Welcome to your HRCP in Action Newsletter! This newsletter is sent on the 15th of each month to communicate news, updates, resources and event information. | |
HIGHLIGHTS FROM YOUR HRCP TEAMS | |
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The Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs continues to play a vital role in all fronts of the recent migrant sheltering and support response as the City transitions out of emergency/crisis response to integration efforts.
Executive Order NO 150 was announced via a NEWS RELEASE. Training & overview in collaboration with HRCP's PIO was provided to Citywide Marketing Teams.
Funding Opportunitiy - The Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs accepted applications for its 2023 IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM!
Up to $2000 are awarded to projects designed to foster stronger communities. An announcement on this year's recipients will be made available soon!
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The Division of Disability Rights released an RFP calling for proposals from Nonprofit organizations serving people with disabilities in the Denver area who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. The RFP allows organizations to apply for ARPA funded grants of up to $50,000 to support advocacy, direct service provision, and/or training and assistive technology. Soon we will announce the awarded organizations.
16th Street Mall Paver Preview – Several Disability Rights staffers joined DOTI and the 16th Street Mall Partnership to welcome the community’s input on the new paver design for the 16th street mall. The Division provided feedback this summer about the dangerous nature of the curbless design and was pleased to see some positive changes in the design.
Accessible EV Parking – The Diivision of Disability Rights & partners at Community Planning & Development met with members from our disability community to seek their input on suggested changes to the current Accessible EV Parking Code.
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The Anti-Discrimination Office joined its HRCP colleagues to help cover the Equity position in the EOC.
DADO is working on a revision proposal of its Rules and Regulations to update current points of contact, clarify processes, streamline procedures, and lower barriers to access in the complaint process, including onerous and unnecessary procedural steps.
DADO is discussing with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission implications and best practices for anti-discrimination cases which may fall in both agencies’ jurisdictions. This ongoing conversation is critical to ensuring citizen’s rights are clearly explained and protected under state and federal law as well as the City and County Ordinance.
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The Office of Sign Language Services continues its search for a Sign Language Interpreter. HRCP's PIO is currently collaborating with the Office of Human Resources Marketing team on a video to promote and attract qualified candidates.
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DOSLS presented to the deaf and hard of hearing students at East High School on their right to language access, per the Americans with Disabilities Act, resources available to them, and services DOSLS provides.
DOSLS is working closely with Denver Sheriff Department to create a remote option for sign language interpreting services for deaf inmates, after-hours and weekends.
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The Office of Storytelling is on tour with various scheduled screenings of their latest #IAmDenver documentary, 'Reclaiming Denver's Chinatown.'
March 1st - Grandview High School
March 10 - Colorado Dragon Boat Festival
April 4 - Denver Museum of Nature and Science
April 10 - Denver Art Museum
DOST and Community Planning & Development launched the 2nd Denver in Context series with a kick-off event on Saturday, February 25th at the Indian Center Inc. Visit the AMERICAN INDIAN/INDIGENOUS PEOPLES HISTORICAL CONTEXT Page for ways to participate.
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The Office of Financial Empowerment & our Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs joined other partner agencies at District 11 on February 22nd where we connected 50+ community members with free and available resources and services.
OFEP Celebrates 10th Year of Financial Empowerment Centers Initiative - Mayor’s Office Deputy Chief of Staff, Tracy Winchester, our Office of Financial Empowerment & Protection, and community partners provided a 10 year report on the Financial Empowerment Centers in Denver, 1 of 5 cities nationwide to implement this program.
WATCH WHAT HAPPENED!
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The Office of Nonprofit Engagement held its first Doin' Business with the City workshop on March 7th for Denver nonprofit organizations seeking to get a better understanding of our City contracting and grant processes.
D-ONE is providing rental assistance to 6 nonprofits where they also receive additional technical assistance and programming offered by the small co-working space. We continue to look to expand the program to 2-3 additional locations in 2023.
D-ONE has begun a recurring series of meetings with Colorado Nonprofit Association (CNA) to ensure alignment. With its new leadership, the organization is seeking to re-establish itself around the state and here in Denver. They view a strong partnership with the city is crucial to that mission.grant”prog
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The Office on Aging held the last meeting with city partner agencies to finalize the 2023 Age Matters Report.
the Office on Aging Director, Perla Gheiler was invited to speak at the IX Power Foundation's 8th International Women's Day Colorado Convention on March 10th where she educated the audience on everything HRCP, how to get involved as a community members by exploring and applying to one of our 10 commissions, and what motivates her to serve the community.
The Office on Aging Team has re-activated the DenverConnect Program/Van, scheduling various community events to connect our older adults with much needed resources, especially now when many are being negatively impacted by the reduction of SNAP benefits.
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WELCOME TO THE HRCP FAMILY! | |
Deena Duwaik, Language Access Planner -
Denver Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs
Working in service of community has been Deena's focus for the last 10 years, spanning spaces around the world such as Jordan, Palestine, Morocco, Thailand, and Kenya. Coming from a family of Palestinian refugees, Deena has a special place in her heart for immigrant and refugee communities. Today, Deena supports government agencies as they cultivate the most inclusive language access plan for their programs that will serve and reach diverse community members, as the Language Access Planner. Previously, Deena spent 5 years as the Development Manager at an anti-hunger organization, where she worked to eradicate system barriers to food, housing, employment for marginalized and underrepresented communities. In 2022, she became the first person in her family to pursue a post-graduate degree, receiving her Master of Public Administration and Policy.
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Kristina Ericson, ADA Programmatic Access Administrator
Division of Disability Rights
Kicking off Women's History Month, we shined 🔦 a spotlight on our Division of Disability Rights' ADA Programmatic Access Administrator, Kristina Ericson!
Did you know that some of HRCP team members, like Kristina, also serve as equity coordinators in a City and County of Denver's emergency response?
Kristina was raised by, and alongside, people with disabilities. She joined the Disability Rights team to help break down the many accessibility barriers and stigmas that directly impact her family, neighbors, and immediate community. Kristina holds a B.A. in Global Studies and Sustainable Development from Global College College at Long Island University and a Master’s in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. She has lived in 12 different countries across 4 continents, is an AmeriCorps New York City Alumni and is a founder and co-organizer of the Adaptive Climber's Festival. She also acts as the liaison for HRCP's Commission for People with Disabilities.
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DENVER – HRCP is pleased to announce that EXECUTIVE ORDER NO 150 (Citywide Language Access Program) is now in effect. Born out of discussions that began in 2015 and included community listening sessions led by HRCP’s Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs and community based organizations, recommendations regarding language access needs to the Mayor from HRCP’s Denver Immigrant & Refugee Affairs Commission, and research conducted by the city designated Language Access Working Group, the Citywide Language Access Program seeks to ensure that City agencies communicate equitably with our limited English proficient community members.
READ THE FULL RELEASE
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DENVER – In March 2013, Mayor Michael B. Hancock announced a $1.9 million Bloomberg Philanthropies and Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) grant to deliver free, one-on-one financial counseling to help low-income residents transition from debt management to saving, thus improving the livelihoods of our Denver families. Today, what began as a counseling/coaching services program has now grown into the full-fledged HRCP Office of Financial Empowerment & Protection(OFEP).
* Telemundo Colorado attended this news conference. CBS4 and Denver Business Journal will follow up the story. Stay tuned!
READ THE FULL RELEASE
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| On March 8th, our Office of Storytelling Documentary Filmmaker, Roxana Soto and one of the descendants of the first Chinese families in Denver, Heather Lung Clifton visited 9News Colorado & Company to discuss #IAmDenver's 'Reclaiming Denver's Chinatown,' and its screening on March 10th at the Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival. | |  |
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