Before JJ Aldrich was old enough to walk, her mother would carry her on her back through the roughest parts of downtown Denver.
It was the fall of 1992, and two-month-old Aldrich, her mom and three-year-old sister were living at a homeless shelter in Denver's Five Points neighborhood. Aldrich's father had gone to prison before she was born, and the family member her mom had been staying with had recently asked them to move out.
As a single parent, Aldrich's mom didn't have much money. She couldn't afford an apartment or a car, so everywhere they had to go, they walked.