Inspiring Conversations with Jennifer Seybold of The Denver VOICE

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Seybold. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Since 1996 the Denver VOICE vendor program has been an income and entrepreneurial resource to a diverse population of homeless and impoverished individuals in the Denver metro region. By offering a nontraditional job opportunity their program helps individuals meet basic human needs and regain control of their lives, and provides peer support in addressing other long-standing barriers to self-sufficiency including financial stability, housing, healthcare, and legal services support. 

The organization’s program fills a gap in services that only our nontraditional approach is able to meet. The Street Paper—which is a concept used around the world, illustrated by the 120 papers that are part of the International Network of Street Papers—allows individuals who may not otherwise be able to work, whether because of personal circumstance, health, or personality, the opportunity to earn an income, meet basic needs, and regain confidence and control of their lives. For some, nontraditional job opportunities like ours will be the only long-term stable income they have access to due to challenges that prevent them from seeking more traditional opportunities. For others, it will be a stepping stone that allows them the time and energy to build on their job skills and pay for basic needs while they work toward goals that may include another form of employment. They serve a diverse demographic and a community need that is ever-growing. 

The Denver VOICE also works to change the face of homelessness by enhancing community awareness of homelessness prevalence and highlighting stories that impact our community, by breaking down common misconceptions, and by inviting volunteers and other community members to engage through relationship with individuals of all races, ethnicity, and background who are provided a voice and an economic opportunity through a Denver VOICE program. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The Denver VOICE, first published in 1996, began as a grassroots newspaper created by homeless people for homeless people. During its ten-year run, the paper went through numerous transformations and reincarnations. In the spring of 2006, it temporarily ceased publication. 

In December 2006 Denver businessman and philanthropist Rick Barnes resurrected the Denver VOICE. Inspired by the International Network of Street Papers, he hired a team of professional journalists to create a new Denver VOICE. The first issue of the new paper was published in August 2007, and we have been publishing monthly since then 

The vendor program is a critical component of the Denver VOICE. When the paper re-launched in 2007, it did so with a formal program to empower people by providing a source of income. Since 2007, we have employed more than 4,600 men and women as Denver VOICE vendors. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
ABOUT THE PROGRAM 

The vendor program is designed to give individuals experiencing homelessness, poverty, or those in need of an immediate income the opportunity to work. Vendors might be physically living on the streets, or they might be housed but out of a job or in need of additional living income. 

Our vendor program provides homeless and/or impoverished individuals with a chance to take their first steps towards a more stable life. The issues that often underlie homelessness tend to make it very difficult for someone experiencing homelessness to obtain and keep a regular job. The combination of income-earning opportunities, job flexibility, and job training offered by our vendor program give a struggling individual the chance to work a flexible schedule, learn (or re-learn) workplace expectations, and earn sufficient income to move off the street. 

HOW IT WORKS 

Each new Denver VOICE vendor gets a temporary ID badge and ten free papers. After vendors sell those first ten papers, they purchase additional newspapers from the Denver VOICE for 50 cents each—essentially investing in their own micro-businesses. The money the Denver VOICE takes in from vendors goes toward a portion of our production costs. Vendors can buy as many papers as they want, and they set their own hours. Vendors sell their papers for a suggested donation of $2. Any donation vendors collect in exchange for a newspaper—including any amount over the suggested $2 donation—is theirs to keep. 

Vendors are expected to abide by the Denver VOICE rules, guidelines, and code of conduct. Vendors may not vend while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and aggressive behavior or aggressive selling is prohibited. Vendors must interact with the public in a respectful and professional manner. 

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The single most important thing I have learned along my time here as part of the Denver VOICE’s 25-year journey is to be adaptable. Street papers and those we serve have a long history of being adaptable, because of the nature of the work we do. If there’s anything we’ve all learned during the last couple of years it’s that being adaptable is the key to being successful as the world around you changes. 

Following the recession of 2008, street papers were among the only print publications that were growing. While other struggled with the switch to online news, papers like ours expanded because of the in-person interaction. For many years it was that which allowed the model to continue to be successful. When the pandemic hit, we saw that this model would be challenged greatly and we had to look for ways that individuals could get news without in-person contact and still maintain their personal connection to the individuals we serve – a huge part of our mission to break down community held common misconceptions. Rather than accept that this would be an impossible time for us, we adapted our publication to appear online and provided ways for people to pay and connect with their vendor even when they could not connect in person. This was a huge challenge for us, because while it seems a norm in our modern world for those served in our program basic technology tools still remains out of reach for many and unfamiliar to our vendors. 

Pricing:

• $2 suggested donation for a paper from a vendor
• $25: Provide Income Opportunities for 10 New Vendors
• $50: Provide a Week’s Worth of Food and Snacks to Our Team of Vendors
• $100: Provide Essential Clothing Supplies to Vendors
• $250: Help Bolster the VOICE Community With an Event or Class

Contact Info:

• Email: info@denvervoice.org
• Website: www.denvervoice.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denvervoice/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denvervoice
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/denvervoice
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsA3ImO-DJkp6qFnzN8ST7w

Image Credits:
Ad 2 Colorado