We are bringing you a bonus episode from our friends at City Cast Denver, a daily news podcast hosted by Bree Davies. In this episode from March 7th, they look at the Safe Outdoor Space (SOS) model for temporary housing provided by the Colorado Village Collaborative. Bree Davies interviews Cuica Montoya, the SOS Program Director and Ian Stitt, an SOS Site Manager liaison. You will get a deeper understanding of the Safe Outdoor Spaces, how they were conceptualized, and what space they hold in Denver's effort to support our unhoused neighbors.

You can subscribe to the City Cast Denver podcast at https://pod.link/citycastdenver. And you can learn more about City Cast Denver and subscribe to their daily newsletter at denver.citycast.fm.

In this episode, we take a tour of Colorado Village Collaborative's Safe Outdoor Space at the Park Hill United Methodist Church. Cole Chandler, the Executive Director of Colorado Village Collaborative, who you heard on Episode 1, tells us more about the Safe Outdoor Space and introduces us to a resident and the individuals who work onsite each day.

https://www.coloradovillagecollaborative.org/

In this episode we hear from two of our neighbors who are currently unhoused who we met at the St. Francis Center. Each of their stories delves into the hardships of living on the street, the challenge of working and not making enough money to meet basic needs, and the hopefulness that persists despite it all.

Join us on a virtual tour of St. Francis Center with Greyden Charlesworth, who has been with St. Francis for over 2o years doing street outreach.

http://www.sfcdenver.org/

Myra takes on her journey from being housed to being unhoused, and then searching out the resources she needed to get back into stable housing.

*Trigger warning: Myra's story may be triggering to some of you. Please take care.

Interviews with local services providers and experts set the context for the current state of homelessness and affordable housing in Denver, Colorado. Interviewees include Cathy Alderman from the Colorado Coalition of Homeless, Terese Howard, formerly with Denver Homeless Out Loud, and Cole Chandler with Colorado Village Collaborative.

https://www.coloradocoalition.org/

https://denverhomelessoutloud.org/

https://www.coloradovillagecollaborative.org/

An introduction to the Elevated Denver podcast, which will drop on April 20, 2022. Elevated Denver has a goal to cultivate a city in which all of our neighbors can meet their basic needs and pursue their dreams within the boundaries of a healthy ecosystem. Working together, business, government, non-profits, and citizens can make it happen.