Poverty amongst the Low Income Families we serve

Our Sulphur Springs Neighborhood, with a population of approximately 6,000 plus residents, is located within the City of Tampa and bound on the north by Busch Blvd and on the south by the Hillsborough River. Nebraska Avenue forms its western most boundary and Rowlett Drive forms its east boundary. A report by United Way Sun coast reveals that :

  • 57% of the households have income under $25,000 (compared to 43% in Hillsborough County

  • Per capita income is $10,600 (compared to $22,000 for the City of Tampa

  • 48% of all families live below the poverty line (5 times the county average)

  • 1,326 of the 1,864 household in Sulphur Springs receive public assistance

  • The incidence of no-car ownership is nearly 200% above the county average

  • 50% of the households have children under the age of 18; the vast majority of those households are headed by single mothers

  • 35% of residents are children under the age of 14 (compared to 21% for the county)

  • Homelessness in Sulphur Springs- We estimate that there are over 600 homeless living on the streets of Sulphur Springs. These are people sleeping on the streets, abandoned houses and buildings, in parks and anywhere where they can lay their heads for the night. We are seeing anywhere from 50 to 75 homeless daily visit our Center.

  • At-risk of becoming homeless –These are those living with a friend or relatives, and sleeping on a couch, rather than sleeping on the streets.

  • Motel Dwellers-We have discovered that the majority of the motels in the Sulphur Springs and nearby surrounding areas are occupied with people who were once homeless and are on the brink of becoming homeless again.