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WEEK OF MAY 29, 2025
VOLUME 98 | ISSUE 26
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In Denver’s GES neighborhoods, new worker center aims to build power, not just jobs New partnership brings workforce support, labor justice BY ROSSANA LONGO-BETTER ROSSANA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Raymunda Carreon speaks about her experiences of trying to find a suitable rent for herself during a meeting hosted by Tierra Colectiva.
Tierra Colectiva debuts two new homes in Globeville BY ERIC HEINZ ERIC@COTLN.ORG
Voices echoed through the two homes within the Tierra Colectiva pipeline of income-restricting housing, the hallmark of a newly minted domicile. The Tierra Colectiva Community Land Trust recently hosted an open house for people to see some of the work that’s been done to create more affordable housing, particularly for residents in the Globeville, Elyria and Swansea neighborhoods. The land trust, operated under the umbrella of the GES Coalition, seeks to help people on income-restricted budgets find permanent housing, rather than renting from place to place, particularly in a market like Denver where people can end up spending more than half their income on housing per month. Nola Miguel, the director of Tierra Colectiva, said the two new homes will be occupied by families that have been on
the organization’s waitlist for at least two years. One of the families, she said, had been renting a basement that was not suitable for families. One of the homes off 47th Avenue has three bedrooms and another has two. The homes sell between $200,000 and $225,000, and people are required to prove their total income to qualify for the lower prices. The latest homes to be added to Tierra Colectiva’s roster of income-restricted housing were designed by the Denver Housing Authority’s West Denver Renaissance Collaborative with construction provided by Habitat for Humanity. Tierra Coletiva has sold 15 homes at or below market rates, with 23 more homes in its planned pipeline. The organization is also part of a program at 49th Avenue and Washington Street that will bring 170 rental units below market rates for incomerestricted renters. Raymunda Carreon, one of the owners, shared her story at a recent meeting host-
VOICES: 10 | LIFE: 12 | CALENDAR: 15
ed by Tierra Colectiva. “I was displaced from several places,” Carreon said with the help of an English translator. “It was really challenging to work with the landlords. There was a lot of rental increases and … we were living in unstable circumstances in those homes.” Carreon said she was elated when she was approved for one of the Tierra Colectiva homes. “We were out searching for a new rental place. Sometimes there were none available,” Carron said. “And so, it was really hard for me, financially, but also health wise. I had a lot of health issues happening, and because I was really stressed, I had to go see the doctor a lot. Now, I feel better mentally. I know I’m not going to be able to make a lot of money off of the home. But to live in one of the homes, especially now with the market value, would not be possible.” More information can be found at gescoalition.org/community-land-trust.
In Denver’s Globeville and ElyriaSwansea neighborhoods — long shaped by industry, immigrant labor and environmental injustice — two grassroots organizations are joining forces to rewrite the narrative of economic survival. El Centro de los Trabajadores and Tierra Colectiva, the community land trust of the GES Coalition, have partnered to launch a new worker center aimed at connecting local residents with job training, labor protections and long-term pathways to stability. But leaders say this effort is about more than just employment. It’s about dignity, power and building a future that belongs to the people who have called this community home for generations. “We don’t have to wait for someone else to come and save us,” said Nola Miguel, director of Tierra Colectiva. “We can build these solutions ourselves — with our neighbors, for our neighbors.” Rooted in organizing, focused on justice
The new worker center — set to open in the heart of GES — will focus initially on three high-demand industries: construction, hospitality and childcare. But Mayra JuarezDenis, executive director of El Centro de los Trabajadores, emphasized that the vision goes beyond skills training. “We see the whole worker — not just the job seeker,” Juarez-Denis said. “It’s about connecting them to the right resources, making sure they’re treated with dignity, and helping them dream bigger for themselves and their families.” SEE HOUSING, P7
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