WEEK OF JUNE 8, 2023
VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 51
FREE
Arvada homeless ministry in talks with city to move out of Olde Town DRINK UP!
New law will allow small retailers to serve complementary beverages at special events P5
HALL OF FAME
Sign outside Mission Arvada showing respect for unhoused individuals.
Mission Arvada struggling to fund salary for staff members BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Months after the City of Arvada held a study session to address the issue of homelessness within the city, city team members have begun meeting with representatives from Mission Arvada — a homeless ministry based at The Rising Church in Olde Town — to discuss moving Mission Arvada out of the historic district. The homeless ministry has been at the center of a debate between city stakeholders over its location in the heart of Arvada’s most traffic commercial district. Additionally, Mission Arvada (while the two names are sometimes
used interchangeably by stakeholders, Mission Arvada refers to the homeless ministry and The Rising refers to the church congregation) is struggling to pay its employees because the City of Arvada declined to sign off on Mission Arvada’s application for a Department of Housing and Urban Development Emergency Solutions Grant last September, according to Mission Arvada Program Director Karen Cowling. Mission Arvada serves about 60-65 homeless individuals a day — roughly 500 per quarter — and has helped over 165 people get into permanent housing over the past two years, according to Cowling. The ministry works with people experiencing homelessness and works to help them apply for jobs, housing, mental health and career support, and other necessities. Arvada City Manager Lorie Gillis explained that the decision to decline signing off on Mission Arvada’s application was prompted by the
VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 14 | CALENDAR: 17 | SPORTS: 24
PHOTO BY RYLEE DUNN
ministry’s location in Olde Town — a factor that Gillis said also influenced the city team to begin examining the possibility of helping Mission Arvada move locations. “We just recognized that there’s an opportunity for The Rising to be in a space that’s more functional and efficient for them to continue doing the good work they’re doing,” Gillis said. “We’re just working with them on considering locations, there really isn’t an agreement as far as what, transactionally, the city will be doing,” Gillis continued. “We’re just trying to help them out. They’re in Olde Town, in close proximity to an elementary school and commercial units, so it’s not an ideal place for a navigation center for unhoused individuals. There have been some unfortunate incidents as a result.” As the jurisdiction where Mission Arvada is located, the City of Arvada SEE MISSION ARVADA, P2
The Centennial State’s very own superstar Hazel Miller finally gets her due P6
WORLD DANCE
Students learn worldwide dance styles at Bella Diva World Dance Studio P14
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