DENVER — A new resource center has opened its doors to new-to-country families in Denver's Five Points neighborhood.
The center, located on the 2800 block of Welton St., was opened by the nonprofit, All Souls Denver.
Even though the number of new arrivals in the city has slowed down significantly, the group said the need is still high.
"So many of the newcomers are struggling right now, not being able to find work," said Candice Marley, Founder of All Souls Denver, "So even if they've made it into apartments, they're really struggling to pay food costs and clothing for the children — especially. So it's important for us to be able to offer that free to the community."
The center offers the following services to new immigrant families:
- Community closet with newborn clothing through adult sizes
- Food pantry
- Community kitchen
- Business services: Support with LLC set-up, small businesses
- TPS, Asylum, work permit help (by appointment only)
Helping guide newcomers through the asylum process is Yali Reinoso, who is a former criminal defense attorney from Venezuela and a refugee herself.
"She cannot practice law here in the U.S., but she can help with document prep and kind of getting migrants organized with all the things they'll need to present for their asylum cases," said Marley.
Reinoso tells Denver7 it's been rewarding getting to help others.
“It’s very beneficial helping my sisters and brothers, knowing the journey it took to get here, because I also went through it," Reinoso said, in Spanish.
Though the center opened in April, Marley said Tuesday was the first time they opened completely to the public.
"We are actually overwhelmed by the need. We did not expect this large of need, especially with food," said Marley.
She added that they are always accepting new donations and could use the following:
- Seasonal clothing
- Baby supplies
- Children's toys
- Books
- House-ware items
- Hygiene items
The center is open to families on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The community is welcome to drop-off donations anytime.
