In February, Daphne Rotolo received some distressing news from a woman she was helping to find better housing. As a homeownership assistant with Housing Resources of Western Colorado, she’s seen and heard about many troublesome living situations. This was among the worst.

More than one million Californians lack access to safe drinking water, a startling statistic in a state with the fifth largest economy in the world. For these Californians-of which one in three is Hispanic and nearly half are adults diagnosed as pre-diabetic-the only alternatives to unsafe water are expensive bottled water or sugary drinks.

Two years ago, Consuelo Andrade was living in a village with her grandparents in Michoacán, Mexico, where she regularly saw neighbors and acquaintances returning from time spent working in the United States. They wore stylish clothes; some drove cars. She and others were mesmerized.

Hatch, New Mexico – While driving across southern New Mexico, you could easily believe you were traversing the moon. Despite Interstate 25 that bisects the state from north to south, the desert landscape appears mostly untouched and unpeopled.