Our neighborhood has a high percentage of poverty and ethnic/minority families, many of whom are recent immigrants. Census statistics show:
   38.3% of the population live below the poverty level ($27,750 for a family of 4) 
   69.5% have a family income of $55,500 or less
   33.2% of adults do not have a high school diploma
   14.6% have a college degree
   33.7% of those employed earn less than $15,000 a year. 

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Programs to Increase Hope and Change
We have two programs, both aimed at bringing leadership and economic stability to our communities.
 

1 Rising Community Leaders – aims to train community leaders to bring about lasting change in their community. Participants meet for 4 months, learning about urban communities and issues of violence, mental health, helping them break the habits and situations that are keeping individuals in generational poverty.  Outcomes of the training to date include:
40 leaders per year establish strategic plans to better impact their community.  
The cohort of leaders and their mentors are an ongoing networking group.

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2 The Difference You Can Make – Harnessing the power of storytelling in a docuseries format, Studio 180 in cooperation with Story Front Pictures, is embarking on a bold initiative to produce a powerful film series focused on personal and community transformation. Producing this collection of impactful stories will help begin the long and vital process of transforming our culture, by uniting the heart and souls of both people that have been marginalized, and people with power and resources who together want something different.

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