Gadsden County Champion Community

Lead Entity: Gadsden County Development Council, Inc

Demographics

State: Florida

Counties (Census Tracts): 0202,0203,0204,0206,0207,0208
Community Population: 25,629
Poverty Rate: 30.4%

Net Land Area: 330 sq. miles

Background: 

• Unemployment rate: 4.3%
• Per Capita Income: $14,499
• Gadsden County had Florida highest average rate of births to unwed mothers (60.3%) from 1996 to 1998
• The county received designation by Florida as an Enterprise Zone 

Community Overview:

Gadsden County Development Council, Inc. was organized to create a healthy environment for recreational, cultural, social, community, and economic growth. The county has a 40% literacy rate, which affects industry recruitment and economic investment. It also suffers from a lack of livable wage jobs. Moreover, the 1990 Census reported that 29.2% of all Gadsden County residents live below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level. The Council focuses on creating, developing, or sustaining strong community partners to meet their strategic goals.

Strategic Plan Highlights:  

With the implementation of its strategic plan, Gadsden County Development Council, Inc. seeks to achieve a balance in economic and sustainable community development.

• Economic Development: Develop jobs and focus on community asset sharing.

• Housing: Create safe, sanitary, and affordable housing. Offer first time homebuyer assistance programs.

• Education: Enhance skills by offering educational opportunities for individuals and companies. Create community centers that allow for common service delivery space.

Partnerships

Collaboration efforts strong and reviewed annually. Key Council partners include: Gadsden County Board of Commissioners, City of Chattahoochee, City of Greensboro, City of Gretna, City of Midway, City of Quincy, Gadsden County School Board, Gadsden Chamber of Commerce, Florida A&M University, and Gadsden County Extension Services.

Leveraging

Gadsden County Development Council, Inc. has identified and secured support from various organizations at the federal, state, and local levels. Grants, technical assistance, and in-kind contributions were successfully solicited. In 2001, they received $11,474,975 in non-Rural Development grant funds. These funds supported their strategic goals for road paving, literacy programming, recreational improvements, emergency services or equipment, and waster or sewer infrastructure projects.

Community Involvement:

Gadsden Community Development Council fosters continuous improvement with its communication network. They hold regular community, public meetings, advisory, and marketing meetings to review benchmarks and update or revise goals. Local and state agency collaboration is strong and in late 2001, a grant writer was successfully hired and secured sufficient funding to move the Council closer to attaining their goals.   

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