The Barton Institute is honored to serve as the new fiscal sponsor for Commún*, an organization developed by and for the Southwest Denver community. Commún builds community resilience through relationships and programs that center community voice, cultivate a sense of belonging, and realize equity.

The year 2020 has presented huge challenges for so many, especially for those who are experiencing homelessness. During this difficult time, the Colorado Safe Parking Initiative has grown from a concept to a movement. Safe parking lots for people who are living in their vehicles are now open in Longmont, Broomfield, Arvada, Golden, and Breckenridge.

Throughout Colorado and across the country, Family Leadership Training Institutes (FLTIs) help families get involved with their communities at the neighborhood, local, and statewide levels. Created with families and for families, the Institute involves a 20-week training that integrates personal and child development, leadership skill development, civic literacy, and civic engagement. Each participant then proposes a project to improve their community.

In early December, the Colorado Village Collaborative will open the doors of fourteen tiny homes to women who have been experiencing homelessness. Located at 38th Avenue between Gaylord and York Streets, these homes represent the safety and security of a warm bed and a locked door, behind which each woman can rest and begin to think about what’s next in her life.

The humanitarian crisis of COVID-19 has impacted the lives of everyone, everywhere. While many people impacted by the pandemic have been able to access the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and pandemic unemployment benefits, tens of thousands of workers in Colorado have been left out. These valued members of our community are essential workers who are not eligible to receive unemployment benefits or the stimulus relief check.

Last year, Lifespan Local began work on the Southwest Denver Collaboration for Maternal, Family and Infant Mental Health planning grant, generously provided by the Caring for Colorado Foundation. The group met twice a month to bring together community expertise and academic expertise to co-design a peer-delivered care program that will support moms/caregivers and little ones (ages 0-3 years old) in ways that are meaningful and helpful, and will promote responsive, warm relationships.

After spending years getting to know the needs, strengths, and dreams of the people in Southwest Denver, Lifespan Local was gearing up for a campaign of community-driven change. Lifespan hired 3 new employees, fired up and motivated their partners and community leaders, and then….COVID hit. The newly expanded team was all too aware that the Southwest Denver communities would be hit harder than most by the effects of the pandemic. Grocery store shelves were bare, and people needed food. Time to pivot.

The Barton Institute Board recently approved a strategic plan focusing its work on safe community spaces and helping to increase access to and opportunity for wealth, health, and mental health in the communities where we work.

No one should have to live in their vehicle, but for those who must, providing a safe, legal place to sleep provides stability on the path toward more permanent housing.

The Colorado Safe Parking Initiative is a citizen-led organization working to encourage and allow safe, legal parking locations for individuals and families experiencing homelessness who are living in vehicles in Colorado.

In the second half of March, Lydia Prado’s phone started ringing. Denver had closed down most businesses and ordered residents to “shelter in place” to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. Westwood residents reached out to Lydia, sharing stories of lost jobs and bare pantries.

With initial funding and administrative support from the Barton Institute, soon augmented by gifts from other donors, the Lifespan Local team began immediately collecting and distributing food, diapers, cleaning supplies, and other resources to people who needed it.

As the year began, the Barton Institute for Community Action took a big step – moving out of the University of Denver to become a separate organization. At the same time, we began a deep collaboration with Lifespan Local, an organization cultivating healthy communities in Southwest Denver.

Little did we know what 2020 would bring…and how important this partnership would become in the context of a global pandemic and its impact here at home.