Ribbon-cutting ceremony held for Casita Feliz Latine LGBTQ+ Center in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- On Wednesday morning, the non-profit Casita Feliz celebrated its first brick-and-mortar with a special ribbon-cutting in central Fresno.

Casita Feliz aims to cultivate a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.

The founder, Diana Feliz Oliva, initially launched the non-profit out of her home.

The new location on Van Ness Avenue welcomes people with a comforting living room, resources, clothing, and educational materials.

Oliva, also known as Lady Diana, faced multiple barriers growing up in Sanger and promised she would one day begin a non-profit helping those who felt the way she once felt.

"This day reflects the hard work and the dreams and the vision that I've had for the past 25 ,26 years," said Lady Diana,

RELATED: Casita Feliz Latine LGBTQ+ Center opens in Fresno

"So today, having this a reality and to achieve this huge milestone not only for me as a trans-Latina chicana but also for our trans lgbtq community who identify as latine."

The director of operations at Castia Feliz says she is passionate about empowering the LGBTQ+ community and believes inclusive spaces matter.

As a Latina, she is proud of the work underway at Casita Feliz.

"That's where we have our queer little library partnering up with p-flag. We have a clothing closet. We want a food drive. We want to provide HIV services here, not just give resources, so there is a lot of things that we want to provide, and we are excited to provide," said Nauhi Lopez.

City leaders and community members stopped by to show their support.

After the ribbon cutting and sign unveiling, a resource fair took place in the parking lot that included networking opportunities.

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