By Linette Hidalgo | Photo by Sarah Harvey
Derek Stokely is a more recent initiate into the Denver VOICE vendor program, having transplanted from Virginia just last October. His approachable, friendly nature and native Virginian accent make him a pleasant presence in the office. Derek often pulls double duty as both a VOICE vendor and part-time cook; his work ethic and positive attitude make him a standout vendor.
By Jamie Swinnerton
Last May the cost of booking and housing Denver’s most frequent petty offenders prompted the creation of a city-funded program called Recovery Court. The idea behind the program was to look at solutions to the underlying causes that keep sending these petty offenders back to jail. Now, a little over a year after it was implemented, evaluation of Recovery Court shows vast improvement for those utilizing it.
By Gary Davis, Voice vendor
I have been homeless off an on since 1999 due to a 30-year struggle with alcoholism. I’ve been in and out of jails, prisons, detox programs, treatment centers, and hospitals over the years. I became involved in Recovery Court for a charge of trespassing on RTD property in October 2014.
Let me describe how it works upon entering Recovery Court: each person works with a case worker at Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) to develop a plan that sets attainable, short-term goals with clearly defined action steps. There are four phases to this program.
By Laura Smith | Edited for length by Denver VOICE
Courtesy of INSP News Service www.INSP.ngo
Despite the national flag hanging limply at the entrance to Seattle’s Tent City 3, residents here aren’t exactly living the American Dream. But for most, staying in one of the city’s authorized homeless encampments is their best option.
“What this is all about is survival,” said long-time resident Lantz Roland. “Get people out of the bushes, get people off the streets, get people safe and sheltered.”
By Patrick Balerio, VOICE Vendor
I would like to share some thoughts on the many qualities of Grace. First of all, it is only through mercy that we as human beings can truly understand the essence of Grace. Or shall I say the acts of both giving and receiving…which, I might add, are only two components of Grace.
By Matthew Van Deventer
Three neighborhoods are sprouting food co-operatives to satisfy demand in the grocery deserts of Denver and provide residents with affordable food that is both high quality and locally sourced.
A food co-op is a community-owned grocery store. Typically, co-ops are stocked with affordable and locally sourced foods and products, and are often located in low and middle-income neighborhoods. The members of a co-op are able to vote on decisions for the store.
By Matthew Van Deventer | Photos by Giles Clasen
Lyndsey Manderson and her husband Jesse will be opening Denver’s first package-free grocery store, adding to the citywide movement of living a more sustainable lifestyle.
ZERO Market is not a new concept. If anything, it is a new take on an old concept: buy what you need.
About 75 percent of the products sold will be dry goods. The rest will be liquids, fresh local produce, and select locally prepared foods from featured Denver artisans. Instead of buying a couple boxes of spaghetti noodles or a jar of honey, customers will be required to bring their own containers and serve themselves.
By Dwayne Pride, Voice Vendor | Photo by Sarah Harvey
A Denver VOICE vendor interviews a formerly homeless staff member of Baltimore’s street paper.
A few months ago I was attending a conference in Denver and I had the pleasure of meeting a man from the Baltimore. His name was Damien Haussling. He handed me a black and white paper called Word on the Street, Baltimore’s street paper. We talked about it for a few minutes.
Anybody who was anybody knew at the time that major civil unrest was going on in Baltimore. I could not help but ask him what he thought was really going on there, since he was part of an organization that was right next to the street. Which led me to ask him more about it in general.
By Matthew Van Deventer | Photos by Chase Doelling
Denver’s River North neighborhood is one of the most quickly developing areas in Colorado and steps are being taken to make sure the area keeps its cool as developers move in and prices go up.
In April 2014, co-founder and board chair of the River North Arts District (RiNo) Tracy Weil went to the city to see how the area’s main neighborhood association could organize and partner with the city to protect its residents, artists, and business owners.
Every Monday, I set aside a few hours to meet one-on-one with vendors who want to write. Sometimes they bring in poems to show me. Other times we create a story outline or workshop an idea.
These writing workshops are the highlight of my week. And lately, I’ve been noticing something exciting. In addition to the poems and personal statements, a few vendors have started writing about current issues in Denver.
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.