Melissa Diaz moved to Colorado from California fleeing from an abusive relationship. She previously worked for different health nonprofits but ultimately her own health took a toll on her.

Diaz said she eventually lost her housing and became homeless.

“Housing is vital. That’s where it all starts,” Diaz said. “When I was in California, I saw how mental health issues were tied to homelessness. You have to wonder if it’s tied to being in the street and the survival instincts that have to come along with that. When you’re in that position, you don’t go to the doctor. You don’t take care of yourself. You’re just living to survive the next day. Housing is where it starts.”

Diaz found that housing and told her story on a dreary yet inspiring day at the Viña Apartments, a new and affordable apartment complex in Elyria-Swansea, that’s been in the works since 2015.

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Source: Denverite

Plump heirloom tomatoes, zucchini and peppers went from farm baskets into customers’ bags on Saturday beneath a tent on the side of the road in Elyria Swansea. The lot behind this pop-up market was once a fenced-off industrial yard. Today, it’s a massive housing building that will be occupied, in part, by a community healthcare clinic run by the Tepeyac Community Health Center. Soon, veggies like these gathered by the East Denver Food Hub will be for sale all the time in a store slated to move into the building’s first floor. Noir Market will be the first real grocery in this neighborhood in a very long time.

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Source: Denverite