The projects in Archer have resulted in adults and children achieving literacy math skills proficiency, residents riding the shuttle bus to jobs in Gainesville, rehabilitation of the city's Old Fire Station for use as a recreation/after school activities site, and hundreds of low income citizens receiving primary medical care and asthma prevention services.
The Entrepreneurship School will begin its second year of operation at Lincoln Middle School and East Side High School, preparing children to be successful citizens and potential employers in Alachua County.
The City of Gainesville and Alachua County are co-sponsoring activities to establish a 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, which is already leading to changes in local organizations activities to facilitate the transition to housing from homelessness.
The Poverty Reduction Advisory Board will present recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners in September. Included in the recommendations will be a detailed recommendation for the county to establish an adult to adult mentoring project to assist adults in poverty rise above that status through improved personal and financial decision making and planning, education, employment, housing, etc.
Examples of Poverty Reduction Facilitation
1. In the Spring of 2004, the Poverty Reduction staff learned, at a meeting of the Archer Family Medical Clinic, that Archer would not have a Summer Youth Food Program in the Summer of 2003 due to problems with the program in 2002. Staff immediately contacted the county-wide Summer Food program operator, and arranged a partnership among YMCA, the School District, the City of Archer, and the Alachua County Housing Authority. The City offered use of the Old Fire Station as a feeding site. YMCA provided funding for the food through its agreement with the State Dept. of Education. The School District prepared the food. The Housing Authority transported the food to Archer, distributed to food, and kept program records. As the program ramped up, more and more kids were being fed daily, and at Summer's end, nearly 100 kids daily were getting a nutritious meal.
The project was continued in the Summers of 2004 and 2005, when recreation activities were added to the project.
A need was identified, resources were located, partnerships were formed, services were delivered, and children were nourished and healthy, and prepared to learn as school started back in session.
2. Staff are regularly contacted by agencies and individuals seeking specific information about how they might be able to address situations they are facing. Staff either provide such agencies and individuals the information they seek, or refer them to those who can. Since the Poverty Reduction Program has no funds with which to provide direct services, we focus on sharing information, collaborating with other agencies to improve their impacts, and facilitating resource sharing among agencies.