Our Community
The Central City South Community is a home of 13 urban, historic neighborhoods and parks adjacent to Phoenix, Arizona. We are a culturally diverse with a population of 17,000 people, a large proportion younger Hispanics.
Unfortunately most of the families living in Central City South live below the poverty line. We are blessed, however, with strong residential leaders and stakeholder groups who inspire a sense of community and connectivity which helps keep people’s hope strong.
Our People:
Central City South Community takes pride in its heritage. We have a culturally diverse history with many Hispanic historical sites. We work hard to maintain connectivity among our ethnically diverse community members comprised of:
- 76% Hispanic
- 16% African American
- 4% White
- 2% Asian
Our Strengths:
We have many strength and assets that keep Central City South Community going:
- Strong residential leadership
- Community awareness
- Collaborations and partnerships
- Community connections
- Multiple school districts
- Cultural diversity
- A growing community voice
- Land value, close proximity to major developments
Our Challenges:
Many of the challenges we face are consequences of being a community where poverty is the norm. We deal with:
- Racial barriers
- Physical barriers
- Lack of political influence, quality affordable housing, local transportation, local jobs, health care, education and services, and affordable nutritional food
- Low or under performing schools,
- High crime
- A general lack of hope and vision among some of our residents.
- A genuine concern of gentrification due to the encroaching downtown major development projects
- Low household income levels
- Underutilization of local services and resources by residents
Our Communities for All Ages:
The goal of our Communities for All Ages coalition is to build strong relationships between residents, businesses, providers and government entities that will result in unified efforts to create policies, practices, and public places that support and benefit our community.
Our coalition’s goal is to improve the quality of life for those who work, play and live in Central City South through resident driven processes.
