INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Indian River County commissioners have approved a resolution supporting Gifford's effort to become a Florida Children's Initiative Community, a designation intended to help communities address poverty and improve access to services.
The resolution does not commit the county to providing funding or administrative support. Commissioners directed staff to add language clarifying the county's responsibilities before approving the measure.
Susan Prado, the county's deputy attorney, said the state designation is intended to help communities facing significant economic challenges.
"The purpose of this statute is to identify severely disadvantaged areas and provide guidance and resources to assist communities to address critical needs," she said.
Prado said communities seeking the designation must complete several steps before they can be considered.
"The statute requires there to be a planning team provided, there has to be a strategic community plan adopted, and then you identify or create a non-profit corporation from there from the planning team," she said.
The effort in Gifford is being led by Pioneering Change Inc. Founder Merchon Green told commissioners the organization was seeking the county's endorsement rather than financial assistance.
"We are here today not to ask you all for financial commitment. Our resolution is just for your support and partnership. We know that having you as a partner can help maximize our resources as well as ensure that others come to the table because our county commission has basically said that, yes, this is something that we believe in and deserves our support," she said.
If the designation is approved, Gifford could become eligible for state funding. However, Green said those appropriations depend on decisions made each year by state lawmakers.
"The seed money is based off the legislators. They decide how much funding that they're given to the areas that are designated. It's a part of their budget. So there may be funding for a year or two, then there may not be funding, and there may be."
Green said the initiative is designed to strengthen coordination among organizations already serving the community, regardless of whether state funding is available.
"That's why it's important that we collaborate with other organizations to ensure that we don't have duplicative services. What we're trying to do is bring those people to the table and ensure that now they're reaching the people that they need to reach," she said.
She said partnerships are already taking shape.
"We're partnering with Safe Families. We're partnering with Healthy Families. So programming is happening regardless of whether or not Pioneering Change is getting funding," she said.
"That's how we got the buy-in from most of the partners. We had over 30 nonprofits to attend, and they're all willing to work together. We plan on having provider meetings every month to discuss services, and we're basically a convener with the services."
Peggy Jones, vice chair of the Indian River County School Board, urged commissioners to support the initiative, citing strong interest from community organizations.
"Whatever you can do today, we appreciate because I can tell you, these people are ready to work," she said. "The support is there from nonprofits. I saw many, many nonprofits there during the meeting. So whatever you can do, we appreciate it."
With the resolution approved, Pioneering Change had until June 30 to submit its application materials for state review. If approved, the Florida Children's Initiative designation would help support efforts to reduce poverty and improve access to services in the Gifford community.