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Try to imagine not having enough food to feed your children a nutritious meal,
or not being able to get a job because you can not speak English. Perhaps
circumstances of hardship led to substance abuse or lack of access to education
caused a parent to be forced to leave their child unattended while they worked
and therefore the child is neglected. And, what if those examples are just a
few of the many stories in an area where lack of resources and community voice
have led to a staggering amount of crime and a spiral down into poverty and
despair? That is the portrait of a community formerly called Suitcase City for
its largely transient population—a community that the residents and the UACDC
are working to redefine.
More than 40,000 people live in the University Area—an area less
than four square miles in size. The most densely populated part of Hillsborough
County, the UACDC’s target area is bordered by Bearss, Fowler, and Florida
Avenues and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. Compared to other areas of Hillsborough
County the demographics of this area are those of a community in need of
revitalization:
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Household incomes less than 70% of the median.
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An unemployment rate of 13.6%, compared to 4.4% for the county.
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Highest concentration of single mothers, teen pregnancy rates, and infant
mortality rates.
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Aggravated assaults at 3 ½ times the average.
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Incidence of rape 1 ½ times the average.
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Robberies and drug-related offenses 6.5 times the average.
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90% of school children receive free or subsidized lunches.
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3 out of 4 children move every year.
Because of these statistics, the UACDC target area falls within
a U.S. HUD Community Development Block Grant Target Area, State of Florida
Enterprise Zone, as well as a Federal Weed and Seed Area—programs indicative of
high levels of distress and poverty.
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