Denver Event Venue Transforms to Save Lives

Denver – Since March 26, 2020, Asterisk, a 10,000 square foot newly opened private event venue in Downtown Denver, has been host to Denver’s homeless community for daytime shelter in conjunction with neighboring St. Francis Center.  Per the city of Denver’s stay-at-home order, which was recently extended through April 30, 2020, Asterisk has in turn extended the use of this recently renovated 1920’s building turned event venue to St. Francis Center for use as an extension of their daytime programming and outreach for the city’s most in-need citizens.  Over 200 homeless community members are being served at Asterisk, daily, under the direction of the St. Francis Center.  Homeless guests are invited to seek shelter during the day in this warm, comfortable, clean, safe and secure space during this unprecedented time.

Asterisk opened their doors to events in December of 2019 and hosted their grand opening celebration in January of 2020. Grace City Church also began to call Asterisk home for their regular Sunday services in January of this year. When envisioning and opening Asterisk, owners Matt Hand and Marti Page knew they wanted to become a community resource that would elevate the neighborhood around them.  With open hearts, the couple offered the use of Asterisk to the City via St. Francis Center and they graciously accepted.  

“[We] saw an opportunity to provide a much-needed ‘socially distanced’ shelter during an impending snowstorm [in mid-March] for those experiencing homelessness,” says owner Marti Page, who worked with neighboring nonprofit St. Francis Center and the mayor’s office to create an emergency relief plan.

Being near the Denver Rescue Mission, St. Francis Center and Samaritan House, Asterisk is surrounded by people in great need. The only way those experiencing homelessness can be sheltered and fed while maintaining safe ‘social distancing’ is if they have a much more sanitary space in which to spread out. “Giving them supervised access to Asterisk was a no-brainer”, added Page’s husband Matt Hand, who is a pastor at Grace City, “we hope our space can provide a much-needed haven for those in desperate need of shelter during this trying time”.

The St. Francis Center is staffing the overflow shelter in connection with Denver Police Department (DPD) cadets and the National Guard. Seven days a week, hundreds of people are fed onsite and given a comfortable space to spread out and relax, while movies and documentaries are streamed over Asterisk’s state-of-the-art AV system. Andrew Spinks, Development Director at SFC, said of Asterisk, “You guys are saving and changing lives.”

About Asterisk:  Asterisk is located in the heart of downtown Denver at the convergence of the Arapahoe Square, RiNo, and Curtis Park neighborhoods. Host to all types of events including corporate meetings, weddings, non-profit fundraisers, social celebrations, Sunday church services, concerts, video shoots and more, Asterisk serves groups up to 1,000+ reception style or 600+ for dining events in the 8,500 square foot Main Hall.  An open-air 1,700 square foot Rooftop space with panoramic city skyline views and 450 square foot sunlight draped Conference Room are bonus spaces in this 1923 post office garage turned event venue!  White exposed brick walls, open truss ceiling with six skylights, oversized garage roll door access and robust built-in audio/visual systems allow for extensive customization and creativity for your events!  For event bookings and additional information, visit www.AsteriskDenver.com or email Events@AsteriskDenver.com.   

About St. Francis Center:  St. Francis Center (SFC) is a refuge for men and women who are homeless in the metro Denver area, providing shelter along with services that enable people to meet their basic needs for daily survival and to transition out of homelessness.  St. Francis Center’s programs and services are tailored toward adult women and men, and focus on daytime shelter, social services, health and wellness, housing, employment, and outreach. At SFC, guests have the opportunity work with a variety of specialists, depending on their individual needs, which is often the first step toward transformation and ultimately self-sufficiency.  For additional information on St. Francis Center, visit www.SFCDenver.org.