March 23, 2020 Letter from the Colorado Department of Human Services: Hunger and Child Care

Request for Applications for the Colorado COVID-19 Emergency Hunger Relief Fund   Dear Partners,First off, I just want to say how incredibly impressed I am by the dedication, resilience and innovation that I am seeing in light of our current context. The news is sobering, but doesn’t highlight the incredible assets we have in our state, our people. As you know, we sent out a survey last week to try to understand the assets and needs of our network. You can read an assessment of the survey. Not surprisingly, one of the largest needs identified in the survey was needing additional financial resource. To that end, we have partnered with a number of local funders to respond to these needs, and are pleased to share that our Request for Applications for the Colorado COVID-19 Emergency Hunger Relief Fund is now live. More information in both English and Spanish, including the application, can be found on our website. Please note that the turnaround for this RFA is quick, with the first wave of applications due on Wednesday, March 25th at 5 p.m. in order to be part of this weeks’ funding cycle. The current plan is for the applications to open each week on Monday and close on Wednesday. We know that needs will continue to evolve and change, and we want to be as responsive as we are able. We are also working on addressing the remainder of the findings, including planning a webinar on emergency response structures with CDHS, helping understand what coalitions around the state are doing and sharing updates on state programs as they find flexibilities due to the current crisis. We will also be working to match assets with needs identified in the survey. Please feel free to contact me directly (303-974-8427) if we can be helpful to you and thank you again for everything you do. In partnership,Erin   Childcare Needs Survey Governor Polis called together a group of early childhood providers, advocacy groups, school districts and foundations to partner with the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) to establish a system of emergency child care centers for our emergency and essential workers — called the Colorado Emergency Child Care Collaborative. Many in the Blueprint partnership have expressed concerns about resources that can help their employees continue to work during this time.  If you or your organization is providing critical front-line response services, such as health professionals, health facilities staff, emergency responders, public safety, etc., the Collaborative would like to connect you to child care providers if your current provider is not able to continue service.    The Collaborative is surveying families to understand the need for these services and they are also identifying current and “emergency” providers. To register for this child care program, please open this Google Doc and click on the highlighted survey link, or dial 2-1-1 for additional information. Every effort will be made to match those who need care with a licensed facility near them that has available capacity to help. We are working to implement expanded subsidies and/or sliding scales for families who cannot afford child…

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Covid-19 epidemic resources: Food. Child care. Hunger relief. Information. Volunteer opps.

Below are a number of useful links, which we’ll try to keep updated: WHO Coronavirus dashboard Volunteer (Colorado governor’s website) Donate (Colorado governor’s website) Connect (NextDoor) News (Denver Post) Free internet from Comcast for 2 months Denver Public Schools and CV-19 AARP (great information and resources for seniors here) Department of Labor and Employment (file for unemployment) Denver Rescue Mission Metro Care Ring Information on the Families First Coronavirus Act to help families in time of unemployment Information on the Defense Production Act that will suspend evictions  Information about your credit card payments and what credit card companies are doing to alleviate your burden IRS Coronavirus tax relief Hunger relief (updated March 23, 2020) Child care needs survey and resource (updated March 23, 2020)  

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Minutes from City Park West monthly meeting 3.18.2020

The 3.18 meeting was held on Zoom, an online meeting platform. For some reason, although the meeting was set up on Zoom to begin at 6, some folks logging in saw a 7 p.m. start time, so you might have logged on and been confused. We’ll try this again soon, get it to work for everyone, and may host more frequent meetings. In virtual attendance: Jo Untiedt, Janna Goodwin, Alyssa Knutson, Scott Holder, Brendan Cady In summary: While we’re still trying to paper the neighborhood with flyers about the East Central Area Plan, the timing is obviously bad now for neighbors to focus on non-urgent issues. Most of our meeting, we discussed how City Park West RNO might best help our local community in this global crisis. While Nextdoor provides community information and resources, we are concerned about shut-ins– e.g. the elderly and disabled– who are not tech-savvy. Those who may not know how to use social media, or who might have an ipad but not realize its full power (or know how to download health, safety, communication or even entertainment apps to help get through these trying times). We will post helpful links whenever we are made aware of them, and will also listen to those involved in coordinating volunteer efforts to learn how the City Park West RNO can be of service.

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This month’s virtual meeting will be on Zoom: March 18 at 6 p.m.

Join the City Park West meeting this month virtually. We can’t promise anything (this is all new) but we’re using Zoom and it ought to work. Log on at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 18. On the agenda: Updates and local resources for coronavirus information and services; East Central Area Plan comments and timeline Here is the “Join” URL that makes it available to (I think) whoever signs on https://us04web.zoom.us/j/419104388   The software version we’re using is “Bacis” and will stop after 40 minutes. Folks will have to log back in using a new URL   https://us04web.zoom.us/j/914844653  

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Reminder of Monthly CPWNA Board Meeting (Note Location Change)

CPWNA Monthly Board Meeting March 18 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm The City Park West Neighborhood Association’s March meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 6:00 PM. IMPORTANT NOTICE ON MEETING LOCATION: We will be holding our monthly meeting by conference call this month. If you were planning to attend the meeting, or would like to attend by conference call, please contact us to provide you information on how to attend remotely. Thank you for your understanding! Agenda Items: 1. Approval of minutes 2. Treasurer Report – bank and debit card 3. Membership, Member Planet, Fundraising Plan 4. DPD update 5. Communications Update – Website, Facebook, brochure, emails, text message 6. Zoning committee update, East Central Area Plan, Group Living Ordinance, 17th and Williams 7. Other business – DA and DE speak at May or June Meeting

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Office Hours for the East Central Area Plan

Office hours for the East Central Area Plan have begun. The below information was received from the City & County of Denver on how to schedule an appointment: Along with extending the review period for the draft East Central Area Plan, we are continuing to engage the community in the planning process, particularly those who have not had a chance to participate yet. If you haven’t yet attended a community event or commented on the draft, sign up to talk to our planners at one of several sessions of community office hours. Carla Madison Recreation Center March 10, 2020 – 12:40 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. March 12, 2020 – 1:40 p.m. – 5 p.m. March 17, 2020 – 12:40 p.m. – 8 p.m. Denver Central Library March 11, 2020 – 12:20 p.m. – 5:40 p.m. March 24, 2020 – 2:20 p.m. – 7:40.p.m. Colorado Health Foundation March 25, 2020 – 12:20 p.m. – 8:20 p.m. Sign up for an appointment

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Update on 1848 Gaylord Ave. Zoning Request

Open Meeting Held March 9, 2020 6:00 pm at Saint Marks Coffee 2019 E 17th Flyers and open meeting information was placed on Facebook and Nextdoor. In attendance 3 people two of which was the owner and her daughter who will live at the property and run the day care center.  The proposal is to operate a 12 child center with 2 under 2 years old.  The drop off and pick up will be at the rear of the property The owner runs a center in Congress Park which will move to this facility. Currently, six of their clients are East High teachers. There was no opposition to this request.

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