Denver Catholic Worker Home Destroyed By Fire

“It plays right into the hands of developers who would like to see poor people leave Five Points.”

On Thursday January 28th, the Denver Catholic Worker house in the Five Points neighborhood caught fire. There were twelve people staying there. One is hospitalized but seems to be in good condition.

The shelter, opened in 1978, provides emergency housing with rooms for two single women, two single men, one couple without children, and one family with children. It also had rooms for three live-in workers, who are volunteers at the shelter – all have been displaced.

Marcus Hyde a volunteer at the Denver Catholic Worker house says the impact of the fire resonates far into the community. “What really got displaced beyond those 12 people is that the Catholic Worker has been a central place for a certain type of culture in Denver – a culture of peace, a culture of justice, a culture where people get together and not only do we break bread together, but we also demonstrate, we also hold vigils, we also work at the state capitol and try to raise awareness about things that create poverty in the first place.”

The Denver Catholic Worker house was on Welton Street in the Historic Five Points area, which has seen a lot of gentrification and development in recent years. Hyde says it will be difficult to get affordable replacement housing in the same area.