Focus Points Family Resource Center Awarded $2,000 to Share the Stories of Community Members in Need

DENVER — Serving thousands of diverse adults within the Globeville, Elyria-Swansea (GES) neighborhood, Focus Points Family Resource Center’s participants face some of the greatest barriers to educational attainment and economic stability in the state. Because of its work as an integral family resource center to improve the social determinants of health (SDOH) — which directly impact health, wellbeing, and longevity — of its participant-base, the Colorado Equity Compass (CEC) has awarded Focus Points a $2,000 grant to share five stories of the people served through its programs.

“Focus Points’ most powerful storytelling tool is video. The CEC award will be used to create new video content highlighting participant experiences and the work the agency is doing in the community,” says Cheri Gonzales, Director of Development & Communications. “Key focus areas include adult and early childhood education, economic opportunity programs, and additional services that support individual and family development — all areas that directly address health equity within the community.”

In addition to the organization’s foundational wraparound service provision and over 100 community partnerships, Focus Points is thrilled to witness the continued growth of its second social enterprise program, Huerta Urbana 2Gen Farm Incubator, a multigenerational farming program designed to teach participants how to grow crops to eat and sell. Participants in the program earn a stipend as well as credits toward an urban agriculture certificate from Colorado State University. The produce is distributed among program participants, neighborhood schools, residents, and is also sold at a "pay-what-you-can" farmers market. In its third season, the farmers market will move to Focus Points’ GES location this summer, creating direct access to healthy, organic, culturally relevant food for families and furthering the agency’s work to address the social determinants of health.

“Focus Points Family Resource Center is doing great work to help its clients face barriers related to educational, economic, and food instability,” says CEC Project Lead Dr. Rachele Espiritu. “The CEC is thrilled to be a platform for Focus Points’ stories to address these issues and showcase how these SDOHs impact peoples’ long-term health and wellbeing.”

These products can be found below:

• Focus Points: By the Numbers: A Look at the GES Community

• Focus Points: Supporting Community Members in Learning English

• Focus Points: Huerta Urbana Farmers Market Offers Pay-What-You-Can Options

• Focus Points: Fatherhood Fest Brings Families Together

• Focus Points: The pandemic has hit the restaurant business hard. That's creating an opportunity for some immigrant women in Denver

About the Focus Points Family Resource Center The mission of Focus Points is to build better communities by strengthening families. For 26 years, the Center has successfully worked to support low-income, Latinx, immigrant, and refugee families in Northeast Denver. The scope of services is focused on education, health and wellness, basic needs assistance, adult education, and economic/workforce development.  

Additionally, in Fall 2020 the agency conducted a health equity analysis through the Family Resource Center Association. Results indicated Focus Points further embed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices into its infrastructure through a Health Equity Plan. This recommendation was woven into the work of Focus Points DEI committee to create an internal, responsive culture that adapts the organization’s operations and programs to the assets of the diverse communities and cultures it serves.

About the Colorado Equity Compass Across Colorado, communities are facing inequities that impact their health and wellbeing. Different factors, including systemic racism, a lack of affordable housing, and environmental concerns, contribute to these inequities.

As a project of The Colorado Trust, CEC helps communities — and the organizations that serve them — better understand these issues and advocate for change using data and stories. This work consolidates diverse resources, connects peers, and both aligns and empowers communities and institutions via its Equity Data Navigator. The model showcases inequities and the social determinants of health (SDOH) across communities. CEC also serves as a hub for community storytelling and information-sharing.

For more information and to view the Equity Data Navigator, visit coequitycompass.org. For media inquiries, contact CEC at hello@coequitycompass.org.