Investing Fairly in Far Southwest Denver
“Equity means every neighborhood gets the tools to thrive.”
For too long, Far Southwest Denver has been systematically underinvested in, leaving residents in District 2 to navigate aging infrastructure, limited access to services, and fewer economic opportunities than other parts of the city. Streets, parks, schools, and public spaces have not received equitable levels of funding or maintenance, despite strong community roots and deep civic pride. Trần is committed to reversing this pattern through fair, strategic, and community-informed investment that supports residents at every stage of life, preserves neighborhood character, and builds long-term stability rather than short-term fixes.
Her approach is grounded in transparency, accountability, and sustained partnership with the community, ensuring city dollars are not only spent efficiently, but directed where they can make the greatest impact. Investment decisions will reflect the lived realities of seniors seeking to age safely in their homes, families balancing rising costs, young people in need of safe spaces and opportunity, small business owners working to remain rooted in the neighborhoods they serve, and residents facing barriers to basic health care and healthy food access. Fair funding will prioritize streets, sidewalks, parks, schools, and public facilities in Bear Valley, Mar Lee, Harvey Park, Loretto Heights, and surrounding areas, addressing long-standing gaps in accessibility, safety, environmental health, and public amenities.
To ensure residents are not forced to navigate fragmented systems or travel across the city for essential services, Trần will champion a Far Southwest Service Center for City Services as a permanent, well-resourced neighborhood institution. This center will function as a one-stop access point where residents can receive in-person assistance with city services, public benefits, housing stability resources, and language-accessible support. It will also expand access to basic health services and food access resources, including connections to primary and preventative care, mental and behavioral health supports, screenings and vaccinations, nutrition education, SNAP and WIC enrollment assistance, community food distribution, and referrals to neighborhood food pantries and fresh food programs—particularly for seniors, families, and residents with limited mobility or transportation.
For seniors, the center will provide guidance on aging-in-place programs, property tax relief, mobility services, home repair assistance, caregiver resources, health navigation, and food support that helps older adults remain healthy and independent. For youth and families, it will connect residents to early childhood programs, after-school and summer opportunities, recreation, nutrition assistance, school-based food programs, mental health supports, and pathways into education and workforce training. For entrepreneurs and workers, the hub will offer hands-on assistance with business licensing, permitting, inspections, and compliance, along with connections to grants, low-interest capital, technical assistance, and neighborhood commercial corridor improvement programs—while also supporting food-based small businesses and microenterprises that strengthen local food access and economic opportunity. By serving as a community gathering space for health outreach, food distribution, neighborhood meetings, cultural programming, and civic engagement, the center will reduce barriers, build trust, and make city government more responsive and visible in District 2.
Participatory budgeting will further ensure that investment decisions are driven by community priorities rather than top-down assumptions. By giving residents a direct role in shaping how public dollars are spent, Trần will empower neighbors to advance projects that reflect everyday needs, including safe routes to school, youth recreation, senior-friendly public spaces, neighborhood business districts, community health access, and reliable food resources. This process will help correct historic inequities by centering voices that have too often been excluded from decision-making, while building civic ownership and accountability at the neighborhood level.
Looking ahead, Trần will prioritize long-term, equitable investment that strengthens District 2’s economic, physical, and social resilience. This includes reinvesting in neglected infrastructure, supporting neighborhood-serving businesses, expanding access to community-based health and food systems, and advancing cultural initiatives that reflect the district’s history and diversity. Improvements to transit corridors will better connect residents to jobs, healthcare, grocery stores, and education, while revitalized community and recreation centers will serve as anchors for youth development, family support, senior engagement, wellness, and food access. By supporting small businesses, home-based enterprises, and local entrepreneurs—including food producers and vendors—Trần will help keep wealth circulating locally and protect residents from displacement as neighborhoods grow and change.
All investments will be guided by both data and community insight, using clear metrics to identify gaps while honoring lived experience as a form of expertise. By aligning city resources with neighborhood priorities, Trần will ensure that public dollars address immediate needs while building a foundation for long-term opportunity. This commitment to fair investment will create safer streets, stronger local economies, healthier residents, and food-secure, more connected communities—ensuring Far Southwest Denver is no longer overlooked, but fully supported today and for generations to come.