TCC understands how poverty effects achieving one’s own potential. We see it every day.
Not only does TCC’s main campus reside in 32304, of our three-county service district, Gadsden County ranks highest for food insecurity of the Florida's 67 counties, and Leon ranks third. 51% of our students are first in their family to attend college, 69% of our students are on some type of financial assistance, and 43% are Pell-eligible (meaning they come from low-income households.) Housing and food are two of the biggest issues for our student population. However, chronically underserved communities often face many related challenges such as poor health outcomes, low access to high-wage job opportunities, unsafe neighborhoods, lack of child and family care, unreliable transportation, justice system issues, and lack of agency. Collectively, these are the root causes of poverty.
As a community college, TCC believes in providing pathways to opportunity for everyone, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status. That's why we're partnering with community organizations, local businesses, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce to work towards reducing poverty and increasing prosperity in 32304, Florida’s most impoverished ZIP Code.
Residents with income below the poverty level
Children living in poverty
Residents living below the poverty level
A good job that provides a living wage also provides the resources and stability for individuals and their families to overcome a variety of socioeconomic challenges. Unfortunately, in a 2018 United Nations report, it was found that the U.S. has the highest rate of income inequality among Western countries "creating disparities in the education system, hampering human capital formation and eating into future productivity”. (Source)
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"Equity gaps exist in Florida and Florida’s global competitiveness depends on a quality education system. For the business community, a commitment to this education system must begin early." - The Florida Chamber of Commerce Prosperity Initiative
One of the primary reasons for poverty is the lack of education. (Source) Early reading proficiency, particularly third-grade reading levels, are linked to long-term educational outcomes: (1) eighth-grade reading performance, (2) ninth-grade course performance, (3) high school graduation, and (4) college attendance. Today, it is hard to earn a middle-class wage without a college degree or postsecondary career training. (Source)
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Access the Florida Gap Map, which identifies identify school-level performance gaps so business and community leaders can focus resources on helping close those gaps.
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According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is no state or county in the U.S. where a renter working full-time at minimum wage can afford a two-bedroom apartment. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines cost-burdened families as those who pay more than 30% of their income.
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Access the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies Cost-Burdened Housing Map
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Poverty can significantly impact an individual's health, across all demographics and throughout all life stages. If a family cannot secure adequate healthy food, clean water, and safe housing, they usually do not have access to other necessities like healthcare and education.
Read Poverty and Health - The Family Medicine Perspective
Read 'No access': Poor, isolated and forgotten, kids of 32304 see their health care compromised
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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food deserts are areas that have limited access to a suitable variety of fresh, healthy food, and are commonly located in neighborhoods with higher poverty rates.
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Access the USDA's Food Access Research Atlas
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Research shows that the higher the poverty rates and more concentrated disadvantaged populations are in any given neighborhood, the more likely they are to experience higher rates of violent crime. (Source) Higher crime rates in neighborhoods can affect everything from home insurance and real estate prices to businesses and the distribution of public resources.
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Parents with children under the age of 18, particularly young children who cannot care for themselves yet, as well as caregivers of the elderly and disabled often need help in order to care for their loved ones while they work to support their families. Unfortunately, many care settings, particularly in low-income areas, are unable to provide an adequate level of education and/or medical care. (Source)
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Poverty is both a strong predictor of entry into the criminal justice system as well as an outcome. Unfortunately, jails and prisons are often used in response to difficult medical or economic social issues. A United Nations special report on extreme poverty and human rights found that the U.S. is particularly unique in its treatment of the poor in the criminal justice system, citing the use of the legal system to raise revenue rather than promoting justice, and how punishments like burdensome fines and fees, large bail amounts and suspended licenses can disproportionately impact poor defendants.
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Access to reliable transportation ensures an individual can get a good job, go to the doctor's office, pick up groceries, and generally engage with a variety of community resources. While public transportation is one option, routes do not extend throughout the 32304 Zip code or may be inconvenient when a sudden need arises like a medical emergency.
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"To solve poverty, to fight an active and effective war on poverty, requires more than meeting material needs with cash and non-cash assistance; it requires genuine empowerment and a relief in equal measure of poverties of agency and status." -Thomas A. Bryer and Sofia Prysmakova-Rivera, Poor Participation (2018)
Too often, those impacted most by poverty have the least time and energy to devote to connecting with the resources that will help eliminate poverty, or if those resources do not exist, advocating on behalf of their community's needs. However, the agency is critical for affecting lasting change.
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*If not otherwise cited, all data were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ZCTA5 32304)
The U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. The official poverty definition uses money income before taxes and does not include capital gains or noncash benefits such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps. Additionally, poverty status is not determined for people in institutional group quarters such as prisons or nursing homes, college dormitories, military barracks, and living situations without conventional housing and who are not in shelters. (Source)
In addition to those classified below the federal poverty threshold, the United Way examines a population just beyond called ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). These individuals and families are often working but still unable to meet their basic needs, including food, child care, housing, health care and transportation.
United For ALICE launched its newest Report for Florida and all of its counties including Leon County, and the seven neighboring counties in which United Way of the Big Bend serves: Gadsden, Jefferson, Taylor, Madison, Franklin, Wakulla, and Liberty.
ALICE in the Crosscurrents illustrates the impact of these economic forces on struggling households.