Director’s Note – May 2020

Jennifer Seybold
Executive Director

As this May edition releases, we enter our second month of print suspension. There will be no crowd of vendors inside our Denver VOICE offices today, and the usual excitement brought by spring’s blossoming potential is blanketed by the unprecedented reality of the times. 

The Denver VOICE has withstood many economic and social challenges in our more than 20-year history in Denver, and while we’ve never seen anything quite like COVID-19, the incredible power of our mission and our organization’s ability to adapt remains strong. 

We are an organization that was formed by people who know hardship and embody resilience by every definition. Our mission continues to guide us: “Facilitate a dialogue addressing the roots of homelessness by
telling stories of people whose lives are impacted by poverty and homelessness and to offer economic, educational, and empowerment opportunities for the impoverished community.”

As we move through this crisis, we are coming together in more ways than ever before with partner organizations to execute that mission. With our partners, we are placing our young and healthy vendors in paid street outreach and census education roles, keeping vendors connected, and establishing a vendor emergency assistance fund to help our vendors maintain stability and strength during a challenging time. It is truly incredible to see these communities come together, and to see the ongoing support of our program. 

Though the world is different right now, our Denver VOICE team of vendors knows better than anyone to regard life not in its worst moments, but in its best possible future. We look forward to the future ahead, and your vendor looks forward to seeing you again when we return to normal operations. ■