Our Work
Our work is rooted in the reality that poverty is a complex issue that cannot be addressed by one organization. By promoting collaboration and coordination, we improve the well-being of the community by integrating and strengthening the efforts of multiple programs and initiatives.
South Side Thrive Collaborative targets its efforts in 13 census tracts of Columbus’ South Side.
We believe that collective action must be taken to improve the overall quality of life for South Side residents. We make progress toward this purpose by:
- Convening cross-sector partners
- Promoting shared work towards a common set of goals
- Facilitating connections
- Communicating information about available services and best practices
- Finding opportunities to leverage existing efforts, promote coordination and/or collaboration
- Using data to evaluate collective impact
- Intentionally engaging and building community
Community Context
The South Side of Columbus, Ohio has been, and continues to be, a beacon of opportunity. And yet, like many urban neighborhoods, it faces several challenges. Made up of multiple, smaller neighborhoods, the South Side was historically red-lined, a discriminatory practice of denying credit or insurance to particular populations, and experienced the economic implications of de-industrialization.
As a result, the household characteristics and community-level data point to many pressing issues that South Side residents face.
46%
of residents spend more than 30% of income on housing
$32,259
median income for households living in the South Side
15%
of residents are without health insurance
61%
of residents live below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line
Outcomes of Focus
Our work aims to advance the following outcomes for South Side residents with low to moderate income:
Housing Stability: Making sure residents can maintain housing because displacement risks have been addressed.
Income Mobility: Ensuring residents have full-time employment, allowing them to support their household and work toward a financially secure future.
Health: Improving residents’ quality of life through increased access to health care, fresh food and healthy living resources.
Community Connection: Elevating the voice of community residents and building the capacity of organizations and stakeholders to deliver high-quality programs.
Better understand the South Side community – the people and the stakeholders who make up the community’s fabric – by viewing one of our recent reports. Each year we aggregate data from health and human services organizations to measure the collective impact of the network and illuminate opportunities for continuous improvement.
Community Partners
