War on Poverty Florida

Shands Jacksonville Gateway Wellness and Education Center

2011-02-16T23:17:00.000-05:00

Shands Jacksonville recently launched a new wellness center inside the Gateway Town Center complex on Norwood Avenue. War on Poverty-Florida was instrumental in organizing the efforts for a medical pavilion in the center, as part of the Building a Healthy Community initiative. News from the opening was highlighted in the Florida Times-Union. Link to full article >>

Community Action Helping Individuals Prosper

2011-02-15T08:55:00.000-05:00

Great op-ed piece in the Florida Times-Union today...

People can't begin to climb out of poverty if they don't know how not to keep digging themselves in deeper - and if they don't know how to use their own assets as a ladder to escape.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/opinion/editorials/2011-02-15/story/personal-finances-steps-prosperity#ixzz1E2FVSAz2

FABC Network Weaving Circle

2010-11-11T14:38:00.002-05:00

Florida Asset Building Coalition (FABC) in partnership with the Florida Legislative Black Caucus and the Minority Supplier Development Council are hosting a Regional Network Weaving Circle on Thursday November 18th in Orlando, Florida. The meeting will be held 1:00 – 4:30 pm at the Omni Hotel Champions Gate, and followed by a networking event at 5:30 p.m.

This is the fourth in a series of Network Weaving Circles aimed at engaging people and communities around a common vision of economic independence and economic security, defining asset building and assessing readiness, and identifying issues, strategies and priorities for the area. The anticipated outcome of these forums is a series of implementation and advocacy efforts focused on systemic change.

War on Poverty-Florida serves as coordinating agency for FABC. FABC began in 2008 as a state partner with the Southern Regional Asset Building Coalition (SRABC) supported by the Ford Foundation. The main goal is to establish a network and statewide coalitions in the Southern Black Belt region for mobilizing organizations and coalitions around advocacy and support for policies and programs designed to address the devastating economic impacts of persistent poverty, hurricanes, and land loss.

We were featured in Regions Corporate Responsibility Report

2010-06-17T10:38:00.000-04:00

The War on Poverty-Florida was recently featured in Regions Bank Corporate Responsibility Report. Check out our profile and Executive Director Karen Landry on page 4 of the PDF. Click to download >

Thanks to all who voted!

2010-06-17T10:34:00.000-04:00

Nathan B. Young Elementary and the Opa-Locka Community Garden entered the Nature's Path "Gardens for Good" contest for a chance to win $50,000 towards building a garden in a community north of Miami, Florida known as a food desert. The contest has officially ended, however you can review information on the following link.

http://www.justmeans.com/take-action/GardenGrantContest

Thanks to all who voted in support of this effort!

Childhood Obesity Prevention Science and Solutions

2010-06-17T10:29:00.000-04:00

On Friday June 18th, the University of North Florida Department of Nutrition and Dietitics will host a seminar for Health Professionals titled Childhood Obesity Prevention Treatment: Science and Solutions. Karen Landry, Executive Director for the War on Poverty-Florida is participating as a panelist discussing the lessons learned in Duval Programs.

The event is free with pre-registration. Read more >>

Homebuying Clinic This Saturday in Jacksonville

2010-04-15T12:38:00.002-04:00

WAR ON POVERTY-FLORIDA HOSTS HOMEBUYING CLINIC ON SATURDAY APRIL 17th

Clinic designed to educate potential home-buyers on the process to becoming a homeowner

On Saturday April 17th from 10:00am - 2:00pm, the War on Poverty-Florida will host a HomeBuying Clinic for local residents interested in learning more about the home-buying process.
The FREE workshop is designed to provide a basic overview of the home buying process, availability of local home buying programs and resources with the goal in preparing participants in the pursuit of home-ownership.
What does a Realtor do? How will I know I am ready to purchase a home? What is required by the bank?

Representatives from NEFAR, CitiMortgage, Grace & Truth CDC, Florida Department of Financial Services, and Northeast Florida Community Action Agency will answer these questions and more as they cover topics such as "Becoming a Homeowner", "Thinking Like a Lender", "Trusting Your Realtor" and "Understanding Homeowners Insurance".

The event is free and pre-registration is suggested. Call 766-7275 to register. Learn more about the War on Poverty-Florida at www.waronpoverty.org.

New Credit Card Rules

2010-02-22T12:38:00.000-05:00

Do you know how long it will take you to pay off that $200 balance on your credit card? If not, then rest assured, a new law requires credit card companies to disclose your full financial obligation. However there are other conditions that have come up as a result of the new legislation that you should be aware of.
* The resurrection of annual fees
* Potential for new fees or increased existing fees
* Raised interest rates
Check out an article from Tampa Bay online to learn more...and when in doubt, ask questions!

America Saves Week

2010-02-22T12:06:00.000-05:00

The week of February 21st - 28th we celebrate America Saves Week. What is America Saves Week? During one week each year, organizations and financial institutions across the country join a national campaign to encourage people to save money and improve financial security.

Most of us are not adequately saving money to handle emergencies or prepare for our future...often times because there is not enough income left to save. Organizations like ours are committed to help people create financial goals and plans that include saving. Saving can be done on any budget! Working together we can help create a better future!

For more information about America Saves, and to sign up for the E-Wealth Coach monthly newsletter visit the america saves website. We want to help you save! You can also visit our website www.waronpoverty.org to view savings tips or sign up for our Budget Bootcamp!

War on Poverty-Florida receives $20,000 grant

2010-01-28T16:51:00.000-05:00

The War on Poverty-Florida has received a $20,000 grant from the Jaguars Foundation in partnership with Baptist Health. The grant dollars were awarded in support of War on Poverty-Florida’s initiative to combat childhood obesity through its flagship Build a Healthy Community Childhood Obesity Prevention Project in Jacksonville.

http://www.jaguars.com/news/article.aspx?id=8683

New Team Member

2010-01-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

Please join us in welcoming Karen Phillips, J.D. to the War on Poverty-Florida team! Karen will serve as Project Coordinator/Policy Analyst in our Miami office.

Karen gained previous community development experience when she served as President of the Peggy Quince Chapter of Black Law Students Association, where she coordinated outreach/ mentoring programs for youth. Prior to her position with War on Poverty-Florida, Karen worked in the legal field in the areas of Commercial Litigation and Immigration.

A graduate of St. Thomas University School of Law, Karen holds a Juris Doctor degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership and Group Communications from Trinity International University.

Karen is a member of Christway Baptist Church, The Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Assocation and the proud mother of two daughters, Kytana (13) and Kyrsten (6).

A New Beginning and Bittersweet Ending

2010-01-27T13:05:00.002-05:00

On February 3rd, our long-time Community Organizer, Amanda Hood will leave us to embark upon a new journey several hundred miles from Florida.

Mandy (as she prefers to be called), is trading in her flip-flops for snow-boots and moving up the East Coast to become the newest Union Organizer for the Service Employee International Union in Pennsylvania.

During her three years with the War on Poverty-Florida, Mandy has been instrumental in developing relationships within the Miami Gardens and Opa-Locka communities in Miami-Dade County. She has been known for her ability to "hit the ground" and flex her organizing muscles, connecting with many community members and residents. When she moved from Miami to our headquarters office in Jacksonville, Mandy wasted no time getting out in the community, passing out flyers, making connections and bringing individuals to our doors to provide resources and assistance when needed.

Our Executive Director believes Mandy is one of the BEST community organizers that Florida has ever seen and notes that she will be sadly missed, both in our office and in the community. We will also miss her compassionate ideals on community organizing, her laugh, and her creative vegan meals.

Mandy, we wish you the best...and please know that once you are connected with the War on Poverty-Florida, you are always connected with the War on Poverty-Florida. You are a part of our family! Safe travels, and see you soon!

Get your Finances in Order!

2010-01-25T12:04:00.000-05:00

Attend our new Budget Bootcamp workshops and learn how to create and maintain a budget and tips for maintaining good credit. The workshops are held the first week of each month in the Jacksonville office. Visit our website for information or to register. www.waronpoverty.org

What is the War on Poverty Florida?

2010-01-25T12:01:00.000-05:00

We focus on building community by creating asset building opportunities for families and increasing capacities of community based organizations to achieve self sufficiency and positively impact the economic capacity of underserved communities. We work in communities in Florida. To date we serve Jacksonville, Miami Gardens and Opa-locka.

Five strategic priorities that guide our work and service offerings include: Economic & Workforce Development; Homeownership & Small Business Development; Financial Education; Organizational Leadership & Capacity Building; and Social Policy.

Our vision is to be a builder of communities. We recognize that work is not done solely through one organization, but through collaboration and partnership building and actively seek opportunities to strengthen efforts and affect change.