Get Loud 4th Issue

GET LOUD Issue 4 Nov - Dec 2014

BY, FOR, AND ABOUT PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS

GET LOUD GLOBEVILLE BOUND SIN TAX Society’s Sickness Homeless Stoners Myth Busted !

Contents

Our Mission Get Loud, produced by Denver Homeless Out Loud, provides a platform through which those of us experiencing homelessness can give voice to our experiences, concerns, and recommendations. It also provides a means through which we can share information about resources, educate the broader community about homelessness, and explore ways to work together to create meaningful change.

WWW.GETLOUDDHOLPRESS.WEEBLY.COM GETLOUD@DENVERHOMELESSOUTLOUD.ORG See back page for how to submit material to Get Loud.

Features 3 4 5 6 7 8 10

RESOURCES

11

Streets of Denver Since 2007

12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Globeville bound

Resources cont'd

Health

Coming In From the Cold Finding solutions together Tiny home working group

We are waiting

The ongoing Criminalization of the homeless Symptoms of Society's Sickness

W H O Cares?

How God reveals himself

Survey findings Christmas carols revisited

I am the educator

Urban rest stops

Nate's, we hardly knew ya Comics cont'd

Comics and Artwork winter Solstice

Homeless Stoners Myth Busted

Get Loud Reader Survey

Art work

Get Loud reserves the right to decide what we include in each issue. Priority will be given to publishing the work of people who have directly experienced homelessness.

Get Loud seeks to represent a variety of opinions, with the hope of stimulating discussion and action. On occasion this may offend somebody.

In accepting pieces which are critical of individuals or organizations, Get Loud reserves the right to obtain a response from that individual or group. Get Loud reserves the right to edit or to refuse to publish articles that promote oppressive stereotypes of human behavior. The opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily the opinions of Get Loud.

All rights return to author or artist upon publication.

Material may be edited for spelling, grammar or clarity.

No other changes will be made without the writer’s permission. If Get Loud is unable to contact the writer, this may result in the piece not being used.

DENVER HOMELESS OUT LOUD (DHOL) works

15

pg.

pg.

16

with and for people who experience homelessness, to solve the issues that arise from the experience of homelessness. DHOL works to protect and advocate for dignity, rights and choices for people experiencing homelessness. To these ends, DHOL commits its efforts toward goals affirmed and raised by homeless people.

DHOL strives to combine the strengths of all involved to create ways of living in which everyone has a place they can call home. DHOL welcomes everyone to join them in this work. Working groups include tiny homes, homeless bill of rights, urban rest stops and of course...Get Loud.

Everyone is welcome to DHOL meetings!

Wednesdays at 4:45-7pm at American Friends Service Committee office, 901 W 14th Avenue (Court House Square apartment building) We eat when we meet! www.denverhomelessoutloud.org Phone: 720-940-5291

pg.

12

pg.

10

www.getlouddholpress.weebly.com

pg.

6 2

Get Loud TEAM :

guest designers :

Artful Dodger Debbie Brady Jim McClanahan John Claybaugh Lysander Romero Nancy Peters Walkerasaurus

Argenis Alvarenga Maurice Mays Qian Liu Sean Northway

Art Direction & Design

by Lysander Romero

Sin tax

Editorial policy

Meals List

Local Resources

Organization Address

Meals Served

Days Served

Times

Lunch

Saturday

11:30am-12:15pm

Lunch

Saturday

8:30am-12:30pm

Cathedral of Immaculate Conception 1530 Logan St (In Alley)

Breakfast

MTWRF

8 am

Christ’s Body Ministries 850 Lincoln St

Breakfast Lunch

TWR/Friday M/TWR

10am / 8am 12:30 - 3pm / 1-3pm

Agape Church 2501 California St

Capitol Heights Presbyterian Church 1100 Fillmore St

Church in the City 1580 Gaylord St

Dinner Breakfast / Sack Lunch

Thursday TWR

5pm 9am

Denver Rescue Mission Lawrence Shelter 1130 Park Avenue West

Breakfast Lunch Dinner

SMTWRFS SMTWRFS SMTWRFS

6 am Noon 7 pm

Father Woody’s 1101 W. 7th Ave

Breakfast Lunch

MTWRF MTWRF

8am 11am

First Baptist Church 1373 Grant St

Lunch

Monday

11:45am - 12:15pm

Food Not Bombs Sunken Gardens Park 11th and Speer

Dinner

Saturday

4pm

The Gathering Place women, trangendered 1535 High St

Breakfast Lunch/Snack

MTWRF MTWRF

8:30am 11:30am / 3:15pm

Dinner

Thursday

6:15pm

Holy Ghost Catholic Church 1900 California St

Sack Lunch

MTWRFS

10am

Jesus Christ Our Church 16th and Marion St

Breakfast Dinner

Saturday Tuesday

9am 7pm

Mother of God Church 475 Logan St

Sack Lunch

MTWRF

11am

Open Door Ministries 1530 Marion St 4:45 Worship Service Required

Dinner

Sunday

4:45pm

People’s Presbyterian Church 2780 York St

Lunch

Monday

11am

Prax(us) 1660 Sherman St (ages 13-19)

Dinner

Monday

6pm

St. Elizabeth’s (Auraria Campus) 1060 St Francis Way

Sack Lunch/ Soup

SMTWRFS

11am

St. Francis Center 2323 Curtis St

Dinner

W&F Except 3rd Wed

3pm

St. Paul’s Lutheran “Spaghetti Dinner” 1600 Grant St

Dinner

Monday

1-5pm

St. Paul’s United Methodist 1615 Ogden St

Breakfast

Sunday

7-9am

His Love Fellowship 910 Kalamath St

3

GET LOUD

Meals List

CONt'D

Hunger Free Hotline 855.855.4626

Organization Address

Meals Served

St. Peter and St. Mary 126 West 2nd Ave

SAME Cafe 2023 E. Colfax

Days Served

Times

Dinner

Tuesday

6pm

Lunch

MTWRF

11am - 2pm

PAY WHAT YOU CAN OR VOLUNTEER

Senior Support Services 846 E. 18th Ave (ages 55 and up)

Breakfast Lunch Dinner

MTWRF MTWRF MTWRF

7 - 9am 11:30am - 12:30pm 5:30 - 6:30pm

Sox Place 2017 Lawrence St (ages 1- early 30’s)

Lunch

TWRF Saturday

12-4pm 11am-2pm

Trinity Methodist 1820 Broadway

Lunch

WRF

11:45am - 12:30pm

Breakfast Dinner

MTWRF Tuesday’s

8am -10am 4-5pm

Breakfast Lunch Dinner Lunch

MTWR MTWR MTWR F/ Sunday

8:30am 11:30am 3pm & 5pm 1pm

Urban Peak Drop-In Center 2100 Stout Street (ages15-24)

Volunteers of America 2877 Lawrence St

SMILE :) MEDICAID IS HERE

O

Health

By Nurse N

Know Your Rights!

Do you know how to protect your rights when you are detained by a police officer?

At a recent Know Your Rights training in Curtis Park, Alex Landau encouraged everyone to be prepared to use the following key phrases: 1. “Have I done something wrong?”

Never admit to anything.

2. If not, “Am I free to leave?”

3. “I do not consent to this search.” Say this loudly, clearly and repeatedly during any search of your person or belongings.

This may not stop the search but will help protect your rights in court. It’s illegal for police officers to search you without probable cause unless you give your consent.

4. “I choose to remain silent.”

5. “I’d like to speak to an attorney.”

Self preservation is critical, says Landau.

Do your best to be cooperative, even while protecting your rights.

In any encounter, get the officers’ names and badge numbers. They are required by law to give this information to you. Also get the names and contact information of any witnesses.

Health Homeless Court Need to see the judge?

Miss a court date?

Health

UT ON THE STREETS, you hear a lot of home remedies for toothaches--everything from salt water to garlic to cloves to ice--you use what you can get your hands on. Go to a dentist? Good luck with that! The few dentists that treat folks without money or dental insurance--including the Stout Street Clinic, the Rescue Mission, the Denver Health clinics -- have long waiting lists and/ or long lines you must stand in to be seen.

So pass the garlic and suck it up...

And as for getting chompers to replace the ones that fell out because you couldn’t afford dental care...you must be kidding!

But wait! Did you know that Colorado Medicaid now covers dental treatment for ADULTS? Yes indeed! Preventive care (like cleanings and x-rays) came on board in April, and a host of other procedures-including extractions, root canals, crowns, root planing, scaling, and even PARTIAL AND COMPLETE DENTURES--were added in July. There’s a $1,000 maximum benefit per calendar year--but dentures don’t count toward that limit! And neither do emergency room visits for dental procedures.

According to the 2003 Florida Dental Care Study, which followed the dental history of over 800 people for four years, people with incomes below the poverty line lost three times as many teeth during the study period as those with higher incomes.

By adding dental care to Medicaid benefits

Health

Did you know about Homeless Court?

Homeless court? Really? Well yes!!

Colorado is aiming to make the playing field a bit more level. It’s about time!

So first of all, if you aren’t enrolled in Medicaid--go sign up!! You can do that in many places aroundHealth town--at St Francis, the Stout Street Clinic, Father Woody’s, The Gathering Place, Senior Support Services, or at the Denver Health enrollment office at 723 Delaware Street. Or you can call the Denver Health Enrollment Specialists at 303-436-7892 for help with this.

Next you need to make an appointment with a dentist who accepts new Medicaid patients. That’s the tricky part, since many dentists do not. But more dentists should be signing up now that Medicaid has boosted the dental procedures reimbursement rates--which had been abysmally low.

How to find a dentist who takes Medicaid? You can call 1-855-2251729 (TTY 711) for referrals to dentists who accept Medicaid and to make an appointment. If you have access to a computer and a phone, you can also do a google search of Denver dentists who accept Medicaid--mine yielded pages of names. (I’d give you my dentist’s number-she’s awesome--but she might not appreciate the flood of calls, so sorry...).

Now here’s a corny joke from my dad.

What time should you go to the dentist?

2:30. (Tooth hurty...get it?)

MEDICAID SIGN-UP FATHER WOODY’S (1101 W 7th Ave) Fridays at 8:30am EL CENTRO HUMANITARIO (2260 California St) Wednesdays at 8:30am ST FRANCIS (2323 Curtis St) Tuesdays at 4:30pm and Thursdays at 8am SENIOR SUPPORT SERVICES (846 E 18th Ave) Wednesdays at 8am

Health

Health Health

Health

www.getlouddholpress.weebly.com

4

Health

First Friday of every month at 1:30pm Room 3G Lindsey-Flanigan Court House, 520 W. Colfax Ave

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS - Currently be homeless - Have an open case, active warrant, or case must be minor in nature and generally the result of being homeless - You need a referral from an advocate (e.g. a case manager for housing) - Available 3 times in a calendar year - Ability to complete public service For more information contact Denver’s Road Home (720) 944-2508

Y A HW R

S

IG

T ES

GU

T R O

DE

N A E

NE

N

COMING IN

S

OUT OF THE

conducted--generally with the youth’s guardian—to see if the person is appropriate for this program.

Urban Peak’s Overnight Shelter, located at 1630 S. Acoma Street, hosts up to 50 young people ages 15-20 who are experiencing homelessness. The shelter provides three meals a day and snacks, and offers recreational activities, counseling and referrals as needed.

A medical clinic is open three times a week. Urban Peak also offers a housing program through which many guests end up moving into their own apartments. (There’s a long waiting list for these apartments.) To check on bed availability, call the 24-hour line 303-974-2908. Those 18 and over may occasionally experience a waiting list, but if you’re under 18 they’ll fit you in.

“...HANG OUT IN A SAFE AND FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT...”

BY NANCY PETERS

“...WHETHER YOU’VE BEEN ON THE STREET FOR ONE DAY OR ONE DECADE...”

A

s someone in your teens or early 20’s, maybe you’ve been sleeping outside and are thinking about finding a safe place indoors, especially now that cold weather has arrived. Where can you go and what can you expect there?

Here’s a rundown of some shelters, along with some other services you might want to check out.

(Note: All places say they welcome LGBTQ individuals and, unless otherwise stated, are wheelchair accessible. All overnight shelters also state that they provide assistance to help young people transition to stable, secure housing situations that meet each person’s needs— including family reunification if appropriate.)

Attention Homes provides The Source Runaway and Homeless Youth emergency shelter program, which can accommodate up to 14 people ages 20 and under at 3080 Broadway Street in Boulder.

You’re eligible whether you’re living on the streets, couch surfing, needing some respite time from your family, or doubled up with other families. Call 303-447-1207 any time to see if a bed is available. (You can also just show up.) If you’re under 18, you’ll always get a bed, and usually adults will too, but when they’re full the 18-plus people will be put on a waiting list. Once you’re a resident you can stay for 21 days.

The shelter is open every day from 5pm to 8am. Attention Homes also operates a Drop-In Center for youth ages 24 and under that’s open every afternoon from 12:30-5pm.

In these programs you’ll have access to a full array of services, including medical/dental/mental health care, meals, showers, laundry facilities, and education and employment assistance. Attention Homes also has a Street Outreach Team of folks you can talk to and get help from even before coming in for services. (Note: The facility is not wheelchair accessible.)

The Bannock Youth Center, run by Volunteers of America, has two transitional rental assistance housing programs for people between ages 16 and 24: Youth Transitions and Housing For Young Mothers. (Fathers are also welcome.) Program participants are housed in apartments throughout the community. You need income, since you’ll pay up to 30% of your rent, with the program paying the rest. You can stay for up to 18 months, during which time you’ll attend school or work and get help achieving your housing and other goals. (Note: This program is currently full, and the waiting list is closed.

Call 720-217-3884 to check on the status.)

“YOUTH NEEDING A BREAK FROM A DIFFICULT FAMILY SITUATION CAN STAY FOR 24 HOURS.” The Comitis Crisis Center, operated by Mile High Behavioral Health Care, provides the Homeless and Runaway Youth Shelter program for young people ages 12 through 17 at 2178 Victor Street in Aurora. The program has two parts. Safe Place provides a place where a youth needing a break from a difficult family situation can stay for 24 hours. You can call ahead or just walk in.

Often a guest will transition from Safe Place to the Basic Care Program—a 21-day program with family reunification as the goal. To get into this program, call the 24-hour crisis line 303-341-9160. A phone assessment will be

5

Urban Peak also offers a Drop-in Center at 2100 Stout Street for young people ages 15-24 experiencing homelessness. You can get breakfast there Monday through Friday from 8-10am. Drop-in hours are from 10:30 to noon, and there’s a BBQ every Tuesday from 4-5:30pm.

Come here to get out of the elements, hang out in a safe and friendly environment, do your laundry, take a shower, use a locker, and— especially--find a listening ear and support in getting your needs met.

Education (including GED classes) and employment assistance are also available. Out on the streets you may run into some of the friendly, helpful folks on Urban Peak’s Street Outreach Team. For more information about the Drop-In Center call 303-974-2928.

OTHER SERVICES While they don’t offer overnight shelter, you might want to check out these other services: Sox Place, at 2017 Lawrence Street, provides a safe, warm and supportive drop-in center environment where street youth from age 1 to their early 30’s can hang out. Their website says this is the place for “the gutter punk, the train rider, the homeless youth, you who just need something to eat, you who just need a safe place to crash, whether you’ve been on the street for one day or one decade...” Come and have a hot meal, watch movies, play video games and pool, or just sit and talk. Sox Place is open Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 4pm and Saturdays from 11am-2pm. For more information call 303-296-3412.

While not specifically for youth, The Harm Reduction Action Center, at its new home at 231 E Colfax Avenue, works to educate, empower, and advocate for the health and dignity of Denver’s injection drug users, in accordance with harm reduction principles. Among its goals are reducing the spread of communicable diseases and eliminating fatal overdoses. They offer education and support, as well as clean syringes, syringe disposal, HIV/HCV testing, syringe exemption cards, and referrals. The Drop-in Center is open Monday through Friday from 9am to noon.

Prax(us) is a grassroots community organization dedicated to ending the exploitation of youth and young adults, including its most severe forms, domestic human trafficking (sex and labor). Prax(us) runs a drop-in center for youth and young adults ages 13-29 at 1029 Santa Fe Street on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 2pm. Here you can get all kinds of useful things—including food and snacks, conversation, socks, hygiene supplies, HIV and Hep C testing, and items that provide protection when engaging in sex and drug use. They also hold Monday Nights Are Righteous! every Monday from 6-8pm, also for people ages 13-29, at 1660 Sherman Street (The Central Presbyterian Church).

Come share a meal while your peers provide trainings on such topics as Know Your Rights, Selling Sex Safely, Squatting 101, Clean Vein Care, Do’s and Don’ts of Dumpster Diving, and Street Life Safety. Prax(us) also engages in street outreach Monday through Saturday in and around the Denver Metro area.

getloud@denverhomelessoutloud.org

Ma EST D ur ES ice IG N M. ER

GU

By John Claybaugh

www.getlouddholpress.weebly.com

found that some individuals were not using blankets so that they would be in compliance with the new ordinance.

Some members of the general public would like to believe that every individual who finds himself without a home should simply go to a shelter. However, even if the “shelter life” was agreeable with everyone, there simply isn’t enough room in the existing shelters to house the homeless population that we have here in Denver and the surrounding areas. To make matters even less pleasant, a 24 hour “rest and resources center,” to include shelter spaces, was promised at the time that the camping ban passed. However, two and a half years later the mayor of Denver recently announced the center won’t happen because no neighborhood would accept it, but that a “Solutions Center” aimed at helping people experiencing homelessness with their

behavioral (mental health and substance use) issues will take its place. (More on this in a future Get Loud Issue.)

There is talk of ending homelessness. Many Colorado counties have put in place ten year plans to end homelessness. Denver’s ten year plan, initiated in 2005, is close to reaching the ten year mark. Yet, far from having disappeared, homelessness seems to be increasing in our area. So the questions is: Is anything being done these days that has any chance of ending or at least sharply curtailing homelessness in the Denver metro area in the future? The answer is yes.

Through the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, weekly meetings are held for the purpose of ending homelessness. In fact, representatives of more than 20 provider organizations from a seven-county region attend in an effort to bring this nightmare to an end. I have been participating regularly in this

6

also studying how to construct systems and methods that are sustainable for the long haul.

Information systems are being overhauled in order to make This effort to them more usable today—and is to be capable of dealing with . whatever homeless issues we might be facing down the road.

One of the toughest hurdles During these meetings we brainstorm about ideas that will we have had to overcome is the lack of housing. Even help us to be more successful when a voucher is issued, in our efforts to house our if the client is unable to most vulnerable citizens. find housing it’s a waste of We discuss the new tools everyone’s time. Oh, there that have been developed are apartments out there. to assess people’s needs.

However, the rents on most Right now we are specifically of them are over the limits targeting people who require permanent supportive housing, set by HUD. There are also many property managers who but within the next 100 days are unwilling to accept HUD we plan to look into how to add rapid rehousing programs vouchers.

In an effort to find available (helping newly homeless housing, Metro Denver people get back into housing Homeless Initiative has quickly) to our efforts. contracted with Brothers Issues we are addressing Redevelopment as their include the lack of landlord recruitment campaign communication among consultant for the entire agencies, and the need for Denver Metro area. Everyone more case management and involved is hopeful that this housing navigation. We are process. We have a plan and we keep adjusting it together in order to make it work better— but there are hurdles.

“

“

I

n the spring of 2012, the City and County of Denver put in place an Urban Camping Ban. I’ve called it a blanket ban before, due to the fact that the ordinance says that a person cannot cover himself with a blanket, tarp, or other item. Truthfully, I have no idea what they were thinking when they did this.

They tried to claim that it was for the safety of individuals experiencing homelessness, but that just doesn’t add up.

After the Urban Camping Ban was in place a group of activists formed called Denver homeless Out Loud. Their first project was something known as the Camping Ban Report. It can be read online at Denver Homelessoutloud.org. Over 500 individuals experiencing homelessness were surveyed for this project. The results showed that because of the ban individuals were camping in less safe areas, further away from downtown and other locations where police regularly patrol. It was also

new effort will lead to more housing being available to people who have been given vouchers.

Personally, I believe that we will always need some shelters and other programs in place for people to access when financial issues occur and they slip into homelessness. This isn’t really about being able to shut down every homeless shelter. However, I would like to think that with some effort we might have enough room in the shelters to house all of the people experiencing homelessness for a short time. It also seems reasonable to think that if we have a much smaller homeless population that the length of time that someone is homeless would be considerably shorter, like two weeks instead of four or ten years.

This effort to end homelessness is far from perfect. The truth is that we are still building the program.

It takes time. It also requires that we look at the system honestly so that we know where adjustments need to be made. And adjustments are being made every week as we continue to improve the way we do things. There are still aspects of this effort that aren’t in place yet, but that doesn’t mean that the effort isn’t there.

Another hurdle that exists is the fact that not every provider is on board with this effort yet. That, too, is being worked on. Letters and emails are being sent out constantly to invite more providers to the table. A lot of effort is going into creating methods by which the whole community can learn what is working and what isn’t working. I believe that once more providers see what is working we will have an even greater team that we already do. And as more providers get on board, more can be accomplished.

Denver Metro isn’t alone in this. Every major city in America has to deal with growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness.

However, in our area, providers and other key players are finally working together region-wide to bring the numbers down and to provide housing to our community’s most vulnerable.

It excites me to see what is taking place right now.

We are waiting

by Elizabeth Vonaarons

In a world of need and want but mostly want there is no room at the inn or hidden places no room to spare all of the beds are taken with lists and lines awaiting no place to rest one’s head no place to call home or refuge from concrete and noise blundering stones

By Dr. Itty, Specialist in Bitty Municipal Development

E

ver heard of Walsenburg, Colorado? That’s ok, neither has this computer’s spellcheck. But this little town halfway between Pueblo and Trinidad is light years ahead of Denver in making way for ecologically minded building practices.

They just legalized Tiny Homes! Google “Walsenburg Tiny Houses” to find out more.

But even though Denver is way behind the times, Denver Homeless Out Loud’s Tiny Home Working Group is continuing to design and build. We are very excited to now be working with Architecture for Humanity to design even better homes. We are still looking for more volunteers, materials and LAND, LAND, LAND. We are also looking for partners—land owners, neighbors and stakeholders who want to see Tiny Homes be built in Denver.

Do you care about housing homeless people?

Do you think Tiny Homes are cute and adorable? Do you know that communities around the country are

finding them to be a cheap and wonderful way to get people off the streets and into life-saving shelter? Do you have extra building materials? Screws?

Lumber? Doors? Windows?

Beetle Kill Pine?

Are you interested in sustainable building?

Do you own a hammer?

A drill? A nail gun? A pocket knife? Do you know how to use them? Are you a licensed architect or roofer or construction foreman or forewoman? Can you pull nails out of recycled wood? Have you never swung a hammer in your life but would like to paint and design stuff? Can you rub linseed oil into a piece of wood? Can you pick up stuff and organize it?

Do you have a backyard or driveway or parking space or any 10 x 20 foot space that you would like to see a cute environmentally friendly house be put on?

Are you an artist?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then we could use your help.

Call 732-778-8906 and ask for Marcus.

7

some have cars with seats and pillows they park in the willows in a place they strive to be warm and safe we need a savior a blessed soul a community of souls to walk in the shoes of those who need food clothes and shelter but mostly shelter I walk amongst those in need everyday morning and night I see their hearts and souls their spirit to survive In a land of dreams and hope

We are waiting

getloud@denverhomelessoutloud.org

Criminalization is by far the most expensive and least effective way of dealing with homelessness.

T

By Artful Dodger

he ongoing homeless “Issues” here in Denver, and in Colorado overall, are, by no stretch of the imagination, a direct result of the poor judgment on the part of the City, County, and State Governments, or a general lack of any kind of compassion for our fellow human beings. Above all else, Denver’s “solutions” for homelessness simply Don’t Work. (The mayor’s ten year plan to end homelessness is in its ninth year.)

Tick, Tick, Tick.

A ridiculous tendency in Denver is to turn to criminalizing people living on the streets. This approach includes extreme tactics that typically discriminate against homeless people by making it illegal to carry out daily activities in public. (Violating constitutional, civil, and human rights, I might add.) They go as far as prohibiting everyday behavior such as sleeping/camping, sitting, eating, and begging in some public spaces, usually including some sort of criminal penalties for violations of these laws.

Never mind the fact that there is no “real” affordable housing, or the lack of shelter space. The City of Denver has chosen to criminally punish people living on the street for doing what human beings must do to survive. In other words they are criminals simply because they are here.

Criminalization is by far the most expensive and least effective way of dealing with homelessness. Real costeffective solutions are needed, not some ineffective, inappropriate and insane measures that waste time and taxpayer dollars. Punishing homeless people for conducting necessary activities will ultimately do nothing but hurt the whole community. Criminalization measures are costly and deplete our public resources. Criminalization does not deal

www.getlouddholpress.weebly.com

8

with the real causes of homelessness but only worsens the problem.

Using the police to arrest homeless people is simply not a solution. Ultimately, arrested homeless people go back to their communities, still homeless and with even more financial burdens that they cannot deal with.

Criminal convictions, even for minor crimes, only create more barriers to receiving public benefits, employment, or housing, making homelessness even more difficult to escape. There are far more sensible, cost-effective, and humane solutions to homelessness.

Many of the ordinances appear to have the purpose of moving the homeless people out of sight, out of mind, or even out of the city. These laws are passed under some ridiculously mistaken idea that using law enforcement to remove homeless people from Denver’s business and tourist districts is the best method for improving the area’s economic health. “R-O-N-G” In Denver, money that could be, and in my opinion, should be used to provide new and accessible solutions that will work is far too often spent on more police, and more ridiculous City and County ordinances that only criminalize and discriminate against Denver’s large population of the homeless. Criminalizing homelessness just propels the homeless into a cycle of the street, jail, and, back to the street. When it’s all said and done the homeless will still be here and still be homeless.

Criminalization measures only answer to discriminatory stereotypes that conclude that people that live in poverty are lazy, irresponsible, dishonest, drug addicted, alcoholics, and even criminal. But, we don’t ever talk about Mom popping sedatives because ever since little Johnny

The homeless are often blamed for the crime downtown.

was diagnosed with the latest flavor of A.D.D. Dad can’t handle him unless he washes down a Quaalude with his favorite brand of scotch.

One-third of homeless individuals found in homeless shelters have a chronic substance abuse problem and one-quarter face severe mental illness.

These facts simply show that those who face these challenges only represent a minority of the homeless population overall.

Only 40% - 60% of panhandlers are homeless.

(That simply means that the other 40%-60% of panhandlers are housed individuals.)

Let’s look at some of the effects of criminalization.

The personal effects:

Many times when a homeless person is harassed/ detained/cited or arrested their property becomes lost in the shuffle. Things like cell phones, clothes, IDs and social security cards end up lost or worse, thrown away. These valuable items are time consuming and expensive to replace-time and money that homeless people just don’t have.

These costs put a burden on local and state government agencies, which in turn also affects the economy.

If, or better put, when an individual is cited, and misses his/her court date, a warrant is issued, which only puts increased burdens on the economy.

The homeless are often blamed for the crime downtown.

Not some of the crime, mind you, but, “the crime.” Typically the homeless in the Metro Denver area are not thugs, muggers, murderers or rapists. The shoe is often on the other foot, when it comes to violence in the downtown area.

Criminalization and discrimination only promote fear in the general public. This fear will then give rise to hate. The

homeless are all too often attacked, beaten or worse, just for the fact of being homeless.

The homeless are blamed for downtown businesses failing. Can anyone really prove that their business failed because of the homeless? Sounds like a very convenient excuse. If you’re a bad business person and can’t keep your business afloat or you start another coffee shop on the mall, thinking you’re going to be the best damn coffee shop on the 16th Street Mall. Well, you’re an idiot and your business is going to fail. (Fur lined sinks just don’t sell folks.)

The homeless are often viewed as a threat to the “public health and safety” of the downtown area. Such lies and distortions of the truth, along with the discrimination and fear, produced by local politicians and business owners, promote the homeless as the scapegoat for all the evils and problems in the Denver downtown area.

The homeless have to eat. They have to sleep. The homeless have human bodily functions like everyone else.

Criminalization and discrimination of the homeless only make the daily difficulties of surviving on the streets of Denver that much more demoralizing and inhuman.

The so called “public safety” concerns often cause the social exclusion of the homeless.

record. Previous employers lose any trust in the homeless that can’t show up to work because of incarceration.

The incarcerated homeless person faces issues of violence, overcrowding, abuse, and disease. This only adds to economic and social costs upon release.

The levels of animosity and lack of trust toward police and other officials will no doubt be magnified. A much better plan would be to develop programs that would reduce criminalization and animosity along with reducing the overall numbers of the homeless. Then the police and other officials would be much more productive and effective without violating anyone’s civil or human rights.

Warning people against giving money or food to panhandlers only creates fear of the homeless in the general public. This false fear promotes discrimination of the homeless. Criminalization and discrimination makes these fears appear to be real.

The homeless that are arrested for “Quality of Life” crimes have even less accessibility to jobs. Potential employers don’t want to put the homeless to work because of a police

The amount of tax dollars used to detain the homeless for “Quality of Life” crimes will no doubt increase.

Ordinances that criminalize the homeless just make the problems of homelessness worse. It is far more expensive to arrest and detain a homeless person than it is to house that same person. Where is the logic?

The social effects:

9

The political effects:

Most of the Denver Police’s actions, whether allowed by their superiors or not, could very well be in direct violation of the United States Constitution.

Panhandling: Freedom of speech: The First Amendment.

Seizure and/or destruction of personal property: Unreasonable search and seizure: The Fourth Amendment.

Sleep and other necessary activities: Cruel and unusual punishment: The Eighth Amendment.

Discriminatory enforcement: Equal protection: The Fourteenth Amendment.

The economic effects:

getloud@denverhomelessoutloud.org

Symptoms of Society’s Sickness

M

By Will Hamelin

y former homelessness is one of the most difficult subjects for me to reflect upon and talk about. I look back to the days when shelter was unavailable and times were grim, and I can only wonder which pieces of those days to share. What views should I share, and upon what events should I base them? What, if any, point or moral should I try to instill in my words, to reach my readers and hopefully make some impact? I hope I can be an inspiration to those who are still facing the struggle--and to those who are inspired to lend a hand, I thank you.

People who have jobs and the safety, security and means to live don’t know how hard it is to be homeless. They assume we’re all druggies, thieves, lazy, or in some way did something to deserve this. They harass us, call us names, beat us up, accuse us of not taking care of our animals, and try to steal them when most of us go without food to feed our animals.

Even the police do this and also tell us to leave or arrest us for trying to sleep or make money to eat. We are forced to go to the bathroom outside like animals because we’re not allowed to go in public restrooms unless we have money. We have to worry about dying in the cold months because of theft of our bedding or people throwing it away. We try so hard to live and keep hope--every day we do this.

The places that help can only do so much...and some claim they help and yet act as though they would rather see all the homeless dead. In the eyes of so many we are merely animals, eyesores, and parasites to be exterminated. The police department and even the self-proclaimed “religious” people look at us that way. I have seen and met a lot of truly kind, caring, helping and loving people, even if all they do is say “hi”...but I have seen far, far more cruel and uncaring people.

I woke up that morning to unhappy knocking at the door connecting my floor to the upstairs level, and an upset Father explaining how disappointed he was and telling me to pack a bag and get out. I walked down the hill in the early Pacific Ocean mist to the convenience store that was already open, and bought a 40 ounce beer. I wandered to the beach and sat on a bench out of the public view, mind full of chaos, and proceeded to figure out what to do next.

I was lucky that stealing change was an easy fault to fix in myself, but what of the poor unfortunates who have mental or physical ailments that can’t be corrected through force of will alone? No one should be forced into feeling that desperation, that sense of coming unglued at the seams. The masses need access to health care, shelter, food, and clean water.

They deserve privacy and respect, just like those more fortunate than them.

The experiences I faced as a homeless man in my twenties gave me a different perspective of the world, and not necessarily a positive one. I faced feelings of inferiority that continue to this day. Sometimes I felt like I wasn’t even a real person, or that I was a burden… but I want to say now that every person has worth and value measured beyond their income.

There must be a great social reform in the near future to end the pain that so many face on a daily basis. Without funding and volunteers, many of the services provided to low income residents of our fair state will simply vanish. They say a society can be judged by how well its poor live. So what would an outsider say of our society? We have a lot of

www.getlouddholpress.weebly.com

cares?

By Carrie Cain (aka Harly)

The struggle continues for so many in this state alone that it can make the challenge of overcoming homelessness seem insurmountable, but with perseverance and a commitment to bettering society, we can see a day when everybody has everything they need to live a happy, normal life by their own standards.

I suppose I should start in the most logical of starting places: the first occasion (of several) in which I became homeless. About seven years ago in northern California I lived in the small coastal town of Pacifica. I worked two jobs and was well liked in my community.

I lived with my father and his (now ex) wife, subletting the basement of their house. Over the course of several months, when work was slow and I didn’t have much money, the contents of a large change bucket slowly turned themselves into my cigarettes, much to the owner’s agitation upon discovering what I had done.

W-H-O

10

Where did these people lose sight and understanding of what respect, love, caring, kindness, helping and politeness are--and how to show these qualities to others? If they did so, then maybe we would act the same to them. Believe it or not, we are people too. All I ask and want, not just for me and my husband--but for ALL the homeless--is for us to be treated like people instead of a disease. I only wish what I say won’t fall on deaf ears. Unfortunately it will, for there are too many selfish, uncaring people in the world.

progress to make as a culture, but we can make a utopia for all.

I found a way out of my life of sleeping under bridges, and on nature trails, where a warm place to sleep at night didn’t always mean a dry place to wake up. I got myself out by staying positive, staying social, and staying clean (both literally and figuratively), but it was not without the help of aid programs and caring friends.

As much as I would love to continue waxing poetic about the things I endured, it would serve little purpose other than to bolster my own ethos. I leave you with this sentiment: any life can be made better with focus and hard work… and there’s no problem one can’t make worse through neglect.

Artist Will Hamelin, a student at Metro State University, dabbles in many forms of expression, constantly trying to awaken minds to the plight of the poor and neglected.

Illustrations by Qian Liu

On The Streets of Denver Since 2007

R NE G SI u DE Li T ES ian GU Q

By Marcus Lindsay Clark During the summer semester of 2013 at the Community College of Denver (CCD), I gave a speech to my Public Speaking Class about my experience with homelessness and the Camping Ban Ordinance enacted by the City of Denver. In that speech I invited my classmates to experience 30 continuous days of homelessness in order for them to fully realize what it is really like.

I did this because of the things I have seen some students do to show solidarity with the homeless plight in this country. In these acts of solidarity the students would spend a night together camping out in a parking lot or a parking garage or some such place with adult supervision and refreshments.

Although I applaud their efforts, I have to say that they are severely short sighted and target the wrong demographic.

Most of the homeless people that I know are middle aged white males, divorced or recently separated, living on the streets because the rents are too high in this area. Many have part-time jobs or work in the volunteer sector. Most of them came to the streets because they slowly but surely lost everything they owned and/or loved.

This means: no friends, no family, no means of communication or transportation, with only what they can carry and only what is absolutely necessary to survive.

This means having to walk sometimes miles a day just for food to sit and eat right there, in whatever conditions they were in or experiencing. Many times in these foodlines people are suffering and lashing out at anyone and everyone they see. The weather can be harsh and cruel, and personal hygiene is a difficult task.

Finding these resources for the uninitiated is also quite daunting. I can still remember the horror of not being able to find a place to use the bathroom: realizing for the first time that you are truly desperate and alone as you defecate in an alley to avoid messing yourself. (This occurred on my first full day of total homelessness.)

It is because of these things and many others that I encouraged the class to experience real homelessness.

Nobody accepted my challenge. I don’t blame them.

How God reveals himself

by Bruce Earney

The red shine of the sun, across the sky. God Is white star centered: Jesus Blue clouds drifting: Holy Spirit A church here on earth, Everything steady, sure, and nice.

I know you are here, Father.

There is calm serenity this morning.

Then the sun arose shining bright.

11

getloud@denverhomelessoutloud.org

GLOBEVILLE BOUND

By Nancy Peters

D

espite vocal opposition from residents, a civic association leader, and a city council representative--and with no input from the women who will use it--the Denver Women’s Emergency Shelter will relocate to the north Denver neighborhood of Globeville by January 2015.

The shelter will be run by Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Denver, through a contract with the city.

Catholic Charities already manages a number of Denver area facilities serving people experiencing homelessness, including the Samaritan House.

Women will make the 2 1/2-mile trip to and from the shelter on buses departing from the Samaritan House each evening and returning there in the morning. Because of the distance, as well as neighbors’ concerns, they won’t be able to travel on their own to the shelter as they do now at Elati. They will receive an evening meal and a sack breakfast. Their “beds” will continue to be mats on the floor, rather than the cots the women say they had been hoping for.

At a meeting at the church on Oct 13th, many residents expressed strong opposition to the shelter being located in their neighborhood. The meeting was attended by about 60 neighbors, District 9 City Council representative Judy Montero, four regular Elati shelter guests, and several homeless advocates. It was facilitated by staff of Denver’s Road Home, Catholic Charities, and the Denver Foundation.

Community members claimed there were already too many shelters in that area, expressed their fears that the shelter would increase crime and violence, and asked why their community, which struggles financially, was chosen rather than a wealthier community such as Cherry Creek or Highlands Ranch.

www.getlouddholpress.weebly.com

“We don’t want you here,” said Globeville Civic Association president Dave Oletski. “This is the poorest neighborhood in Denver. We are the least able to stand up to you.” Other comments included: “You made a terrible mistake picking this neighborhood,” “There will be hell to pay if you do it,” and “I’m ashamed that I was raised a Catholic.”

Several residents insisted that Globeville was a compassionate community that wished no harm to homeless people, but “We are surrounded by treatment facilities”…”We have a problem of drug deals and home invasions going on”…”It’s fair for us to ask about crime.”

Residents asked what would prevent the women guests from leaving the shelter in the night and roaming around the neighborhood, or from not getting on the bus in the morning. They suggested that having the shelter there put their children at risk. Denver Catholic Charities CEO Larry Smith said that a “one-strike” policy would be enforced in which any woman who does not get on the bus in the morning will not be allowed back.

Residents also asked about drug and alcohol use.

Smith explained that the facility is a “wet” shelter, which means guests will not be breathalized and can stay there as long as they are not significantly intoxicated. He said all women would be vetted before getting on the bus to ensure they were appropriate for the shelter and able to manage their own behavior.

The women from the Elati shelter who attended the

12

meeting spoke out in an effort to correct what they saw as Globeville residents’ misperceptions about homeless women.

“I understand your fears,” said Loretta. “I grew up in a poor neighborhood myself and I know the problems you experience, including high crime rates. But we are just poor women with nowhere to go, and we need this shelter. Many of us are old and sick.”

“We would never hurt you. We are afraid of being hurt ourselves,” added Karen. “We are economic refugees,” said Mary. “We’re lost in a world that doesn’t want us.”

Carmen, who had her hand up many times, was not called on to speak. About two hours into the meeting, the women left when they could no longer endure the animosity they felt directed against them.

Globeville residents and Montero expressed anger and frustration that the city and Catholic Charities had not talked to them about the plan until it was a “done deal.”

Smith said they were unable to go to the community until they got the approval of the archbishop, which they just obtained.

Smith, who ran the meeting, said that there’s a huge need for the shelter, since the current one is about to close. Referring to the mission of the Catholic Church to “reach out and help the poor,” Smith said that “the issue is not whether, but how and where we help (the women).”

Smith and Denver’s Road Home staffer Chris Conner explained that the city has been searching for over a year

IN OUR OWN WORDS

for a new location for the shelter, with several potential locations falling through due to building shortcomings, competition from other users, distance from downtown, and other factors.

Globeville, along with its sister communities Swansea and Elyria, has long wrestled with problems of poverty, industrial pollution, and two major Interstate highways (I-70 and I-25) running through the neighborhood and preventing residents from forming a cohesive community.

A $2 billion Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) proposal to enlarge a stretch of the I-70 east of the I-25 includes a plan to build the part passing through this area underground, and to put a landscaped cover on top. While there is disagreement over how this project would affect the north Denver area, many believe it could unify and strengthen these communities.

They are also hopeful that the 77-acre Asarco tract of land completing pollution remediation will spawn industrial development and jobs. “We finally have a chance to uplift this neighborhood,” said Oletski. “We have so much work to do. We don’t need this.”

At several residents’ insistence, a non-binding vote of those present was taken, in which 25 people opposed the shelter in their neighborhood, and about 15 supported it.

Smith and the other leaders committed to holding additional meetings with Globeville residents in the coming weeks.

Asked how the shelter got around zoning rules, Smith explained that under a “rights of use” permit, a building can be used as a shelter for up to 120 days per year.

Smith said he is seeking buildings in two other Catholic parishes, in order to rotate the shelter among the three for year-round coverage without requiring a zoning variance.

“We are still aiming for a permanent year-round shelter,” Smith said, “but for that everyone must agree, which is very difficult.”

THE TRUE HEROES OF THE NIGHT After the four women and I left the Globeville meeting, we stood outside and talked. One woman we spoke with was Cathy Vannerson, Director of Archdiocesan Housing.

Vannerson told the women it must have taken a lot to hear people say the things they said against having homeless women in their neighborhood, and to not respond in anger.

She said she considered them “true heroes” and “the bravest people I’ve met.”

I totally agree with Vannerson. In the car on the way up, knowing they would be facing some hostility, the women agreed to remain calm and to act respectfully toward everyone, no matter what. They understood that, right or wrong, all the women who use homeless shelters would be judged according to how they behaved.

These women knew what they were going to walk into, and yet they were determined to go anyway. They insist that they too have been left out of the communication loop about plans that will greatly impact their lives and wellbeing. They say that’s not right--that their concerns and ideas should be heard and taken seriously by the planners.

Since that meeting I’ve talked a lot with these four brave women. They shared how hard it was to hear themselves portrayed in such a negative light. And yet, they sympathize with the people of Globeville, whose very real problems have long been neglected by city officials and who feel--like the women themselves--ignored and disrespected. They want to keep interacting with the Globeville residents. They believe that if people get to know them as individuals, their fears will evaporate and their stereotypes will be replaced by real understanding.

And they wonder what it would take to open a permanent women’s shelter--a place that would help stabilize women’s lives, reduce their struggles, and support their efforts to obtain permanent housing.

I wonder too. Can it really be that NIMBY-ism (not in my back yard)--is allowed to thwart every effort to provide shelters, housing and support centers for people experiencing homelessness? Can it be that the selfcentered desires and preferences of those who would JUST RATHER NOT SEE homeless people around them ALWAYS get to trump the survival needs of those who have nothing? What will it take to replace this paradigm with one driven by economic justice?

13

Karen: They (Globeville residents) are looking at the small not the big picture.

Those at the meeting didn’t represent the whole community, just those who were upset and chose to attend to complain.

They weren’t allowing other voices to be heard. The women started to sympathize but the men wouldn’t let them. It was a bunch of sexist males blaming women for things.

They were blaming homeless women for drug and alcohol problems and home invasions. Those problems could be coming from their own neighbors. They were more concerned about their possessions than about us women. What if the tables were turned and they were homeless? How would they feel? They were judging us and making assumptions that just aren’t true. Safety works both ways.

Loretta: They were scared because it was something new. The city and Catholic Charities could have gone to the community first and listened to them. One woman who lived there 35 years said she didn’t mind (about the shelter coming in). They were concerned about their kids. They don’t want them to know about the homeless. It could be their own people doing the home invasions. I want to go back and talk to them.

I want them to see that many of us are senior citizens on fixed incomes.

Carmen: They didn’t give me the opportunity to speak even though I had my hand up a lot. We’re nothing like the way they were describing us. We’re strangers.

We don’t know them. They made us feel uncomfortable. We were scared for the first time in our lives. We don’t want to go in there if they feel like that. Will our safety be guaranteed on the bus and at the shelter?

Mary: We have handicapped, paralyzed, people with canes, oxygen, walkers. We’re not people who steal, rob, or break into homes. I wanted to say to them, “I have more to be afraid of than you do. Why are you mad at us? We didn’t do anything to you. We’re old and just need a little help.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?

(See the back for ways to reach us.)

getloud@denverhomelessoutloud.org

COLORADO HOMELESS PEOPLE’S RIGHTS

Y

ou may have been one of the almost 500 people who took the time to fill out a survey asking how laws against acts of survival in public space have affected you. We now have compiled some of the results of these 431 collected surveys from 12 Colorado cities...with more on the way. Here is what people have reported: 70% of those surveyed were harassed, ticketed, or arrested for sleeping, with 25% being ticketed and 14% being arrested.

64% were harassed, ticketed, or arrested for sitting or lying down, with 15% being ticketed and 7% being arrested.

35% were harassed, ticketed, or arrested for panhandling, with 11% ticketed and 7% arrested.

50% were harassed, ticketed, or arrested for loitering, with 14% ticketed and 6% arrested.

53% were harassed, ticketed, or arrested for drinking alcohol or smoking weed, with 26% ticketed and 16% arrested.

24% were harassed, ticketed, or arrested for sleeping in a vehicle, with 5% ticketed and 2% arrested.

48% were harassed, ticketed, or arrested for standing up for another person, with 10% ticketed and 8% arrested.

When asked, “Have you encountered private security guards hassling people, ordering people away or otherwise policing public sidewalks or parks?” 78% said yes.

When asked, “Have police or city employees ever taken your belongings?” 62% said yes.

These findings show plain as day that people who are homeless in Colorado are being treated as criminals for performing basic acts that any person must do to survive. Our basic human rights to sleep, sit, store belongings, use a restroom, and ask for help are being violated.

What kind of world do we live in where it is ok that 70% of us are being harassed, ticketed, or arrested for sleeping!

In Colorado we are working to prepare a Homeless Bill of Rights that will protect people’s basic rights to do what is necessary to survive, even when the only place you have to do so is public. We are working along side California, Oregon, and Washington in this movement. It will not be easy but it is necessary!

We need you to get involved and stand up for your rights!

Come to Homeless Bill of Rights meetings every Wednesday at 2:30pm at the American Friends Service Committee room in the Court House Square Apt building (901 W 14th Ave - 14th and Santa Fe - across from King Soopers).

Share how these laws criminalizing surviving in public space have affected your life by writing, doing a video interview, or attending public meetings to speak on these issues.

Create art about the criminalization of homelessness.

Spread the word to friends about the Colorado Homeless Bill of Rights campaign.

52% were harassed, ticketed, or arrested for “appearing homeless,” with 7% ticketed and 3% arrested

Use your own ideas to carry out actions that support the Homeless Bill of Rights campaign and the work to end the criminalization of homelessness in Colorado.

23% were harassed, ticketed, or arrested for urinating privately in public, with10% ticketed and 4% arrested.

Contact us: Denverhomelessoutloud.org

43% were harassed, ticketed, or arrested for park curfew, with 19% ticketed and 8% arrested.

info@denverhomelessoutloud.org

720-940-5291

When asked, “Do police ever harass you without having any legal reason?” 79% said yes.

www.getlouddholpress.weebly.com

14

GU N A SE

W

T ES

henever I have a few extra bucks, maybe every other month or so, I walk down to 17th and Downing to the Health Center and pick up a gram of legal pot. Sorry I’m an old hippy from the 1960’s and sometimes I like to kick back and remember old times while indulging in a toke.

They say “if you remember the 60’s, you weren’t there.” Well, I was there and I remember, at least most of it, I think.

OK so I am indulging in a sin and I suppose I should pay a “sin tax,” if that is the way you think. That is certainly the way most politicians were thinking when they realized how much money they could make taxing all those potheads through the nose so they can have a toke and not get arrested in their own homes.

The politicians did not pass this law, the people passed this law.

The politicians still get to make the rules though. Ok so they tax pot to the point that it cost more than it used to cost on the street. At least you can walk up to a counter and take your pick of what you want in the many varieties of cannabis they have, and not get thrown in jail. They are all the same to me; I’m still trying to find something like the Mexican laughing weed we used to buy for $15 an ounce in 1965. I think it went extinct though, at least the price certainly did. It was driven to extinction by these new age breeders. Oh well, you make do with what is available.

So every other month or so I make my way down to 17th and Downing. I hit Park Ave (23rd St) at 18th and Ogden, that makes a

IG

S H DE RT NO

NE

R Y WA

shortcut. I take Park Ave straight to the Health Center from there. There are usually two or three guys, sometimes a woman, flying signs at this busy intersection.

That is where I pay my “sin tax.” I give them all a buck, and I don’t care what they spend it on. I am on my way to indulge myself with something which helps me cope with this world we live in, so I hope they can use that buck to do the same thing for themselves. It doesn’t matter to me if it is a meal or a drink or helps toward a warm place to sleep. It is their money and they can spend it any way they want. They are in a better position to know what they need than I am. Who are we to judge?

Everybody has to make their own way in this world the best they can. We didn’t wreck the economy--the bankers and the politicians did that. We are just the pieces that fell out. Now the powers that be, which happen to be bankers and politicians, want to sweep us off the street. You yell, you scream, you write letters, you vote, nothing happens. What can you do?

After indulging in an occasional toke, you help those you can help and weep for those you can’t while surviving in your own crazy world, and you wonder why we smoke pot.

Christmas Carols Revisited

by John Claybaugh

While many of us are enjoying an awesome holiday season, some people don’t know where they will sleep tonight. I wrote this song to remember them. The camping ban has not helped the situation. It is sung to the tune of “Away in a Manger.”

Camped out under bridges, we don’t own a bed.

We pile up blankets and jackets instead.

We eat at soup kitchens, hang out in the parks, And hope we aren’t found each night after dark.

While most of us spend the holidays with family and friends, some people have no one to be with. This was something I wrote in honor of my homeless friends. It is sung to the tune of “Silent Night.”

Silent night, lonely night Under a bridge, out of sight All I do is fly this sign; There’s no place that I can call mine.

Won’t you give me a home?

Then I can leave you alone.

15

getloud@denverhomelessoutloud.org

ER

N SIG

a v l A

E

TD S E

GU

is

n ge r A

a

g n e r

Urban Rest Stops!

By John Claybaugh

By Mr Calvin Calloway

I

am an educator in the twenty first century, from the standpoint that I Mr C the triple OG monitor the ethics of all the city, county and state governmental officials. I am the educator that is needed today because I promote and promulgate that there is no law enforcement in any city, county, or state in America today. I have a message to be transparently understood. And that message is if any city, county or state governmental official commits a local, state or federal crime, their colleagues will and do condone their transgressions and sins coupled with remaining and being steadfast and loyal with their committed crimes while jeopardizing their own careers at the same damn time.

And if the thought of such conduct don’t blow the public’s mind then myself as an educator can only be perceived by the readers and listeners of my message to be an educator whose imagination belongs to a human being who is deaf, dumb and blind. Yes I am an educator with a certain spirit and flavor who is here in today’s time to tell the story with no desire to soften my message for those listeners who might not want to accept the harsh reality of my story.

Take a look around you with a profound observance and glare. There is anarchy in America today which sadly express and imply that the republic and democracy is exclusively raped. And we the public as believers in the original introduced American system are left in total disarray.

There is forgiveness for the social and political wrongs done by the leaders in the American cities, counties and states, which constitutes a sad state of affairs considering America’s original role and its tradition, as stated in the Bill of Rights: that all and everything human and material or otherwise have the same rights and privileges, duties and obligations, independent of an agreement. Meaning without having to sign a contract all Americans and those human entities in the United States are declared equal which complies to the natural laws of nature. Yes I am an educator promoting and making publicly known what all people should and must comprehend about where America has gone wrong. I am the educator.

www.getlouddholpress.weebly.com

I

n 2013 the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative reported that in the Denver Metro area there were 11,167 people who do not have a place to call home. And even they admit that the count is always low.

To assist these people, Denver Homeless Out Loud is working to create or help create what is being called an “Urban Rest Stop.” What is an Urban Rest Stop?

If we omit the word urban from this, we simply have rest stops.

Growing up, as we went to my grandmother’s house and other places, we would see rest areas or rest stops. At these locations we could stop and use the rest room, get a drink, and stretch a bit. We were able to be refreshed.

Urban Rest Stops are similar in that there is some refreshing involved.

Anyone who spends two days living in public spaces will quickly learn of the vast lack of public places to use a toilet or shower. Furthermore, you will soon find that there are very few places where you can store your belongings while walking about town, looking for work, etc. And I can count the locations where people experiencing homelessness can do their laundry on one hand. Even at that, these places are not usually open during the evening.

At the Urban Rest Stops in Seattle, there are showers, laundry facilities, and rest rooms available. The largest one is open seven days a week--from 5:30am to 9:30pm Monday through Friday.

What we are speaking of here is allowing people experiencing homelessness the ability to shower and shave at times that are convenient to them. You will hear that there are already showers available in Denver, but most facilities that have showers close their showers at or before 1pm. This doesn’t allow for those who have day time or evening jobs to shower at the end of their work day.

We plan to have ADA accessible showers available for men, women, and trans-gender individuals throughout the evening, possibly as late as midnight.

We would also have rest rooms available so that people experiencing homelessness will have access to

16

Showers

Laundromat

Lockers

Restrooms

appropriate facilities. The alley is not the place for those activities, but currently what other options are there?

We would have laundry facilities there.

There are only a handful of locations that currently provide this service. We would have washers and dryers available where people could wash their clothing and bedding. We would also provide the laundry soap and other products needed for this.

As I have conversations with people who are or have been homeless, one complaint is the lack of essential hygiene items.

Some of the items mentioned are tooth brushes, deodorant, and razors. The Urban Rest Stop would have hygiene products available, to help alleviate this problem.

And with the storage option available, people using our facility would not have to carry their clothes away with them. Their clothing, personal hygiene items, and other belongings could be stored on site.

The facility would be managed and maintained by paid staff and volunteers.

Our aim is to be able to hire people who are unhoused, which will provide them with the means to improve their lives.

This all takes money, and a great deal of effort. Even if we start with a small facility we will need to fund it somehow. We are in the process of looking for grants in order to create and maintain this project.

Whatever it costs, we want people in Denver who are experiencing homelessness to be able to take care of themselves. We know that hygiene is just as important as health, and want to take a stand to see that these very basic needs of our most vulnerable citizens are taken care of in a respectful manner. We believe that it is the responsibility of society to do this and also that it is simply the right thing to do.

Do you think Urban Rest Stops are needed in Denver? What has been your experience in trying to take care of your basic needs without having housing? Write and let us know! (See the back page for ways to get in touch with us.)

NATE’s We Hardly knew ya

by Jim

T

he store sits dark, desolate The store that use d to be Nate’s Crown Liquors that is A store from a bygone era, standing apart from its sleek, modern neighbors It’s upstanding neighbors that got it shut down The new neighbors, the recent businesses that are compatible with the people drawn to First Fridays Yeah, economic development, that’s the ticket!

Besides, they were concerned about how Nate’s preyed on homeless people They said so. Preying on those poor, hopeless, helpless, homeless people How commendable! Such compassion!

In testimony after testimony they poured their hearts out for the homeless The ones Nate’s preyed on; how could Nate’s be so cold hearted?!!

Testimony after testimony Almost cookie cutter Be quiet my cynical mind These were good upstanding citizens concerned about the less fortunate They said so One after the other they said so Yet what are these other voices I hear?

Nate’s other neighbors The ones who sing Nate’s praises, talk about how Nate’s is an asset to the neighborhood How helpful and friendly the people at Nate’s are How they keep the area neat and tidy and don’t put up with no nonsense The people who might be aging or blind or a minority How that doesn’t matter to the people at Nate’s -- they are helpful Good selection of beer, wines, and spirits And help people select just the right one Don’t these people see how cold hearted Nate’s is?

How it preys on the helpless? The homeless?

The forces of good have triumphed The good upstanding people who got Nate’s shut down I guess those poor, helpless, homeless people have been saved Nate’s will no longer prey on them And all of Denver’s social ills have been solved The store sits dark, desolate

Art By Mary Aldrich

Art By Bill Policy

(Editor’s Note: After hearings at which people spoke for and against Nate’s Crown Liquors--a long-time fixture at 11th and Santa Fe--the City’s Department of Excise and Licenses denied the renewal of Nate’s liquor license, causing the store to close. Many supporters believed the closing of Nate’s was a classic example of gentrification.)

17

getloud@denverhomelessoutloud.org

STONER THOUGHTS

Poem By Arnie

Art By Bill Policy

www.getlouddholpress.weebly.com

J

Winter Solstice

By Will Hamelin

18

ust as sure as the Solstice comes year after year on cold December eves, there will be a pompous Mayor sucking up face time Reading the names of homeless friends with crocodile tears in his eyes

Homeless Stoners Myth Busted

GET LOUD READER SURVEY

By Baby Boy Beuford

We’d like to know what you think about Get Loud. After you finish reading it, we’d appreciate your filling out this survey and putting it in one of the submission boxes (located on level 4 of the main library, the Blair Caldwell library, Christ’s Body Ministries, Father Woody’s, St Francis Center, The Gathering Place, and Urban Peak).

You can also bring it to a Get Loud meeting, every Tuesday and Friday from 11:30 to 1:30 at the Auraria campus library. Or fill it out online by going to getlouddholpress.weebly.com and clicking on Take our survey!

D

ear Mr. Homeless Service Provider, Dear Mrs. Homeless Shelter Director, and Dear Denver Post, Westword, CBS, 9news, and Fox News.

Stop propagating the myth that weed is the reason for increased homeless populations in Denver. You’re not doing anyone any good.

I know, you want everyone to think that homeless people are deficient and drug addicted. And even though weed is legal in Colorado, it is quite convenient for you to describe unsheltered people as stoners as a way to continue to blame poor people for being poor. Like systems that perpetuate poverty, your explanation doesn’t challenge anything. It just reinforces prejudice and the egocentrism of privilege and power.

You see, if everyone who lives on the streets of Denver is here because weed is legal, well, I guess that means that it’s their own choice to be here, because they choose to smoke weed (or so your logic goes), and I guess it’s their choice to be homeless, because homelessness is a choice (or so your logic goes), and I don’t have to think any harder about reality, I can just go home, drink my beer and smoke my own substances in the privacy of my own home, and think about how much better I am than homeless people.

Ok, ok, so I’ll admit, some people who are poor moved here because weed was legalized. It’s true. Some came thinking they could get a job in the weed industry (only to find out you have to be a Colorado resident for over a year to get a job in a dispensary). Others came because they smoke for medicinal reasons, and didn’t want to risk going to jail just so they could get some relief. But that’s not the full story.

Do you remember any recent history?

Like the ‘80’s, when the federal low income housing budget got slashed from $83 billion dollars to just $13 billion in 5 years (1978-1983). What happened next? Homelessness tripled in size, and more emergency shelters opened in that decade than any other. And then, funny thing, Reagan - who helped slash the housing budget - gets on air and introduces the ‘homeless by choice’ narrative that everyone seems to love.

Then, 30 years later, the housing budget is roughly half of what it was in 1978($45 Billion), and Denver has a huge housing

1. There have been four issues of Get Loud so far. How many have you seen? __1 __2 __3 __4 2. Where did you obtain this issue of Get Loud? ___________________________ 3. How much of this issue did you read? __ I just skimmed it. __ I read a few stories. __ I read most or all of it.

problem and a large homeless population.

The Metro Denver Homeless Initiative’s annual Point In Time Survey- which admits it is always an undercount- counted over 11 thousand unsheltered people in Denver in 2013. Then every start up tech company and their brother decides to move here.

And then voters choose to legalize weed.

Then what happens? According to the Denver Post, “Metro Denver rents zoom up 13.1 percent” in one year, meaning, poor people who lived here prior to the weed/tech boom are at greater risk of becoming homeless because more and more people are cost burdened by rent.

According to HUD (the federal housing authority), “Families who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care.” According to math--a person who makes minimum wage and works full time in Denver makes $1280 a month before taxes. And according to the rentjungle.com, and google, “As of October, 2014, average apartment rent within 10 miles of Denver, CO is $1553. One bedroom apartments in Denver rent for $1244 a month on average and two bedroom apartment rent averages $1625.” Meaning, to rent an average-rent apartment while working full time at an entry-level job, you would have to pay 97.1% of your income to rent, and that would only be possible if you got paid under the table and didn’t pay any taxes.

So, yuppies, rich potheads and ‘entrepreneurs’* from New Jersey and Brooklyn moved here to make some cash and Denver’s gov’mnt did nothing to ensure that rent would still be affordable.

So, we saw an increase in ‘homelessness’ in Denver. That’s the real story--rich people drove up the rent, and poor people here became worse off.

But it’s easier to just say that homeless people are lazy stoners who ‘choose to be homeless in Denver’, so that’s what you report.

Now may I ask a favor of you? If you aren’t going to tell the whole story, please shut up.

Sincerely, Beu

4. Would you say that the magazine is __ too short __ too long __ the right length?

5. Get Loud includes different kinds of items in its issues.

How interested are you in each of these?

--Stories from homeless people describing their experiences __Very interested __ Somewhat interested __ Not really interested --Information on resources for homeless people __Very interested __ Somewhat interested __ Not really interested --News and opinion pieces about issues affecting people experiencing homelessness __Very interested __ Somewhat interested __ Not really interested --Artwork created by homeless people __Very interested __ Somewhat interested __ Not really interested --Poetry written by homeless people __Very interested __ Somewhat interested __ Not really interested 6. What stories/items from the current issue or previous issues did you especially like? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 7. What news topics or resources would you like information about in the future? ________________________________________________________________ 8. Currently Get Loud comes out every two to three months.

Would you like it to come out more often? __ yes __ no 9. What suggestions do you have for making it easier for our readers to find Get Loud?

__________________________________________________________________ 10. Tell us in your own words what you think about Get Loud. __________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Is it ok if we print your comments on #10 above? __ yes __ no

*’entrepreneurs’--a word only used by boring jerks who are neither innovative nor creative

19

getloud@denverhomelessoutloud.org

Y, B PEOPLE FOR,

AND

ABOUT

EXPERIENCING

HOMELESSNESS

Y, B PEOPLE FOR,

AND

ABOUT

EXPERIENCING

HOMELESSNESS

Wanted: Your Voice!

Submit your articles, stories, poems, art, and more to Get Loud.

Bring them to a Get Loud meeting.

Email: getloud@denverhomelessoutloud.org Call (720) 940-5291 to arrange a pick-up.

Or drop them into a Get Loud submission box.

These boxes are located at: *Blair Caldwell Library (2401 Welton St) *Christ’s Body Ministries (850 Lincoln St) *Denver Central Library (10 W 14th Ave) (in the Level 4 TV Room) *Father Woody’s (1101 7th Ave) *St Francis Center (2323 Curtis St) *The Gathering Place (1535 High St) *The Spot (2100 Stout St) To join our team, come to a meeting: Every Tuesday and Friday 11:30am -1:30pm at the Auraria Campus library [1100 Lawrence St] next to the green Discovery Wall on the first floor--call (720) 940-5291 if you can’t find us Catch lunch first at 11am behind St Elizabeth’s Church, right across from our meeting.

Art by Judy Cardwell