Site #4: Pensacola, Florida

Yesterday morning we arrived in Pensacola, Florida for our fourth overall site visit.  Like every city and county we’ve visited, this place is rich in history.  Pensacola claims to be the first European settlement in the United States, older than Jamestown and Plymouth Rock.  The City of Five Flags (it has been occupied by five different nations throughout its history) was established in 1559 and became strategic military point.  To this day it hosts a naval air station.  However, one geographical aspect of Pensacola and Escambia County sets it apart from the other places we have visited:  it is a beach community. 

The white sand and clear blue water in Northwestern Florida bring tourists from all over the country to the area.  Poverty, which affects one in four children in the county, is kept out of the public eye.  Haley Richards, the current Circles Coordinator in Escambia County for Catholic Charities of Northwestern Florida, suggests this is not an accident and is a major obstacle for people trying to improve their lives.  Because visitors bring such an economic boost to communities like this one, the city has made waterfront development a priority.  Part of that process was a concerted effort to relocate a homeless shelter away from the downtown area.    Richards shared that certain chamber of commerce members talk about driving routes that avoid poorer areas when showing visitors the city.  Public transportation may take community members to the jail or public assistance offices, but their routes do not extend to the local attractions which cater to the middle-class residents and residents.

In this environment Bridges to Circles is working to make a difference.  25 Circle Leaders are working on their goals, while 9 more are waiting to be matched with allies.  Over 75 people attend the weekly meetings.  Another local non-profit, Pathways for Change, runs a re-entry program that prepares ex-offenders to enter society.  They are then plugged into Bridges to Circles. In light of their work in the community, the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors has awarded Catholic Charities of Northwestern Florida a $3.5 million grant, part of which will be used to sustain Circles and plant another site in Panama City. 

With all of these encouraging signs of growth, Escambia County looks to have a bright future as long as Circles pushes the envelope for change.