Santa Fe College joins Florida Chamber in prosperity initiative; kick off Oct. 13

October 12, 2026

One person. One ZIP code at a time.  

Santa Fe College is launching an initiative based on a model developed by Florida Chamber of Commerce to combat poverty locally. The ultimate goal is to move those living in poverty to prosperity by focusing existing resources and community efforts on areas most stricken by poverty. 

The college is joined in this effort by the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce, the University of Florida, The Community Foundation of North Central Florida, and SouthState Bank. A kickoff townhall meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Blount Hall at Santa Fe College’s Blount Center in downtown Gainesville. In attendance will be business and community representatives, area residents, and college and community partners.

This plan will focus on ZIP code 32601, the largest in the City of Gainesville, with a particular focus on the most impoverished neighborhoods. According to the Florida Gap Map, 48.5% (23,180) people living in that ZIP code are living in poverty and 28.5% of children are below the poverty rate. Additionally, 11% of 32601 residents are “ALICE” (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households, which means families earn above the federal poverty line but still struggle to afford basic necessities. 

"Santa Fe College is committed to transforming lives and uplifting our communities. The college has been and will always be keenly focused on making education attainable and giving people the tools they need to move from poverty to prosperity. It is powerful when an entire community can come together and address the root causes of poverty and take action to eradicate it.” said Santa Fe College President Paul Broadie. “Our partnership with UF Health, the Greater Gainesville Chamber, the Community Foundation, SouthState Bank, and community organizations throughout the area give us the opportunity to create tangible and lasting results to break cycles of poverty, create economic mobility, and uplift the community.”

At Tuesday’s kickoff meeting, participants will review information about 32601, hear from the Florida Chamber and others, offer input on solutions, and begin to discuss actionable next steps. Santa Fe College will support the effort by helping to connect partners, coordinating communication and facilitating meetings and events, as needed.

The Florida Chamber’s Florida Prosperity Initiative was launched to eradicate poverty throughout the state. Utilizing their model, The Florida Model, the Chamber works with resources embedded in local communities to create smaller, focused, and attainable goals to address the issues impacting residents.

The effort is based on 10 root causes that make it difficult for a child or family to escape poverty. The root causes were identified in partnership with the Federal Reserve and the national United Way from extensive research. They are:

• Food insecurity
• Unattainable housing
• Lack of access to quality healthcare, including mental health services
• Unsafe homes and neighborhoods
• Lack of employment opportunities
• Lack of available quality education
• Insufficient transportation
• Unaffordable and unattainable childcare
• Lack of financial literacy
• Lack of agency and community voice

This community-wide effort, with input directly from the community, will lead to collective action to address each of the 10 root causes of poverty so that individuals and families can prosper. 

All are encouraged to attend the kickoff event to learn more.