Denver People's Budget

Problem Statement: What the community hopes this project would help solve

1.  Project Delegates are interested in a project that would help address food insecurity in West Denver, educate the community on food production and healthy eating, and encourage people to come together to support more greenery especially in neighborhoods that are food deserts or that do not have access to community gardens.

Project Scope: What the community would like to see from proposals

1. 20 or more gardens or gardening opportunities across West Denver, especially in areas that do not have access to community gardens. Gardening opportunities refers to both large-scale and small scall gardening experiences. This could include plots in community gardens and communal food forests as well as smaller efforts like starter kits or support for individual gardening efforts through windowsill gardens or patio gardens.
2. Educational opportunities for gardening, food production, and/or healthy eating.
3. Community gathering opportunities and structures to support teamwork and partnerships to tend and celebrate the gardens.

Parameters: Notes from the City and County of Denver

• Funds for this project could support the capital components of the project, including the gardens/food forests themselves and other infrastructure costs. Programmatic elements, such as classes or community engagements, must be provided by the community partner.
• The City is open to constructing gardens on its publicly-owned land, such as parks, trails, recreation centers, etc.
• Ongoing maintenance of the project must be managed by the organization.

Problem Statement: What the community hopes this project would help solve

• Residents are interested in a project that would help address food insecurity in West Denver, especially for lower-income households, families, older adults or people with disabilities, and communities that are food deserts. Currently, many of Denver’s lower income neighborhoods in West Denver do not have grocery stores or the only stores are small convenient stores only selling packaged or canned goods.

Project Scope: What the community would like to see from proposals:

• Offer a variety of healthy and fresh food options to lower-income households, families, older adults or people with disabilities, and in communities that are food deserts by improving mobile food access in West Denver.
• Support or expand low-cost or no-cost food access by coming directly into neighborhoods that face the greatest barriers to healthy foods. This could include mobile food pantries, mobile farmer markets, pop-up grocery markets or stands, etc.
• This project should support an organization’s mobile food access services and offer direct service to at least three West Denver neighborhoods once or twice a month. The response should indicate how many neighborhoods the organization could serve at that frequency.
• The mobile food services should be offered in public areas that are easy to access, especially those who may have mobility challenges or may not be able to travel by car or bus. The response should indicate the locations or types of locations they would provide service to.

Parameters: Notes from the City and County of Denver:

• Funds for this project could support the capital components of the project, including the vehicle or food stand, equipment to support mobile elements like refrigeration or food storage, and/or and other infrastructure costs. Programmatic elements, staffing, must be provided by the community partner.
• The City's is open to hosting mobile food service vehicles or stands on its publicly owned land. Residents would like the option for mobile food services to come to affordable housing sites as well, including Denver Housing Authority locations, Volunteer of America locations, etc.
• Ongoing maintenance of the project must be managed by the organization. 

Problem Statement: What the community hopes this project would help solve

• There are areas of West Denver that are neglected and lack beauty and character which, in turn, discourages peoples’ pride in their communities and neighborhood unity. Residents are interested in a project that would beautify the neighborhoods and draw attention to key values like safety, environmentalism, indigenous culture, and accessibility/disability rights. 

Project Scope: What the community would like to see from proposals

• Bring at least five public art projects to different neighborhoods in West Denver, with a focus on neighborhoods that currently do not have much public art. Art should be created locally from artists with strong connections to West Denver.  
• Art projects could include more traditional art, such as murals or sculptures, but could also have more innovative are projects like installations, interactive exhibits, art involving light, sound or music, etc.
• In addition to curating the various art projects, an organization will coordinate with the City to host small, neighborhood events or festivals relating to the art. This could include one week of pop-up events in various neighborhoods to promote art activities and education or they could be structured around specific art sites and hosted as pieces are finished to celebrate the completed work.
• Art projects should focus on promoting or celebrating key values for the West Denver community, including safety, environmentalism and indigenous culture, and accessibility/disability rights. 
• Art projects should exist in a neighborhood for a minimum of three months and could last indefinitely. Organizations should address in their response how vandalism would be discouraged or managed.

Parameters: Notes from the City and County of Denver

• Funds for this project could support the capital components of the project, including the art itself and other infrastructure costs. Programmatic elements, such as the festival must be provided by the community partner. The City can support community events or festivals in minimal ways, including some light staffing and promotional work.  
• The City's preference is to construct art on publicly owned land/buildings. However, it could be possible to add art to public-serving and public-facing locations, like the exteriors of community spaces or community-serving non-profits.
• Ongoing maintenance of the project must be managed by the organization.

Problem Statement: What the community hopes this project would help solve

• Residents are interested in a project that would help support youth in West Denver. Young people face unique challenges and lack spaces where they can grow, learn, and play safely. In particular, residents would like to help young people who have intellectual or physical disabilities, young people involved with the criminal justice system, and young people struggling with mental health challenges.

Project Scope: What the community would like to see from proposals

• Support youth-serving organizations by improving youth spaces or access to youth-center spaces.
• Organizations should serve, or propose a project that would expand service to, the following demographics:
  • Young people who have intellectual or physical disabilities
  • Young people involved with the criminal justice system
  • Young people struggling with mental health challenges
• Youth-serving organizations should have a direct-service approach and have trained staff onsite to work with and build relationships with youth.
• Access to youth-serving spaces has been flagged as a challenge, so responses should note their current methods for ensuring young people can access their space and services or identify how their proposed project would help address access.

Parameters: Notes from the City and County of Denver

• Funds for this project could support the capital components of the project, including the youth center itself, transport to the youth center via purchased vehicles and other infrastructure costs. Programmatic elements, such as staff, must be provided by the community partner.
• Ongoing maintenance of the project must be managed by the organization. 

Problem Statement: What the community hopes this project would help solve

• Residents would like to promote economic mobility and economic security in West Denver by supporting organizations offering job training or entrepreneurial services. Many people in West Denver lack the resources, skills, or practice needed to enter or advance in the workforce. In particular, the digital divide limits many from applying for jobs or promotions because people do not have computers, internet access or experience navigating online applications.

Project Scope: What the community would like to see from proposals

• Promote economic mobility in West Denver by supporting an organization that offers job training.
• Specifically, improve access to technology that is necessary for applying to and thriving in the modern workforce. This could include publicly available labs with computers, laptops, internet, Wi-Fi or hot spots, mobile job-training service that would bring resources to community members at affordable housing sites or public spaces like recreation centers or libraries, classes or trainings to prepare people for the workforce or assist them in applying for jobs, etc.

Parameters: Notes from the City and County of Denver

• Funds for this project could support the capital components of the project, including the computers or improvements to a community space to host classes and other infrastructure costs. Programmatic elements, such as staff time and community engagements, must be provided by the community partner.
• Any ongoing maintenance of the project must be managed by the organization. 

Problem Statement: What the community hopes this project would help solve

• Many low-income and affordable housing developments in West Denver are older and in need of repairs or upgrades that would improve the quality of life for residents.
• Specifically, many developments were not constructed with modern heating and cooling standards. Given the climate crisis and heat waves in recent years, these upgrades are critical. 

Project Scope: What the community would like to see from proposals

• Project Delegates are interested in a project that would improve existing low-income and affordable housing developments to improve the quality of life for residents, particularly older adults, families and people with disabilities.
• There is a particular interest in providing heat relief and cooling systems in individual units and/or in communal spaces.
• Other quality of life improvements could include repairs to communal spaces like meeting or community rooms, playgrounds, etc.
• Other life safety improvements could be considered as well, including upgrading smoke detectors or fire alarms, emergency exits, emergency strobe lights for the deaf and hard of hearing, etc.

Parameters: Notes from the City and County of Denver

• Funds for this project could support the capital components of the project, including the heating/cooling equipment and other infrastructure costs.
• Ongoing maintenance of the project must be managed by the organization.