Leon County and community partners are working to address ongoing barriers to success for residents in the 32304 zip code, where organizations say housing and employment remain major hurdles despite a recent drop in the poverty rate.
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According to the County and Census Bureau Data, the poverty rate in the area has decreased by more than 7% over a five-year period, dropping below 50%. The median income has increased from $26,000 to $32,000, and unemployment has declined. However, these levels pale compared to the County average, and the County has tracked an uptick in reliance on SNAP benefits in the area.
"This isn’t a job well done, we’re gonna go home, and there’s no more work to be done. This is a, this is where we started, this is where we are, this is all the of the cumulative effort that led us here, and this is all the work that we need to do to move beyond," Marcus West, with Neighborhood Engagement and Community Partnerships Management, said.
Kescia Troupe, Director of Permanent Supportive Housing and Care Management with Family Promise of the Big Bend, said the main hurdles preventing families from transitioning to permanent housing are employment, housing, and the fear of asking for help.
"Poverty a lot of times doesn't just start with the zip code. It starts with the trauma that we experience, not just the trauma of not having food or not having money, but the trauma of not knowing what to do with the issues that you experience every day," Troupe said. "How to articulate the need without shame or without burden or without the speculation that I might not receive the help, like how many doors I have to knock on and get we're out of funding."
The County said they have invested in making resources more accessible, including stationing a community resource specialist in the Leon County Library.
"[They] can help connect them to snap job applications and any other range of services available, so really tapping into that is huge," said Abigail Thomas, Director for Leon County's Office of Human Services and Community Partnerships.
The County also provided a list of focus points to identify areas of improvement, including maternal and infant health disparities, education gaps, and insurance gaps.
That's alongside community partners, like Safe Families for Children of North Florida, who step in to help, who said showing community support is often available and can make or break a family.
"Without someone who will just come alongside them and say you're not alone in this, or someone who's kind of seeing those red flags of stress that are starting to pile up on a mom or a dad. Without that moving forward is almost impossible, and the feeling of being stuck is something that we hear a lot from our families," said Tammy Pulsifer, Community and Church Development Director for Safe Families for Children of North Florida.
Residents looking for support can visit the social worker at the public library. Other services include the Leon County Division of Housing Services Programs, Legal Services of North Florida Heir Property Support Services, Leon County Primary Healthcare Program, and 211 Big Bend.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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