The Need

The reality for many of St. Lucie County’s 344,000 residents is that their lives, at best, are disheartening and often desperate.

The number of St. Lucie County households below the poverty level is 29%, with that number increasing to 57% for the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Fort Pierce. Another 35 percent of all families live ‘paycheck-to-paycheck,’ as reported by the United Way of St. Lucie County’s Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed Report (ALICE).

The US Census Bureau estimates that St. Lucie County’s median per capita income in 2021 was only $31,289. Even those who work one or more jobs to pay the family bills – from putting food on their kitchen table to paying the rent – have incomes considered ‘at risk.’

In addition to unhealthy living conditions, malnutrition, and stress, another consequence of poverty, as well as a major deterrent to children’s success in school, is their lack of permanent, adequate housing.

In January 2020, 978 children were registered as homeless in St. Lucie County Schools. In March 2022, that number increased to over 2,000 children. Of these, 25% were living in cars or campgrounds. Most likely, the numbers are worse. Families, fearing that their children may be removed, often do not register their children. The number of homeless children registered in St. Lucie County Public Schools has increased by 105% since the onset of COVID.