Coloradans who work hard should be able to provide for their families and have the opportunity to achieve a good quality of life.
The public should have a meaningful voice in the government decisions and investments that impact their communities and their lives.
Economic development and public investments should build environmentally safe and sustainable communities where ordinary people can afford to live, work and thrive.
FRESC is a non-profit organization which brings together a diverse array of stakeholders to advance these principles and achieve lasting change for low and moderate-income workers, their families, and communities in Denver, the metro region and Colorado.
What We Do
FRESC promotes a new vision of organizing that uplifts and empowers working families and creates healthier, more equitable and sustainable communities through policies and agreements.
Our Campaigns and Projects
FRESC has successfully passed a city-wide policy that protects service employees from displacement when contracts change hands, created more affordable housing near transit, and made the case for higher wages in the growing service sector. (See more accomplishments here.) Our current efforts continue the work to imagine, build and sustain an economy that works for everyone:
Ensuring full funding of the FasTracks public transit expansion, connecting underrepresented communities to good jobs on the build-out, and making sure low-income families have the chance to live near the system
Promoting more environmentally sustainable buildings and energy production, and connecting low-income individuals, women and people of color to career training and quality jobs in the industry
Organizing clergy as a moral voice in support of workplace democracy and better wages and working conditions, especially for vulnerable populations
Improving transparency, community input, and equitable outcomes in economic development subsidy programs and investments
Increasing civic participation among our constituents and targeted populations through non-partisan voter education and ballot initiatives that connect to our mission
We simultaneously work with individual neighborhoods where major redevelopment projects are taking place, on city-wide policy in Denver, and at the regional and state levels on legislative and funding decisions that impact local communities. FRESC also advances equity nationally, by promoting the inclusion of best practices and models we have refined at the local level in federal policy and funding formulas.
How We Organize
FRESC utilizes a broad array of organizing strategies to achieve lasting change for working families and communities, including:
Academic level, actionable research
Coalitions of community-led organizations, labor unions, environmental partners, residents, workers, faith leaders and others
Policy development and advocacy
Grassroots community organizing
Non-partisan voter engagement
Public education
Community outreach and development of new systems to connect underrepresented populations with construction careers
Technical assistance
Formerly the Front Range Economic Strategy Center, we shortened our name to FRESC in January 2008.
RSS