There Goes The Neighborhood.

OK. Full disclosure. The large Denver-based non-profit is Colorado AIDS Project. I chair the board of directors. As I mentioned in my previous post, we are having some, well, challanges with trying to serve our clients and eliminate homelessness in Denver.

Colorado AIDS Project, working with the City & County of Denver and Del Norte Real Estate Development, is working on a project to develop and support a wonderful new apartment building to help house those living with AIDS who are chronically homeless. The project is called Juan Diego. The project has been in development for over a year and will house 22 people at a time. The amazing staff of CAP has taken exhustive steps to ensure that the project will impact our clients and leave a lasting fingerprint on the greater Denver community.

Just last month a group of neighbors have come out in opposition to eliminating homelessness. These neighbors have voiced concerns regarding parking, zoning, historical correctness, and traffic, each of which have been addressed. Some members of the group have also chosen to make some pretty evil and judgmental statements about the clients who would be living at Juan Diego, and created misleading arguments and inaccuracies to make their case.

The amazing staff at CAP has decided to act. By going to www.supportjuandiego.org and clicking on to a quick email link, you can help us support the clients who need this housing. You can also get a quick set of facts to confirm what we already know: Juan Diego is the right thing to do. Also, if you can tell other thinking people who you know will support this important work, please do so.

I'm asking you personally to please take the time to go to the website and click on the email link. The email will go to city council members, who will be voting on a crucial piece of funding for this issue within the next few weeks. The opposition is also contacting city council, so it is vital that they hear our side as well.

Thank you for your support of helping people who really need us.