Despite South Florida’s reputation as paradise, the reality for many is stark. In the 2023-24 school year, Broward County reported more than 6,027 homeless children. The community also faces challenges like chronic absenteeism, mental health issues, poor nutrition, and limited access to quality early learning programs. These factors perpetuate a cycle of poverty and low educational attainment, hindering social mobility and the path to stronger communities.
To help address these issues, Florida Atlantic University has been selected as the recipient of a $21 million multi-year grant from the United States Department of Education Promise Neighborhoods program, a place-based initiative aimed at transforming poverty-concentrated neighborhoods into communities of opportunity.
This is the largest grant that FAU has received in its history to date. The grant funds South Florida’s program titled, “Broward Unlimited Potential Promise Neighborhood” (Broward UP), following the lead by Broward College, initial innovator of the project.
As part of the grant, faculty from FAU’s College of Social Work and Criminal Justice and College of Education, along with FAU’s Division of Research, will be actively participating in research-related activities to support the project goals, including oversight of critical data analytics that are ultimately utilized to steer the program to achieve successful outcomes.
Broward UP links resources, talents and the creativity of communities to address the needs of children from cradle to career. The objective is to ensure all children growing up in Promise Neighborhoods have access to great schools and strong family and community support systems, which will prepare them to attain an excellent education and successfully transition to college or career pathway.
The attached news release and link to the FAU News Desk (https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/