What A ‘Safe Outdoor Space’ Means to One of Our Unhoused Neighbors

There are more than 4,000 people experiencing homelessness in Denver, according to the latest Point in Time Survey from Metro Denver Homeless Initiative. And that was back in January 2020, two months before the global pandemic caused a massive economic downturn. Last summer, the city sponsored a new effort to help house some of those people, but it’s been controversial to say the least. So this time on the show, we’re going inside one of the new “Safe Outdoor Spaces” to hear how it has benefitted one man, David Gordon, a longtime vendor with the Denver VOICE. 

We initially recorded this episode as an installment of VOICE on the Street, our partnership with Denver’s street paper, the Denver VOICE, which provides opportunities to Denverites experiencing homelessness and other forms of economic inequity. If you’d like to support VOICE vendors like David Gordon, head over to denvervoice.org/donate. They even have Venmo, so if you want to get a little help directly to David, follow this link and add his name to the note attached to your transfer.

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