been something that Colorado law has really shifted on in the last, I don’t know, 10 years. For example, I was involved with a lot of the big bills that have passed really big changes at the state level, particularly the Denver City Council At-Large Member Sarah Parady | Photo courtesy of City of Denver Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. I was one of the people that kind of conceptualized that and drafted and advocated for the legislature and with the sponsors. I’m pretty proud of that one. AF: My next question was going to be how that carried into your work as a council member, so I’ll just check that off the list. SP: Well, that was state legislation before [I was on] Council actually, I was still an attorney. On Council, we put the right for city workers to unionize on the ballot, and it passed, which is a change to the city charter. Our workers never had the right to bargain collectively and now they do — other than the safety workers, which have had that or have had that right for a long time. And, I think, my first bill on Council was giving the city auditor the ability to issue subpoenas to companies that they’re investigating for wage theft so that they can get information. A lot of the city wage ordinances are still relatively new and have evolved a lot in recent years. We’re just always finding little pieces that kind of need improvement, right? AF: What do you see as the most important right for workers to be aware of that they often don’t know? SP: So, I taught just one semester of like, employment law 4 COMMUNITY PROFILE
101, at CU Law School as an adjunct right before I came to the Council. It’s really fun. And I would ask my students on the first day of class for an example of some time when they thought maybe their rights as a worker had been violated, even if they weren’t sure. I wish I could just ask everyone this question because they always have an answer, and what you hear about is a lot of wage theft. Often problems with tipped wages not being calculated or distributed correctly, but people are not being paid their full wage that they should be one way or another — sometimes off the clock work. People are being told, ‘Well, you have to clock out and then fill out paperwork’ or something. And then, people are often misclassified. It’s pretty common for people to be told, ‘Well, we’re going to make you a contractor,’ when actually that’s not just at the discretion of the company or the employer — there’s a legal test for whether someone can be a contractor. If you’re supposed to be a worker [with] paid wages, then you’re entitled to overtime, minimum wage, all these things that you’re not as a contractor. That’s not just a matter of discussion: Some people are employees whether the company wants them to be or not. It depends on a bunch of factors, including whether that’s their main source of income and whether they’re genuinely kind of a free agent that could go do a bunch of other jobs, or whether this really is kind of like their job and it’s controlling their time. AF: And these are specifically things people often don’t realize? SP: Yeah. I think the reason is that a lot of times where you see wage problems happening is when there is complexity, and so often people working in kind of new industries will see a lot of wage violations. When the marijuana industry was growing in Colorado, I had many, many employees in that industry coming in with their wages not being paid correctly because employers don’t know how to do compliance, or maybe they think that they’re doing some kind of new economic model, or the law doesn’t apply to them. That happens a lot with app-mediated work — so gig work. Those companies will often say, ‘Well, we’re just so different that the law must not apply to us.’ And then the other big one is that people are often confused by, or not aware of, what kind of rights you have when you become sick or disabled. Those two things can overlap. Disabled is a legal term; sick is not. There’s a lot of layers of laws that might give you rights to accommodation, rights to certain kinds of leave, but the definitions are different under every one of these laws. And so, you end up looking and thinking, ‘How do I navigate asking for maybe some time off as a disability accommodation because I need time to get better?’ Or time off as a family medical leave thing under federal law and under state law. I think people really often don’t take advantage of everything that’s available to them when they’re sick or caring for a sick family member or have given birth. AF: I imagine there’s also the aspect of people maybe either not realizing, or not knowing, they have a right to some kind of retaliation against that as well. SP: Yes, and it’s actually quite case by case — whether you’re raising some kind of concern at work and the concern makes your boss angry, and you end up getting fired or disciplined — whether or not you could have a legal claim from that. There’s literally hundreds of city, state, and federal laws that try to protect different kinds of complaints or issues that an employee might raise. So, anytime you pass a discrimination law, you’re probably going to also say that if you complain about something that you perceive as discrimination, and you get retaliated against, that’s also illegal. If you raise a concern about environmental contamination at work, there may be statutes that say that that’s protected, but usually the statute is really about something else and it puts the evaluation thing in to try to protect other people. It’s very hard as an employee to know, even if you feel like what you’re doing is kind of advocating for something important, or in the public interest or protective of yourself and other workers, whether that’s protected from retaliation. It can be different by industry or different depending whether you’re a public or private employee. AF: I was just about to ask if there’s a difference in these rights for public compared to private employees. SP: Huge differences. Public employment is so different that I would always recommend that public employees make sure they’re talking to an attorney who knows about public employment, because there are many, many, many statutes and ordinances in both directions. Sometimes they’re more protective of public employees, sometimes less so, but that’s just extremely common across the board. One of my favorite little known areas — within the context of the National Labor Relations Act — is the private sector law that set out most employees’ right to unionize. And there’s some exceptions in it, but for most private companies, that’s where the right to unionize lives. It also has one provision that applies even to employees who are not yet in a unionized workplace, but are at an employer that’s otherwise covered, called Section 7 of the NLRA. Basically, again, for most private sector companies, if you are joining together with other workers in some way to talk about your working conditions — that could even mean, you know, my friend was sexually harassed and I went in with her to the boss’s office to bring it up — that Protected Concerted Activity is protected even for a workplace that isn’t actually unionized. That’s meant to protect people’s ability to start moving in that direction of unionization and kind of mutual support, but people don’t know that one, and it’s a good one to think about where strength is in numbers. AF: One of the other differentiations I wanted to ask about was the difference of rights for a worker who has been fired compared to laid off. SP: Well, those aren’t technical terms, but there are some differences. There are specific protections for if a company wants to have a layoff or reduction in force and they’re saying that this is not because of merit, like a mass layoff. There are certain laws that come in and protect workers, particularly from age discrimination, in that process because there’s a tendency to use layoffs sometimes to get rid of older workers. But mostly, the question is really just what the employer’s real motivation was, and so it doesn’t matter so much if the employer is saying, ‘I’m firing you for individual misconduct,’ or, ‘Gosh, we’re having a layoff, and we’re letting go 20 people and you happen to be one of them.’ In either case, the same laws are going to protect you. If the real reason wasn’t a legal reason — the real reason was discriminatory, retaliatory in an illegal way — then you’re going to be protected no matter what the reason was that the employer gave. AF: My last question: What workers’ rights do you think are weak and need to be improved? SP: One of the biggest ones goes back to public sector employees in the 2000s sometime, when Anthony Scalia was still on the Supreme Court. Before he passed away, he wrote an opinion that absolutely gutted what had been the First Amendment protections of public employees. In the Garcetti v. Ceballos case, he found — and a majority of the court joined him — that public employees are only protected from retaliation for their speech if the speech that they engaged in was unrelated to their job. So if you go to work and you say, ‘Oh, I’m voting for such and such,’ you can’t be retaliated against for that. Or, if you say, ‘Gosh, I really have some opinions about this street painting project,’ and you don’t work in street painting, you’re protected for that. But, if you try to blow the whistle on something that is part of your work — which, if you think about it, that’s obviously what we want public employees to do — you are not protected by the First Amendment under this decision. And I won’t even begin to explain the reasoning behind that. At any rate, that’s the law of the land. Since then, a lot of jurisdictions, I think, have been slow in replacing that protection for our public employees because it had been a matter of constitutional law. You kind of have these piecemeal protections of different kinds of speech. Having passed something that protects city workers using one aspect of the First Amendment — engaging in organization rights — I think we’re probably due to consider passing something that protects city employees if they are engaging in speech or whistleblowing, even if it’s related to their duties. Because again, it’s in the public interest for them to do that, in my view. SPRING Wishlist Drop-offs are accepted Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., or by appointment. GENTLY-USED ITEMS NEEDED: • Men’s shoes or boots (sizes 8-12) • Men’s jackets (sizes L, XL, XXL) • Women’s jackets (sizes M, L, XL) • Backpacks, carrier bags • Sleeping bags • USB-C charging cables NEW ITEMS NEEDED: • Socks • Toiletries (individual or travel-size) • Baseball caps • Chapstick, sunscreen • Hand warmers If you would like to help out a specific vendor by donating a few extra dollars, scan the QR code to make a payment through Venmo. Please be sure to write your vendor’s name in the comments. Thank you! @DenverVOICE DENVER VOICE APRIL 2026 5
ARMANDO LOPEZ CREATING SOUND, MAKING A DIFFERENCE Armando Lopez, aka Mondosax, makes music to connect us to the natural world. | Photo by Kyle Awalt ARMANDO LOPEZ does not move through the world in just one lane. By day, he works in lithium-ion JOSHUA ABEYTA CO-FOUNDER OF LOS MOCOCHETES battery research and hazardous materials administration, helping develop technology tied to the transition away from fossil fuels. By night, he is one of Denver’s most recognizable horn players, a longtime member of Brothers of Brass, and a fixture in projects that stretch from jazz fusion to DJdriven “sax trap.” Along the way, he has also become deeply involved in social justice organizing. For Lopez, those worlds are not separate. “I think in the sense that that music is the expression of our humanity,” he said. “I think it is a gear shift [to move between science and music] in the sense of the way using your right and left hand feels different. But at the end of the day, you’re still shaping clay.” As a member of Brothers of Brass, Lopez has been helping cast the band’s joyful chaos over Denver audiences for more than a decade. If music fans have spent time in Downtown Denver over the past 11 years, chances are, they have heard them. The band posts up outside venues such as Ball Arena and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts during let-out, serenading fans as they spill into the streets and parking lots, drawing crowds who bop along to their New Orleans-style renditions of pop songs and traditional second-line numbers. Their latest album, “Street Life, Vol. 2,” recently debuted at a packed release show at Cervantes’ Other Side. Lopez pulled double duty, performing an opening set with his jazz-fusion project, “Something Out Of.” “Street Life, Vol. 2” is a follow-up to the group’s debut, “Street Life, Vol. 1,” which was released in 2021. Lopez provided all of the saxophone parts and contributed further with lyrics and composition. The new album opens with “Teddy’s Jam,” a high-energy banger that evokes Bourbon Street on Fat Tuesday, with tight horn arrangements, an infectious backbeat, and a clear sense of the band’s collective chemistry. Lopez’s sax work is provocative, cutting-edge, and his tone is uniquely his own. Brothers of Brass is an ecstatic experience, and their new album captures the live performance energy that can be difficult to replicate in a studio setting. Lopez’s other projects push further outward. He performs as Mondosax, a DJ and saxophone solo project that he laughingly describes as “a wish.com Big Gigantic.” The project blends live saxophone with dance music and has made him a popular presence on the wedding circuit, even if, as he puts it, the work is “very lucrative, but not very artistically fulfilling in any way.” Most recently, Lopez has been building a new project around an instrument rarely seen on local stages: the contrabass clarinet. “That instrument is so rare, and people just don’t see it,” he said. “No one’s ever gonna call me for a contrabass clarinet gig, so I have to build a band around it, essentially.” The new project, Terra Ohm, reflects the same duality that runs through much of Lopez’s life. The name references both electrical resistance and something more meditative and earthbound. The music, he said, will combine live electronics, samples, trap- and EDM-inspired drums, world percussion, and the Afro-Latin influences that keep finding their way into his work. That blend of technical precision and spiritual searching also shows up in his day job. Lopez spent 5 years as a materials scientist before moving into hazardous materials administration, where he does research and development on lithium-ion batteries. Lopez’s work on power storage places him at the forefront of one of the biggest technical challenges in the shift away from fossil fuels. Science did not pull him away from music. It deepened his commitment to it. “When I started learning chemistry, especially material science, it was so epic,” Lopez said. “The crystal structures, the way waves and physics move through, the way sound and heat are really the same thing. It was very profound.” Lopez, the son of immigrants, said part of his path into science came from a desire to honor the sacrifices his parents made. “There was always kind of this pressure that a lot of firstgeneration immigrants have,” he said, “that you have to be kind of something super epic to make all that sacrifice worth it.” Over time, he came to see music, science, and activism less as competing paths than as different ways of trying to shape the world. “Taking that excitement for the natural world and passion and desire to change the world and kind of honing it into something that’s actually effective,” he said, “music is a huge piece of that.” Lopez cites his education as what pushed him into art and science. “I was fortunate enough to come up in an environment where I got a really amazing public school education in Los Angeles and North Hollywood and in the Valley,” he said. Having music and science in his life has helped Lopez find balance. “If one avenue of my life is taking too much out of me, I have this whole other piece that I can engage with,” he said. That same drive has also led him into organizing. Lopez serves on the board of the Denver Justice Project, an organization that does policy advocacy and community education for criminal justice reform. His social justice work became infused with his music when Brothers of Brass began joining the resurgent protest movement in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by Derek Chauvin in 2020. The band regularly showed up to help usher marches and fill demonstrations with a sense of joy and connection. They also partnered with No Enemies, the community-driven initiative that teaches protest songs and chants and was co-founded by members of Flobots, the Denver-based band that went international with their 2007 hit “Handlebars.” Looking ahead, Lopez said organizing live events remains one of the clearest ways to keep marrying music and movement work. For him, the point is not just to perform or do research. It is to be useful, grow, and change. “You’re still just moving and trying to have an impact on the world,” he said. 6 MUSIC IN DENVER
SHANNON PATRICK STRUGGLED to find affordable housing for several years after she left an abusive relationship. Like some single mothers, she held several jobs, ranging from teaching assistant at Gateway Montessori to working in medical centers and nursing homes, but she never earned enough to make ends meet. As the cost of living continued to increase across Boulder County, Patrick and her children found themselves couch-surfing with church friends. “I felt like a bad mom because I had my kiddos and wasn’t able to provide everything that they needed,” Patrick told Denver VOICE. But all of that began to change when Patrick, 33, was accepted into Boulder County’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) created a national FSS program in 1990, although Boulder County started its own FSS program in 1988 under the name “Project Self-Sufficiency.” FSS is a free, five-year, academic, employment, and savings incentive program designed to help low-income households receiving public benefits improve their family’s financial situation. The program has become a critical lifeline for families on the verge of experiencing homelessness at a time when the cost of living in Colorado is rising sharply. According to the latest snapshot data, Colorado saw a 134% increase in homelessness among families with children between 2023 and 2024, which was the largest increase in the nation. Alicia Sheflin Thompson, who oversees the FSS program at the Boulder County Housing Department, told Denver VOICE that the program is designed to be flexible to serve each participant’s needs. There are classes available in behavioral health, career development, financial literacy, and various other subjects. Participants benefit from living in affordable housing while they’re enrolled, Thompson added. They don’t pay more than 30% of their income in rent and have regular access to social workers who can connect them with additional benefits, like food stamps or welfare. Additionally, participants can save money in an escrow account. The total savings are based on HUD’s FSS standards for income and voucher payments. Graduates average $8,260 in savings over the five-year program, according to Boulder County data. Patrick keeps in touch with one individual, who graduated from the program with $40,000 in savings. Seeing the impact FSS has had on others inspired Patrick to continue her journey, she said. In 2025, 36 people graduated from Boulder County’s FSS program, collectively saving more than $478,000 toward their education, employment, and housing goals, according to data from Boulder County. One graduate became a homeowner, and 12 graduates completed college or career training. Several others used their savings to pay down debt. “It can really make a huge difference in a short period of time,” Thompson said. One of the biggest impacts the program had on her life was being PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS THROUGH FAMILY SELF-SUFFICIENCY By Robert Davis Shannon Patrick and her children pose in front of a pumpkin patch. | Photo courtesy of Shannon Patrick connected with her case manager, said Patrick. That relationship helped her navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, which began shortly after she enrolled. The regular check-ins with her case manager also helped her return to school, which had been a long-time goal. At the beginning of the program, Patrick finished her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Colorado Christian University. By the end, she had obtained her master’s degree in applied behavioral analysis from Arizona State University. She now works at Trail Ridge Middle School as a registered behavior technician, a role in which she provides hands-on support to autistic students, and says she loves every minute of it. Stories like Patrick’s are a testament to the strength of the FSS How a more than three-decade-old program in Boulder County is helping keep families out of shelters and off the streets. program. The program has funding to operate through 2026, but funding for 2027 is unknown; the Trump administration has moved to reduce federal funding for similar service programs. Thompson has heard rumblings that Congress will approve funding for the program, but for now, nothing has been confirmed. On March 12, the U.S. Senate passed the 21st Century ROAD Act, which increased funding for HUD’s FSS program. However, the bill could face pushback in the House of Representatives because it includes a provision prohibiting institutional investors from purchasing more than 350 homes. “The cost of living across Colorado has made it very challenging to find affordable, safe housing,” Thompson said. “So, for families who want to make a major change in their life, this is one of the few programs that will give them something for multiple years where they’ve got the stability, they’ve got the reduced rent, and they’ve got the support.” DENVER VOICE FEATURE 7
HARM REDUCTION: ACTION OVER IDEOLOGY Story and Photos by Giles Clasen Ruth Kanatser is called the unsung hero of the Harm Reduction Action Center community. RUTH KANATSER’S MORNING ROUTINE began well before dawn. Kanatser and her husband climbed out of their car at 3:30 most mornings, racing to the methadone clinic, then to the day labor dispatch before the best jobs were gone. Some days included 14 hours of hard labor before they searched for a safe place to park, get a few hours of sleep, then start all over. That was Denver for those experiencing homelessness in the early 2000s. Most days, Kanatser and her husband made just enough money to survive, never enough to get ahead. Complicating their efforts was a nagging need for heroin. During those years, Kanatser depended on methadone to overcome withdrawal symptoms from heroin. Both the drug and the solution felt like a trap. TRYING TO STAY OUT OF WITHDRAWAL “When you’re using, you’re very quickly no longer getting high,” Kanatser said. “You start using just to avoid getting sick from withdrawal. The street-level heroin user, the person really struggling on a day-to-day basis, is just trying to stay out of withdrawal, to stay out of the hospital. Methadone can help, but it brings its own problems.” Kanatser said that relying on methadone to overcome addiction was expensive and came with so many restrictions that working and earning her way out of homelessness was difficult. “It’s not that it doesn’t help, it does, but the system under which it is administered is so overly parental, and just very gross,” Kanatser said. “When you take methadone, the clinic is in your life, you have no privacy, and they set the rules on when you come, when you go. It can be restrictive in a way that makes regular day-to-day life, like work and family, nearly impossible.” On a good day, Kanatser and her husband would walk away from their temporary jobs with $80 between them. Keeping the methadone prescription current also cost money, a lot of money. And it had to be paid before anything else, because it was the only thing that guaranteed they could work the next day. They also set aside $35 each day for a dirty hotel on Colfax. If they had any money remaining, they bought food. Frequently, they went without. “It was stressful all the time,” Kanatser said. “You never felt safe. Ever. Never ever.” For nearly four years, they turned to hotel rooms when they could scrape together enough. They slept in their car when they couldn’t. A proper apartment would have cost significantly less than hotels each month, but getting into one required a payment up front for first and last month’s rent plus a security deposit. It was a threshold that kept moving just out of reach. “We would always save up, get close to having a deposit, then something would go wrong, an emergency, and we were back to square one,” Kanatser said. “It was ridiculous, no matter how hard we worked or how hard we tried, we couldn’t move forward for years.” Having a car helped. It meant they could drive other day laborers to work sites for a few extra dollars, and get to the casino jobs up in the mountains, which paid better than anything in the city. But living in an old car without money to maintain it is like counting on a time bomb that could undo all of their hard work. When the cable connecting the gas pedal to the engine snapped one night, stranding them miles from a safe place to sleep, they walked to buy the part and fixed it themselves in the dark with flashlights. “My poor husband was on the ground underneath, and I’m in the car upside down in the dark with flashlights trying to thread this thing through,” she said. “I think we were there for I don’t know how many hours. Just desperate. But we didn’t have any other option. We didn’t have the money to get the car repaired, and it was our home. We had no choice. That was desperation.” NOT A LOT OF MONEY, BUT EVERYTHING What finally broke the cycle wasn’t discipline or determination alone. Her husband’s parents gave them the cash to secure an apartment. “It was $436. I remember that to this day,” she said. “It’s not a lot of money. But it was everything.” Most people, she said, never find their $436 and never overcome homelessness or addiction, often dying on the street. Today, Kanatser is the assistant director of the Harm Reduction Action Center (HRAC), a Denver-based organization that provides clean syringes, naloxone, fentanyl test strips, safer use supplies, and a range of support services to people who use drugs. Most importantly, HRAC offers the services without judgment. Kanatser said getting her first job with what would become the Harm Reduction Action Center was a matter of timing, exposure, and luck. Before she ever applied, she had encountered early harm reduction work through Urban Links and Denver Health’s REACH program. Those programs were the first places, she said, where anyone in healthcare saw past her substance use and treated her as if her life mattered. “It was also the first place where anybody treated me like a human being,” she said. “Anybody said anything I had to say was valuable whatsoever, and that was mind-blowing.” When a part-time outreach position opened at HRAC years ago, Kanatser nearly did not apply. She was unemployed, depressed, and convinced that more qualified people would get the job. “I almost didn’t even interview for it,” she said. Kanatser’s mother pushed her to go to practice interviewing, if nothing else. She got the job, starting with 20 hours a week doing street outreach, and has been a fixture in Denver ever since. PROVIDING SERVICE WITHOUT JUDGEMENT The Harm Reduction Action Center emphasizes substance use awareness, focusing on fact-based education, safety, and dignity. HRAC does not require individuals to pursue sobriety. Instead, the organization focuses on safety, and if a person wants to find treatment, the organization helps. Since 2002, the Denver nonprofit has provided syringe access, naloxone, health education, and a consistent point of contact for people navigating drug use, homelessness, and an increasingly toxic drug supply. For nearly 25 years, Kanatser has been sharing the organization’s philosophy, rooted in reducing the negative consequences of drug use rather than insisting that a person stop using before they deserve care, support, or safety. Lisa Raville, the center’s executive director, said harm reduction is both practical and familiar, even if the term remains politically charged. “We use harm reduction in everything we do every day. Seat 8 COMMUNITY FEATURE
belts, designated drivers … if you go out on a boat, you wear a life preserver. Hopefully you’re not in an accident, hopefully the boat doesn’t capsize, but if it does, you have that life preserver, that seat belt to offset the risk. That’s all harm reduction,” Raville said. “Life is inherently risky. What I like about harm reduction is it’s a true action item you can do today.” According to Raville, syringe access programs allow people to properly dispose of used syringes and obtain sterile ones, reducing transmission of HIV and hepatitis C. HRAC also hands out safer use kits that help reduce some of the most serious dangers associated with drug use by providing sterile supplies, overdose reversal medication, and basic health items that can prevent infection, disease transmission, and death. BEYOND INDIVIDUAL HEALTH In 2012, HRAC began safe needle distribution and disposal. At the time, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported that Denver County counted 533 active hepatitis C cases in state surveillance data. By 2022, the county recorded 281 new chronic hepatitis C diagnoses. The categories changed over time, so the comparison is not exact. Still, the overall picture is clear. Denver’s hepatitis C burden is lower now than it was when HRAC’s syringe access work began. The organization also works to put naloxone in the hands of those most likely to witness an overdose. Narcan, the brand name for naloxone, is a medication that temporarily reverses an opioid overdose. “People who use drugs are the true first responders in this overdose crisis; they need access to naloxone first and foremost,” Raville said. Raville argued that harm reduction’s importance extends beyond individual health. She said it also improves public safety and responds to a crisis that punishment has failed to solve. “We get more referrals to our program from the Denver Police Department than we do from all of the hospitals combined. Police participation shows harm reduction increases public safety right here in our community,” Raville said. Kanatser said that the relatively low cost of harm reduction saves Denver millions in public health costs. According to Kanatser, the need has only become more urgent as overdose deaths continue to hit Denver’s unhoused community. Elected officials have, in her view, swung the pendulum back toward criminalization and incarceration. “Nobody will talk to anybody about drugs, what works, what keeps people alive. They will never tell the truth about it. Politicians like to focus on ‘Just say no.’ They like to blame the individual. Arrests look like action. But arrests make substance use more dangerous and more difficult to overcome,” Kanatser said. She said that if a person is afraid of an arrest, they are less likely to call for help or ask for help. It drives substance use underground. Raville said the Harm Reduction Action Center is often criticized for not pushing people into treatment, but she argues that criticism ignores both the limits of the treatment system and the realities people face while living outside. She said HRAC does not oppose recovery, but rejects the idea that treatment should be forced or treated as the only valid response to drug use. “If you’re such a big treatment fan, nobody’s stopping you from trying to get people into treatment. But not everybody is ready for treatment or can afford treatment,” Ravile said. “We’re doing something positive, healthier, and safer today.” Raville said treatment is often difficult to access and very expensive. Many programs also fail to help individuals seeking help because they do not use an evidence-based approach. “If you believe the end goal is drug treatment, you have to start with harm reduction. We keep people alive. You can’t seek treatment if you’re dead,” Raville said. FACING LAYERED THREATS According to Raville, pushing people into treatment without housing or support afterward can set them up for relapse and greater danger. Many people face a heightened risk of overdose after treatment because their tolerance has dropped and their bodies are no longer accustomed to the substances they previously used. Dr. Sarah Axelrath, a primary care and addiction medicine physician with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, said the realities often push individuals to rely on substance use to cope with trauma. Treating addiction without addressing housing and other basic needs sets individuals up for failure. Through Stout Street Health Center’s clinics and street medicine teams, Axelrath cares for people living outdoors across Denver. She said the threats they face are layered, physical, medical, and social, and that those pressures often compound one another. Trauma can deepen the instability of homelessness, she said, while fear and exhaustion can also shape the way people use drugs. “Substance use as a cause of homelessness is not even in the top three,” she said. “The top causes are housing instability, unaffordability, and unemployment.” Once people become homeless, Axelrath said, substance use can become a response to the conditions of survival outside. “Many people who are homeless did not use meth before they became homeless,” Axelrath said. “They end up using meth during homelessness because they are trying to stay awake at night so they can be safe and not feel so vulnerable.” That kind of survival strategy, she said, can become a punishing cycle. “There’s nowhere safe for them to sleep during the day,” she said. “So sometimes they use opiates to come down and try to get a little sleep. If they can’t, they use more meth to stay awake, and they get trapped in this cycle of profound sleep deprivation and escalating substance use.” THE UNSUNG HERO Axelrath said she admires the dedication Kanatser has shown to the unhoused community and those who use substances. “It takes a special person to do what Ruth has done for so many people, for such a long time,” Axelrath said. Raville said the center’s work is especially critical for people living outside, where lack of sleep, constant displacement, and daily crises can intensify drug use and overdose risk. In that environment, she said, the organization offers more than supplies. It offers consistency. “Harm reduction’s here, we’ve always been here, we’ll always be here, we’ve ebbed and flowed for years on people loving us and hating us, but the only constant has been we’ve been here, and we’re a home for thousands, keeping people alive.” Inside that work, Ravile said, Kanatser has become inseparable from the organization itself. “Ruth is the harm reduction action center. We all work for Ruth, Babe,” Raville said. Raville said Kanatser’s ability to connect and care for individuals is what makes her uniquely successful. “Ruth definitely understands drug use, she understands health education, she understands the systems in which we work. She is able to engage with the methadone clinics, the jails, the legal system, so she’s been such a great advocate for people for so many years. Ruth is the unsung hero. She doesn’t do much outside of here because she’s so busy inside of here.” Liz, who has experienced homelessness in Denver on and off for 20 years, considers Knatser a steady and nurturing presence in a system that often feels chaotic and impersonal. “Ruth, she’s like our mom, or like Wendy from Peter Pan,” Liz said. “She is always there with the Lost Boys, making sure they’re safe no matter the challenge.” Liz described Kanatser as someone who takes care of people while still meeting them as equals. But more importantly, Kanatser is consistent in her care for those who need help. Liz said Kanatser did more than offer kindness. She said that Kanatser helped her find safer ways to survive when she was using. Kanatser was also instrumental in persuading Liz to seek treatment for hepatitis C. “There were lots of reasons I avoided treatment, but maybe more than any, I didn’t feel like I deserved help,” Liz said. “Ruth called bullshit on that.” After Liz missed doses during treatment, Kanatser pushed Liz to continue and get healthy. “It was all her, man,” Liz said. “She pep-talked me back up, and like, she’s like, ‘We’re gonna keep moving forward, it’s going to work, it’s going to work.’ And it worked. I am still free from hep C.” Even when Kanatser challenged her, Liz said she never doubted her care. “She always tells me how it is,” Liz said. “But never has she ever made me feel like I’m not loved.” $436: ENOUGH TO BRIDGE THE GAP Kanatser knows how thin the line can be between survival and catastrophe because she once lived there herself. She has described heroin as “a tool for survival” during a difficult period of her life. She remembers sleeping in cars, grinding through day labor, and spending years trapped in motels because she and her husband could never quite save enough to get into an apartment. What changed her life, she said, was not some sudden moral awakening, drug treatment, or bootstraps transformation. It was the gift of $436, enough to finally bridge the gap and get her housed. That memory has never left her. Too many of the people she sees at HRAC, she said, are still waiting on their own version of that chance, still living in the space where one emergency, one arrest, one missed work shift, or one bad batch can end everything. “I feel like what I do is invaluable,” Kanatser said. “And I feel like as long as I can, as long as they’ll let me, that it’s important to protect those who are even more vulnerable, right? Who have even less opportunity than I did.” Voluneers assemble safe use kits for distribution to HRAC’s clients. DENVER VOICE APRIL 2026 9
When Carson and Melody Allen decided to stencil “Fuck ICE” onto the foam of a latte, they understood it might draw attention. They did not expect their East Colfax coffee shop to receive threats. 10 COMMUNITY PROFILE WHEN A LATTE BECOMES A PROTEST Story by Amor Flores and Giles Clasen Photos by Giles Clasen
WHEN CARSON AND MELODY ALLEN decided to stencil “Fuck ICE” onto the foam of a latte, they understood it might draw attention. They did not expect their East Colfax coffee shop to receive threats. “Yesterday, we got a message saying, ‘people get killed for this stuff,’” Melody said. Still, she said, the intensity of the response reflects how divided the issue has become. Melody explained that the recent ICE operations, including masked raids and the shooting of U.S. citizens in Minnesota, mark what she sees as an unnecessary and illegal escalation. “It’s not normal. It’s not,” Carson said. “We shouldn’t pretend like it’s normal. We shouldn’t behave like it’s normal. We shouldn’t fall into apathy and just kind of throw our hands up and go, ‘voting doesn’t matter.’” The Allens began receiving threats after a prominent rightwing TikTok account featured the message and the shop. They took the threats in stride but decided to keep their six-year-old son away from the shop for a while. Good Bones opened in November 2025 to be a communal hub. The Allens built it as a gathering place with live events, markets, and community meetups. The decor leans nostalgic, with guitars for sale on one wall, racks of vintage clothing and shoes lining another, and cassettes mounted edge-to-edge like wallpaper near the entrance. In early 2026, immigration enforcement became part of their business. The couple felt they had to do something after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. The idea for a “Fuck ICE” stencil wasn’t a calculated plan to go viral. “When we made the stencil, we were just kind of playing around with content based upon our beliefs for social media, and then the first day it really popped off, and people were actually asking for it. We realized we could donate through it,” Melody said. For every latte sold with the “Fuck ICE” message, Good Bones donates $1 to Casa de Paz, a nonprofit that supports immigrants and asylum seekers released from the ICE detention center in Aurora. Good Bones sold 3,000 stenciled lattes in two weeks. “It’s not about the coffee, it’s not about the donation, it’s about the message and coming together,” Carson said. “And we’ve seen lines around the block of people willing to wait an hour and a half for a coffee with a little cinnamon on top.” Carson said he believes the majority of Americans are opposed to ICE and their aggressive tactics, which is why the “Fuck ICE” latte has generated so much attention. “It is very black and white,” Melody said. “You’re either for what they’re doing, or you are absolutely horrified by it and think it’s wrong and inhumane.” For the Allens, the issue is tied to personal experience. Melody is second-generation Mexican American. And both were devastated when a close friend was deported. Last year, Melody and Carson accompanied a longtime friend from Venezuela to an immigration check-in. Check-ins are a normal part of the asylum or green card process as a case moves through the courts. The Trump administration has expanded ICE’s use of these meetings to detain individuals before a final judicial ruling on the case. “[Our friend] had been here since he was 11 years old,” Carson said. “And he didn’t come out of the [detention center]. We watched a massive line of people that were there just for their yearly check-ins, but were taken. None of them came out. But we saw van after van leaving the back gated area.” Their friend’s wife, an American citizen, was left alone without any way to find, contact, or track him. “It was absolutely heartbreaking watching the look on his wife’s face when she walked out without her husband. It was horrible,” Carson said. The Allens said that their friend was transferred between facilities and denied access to important medications. Their friend’s family had lost contact with him and were unaware of his whereabouts when his parents saw him getting off a plane in Venezuela as part of mass deportations. The experience shaped the Allens’ decision to speak publicly. “It’s easy to feel like there’s a shit ton of bad people out there,” Carson said. “But I think there’s far more good people who are like-minded, care about one another, and really want to see change within the country.” According to Carson, the Allen’s goal is to support the newcomer community, love their neighbors, and encourage people to speak out against the new deportation and immigration policies. “It’s not about money,” Carson said. “It’s about getting the word out and doing something.” Good Bones has expanded its role beyond fundraising. The shop has hosted after-hours events focused on civic engagement. “Our coffee shop is a second home, and we want people to fill that home with like-minded values and who come from different walks of life and can connect over this issue a little bit,” Melody said. The vision has shaped how they operate the shop, and they said being neutral isn’t an option because neutrality is an act of support for ICE’s actions. “I think right now it’s the time to be the loudest with your beliefs,” Carson said. “We personally think this is inhumane and wrong and horrifying. And if you do too, we can all gather here.” To learn more about Good Bones, visit https:// goodbonesdenver.com. Good Bones opened in November 2025 to be a communal hub. The Allens built it as a gathering place with live events, markets, and community meetups. DENVER VOICE APRIL 2026 11
PAINT THE TOWN BRIGHT Story by Ethan Clark Local artists at Bright Space Murals bring community to Denver through art at Keystone Resort before moving to Denver to work for Never Summer, a popular snowboard brand. Reina Luna, who was born and raised in Denver, has been a massage therapist for over seven years and has had a passion for art for decades. She and Kremer met through a mutual friend after the COVID lockdowns ended and the world began to reopen. Kremer became interested in painting murals after watching the YouTube channel Ten Hundred, and his job at Never Summer offered him the opportunity to paint one of his own. According to Kremer, he was inspired to paint an ugly, rusting shipping container outside the Never Summer factory, wanting to make sure the first thing people entering the factory saw was more visually appealing. He said that he had never made anything like this before, but drafted a design to show the owners — who were impressed — and they gave him the chance to try. Kremer said the project was difficult, but turned out to be a great success and launched his career as a muralist. Luna, who helped with Kremer’s first mural, was daunted by the challenge this project presented. “I was way out of my comfort zone, and I had no idea how we were going to do this, but [I told him] if you want to do this, I will help you out,” Luna said. “It turned out really good, and I ART IS ONE OF THE MOST MEANINGFUL parts of Denver’s identity. From the various art districts and museums to the sculptures at the Convention Center, art has defined how people see Denver almost as much as the mountains that serve as the city’s backdrop. While most of Denver’s art scene is confined to specific places that require people to go out of their way to see, one art form breaks the mold and brings color and life to even the most unimportant places: murals. Murals are a unique medium, as they offer a degree of freedom that other art forms lack. They can be found on the sides of shops to attract customers, in schools to convey a warm, welcoming environment to students, and in businesses, neighborhoods, and communal spaces. In an interview with Denver VOICE, Denver-based artists Andreas Kremer and Reina Luna, the co-founders of Bright Space Murals, discussed how they use art to bring the community together. THE ARTISTS BEHIND BRIGHT SPACE MURALS Andreas Kremer and Reina Luna, who are partners, created Bright Space Murals to bring art to businesses, schools, or anyone else interested in enhancing their surroundings. Kremer, originally from Maryland, moved to Colorado to pursue his love of snowboarding. He spent a winter working was really proud of the hard work.” “These murals are really not for us, they’re for either this space or this community, or the area where we’re leaving it,” Kremer said. “The murals [are] an extension of us to the community, sharing our own creative effort in a space that’s public for everyone to enjoy and interpret in your own way,” Luna said. Since creating their first mural, Kremer and Luna have Andreas Kremer and Reina Luna, co-founders of Bright Space Murals. | Photo by Giles Clasen 12 COMMUNITY PROFILE
continued painting murals for anyone interested in their art. They also host workshops with local high schools, including George Washington High School and Prep Academy. During these workshops, students design and make the mural with their guidance. “The first one we did was super involved,” Kremer said. “We let the kids have full rein over the designs. We just showed them some of the murals we’ve done, asked them some questions about what they wanted to represent, what their school means to them, and then let them find images, come up with a full design, and then, we guide them throught it.” MAKING A LIVING OFF OF MURALS 13 One of the biggest issues budding artists come across is getting enough business to escape the starving artist phase and dedicate themselves to their passion while financially supporting themselves, an issue Kremer and Luna had to figure out. After the couple painted their first mural at the Never Summer factory, Kremer turned to social media to get their names out there. Initially, Kremer opened an Instagram account and posted ads featuring before-and-after photos of their mural and other projects. He hoped people would find them and reach out. Social media alone wasn’t enough to grow their brand, so Kremer reached out to Influential Walls, a national muralist group. He spoke with Derrik Diza, their founder, who taught him how to do email outreach so he could contact companies he wanted to work with, rather than wait for them to contact him. Diza also suggested that since Kremer had several years of experience teaching kids to skate, he should work with schools and teach kids how to make murals. This advice has been incredibly helpful in growing their business. “All of our jobs have come from direct email outreach,” Kremer said. “Finding the founders or decision makers, whether it’s principals or marketing directors of companies, and reaching out to see if they’re interested.” Kremer said he would advise any artists struggling with turning their art into a stable business not to lose focus. “I think a lot of artists feel like they’re not good enough, and I would say, ‘You are good enough,’” Kremer said. “If you’re making art, you’re good enough, and I think that holds a lot of people back. When I was at that starving-artist stage, I was posting my stuff online and going to art shows, hoping people would find me, but the big change was going out myself and directly finding people I wanted to work with. That opened up so many more jobs that would not have come my way otherwise. I mean, that’s even why we’re here talking to you today. We wanted to get our name out there more, so we started reaching out to different magazines and newspapers.” HOW TO CREATE A MURAL Developing a mural can be a lengthy process, taking around six months to a year of preparation and up to a month to paint. When a client shows interest in their murals, the first thing they will do is arrange a meeting to discuss what they want. They will ask them a variety of questions to understand what message they want, any ideas or subjects they have, and what impact they want to leave on their audience and the community. After the interview, Kremer and Luna each come up with their own designs in vastly different art styles to see in which direction their client wants to go. “It’s usually a collaboration,” Kremer said. “They like parts of [her design], they like parts of [my design], and then we come together to make the final product.” They will then work with their client, making adjustments to their design based on their feedback until they are satisfied with the result. Following this, they will trace the design on the wall. Usually, they do this by going out at night with a projector to display the image onto the wall. They also use doodle grids, a muralist technique in which they draw doodles all over the wall, acting as anchoring points when tracing the design. While the painting process may seem simple, many factors can complicate it and increase development time. “It really depends on the size of the wall and the conditions of the wall,” Luna said. “We’ve had walls that we’ve had to come and prep before we could paint, which adds time, but if everything is perfect, we can take anywhere from a week or two to a month, depending on how big it is.” NEXT UP: A MASSIVE WALL PROJECT Bright Space Murals is currently working on a couple of new projects. They’ve recently started a new workshop with Prep Academy, working with 10th- and 11thgrade students to make a mural for a massive 100-foot wall, which is expected to be completed by the end of the school year in May. Beyond that, Luna is working on a project that combines her love for art and murals with her experience as a massage therapist. “With my massage therapy background, I’m starting to reach out to different businesses, and schools [that] would like a mixed collaboration,” she said. “We will be offering wellness services like massage therapy, yoga, self-care, guided workshops, and murals.” Although they’re currently juggling several projects, that doesn’t mean Kremer and Luna are too busy to work with anyone else who has found interest in their work. “I think we’re just excited to be able to share what we have to offer to the community, to businesses, and to schools,” Luna said. For more information about Bright Space Murals, visit brightspacemurals.com or follow them on Instagram @brightspacemurals. ACROSS 1. Family nickname 4. Design detail 8. Overly sentimental 13. -like 14. Arm bones 16. ___ Haute, Ind. 17. This, in Toledo 18. Pope after Sergius II 19. Vicinities 20. *Simulated, immersive technology 23. Prefix with plasm 24. Year’s record 25. When doubled, a Gabor sister 27. Mattel’s version of the Spite and Malice card game 30. Brunch orders 32. Paid, as the bill 35. Día ___ Muertos 36. What each of the starred answers does to itself 38. “It ain’t over till it’s over” speaker Yogi 40. Oust 41. Scrunch 43. Solicit, as business 47. Businesses: Abbr. 48. Viral infection for which a vaccine was first created in 1957 51. Walking stick 52. *”Whatever” 56. “The butler ___” 57. ___ nous (between us) 58. Pull along 59. “It’s so easy, ___ could do it!” 60. Scattered, as seed 61. Future fish 62. Under attack (by) 63. Get rid of 64. Tankard filler DOWN 1. Paragons of leakiness 2. Has an illness 3. “Little” sound? 4. “Star Trek” navigator 5. Entreaty 6. ___ Gay (W.W. II plane) 7. Manmade pile of stones 8. It needs a jump (or a 58-Across) 9. Prefix meaning “gas” 10. Auntie Annie’s specialty 11. Seeks divine help from 12. Survey choice 15. *Toss-up, to a bookie 21. Peak condition 22. Winnie the Pooh creator’s initials 26. Stubborn one 28. Words before a meal 29. ___ and aboot 31. Leaves for dinner? 33. *1994 spy movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis 34. Suffix with Caesar 36. Aggressive campaigns 37. Roadside bomb, briefly 38. Include invisibly in an email 39. Wearing down 42. Tel Aviv suburb 44. Meditative phrase 45. Not with it 46. He had a big adventure in a 1985 movie 49. “Otherwise...” 50. Lesser ___ evils 53. Greedy cry 54. “___ Tu” (1973 Spanish-language hit song) 55. Roulette bets 56. Cotillion girl 38 41 47 52 56 59 62 53 57 60 63 48 39 42 49 50 54 55 58 61 64 17 20 23 27 32 36 40 43 51 44 45 46 28 29 33 34 37 21 24 30 35 31 18 22 25 26 19 14 15 16 PUZZLES PUZZLES COURTESY OF STREET WISE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DENVER VOICE APRIL 2026 13
IF YOU HAD A GARDEN, WHAT WOULD YOU GROW? This column is a place for Denver VOICE vendors to respond to questions from fellow vendors, our readers, and staff. RAELENE JOHNSON DENVER VOICE VENDOR I have a very small garden that is about 3’ wide and 10’ long. What I’m most proud of is my organic table grapes. All I did was buy a plant from the Boulder Farmer’s Market. After 3 years, it began growing grapes. Now, the vine is about 13 years old, and it produces lots of grapes every year. I also have a couple of mini rose bushes. Everything else seems to die. I would grow roses, as they’re a sign of spring, and everybody loves roses — especially for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. I would also plant corn, as I love corn on the cob. It’s really good. JERRY ROSEN DENVER VOICE VENDOR REA BROWN DENVER VOICE VENDOR This month’s Ask a Vendor question was suggested by Denver VOICE vendor Lando Allen If you would like to help out a specific vendor by donating a few extra dollars, scan the QR code to make a payment through Venmo. Thank you! Please be sure to write your vendor’s name in the comments! If I plant a tree, what would it be? Truthfully, you would think that but would be easy for me, not because I’m greedy, or don’t want to eat, everybody obviously, the on street needs money, so a MONEY TREE is probably if not the first, then in the first three. But that’s a nobrainer, so I guess a brainier answer would be a tree that gives you the capacity to see. IN YOUR OWN WORDS Words from our vendors on their life and times, what they’re thinking and feelings, for their neighbors to know and share. RAELENE JOHNSON DENVER VOICE VENDOR Time Is Flying By WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER, we thought we had all the time in the world, We used to hear people say, “Enjoy your youth, because before you know it, you get old.” Well, it is true. My inner true self, who had been lost to so many years of pain, found that she’s been trapped in an old lady’s body. The aches and pains come on even faster than they did when I was younger. Even today, I can’t believe how fast time is going. We’re already into April, didn’t have much winter to speak of, and here we are in spring. My new puppy is growing so fast – faster than I want her to grow, but that’s part of life. Time is too short to hold on to anger or frustrations over someone’s behavior or something that they said to you, because when you think of all those hurtful things people have said over and over, it keeps that pain alive in yourself! When you let people rent space in your head, that’s time wasted, and thinking about that is not doing any good for you or the person who hurt you. When you dwell on what someone said or did to you, all you end up doing is hurting yourself instead of taking time to treat yourself better or find peace of mind. Life moves too fast to spend it worrying about whether or not people like you. If people don’t like 14 you, so what? Not everybody’s going to like you. Why waste your time on sadness, hurtful things, or people who don’t care about you? There’s always going to be somebody that hates you, and there’s always going to be people that love you. You just have to choose which one is more powerful to you, which one’s going to give you more peace in life. It’s a better use of your time to love yourself enough to attract people who do care about you, because we never know when our last moments on this Earth will be. If you are a younger person reading this, just know that time will always pass, whether you want it to or not, so spend your time with people you enjoy being around and with things that make you happy. Always remember to love yourself first and foremost, truly. Once you love yourself enough to care about yourself, you won’t have so many people wanting to hurt you because you’ll know what real love is when good people show themselves to you. But if you’re in pain all the time, it’s like you have an invisible neon light over your head saying, “I’m here to be used and abused,” and that is a terrible thing to have happen. Enjoy your life, make the most out of it, and don’t let anybody steal your joy, your happiness, your love. Don’t wait until later in life to find self-love, because that would be sad. I know because it happened to me. Today, I truly love myself enough not to waste any more time on things that don’t bring me peace of mind! I pray that everybody spends their time wisely and that no one wastes many years in turmoil or pain! Time is too precious to waste!
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 - 9am6pm; 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. 7am1pm. 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 LAWRENCE STREET COMMUNITY CENTER: 2222 Lawrence St.; 303-2940157; day facility, laundry, showers, restrooms, access to services FOR INDIVIDUALS IN DENVER EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR FINANCIAL INSTABILITY. DENVERVOICE.ORG/RESOURCE-LIST 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 - 11:45-12:15; 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. 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-disabilitycalculator 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-incenter 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 DENVER VOICE APRIL 2026 15 S I S S P E C I S H U L N A E E S O L E O I V S K I P B O S A P P Y T E R R E A R E A S V I R T U A L R E A L I T Y E C T O A N N A L Z S A O M E L E T S F O O T E D D E L O S C O N T R A D I C T S B E R R A U N S E A T C R U M P L E C O S P O L I O D I D I T E V E N I B E S E T E N T R E D R U M U P C A N E S A M E D I F F E R E N C E T O W S O W E D R O E T O S S A L E
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