By Linette Hidalgo | Photo by Emma Fullerton
Raelene Johnson is a staple on the streets of Boulder. You are likely to have seen this colorful vendor on the Pearl Street Mall or near the Boulder Farmer’s Market. With her multi-colored top hat rimmed with bright pink fur and a vivacious personality to match, she is hard to miss.
By Sarah Ford | Photo by Giles Clasen
After two years in Denver, Onii Kennedy has not allowed his heart to be paved by the city; it remains buried in the woodlands of Texas, the place he considers his home. He would never have left behind his childhood home in the first place, but didn’t have much of a choice.
“Every year I go back and check the prices to find out if there are still houses for sale in that neighborhood,” he said. Just in case one day he gets a chance to move back.
By Sarah Ford | Photos by Giles Clasen
On a sunny afternoon in Boulder, the Denver VOICE took to the Pearl Street Mall to meet its buskers and record the stories of the folks involved in some of the country’s most unique work.
Scattered throughout the Pearl Street Mall, Boulder’s street performers blend into the lively scene of meandering locals and tourists. Most passersby will spare only minutes to take in a magic show, a song, or a glance at the contortionist on the corner. Many performers have spent years honing their crafts, returning to the streets daily to earn those second glances or singles thrown into their hats. At best, they make a minor impression on a person’s day. For most, they are not even a footnote. But those single bills and seconds spared are enough to support an entire lifestyle—and sometimes an entire career.
By Danielle Krolewicz
People Rising Against Poverty (P-RAP) is a collaborative group born from what was formerly the Homeless Advisory Committee (HAC) Network. P-RAP includes representatives from agencies such as Denver Homeless Out Loud, BHAC, Cities of Refuse, 9to5 Colorado, El Centro, and Buck Foundation, among others.
Originally, HAC Network operated under the intention of reaching out to service providers in the Denver area to assist in developing more HACs at their respective agencies. However, it was discovered that most service providers do not have the capacity to develop a HAC network as an individual agency. P-RAP is a response to this.
By Sarah Ford
Though Dana Niemela had given eight years of service to the military when she left in 2005, it took another five for her to call herself a veteran. In fact, it wasn’t until she had spent five years working in the private sector that fellow veterans encouraged her to visit Veterans Affairs (VA), where she found out she qualified as a disabled veteran.
“It took that long for somebody to finally pound it into my head that, number one, I was a veteran, and that, number two, I was entitled to benefits,” said Niemela. “I thought ‘well, what’s happening to other people?’’’
By Jamie Swinnerton
The Denver VOICE takes a closer look at some of the partnerships between organizations serving homeless veterans.
For many homeless veterans, the journey to find resources starts at The Community Resource and Referral Center (CRRC), run by the Department of Veterans Affairs at 3030 Downing St. The CRRC was set up to be an easy and accessible drop-in center for all homeless veterans in the area. Its initial goal was to reach out to those who had yet to engage with the VA and its services by reaching them where they are. An outreach worker in the area works to identify veterans and bring them to the CRRC, or give them an assessment in the field that informs them of the services they are eligible for.
By Bill Powers, VOICE vendor
Vendor Bill Powers has become an expert on flying “flags.”
Flag flying—also known as flying signs—has a bad stigma. Some people think it’s easy money for the lazy. I would suggest they try it sometime and see for themselves. It is not easy, and it makes me feel strange due to I’m the kind of person who’d rather do something for others than ask for something from others.
I’ve had very hard jobs, yet they’ve been very rewarding. One of these was working on the Mississippi River on a fleet boat. I learned to fly flags while working for carnivals. When you’re working a carnival, you have three months of downtime every winter.
Research by Ilse Reardon | Source: Trulia.com
Graphics by Hannah Bragg
According to data from the Denver Metro Association of Realtors, the average price of a home in metro Denver increased to $390,067 in February, up from $326,958 in February 2014.