Each year, approximately 300 families in Jacksonville are served by Community Connections' housing programs. Working with homeless or shelter residents to help them break the cycle of poverty or domestic violence, Community Connections provides housing and support services to individuals and families for up to 24 months. During that time, residents work with case managers and counselors to help them improve financial and emotional self-sufficiency. In addition, job training services teach new skills so residents can secure jobs and ultimately find permanent housing.
Three locations provide help to the homeless:
- The Florence N. Davis Center for Women & Children - Downtown
- Jacksonville Homeless Housing Program - Westside
- The Northeast Florida Housing Program - Clay County
Services offered by Community Connections for children assure quality care and safe, stimulating environments. Services include:
The Community Connections Child Development Center - serving children six weeks to 12 years of age, this state-of-the-art program cares for low-income children from the surrounding neighborhood, children from the I.M. Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless, the Trinity Rescue Mission, Family Promise program and children of residents of the Davis Center. Age appropriate activities encourage positive and healthy development. The Center is proud to be part of the
Mayor's RALLY! Jacksonville reading program and offers the new Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) program at this location.
After School Programs - After school programs are available at six sites around Jacksonville including one 'Team Up' program at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School. Supervised homework assistance, tutorial services and computer instruction are available, as are several enrichment programs, including Boys/Girl Scouts, and the
Jaguar's Honor Rows. Arts & crafts, recreational activities and seasonal sports are also offered at each location.
Summer Camp - Almost 1000 children between Kindergarten and age 15 participate in the Community Connections Summer Camp program. Activities include team sports, games, fitness programs, reading and math, and field trips. Each child receives a breakfast snack, full lunch and an afternoon snack. Camp programs are offered at six sites throughout Jacksonville.
Healthy Families Jacksonville is a free and voluntary program that provides support to pregnant women and families with newborns at risk for child neglect due to factors that include teen pregnancy, lack of education and inadequate income. In addition, any family with a newborn and living in one of thirteen targeted zip codes on Jacksonville's Northside may participate. More than 3,800 individuals are served in a typical year.
Family Support Counselors work with participants, in their own homes, to teach important things such as how to stay healthy while pregnant, tips on breast feeding, skills to help become good parents, the importance of getting the proper immunizations and medical care for their babies and what to expect as their children get older. Families may stay in the program for up to five years after a child is born.
Community Connections runs the Healthy Families program for families living in the following zip codes: 32202, 32204, 32205, 32208, 32209, 32210, 32218, 32219, 32220, 32221, 32226, 32244, and 32254.
Community Connections offers special literacy programs to strengthen reading skills for both children and adults in order to build a better future. Programs include:
- Volunteer Pre-K site utilizing the Early Literacy and Learning Model/Plus (ELLM/Plus) Curriculum
- Mayor’s RALLY Readers! site
- Foundations for Success curriculum for Infants and Toddlers
- Jacksonville Journey Site
- Daycare Center certified by the Early Learning Coalition of Duval County’s quality school readiness program as a 4-star Guiding Stars of Duval site
- Hands on Jacksonville Reading Site/Weekly Volunteer Reading Program.
- Nemours BrightStart! dyslexia screening
- GED Classes
- FSCJ Scholarship Program
