La Fe evolved from a dream of concerned parents living in the poorest community in El Paso. This urban “barrio”, the Segundo Barrio (Second Ward), was also the third poorest zip code in the United States with over 18,000 inhabitants, most of who were Mexican-American families that struggled to reach their share of the American Dream.

Amongst the many challenges they faced in reaching this promise were the lack of health and human resources in their community, which were alarming and disproportionately less than other communities of El Paso. South El Paso families knew that the barriers of language, culture, poverty and racial discrimination continued to leave their community at the bottom of the basic human services infrastructure.

They also realized that in order to address their problems of poor housing, inferior education, violence, drugs, teenage pregnancy and high levels of incarceration amongst their men, youth, and families, they would have to take bold steps to establish their own solutions.

Through the social awareness of the 1960’s, a handful of concerned community volunteers formed the “Ochoa Parents Association” to address these multiple challenges.The Ochoa Parents Association was comprised mostly of barrio women who worked in the garment factories, canneries and as domestic helpers. Women who had little formal education, but had a great vision of wellness for their children and families.

Their dream was to have a better quality of life for their children in the broadest sense: a Totalidad de Nuestro Bienestar, a totality of wellness in life. A dream of a community resource that would help them change their lives and the future of their children. They wanted to create a resource that would give them a hand-up from poverty and not a hand-out like most public assistance programs.

They believed that their family’s well-being was dependent on the total environment, not just the physical, but the social, economic, political, educational, spiritual, and psychological issues they faced on a daily basis. The realization of their dream began in 1967 when their efforts and those of volunteer health workers and community activists initiated services from a small clinic housed in a single-room within the poorest tenement of the Segundo Barrio where their families lived. From this initial site, and with La Fe’s strong community support, a history of growth that moved the clinic from one borrowed space to another followed.

La Fe’s history of service from these various sites shared the focus on addressing the family needs of its barrio founders and stakeholders. In each site, another step was taken to reach the commitment La Fe’s staff had made to its community, and in each step community members continued to contribute time and support in assuring their much awaited wellness resource would help them break the cycle of inferior and inappropriate services for their families.

From these grassroots and humble beginnings, La Fe has grown into a comprehensive network of community health centers, community wellness programs and as a social justice leader on all issues that affect our community’s quality of life.

La Fe is proud to continue this legacy of developmental and wellness services for underserved US/Mexico border children, youth, and families who continue to struggle with disproportionate levels of poverty, lack of linguistically and culturally relevant services and multiple health risks.