They did not have a name for it just then, but they had a clear vision of its purpose as a place for women who wanted more for themselves and their families. They sought a safe and supportive environment where women could complete their education and acquire new employment skills while their children received help and encouragement in school.
At its inception in the late 1970s, Mi Casa began offering job-training programs for women to help them break into higher paying jobs traditionally filled by men. Recognizing self-employment as another viable route to economic stability, Mi Casa expanded in the mid-1980s to include bilingual business development services to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit of low-income, female, and minority business owners. In the late-1990s, Mi Casa responded to the need for enrichment programs during out-of-school time by offering a school-based neighborhood center and other academic and enrichment programs for middle and high school youth.
As Mi Casa grew and developed, we recognized the need for programs to advance economic self-sufficiency for the entire family. In 2016, our mission evolved to reflect an expanded target population: advance the economic success of families with limited opportunities, as an organization grounded in our Latino heritage.
In July 2017, Mi Casa moved its headquarters to Denver’s Westwood neighborhood. In recognition of a lead gift to our capital campaign from the Salazar Family Foundation, Mi Casa’s headquarters were named “Salazar Center for Family Prosperity.” The move to Southwest Denver, along with the state-of-the-art technology and training rooms at the Salazar Center for Family Prosperity, allows us to better serve the community and more efficiently work toward our mission of educating, supporting, and training youth and adults on their path to economic success.
