Denver Homeless Out Loud has written a local Denver ballot initiative that, if passed, would put an end to the city’s “move on” orders and anti-survival laws. Everyone – individuals, couples, teens, and families – must have the Right to Survive in Denver.

    The Denver Right to Survive Initiative protects these rights for all people:

    (1) The right to rest in a non-obstructive manner 
          in public spaces. 
    (2) The right to shelter oneself from the elements
           in a non-obstructive manner in outdoor
           public spaces.
    (3) The right to eat, share, accept, or give food
           in any public space where food is not
           prohibited.
    (4) The right to occupy one’s own legally parked
           motor vehicle or occupy a legally parked
           motor vehicle belonging to another, with the 
           owner’s permission.
    (5) The right to an expectation of safety and 
          privacy for one’s person and belongings
          while occupying public spaces.

    Thousands of signatures from registered Denver voters are required to get this inititive on the ballot. These signatures must be gathered between April and August 2018 for the initiative to be eligible for the May 7, 2019 election. To register to vote in Denver, you must be a US citizen, be at least 18 years old by the time you vote, be a resident of Denver, and not be serving a sentence (including parole) for a felony conviction.  
    If this applies to you, then you may register to vote. 
    If you haven’t registered to vote yet, GO REGISTER NOW! Once registered, you can sign the petition to get this on the ballot. If enough signatures are gathered and the initiative makes the ballot, then you will be able to vote for it in the May 2019 election. 
    If you have a Colorado ID or Social Security number, you can register online, even if you are homeless. You can find instructions by following these steps:   
    - Go to https://www.govotecolorado.com
    - Click on the Voter Menu in the upper-left
       corner of the screen.
    - Click on FAQs (frequently asked questions).
    - Scroll down the list of topics to Foreclosures
       and homeless voters.
    - Read the questions and answers about registering 
       to vote if you’re homeless.
    - Then, go back to the voter registration screen 
       and register by following those instructions.

You can also register to vote by completing a paper form found here:

https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Port
als/778/documents/Forms/Voter%20Registration%20Form%20-%20Standard%20(English).pdf 

and then dropping it off at:
 
 Denver Elections Division, 
200 W. 14th Ave, Suite 100, 
Denver CO 80204

Once you’ve registered to vote, look for our signature gatherers carrying clipboards that say “Denver Right To Survive Initiative” on the back.  Sign with one of us to get this life saving initiative on the ballot.

​    On February 12, Erik Soliván resigned from his position as Executive Director of Denver’s Office of Housing and Opportunities for People Everywhere (HOPE). The Office of HOPE was created by Mayor Michael Hancock to work on “connecting individuals and families to healthy living, good paying jobs and affordable housing.” Mayor Hancock announced the creation of the office in his annual State of the City address on July 11, 2016.
    Hancock announced Soliván as the director of HOPE just over one year ago, on January 9, 2017. At a press conference that day, Hancock said that HOPE, under Soliván, would “create a unified and forceful effort to help those who need a home find a home, and that means homes and support for those without them.”
    Just over one year later, Soliván has announced his departure from HOPE. His decision comes amidst some restructuring of the office: Denver is currently conducting a job search for a new chief housing officer that will oversee HOPE, and the Hancock administration has merged HOPE with the city’s Office of Economic Development. In his resignation letter, Soliván expressed support for the reorganization, arguing that “it will better position the city to tackle complex issues, execute, and support initiatives in the Housing Plan to expand and preserve housing affordability.” 
    Even though he was only with HOPE for one year, Soliván achieved some worthy accomplishments. He told Westword that he is especially proud of launching the Lower Income Voucher Equity program, also known as LIVE Denver, which is a “2-year pilot program to match vacant rental units with working families and individuals” and to fund the difference between the units’ rental costs and what the renters can afford.
    Soliván also mentioned an eviction-diversion program, a comprehensive landlord-tenant guide, and the Smart Cities initiative at 23rd and Lawrence as important accomplishments during his time at HOPE. Many of these achievements overlap with the list of 30 action items to address housing and homelessness issues that Soliván helped create while at HOPE. The 30 action items include supporting the Tiny Home village. While at HOPE, Soliván was one of the primary authors of the Denver’s five-year housing plan. 
    It is not yet clear who will replace Soliván as director of HOPE, or how HOPE’s work will change now that it is part of the Office of Economic Development. In an interview with Westword, Soliván was not even fully confident that the office of HOPE would continue to exist. However, he emphasized that the city’s 30 action items are “ongoing” and will not disappear.

     Denver now has not one, but two laundry trucks. Bayaud Enterprises, which has operated a laundry truck in Denver since 2016 in partnership with Radian and Denver Homeless Out Loud, launched its second truck on May 17.
    The first truck had a banner first year, operating on 151 days and washing almost 3,000 loads of laundry! But thanks to the launch of the second truck, that capacity is slated to double.
    If you need to wash your clothes, you can find the laundry trucks'  schedule at this website: 

https://www.bayaudenterprises.org/the-laundry-truck

Starting at 12pm on the Friday before the next scheduled general public comment session, sign up via email using dencc@denvergov.org, phone by calling 720-337-2000, or in person with a member of the Legislative Services staff in the City & County Building, Room 451. Sign-up closes at 4:30pm on the day of the session.

You can find more information about signing up at this website:

https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/denver-city-council/public-input/general-public-comment-session.html

What information will I be asked to provide to sign up to speak?

    First name                 E-mail address
    Last name                  Phone number
    Mailing address        Speaker topic     

Additional Notes: 

If ADA or language interpretation accommodations are needed, they must be requested at least one business day before the session.

It is fine to have multiple people sign up from the same email account as long as they are different people.

Each person may only speak for 3 minutes, which means that usually only 10 people get to speak during the 30-minute session.

No sign-up by proxy: the person wishing to speak must be the one to sign up.

You only need to sign up once, either by email, by phone, or in person. You do not need to do more than one of those three.

      Do you need clothes? Try visiting Impact Humanity, Denver's new free retail clothing store, located at 2526 Welton Street in Five Points. You'll find clothing on racks and a fitting room for trying stuff on  – and all of the clothes are free, no questions asked. If you find anything you like, you can just take it.
    Unlike other clothing providers, Impact Humanity requires no appointments, referrals, enrollments, or documentation. It is truly no strings attached: simply take what you want and walk out the door with your new clothes.
    The store offers clothes for both warm and cold weather. It offers formal attire for job interviews. It offers shoes, hygiene supplies, and sleeping bags. And it offers a boutique shopping environment: find items you like on racks, then try them on in the fitting room.
    The store is run by local non-profit Impact Locally. All of the store's items are donations, and the store is run by volunteers. If you would like to volunteer to work at the store, or if you want to donate to the store, you can find more information at this website:

https://www.impactlocally.org/humanity

Impact Humanity is located at 2526 Welton Street in Five Points, and is open Tuesday through Thursday, from noon to 5:00pm.

      A second tiny home village is hopefully coming to Denver!
    The planned village will consist of eight tiny homes and will be located on the downtown campus of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church at Glenarm Place and 20th Avenue. Planning is being led by the Colorado Village Collaborative (CVC), the same organization that spearheaded Denver's first tiny home village, the Beloved Community Village, which is currently thriving at 38th Street and Walnut Street.
    According to CVC's website, the new village will be "A Women's Village," "for women by women," inclusive of transgender women. The website refers to the project as both St. Andrew's Village and The Women's Village.
    Fundraising is already underway, with the $20,000 needed to build the first home already raised. Fundraising is proceeding through donately.com, a site similar to gofundme. 
    However, before construction can begin, the project faces some review from the city. Specifically, Denver's Landmark Preservation Committee will have to approve the project because the village's location is in a historic district. This review process will last several weeks, and will include public meetings and a comment period. The new village will also need the a six-month permit to occupy its site. This is the same permit that Beloved Community Village must renew every six months. According to Denverite, CVC is "working with the mayor's office and city planners to allow tiny villages to stay in place for longer periods of time."
    CVC plans for the new village to have some improvements over Beloved Community Village. It may feature two incinerator toilets instead of Beloved Community's portable toilets. The central kitchen at the new village may feature running water, an improvement over the food preparation area at Beloved Community. The new village may include a pavilion and a bathhouse.
    CVC has no plans for the Women's Village to be the last tiny homes project in Denver. Cole Chandler, an organizer with CVC, told Denverite that "All along, we've said that the Beloved Community Village was not a one-off project. Our goal was to launch a network of villages across the metro area." He hopes that the Women's Village is "the second of many" projects that will succeed in Denver. We at Get Loud hope so, too!